<p>Hi! It would be wonderful if anybody could read my common app essay! Proofreading, constructive criticism, comments and suggestions are all welcome :) Thank you so much!</p>
<p>Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?</p>
<p>Hundreds of eyes are upon me as I nervously eye the deceivingly peaceful pool. The water is the battleground, my coach the Commander in Chief, my teammates my fellow squad members. My armor comes in the form of exorbitant fabric scientifically designed to reduce muscle oscillation, repel water, and accentuate every facet of my body I’d rather remain private. Every day seems like a colossal battle to survive in the chlorine infested waters, but practice is only boot camp, designed to prepare us for the crucial final battle. The spectators hush as I anxiously snap on my goggles, my form of war paint. Our team cheer is still reverberating through my mind as the whistle blows and I step onto the blocks. “Swimmers… take your marks… BEEP”, the shot is fired, and the fight has begun.</p>
<p>The only weapons I have against my opponents are my arms, furiously shoveling water and gracefully yet powerfully capturing speed, for while the pool may be different, the water is the same. My army vehicles are my legs, propelling me forward and kicking so rapidly only a blur of white water can be seen. My lungs, adapted to the many years of severe oxygen deprivation, burn with maniacal delight as the battle progresses. After infinite days of endless technique work, my body remembers the miniscule details I have tweaked at practice to help lose even a fraction of a second. My brain seems programmed to continuously produce both an unyielding stream of despair and military-like encouragement. Deprived for months of dessert or any kind of tooth-decaying deliciousness, my muscles easily fall into the familiar rhythm I have endlessly practiced. </p>
<p>All the stress of school, unfinished homework, and much needed studying I have put off in favor of swim practice seems to melt away as I battle my way to the finish. In the midst of battle, I finally understand why I chose to struggle up the stairs with drenched hair and disheveled clothes to my third floor class after morning practice three times a week. I suddenly appreciate the ungodly mornings I gave up my beautiful, peaceful bed in exchange for frigid, tempestuous waters, accomplishing an entire practice before most even press the snooze button on their alarm clocks.</p>
<p>The final laps of my swim are close. In the water, the racket of the crowd is muffled and the only sounds I can hear are my lungs screaming for oxygen and my body protesting against the lactic acid invasion. As the end of my crusade nears, I suddenly recall last year’s crucial swim I had completely floundered. That year, I had somehow simply worked my body to the ground, so exhausted even the week of taper could not allow my body to recover. I had not dropped even a thousandth of a second in my swims, instead watching my competitors swim incredible times. Disgusted, I could not bring myself to re-enter the pool for three weeks. However, I soon missed the feeling swimming brought me: I craved the water, the endorphins, the thrill. I belonged in the water. I forced myself back into training. There would be other battles I would have to fight. I learned to pick myself up and to try again.</p>
<p>I am jarred from my quick flashback to the upcoming finish. I remember all my preparations, practices, and toil... </p>
<p>My fingers scrape against the finish pad. Gasping for air, I raise my head in time to see my competitors still far behind me. The roar of the crowd reaches me like a thunderclap as I realize the fight is over and won.</p>
<p>I am not the next Michael Phelps, I am not swimming in an Olympic pool with the entire world watching, and I do not represent an entire country. But I have achieved a small victory, and tomorrow, I will be ready to prepare for the next battle.</p>