Sample College Admissions Essay

The sanctuary was still and silent as the young boy ambled slowly to the podium. His crisp, white shirt struggled against the girth of his stomach; the size 42 pinstriped suit hung loosely off his crooked frame. His small, dull eyes, lost in the chubby folds of his face, smiled tentatively as he shook the rabbi's hand. He took a deep breath and began chanting, in a soft, high-pitched voice that was barely audible to the 100 guests who sat patiently. Unlike the home crowd at a football stadium, they had come to this Bar Mitzvah with more love than expectations. Seated in the first row, his parents looked on, proudly. This would be a day to celebrate-a day to forget the painful struggles that had plagued their everyday lives for the past thirteen years, since my aunt and uncle first met Eric in the bleak hallway of the adoption agency.

My cousin Eric was born with a genetic abnormality. A deletion on chromosome 22 has wreaked havoc on his mind and body. It seems unbelievable that such a small piece of this chromosome controls hundreds of physiological functions. Lucky for Eric, if one could even consider him to be lucky, only a handful of symptoms have manifested themselves. Yet those symptoms have taken over three lives, and destroyed much promise in Eric's future. Autism, scoliosis, speech impediments, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, severe anxiety, depression, and mental retardation are just some of the demons my cousin battles everyday. Tragically, Eric's adoptive parents are also psychologically fragile, and their struggles with their son have precipitated a downward spiral towards unemployment and poverty.

Eric and I were born just three months apart. We shared the same playpen, the same toys, the same stroller. While we should have been on parallel journeys to adulthood, our paths quickly diverged. Looking back, I realize now that I was no more deserving of my blessings than he was of his curses. But luck dealt me pocket aces, while Eric began the game with a 7 and a 2, off-suit. Neither one of us had any choice but to play the hand we were given. Mine brought me good health, financial security, and an intellect that allowed me to take advantage of an excellent education. Eric, on the other hand, has stumbled through an educational system and a social services network that is indifferent to his special needs, despite his parents' best efforts. In a country that proudly asserts "no child left behind," Eric was abandoned long ago. Now, at the age of 17, he reads at a fourth-grade level. His best and only friend is his Xbox. His future will never include the things most of us take for granted-marriage, children, a good job, independence.

However, my family will never give up on Eric. We've paid for food, clothing, and medicines. We've supported him with love and encouragement. We've advocated for his basic rights when "the system" chose not to hear his feeble voice. When the electric company left his family in darkness, we turned the lights back on.

But Eric has helped me more than I will ever be able to help him. Because of Eric, I have more compassion for the suffering of others. Because of Eric, I am more appreciative of the gifts life has given me, and I do not take them for granted. Because of Eric, I have more respect for the millions of people trapped in the cycle of mental illness, poverty, and homelessness. Because of Eric, I understand that our world is not only defined by a diversity of races, religions, and radical beliefs, but also by a diversity of circumstances-by the struggles, experiences, disappointments, and successes that shape our humanity. Because of Eric, I'm a rich, white, Jewish kid who knows how to apply for food stamps.

Eric will not grow up to change the world, yet he has changed my world forever. And while my cousin will never have the opportunity to go to college himself, I will take him with me.