<p>UC Personal Statement
Prompt 1</p>
<pre><code>Botflies burrow into human flesh and lay eggs that grow into maggots an inch long. The maggots must be pulled out surgically through the entry wound. Every day I learn new tidbits about the world ranging from botflies to English literature, but more importantly I am constantly learning how fascinating and infinite all possible career paths are. I am not someone who was destined for a certain career since birth, but when I recently learned the word “eudemonia,” (a fully realized happiness or sense of belonging), I realized that it defined what I wanted perfectly. My goal is to find my eudemonia.
I first walked through the hallowed doors of Judge Memorial high school as a smooth faced freshman with one goal: to be on the basketball team. I had seen High School Musical enough times to be tricked into believing that happiness meant athleticism and popularity. But as my jump shots continued to get swatted into the bleachers by six foot seven gorillas at tryouts, I realized that I would not be playing basketball that winter. None of it would be mine: the roar of the crowd, the flashy letterman’s jacket, and the envious eyes of others. However, one perk of not playing ball was that it left me with copious amounts of time to focus on school, which is what led to my fascination with the whole world around me. I love to learn, and that passion sparks my excitement to go to college.
Now that I have begun to explore colleges, serious consideration regarding my major is required. I have attacked the process of exploring universities with the same intensity and curiosity of my little brother in a candy store, and I believe that an open minded approach to college will lead to the discovery of my eudemonia. Although I have always slightly leaned towards an interest of math and science, I have to be sure. I must sink my teeth into all sorts of disciplines and suck the intellectual and creative juices of each one. I cannot live happily without the certainty that I have found my eudemonia.
I think my world was similar to most American kids. I am a white, middle class kid who grew up watching LeBron James on television. I saw how the media celebrated his talents. I saw him as the American dream. I do not find it incorrect to say that every kid dreamed of being the best, just like LeBron James. Shooting baskets in the driveway made me feel like superman, and my kryptonite was the list that informed me and thousands of others who got cut from their freshmen teams that basketball was over. Fast forward three and a half years, and the same group whose hoop dreams came to a screeching halt are working on their college entrance essays, having moved on from the NBA fantasy and excited to take the next step in life. I find the botfly to be enviable in a way. It knows exactly what it wants, which is to lay eggs inside humans. My path of life remains mostly a mystery. But overtime I know my eudemonia will make itself clear.
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