Excerpts from the one that didn't. . .

My wonderful Auntie is taking classes this summer. I was helping her with a paper over the phone and I loved her opening paragraph (Auntie - if you read this, YES, you are a wonderful writer!). I was inspired. SO...

My application essay for grad school was a nerve-wracking experience. Writing usually comes pretty easy for me, but I haven't done any serious writing for a long time and I was kind of afraid that all of my skills had deserted me. So, I agonized over it and for the first time in my life I wrote a rough draft. And I kept editing it until it didn't make me cringe... it must have been OK in the end, right? :)

Anyways, my opening (and favorite) paragraphs ended up on the cutting room floor, so to speak. When I decided to rework the essay I was actually a little nervous about taking it out because I liked it so much, but when you only have 750 words... grrr.

And since I won't ever share the finished product that did, in fact, get me into grad school, here's an excerpt from the one that didn't (or couldn't? since I didn't give it a chance? Oh, whatever...):

A bright yellow Perma-Bound Baby-Sitters’ Club serial. The beginning of a love affair with the library and all things information started with a trip to the school library and grew from there. From there an insatiable curiosity was born. I became the frequent subject of lighthearted teasing because of all the books I consumed and how quickly. My mother referred to it as a failure to grow out of the “why?” stage so common in little children.

My senior year of high school reflected the growth of my curiosity. I took several history courses as “electives” – courses I didn’t need – just because the content interested me. My success in those courses made the choice of an undergraduate major easy. History fit my “why?” personality perfectly. Perhaps a little foolishly I didn’t enter college with a clear career path in mind. I wanted to learn. I knew what I wanted to learn and that’s what I set out towards. What I intended to do with what I would learn had yet to be determined.

There you have it. A little rough and ultimately unfinished.