An Old Sample College Essay of mine.

I'm busy writing college essays right now, and I remembered one practice essay that I wrote a couple years ago in a college readiness program. Right now, I'm writing an essay for a school and it must be no more than 300 words. My old essay is over 700 words. -_- You can see how hard it is for me to cut down my words on this new essay. But I really like my old, 732 word essay, so I will post it here. And if I ever finish with my other college essays, then I will post them here too.

    I’m used to “being the other one.” My brothers always take the spotlight, their autism disability making them the V.I.P.s of my life. I’ve missed out on numerous experiences and put countless things on hold because Julian’s and Jordan’s needs come first. Julian personally makes sure that he gets taken care of, no matter what the obstacles are: his inability to talk, his inexplicable dislike of Jordan, authority figures, locks… There’s a reason we call him the “Tazmanian Devil”, but sometimes he’s nothing more than a troublesome lost puppy.

    One time, I was at a SibShop event – a program for kids who have siblings with autism – when my mom told me that Julian was in the hospital. I was terrified – my mom wouldn’t tell me what happened, and I kept assuming he got hit by a car. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Julian had apparently crawled over Jordan, climbed out of our van, and went into the store my mother had gone in. He had to go to the bathroom, and my mom always takes him to the women’s restroom with her, but since he couldn’t find her, he went on his own. Well, a woman was more than a little shocked to see a guy (Julian looked like a grown man by then) sitting with his pants down in the women’s restroom, and she called security. The guard tried to talk to Julian, but since Julian can’t talk, the guard labeled him as nonresponsive. As a result, Julian got pepper-sprayed; we took him to the hospital so the doctors could stop the effect of the pepper-spray in his eyes, and when he was better, we went to the police station so that Julian could get his mug shot. Now this event is his criminal record. I didn’t go back to my SibShop meeting that night, but everyone was quite amused when I told them at the next meeting.

    Not every experience with him is so comical. Once, my mom had taken Julian to the bathroom at White Castles, and she was walking him back to the car when he got out of her grip and took off. I was so used to my mom taking care of my brothers at this time that it never occurred to me to help her until she was yelling at me to run after him. I didn’t know what he was headed for, but he was already darting across the street so I ran to catch him before he got hurt. Somehow, not a single car was on the road when he got halfway across the 4-lanes, but as soon as I set foot on the street, traffic flows again. I couldn’t believe my rotten luck as his guardian angel helped him as he flapped his arms, still running ahead. We made it across the street, and as I caught him at a gas station, I noticed this boy was running to his favorite restaurant: Popeye’s. He was blissfully ignorant to the dangers that threatened his life while I’m still scared to cross the street with him.

    Julian has certainly taught me about perseverance. But he’s also taught me that I’m stronger than I thought. I showed my bravery when I ran after him across traffic and when I have to push Julian back when he’s mad so he doesn’t hurt Jordan. I practice patience when I have to listen to countless sing-along tapes with high-pitched mice and chipmunks, or Julian’s high-pitched squeals, or Jordan’s constant chatter. When my mom is ready to pull her hair out, I’m ready to take over and help keep these boys content. I feel like I helped raise them. And most importantly, these boys taught me that I can deal with any obstacle. If I need help, I will not rest until I get it. No one can bully me or talk about me because I won’t listen to what they say. When I thought my autistic brothers were my biggest obstacle for what I want to do in life, they actually became my biggest drive to become as strong as them. Their disabilities have put them at a disadvantage, but Jordan and Julian help me as much as I’ve helped them. If they can keep trying to take care of themselves and work to get what they need, then so can I.