Environment Essay
What is the purpose of this essay?
A big part of the college application is introducing yourself – who you are, what matters to you, your values and how you process (think). The environment essay gives the admissions officer an opportunity to see you as an individual as well as what your values are.
New Prompt:
Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
Key Planning Questions:
a) Where do I go often in order to feel good or happy?
(Physical Place/ One you go to regularly)
b) Why do I go there?Do NOT say ‘It makes me feel good.’
Write down 3 REASONS why this place means something to you:
_
_
_
c) Tell the reader what you do when you are there and break down how you feel when you do it.
d) When did I start going there? What was my reason? Why do I go back there?
e) What does it look like?(Sight/Smell/Taste/Sound/Texture)
f) What does content (happy/fulfilled) mean to you?
g) Why is it that this place – in contrast to other people’s places – makes you feel content?
Let’s take a look at the key words in this prompt. We’ll examine the words in the order of their importance, rather than in the order in which they appear.
Place or environment.
Unlike most of the other prompts that ask you about items fixed in time (an incident, an event, an occurrence), this prompt is anchored in space. A place or environment has a particular geography. It has a location. Generally this prompt will work best if you can identify a very specific location. But sometimes a more general environment might do quite nicely. More than one student will likely take a metaphorical tack on this prompt, identifying an abstract space or place around which they will build an essay. But a place or environment is fixed in space.
Describe.
Again, this is a word that is quite different from the other prompts in which you are asked to tell a story.
Here, we want a description of the place you have identified. Again, the more specific the place, the more detailed description you might be able to provide. But just as you want a story to be interesting and vivid, you also want to paint a picture of this place that helps your reader to see it in her mind’s eye.
Do or experience.
Again, this prompt is not looking for a particular instance or event upon which you can construct a story or narrative.
Instead, this prompt assumes that your relationship with this place is not fixed at one particular moment; rather, the prompt assumes that you return to this place again and again, and that you engage in particular activities or experience particular sensations or emotions. So just as you need to describe the place, you also need to describe yourself moving about and interacting with that space.
Content.
This is the core of the prompt: contentment. And what is contentment? Aha! This is the core of the core: you have to define—for yourself—what contentment means for you. Fortunately, you don’t have to write a philosophical treatise on the qualities of happiness. But you do have to explain what you mean by contentment within the context of this place. Why do you continue to return to this place? What benefits—material, spiritual, intellectual, social, and whatnot—do you derive from this particular place or environment. Don’t limit yourself to just one aspect of your contentment in this place: break it down. As you brainstorm this prompt, see if you can come up with three solid aspects of your contentment in this place or environment.
Meaningful.
This word is related to contentment. This place, if you have chosen it correctly, has some sort of intrinsic meaning to you. It may not have much meaning at all for other people. But for you, this place or environment is a source of satisfaction, of ease, or of spiritual tranquility. It will not be enough to say that the place is meaningful: you need to come up with why it is meaningful. So going back to the idea of contentment, if you can come up with three reasons why this particular place has meaning to you, then you’ll be well on your way to writing a fantastic essay that addresses this prompt. This prompt is quite different from the others, both in terms of what it is asking you to write about, but also in the structure of our essay. You can tell a lot about a person by the spaces they inhabit.
So what/which place makes you content?
SAMPLES:
Princeton Application
A creek is no place for shoes. I think it's unreasonable to ask children to keep their shoes on in such a place. My bare feet were always covered with calluses from walking down the rough pavement of Peardale Street and around the corner, past the weeping willows, but not as far as the Lindsay's squeaky old swing-set. It was hard to see from the road, and as far as I could tell, nobody ever went there- except for me. Large pines nearby stood tall and erect, looking down at the ripples and currents that nudged each other about playfully, like children in the back seat of a car on a long drive. Stones and pebbles lined the shallow bottom and allowed the water to glide in creative patterns over their smooth surfaces. Larger, moss covered rocks dotted the bank and provided ideal spots for a child to sit and watch and wonder.
The creek often taught me things; it was my mentor. Once I discovered tadpoles in several of the many eddies and stagnant pools that lined the small rivulet. A cupped hand and a cleaned-out mayonnaise jar aided me in clumsily scooping up some of the more slothful individuals. With muddy hands and knees, I set them on the kitchen counter, and watched them daily as they developed into tiny frogs. I was fascinated by what was taking place before my eyes, but new questions constantly puzzled me. Dad was usually responsible for assuaging these curiosities. He told me about different kinds of metamorphosis and how other little tiny creatures lived in the water that I couldn't see without a fancy magnifying glass.
By the creek, my mind was free to wander. I remember sitting silently on a mossy rock and watching the birds; I used to pretend I was one. As my body lay still, my imagination would take flight. High above, looking down on this stream from the pale blue heavens, the wind whistled over my face and the sun warmed my body. When my eyes flickered open, it was usually time to go home. Sometimes I even did.
I was always up for a challenge. My sister and I used to jump from rock to rock, in a kind of improvised hop-scotch obstacle course that tested our balance and agility against one another. She was four years older and I had to practice every morning when she was at school in order to keep up. On the rare occasions that I outdid her, I wore a goofy smirk for the rest of the day.
The creek was a frontier. The stream extended far into the depths of the woods. I thought that if I wandered too far into its darkness, I might be consumed by it and never heard from again. Gradually overcoming my fear, I embarked on expeditions and drafted extensive maps using my father' s old compass, a sheet of paper, and a few colored pencils. As my body grew in height and weight, my boundaries grew in extent and breadth.
Years later, I happened to be walking to a friend' s house by way of the creek. It occurred to me that what was once an expedition was now merely a shortcut. Although I had left this stream behind, I found others: new questions and freedoms, new challenges and places to explore. But this creek would remain foremost in my memory, whatever stream, river, or ocean I might wade.
A big part of the college application is introducing yourself – who you are, what matters to you, your values and how you process (think). The environment essay gives the admissions officer an opportunity to see you as an individual as well as what your values are.
New Prompt:
Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
Key Planning Questions:
a) Where do I go often in order to feel good or happy?
(Physical Place/ One you go to regularly)
b) Why do I go there?Do NOT say ‘It makes me feel good.’
Write down 3 REASONS why this place means something to you:
_
_
_
c) Tell the reader what you do when you are there and break down how you feel when you do it.
d) When did I start going there? What was my reason? Why do I go back there?
e) What does it look like?(Sight/Smell/Taste/Sound/Texture)
f) What does content (happy/fulfilled) mean to you?
g) Why is it that this place – in contrast to other people’s places – makes you feel content?
Let’s take a look at the key words in this prompt. We’ll examine the words in the order of their importance, rather than in the order in which they appear.
Place or environment.
Unlike most of the other prompts that ask you about items fixed in time (an incident, an event, an occurrence), this prompt is anchored in space. A place or environment has a particular geography. It has a location. Generally this prompt will work best if you can identify a very specific location. But sometimes a more general environment might do quite nicely. More than one student will likely take a metaphorical tack on this prompt, identifying an abstract space or place around which they will build an essay. But a place or environment is fixed in space.
Describe.
Again, this is a word that is quite different from the other prompts in which you are asked to tell a story.
Here, we want a description of the place you have identified. Again, the more specific the place, the more detailed description you might be able to provide. But just as you want a story to be interesting and vivid, you also want to paint a picture of this place that helps your reader to see it in her mind’s eye.
Do or experience.
Again, this prompt is not looking for a particular instance or event upon which you can construct a story or narrative.
Instead, this prompt assumes that your relationship with this place is not fixed at one particular moment; rather, the prompt assumes that you return to this place again and again, and that you engage in particular activities or experience particular sensations or emotions. So just as you need to describe the place, you also need to describe yourself moving about and interacting with that space.
Content.
This is the core of the prompt: contentment. And what is contentment? Aha! This is the core of the core: you have to define—for yourself—what contentment means for you. Fortunately, you don’t have to write a philosophical treatise on the qualities of happiness. But you do have to explain what you mean by contentment within the context of this place. Why do you continue to return to this place? What benefits—material, spiritual, intellectual, social, and whatnot—do you derive from this particular place or environment. Don’t limit yourself to just one aspect of your contentment in this place: break it down. As you brainstorm this prompt, see if you can come up with three solid aspects of your contentment in this place or environment.
Meaningful.
This word is related to contentment. This place, if you have chosen it correctly, has some sort of intrinsic meaning to you. It may not have much meaning at all for other people. But for you, this place or environment is a source of satisfaction, of ease, or of spiritual tranquility. It will not be enough to say that the place is meaningful: you need to come up with why it is meaningful. So going back to the idea of contentment, if you can come up with three reasons why this particular place has meaning to you, then you’ll be well on your way to writing a fantastic essay that addresses this prompt. This prompt is quite different from the others, both in terms of what it is asking you to write about, but also in the structure of our essay. You can tell a lot about a person by the spaces they inhabit.
So what/which place makes you content?
SAMPLES:
Princeton Application
A creek is no place for shoes. I think it's unreasonable to ask children to keep their shoes on in such a place. My bare feet were always covered with calluses from walking down the rough pavement of Peardale Street and around the corner, past the weeping willows, but not as far as the Lindsay's squeaky old swing-set. It was hard to see from the road, and as far as I could tell, nobody ever went there- except for me. Large pines nearby stood tall and erect, looking down at the ripples and currents that nudged each other about playfully, like children in the back seat of a car on a long drive. Stones and pebbles lined the shallow bottom and allowed the water to glide in creative patterns over their smooth surfaces. Larger, moss covered rocks dotted the bank and provided ideal spots for a child to sit and watch and wonder.
The creek often taught me things; it was my mentor. Once I discovered tadpoles in several of the many eddies and stagnant pools that lined the small rivulet. A cupped hand and a cleaned-out mayonnaise jar aided me in clumsily scooping up some of the more slothful individuals. With muddy hands and knees, I set them on the kitchen counter, and watched them daily as they developed into tiny frogs. I was fascinated by what was taking place before my eyes, but new questions constantly puzzled me. Dad was usually responsible for assuaging these curiosities. He told me about different kinds of metamorphosis and how other little tiny creatures lived in the water that I couldn't see without a fancy magnifying glass.
By the creek, my mind was free to wander. I remember sitting silently on a mossy rock and watching the birds; I used to pretend I was one. As my body lay still, my imagination would take flight. High above, looking down on this stream from the pale blue heavens, the wind whistled over my face and the sun warmed my body. When my eyes flickered open, it was usually time to go home. Sometimes I even did.
I was always up for a challenge. My sister and I used to jump from rock to rock, in a kind of improvised hop-scotch obstacle course that tested our balance and agility against one another. She was four years older and I had to practice every morning when she was at school in order to keep up. On the rare occasions that I outdid her, I wore a goofy smirk for the rest of the day.
The creek was a frontier. The stream extended far into the depths of the woods. I thought that if I wandered too far into its darkness, I might be consumed by it and never heard from again. Gradually overcoming my fear, I embarked on expeditions and drafted extensive maps using my father' s old compass, a sheet of paper, and a few colored pencils. As my body grew in height and weight, my boundaries grew in extent and breadth.
Years later, I happened to be walking to a friend' s house by way of the creek. It occurred to me that what was once an expedition was now merely a shortcut. Although I had left this stream behind, I found others: new questions and freedoms, new challenges and places to explore. But this creek would remain foremost in my memory, whatever stream, river, or ocean I might wade.