<p>I'm internally freaking out about my personal statements for the Uc's, and I would love for anyone to give any pointers on my essay. The prompt is:</p>
<p>"Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?"</p>
<pre><code> On the back of a horse, life is no longer what it is when two feet are planted solidly on the ground. Solitude engulfs the body not physically, but mentally. People near and far leave the line of sight. Nothing around requires attention except for the life beneath the body. Underneath the seat is a living creature that, at any moment, can take away a life. Every time the choice is made to ride a horse, it must be understood that anything can happen. No ride is ever the same as the next.
Since I was a young girl, the back of a horse is where I wanted to be. Whether it was taking riding lessons with a trainer, performing in front of an audience, or meandering through a meadow, I found joy being with no one other than my equine friends. To this day I continue to enjoy spending time with my horse even as other activities consume my time.
Horseback riding produces a sense of pride in me that is hard to express. The person I am today would never have been possible without my experiences with horses, and this is the sense of pride. After realizing that horses must be observed to be understood, I realized this was applicable with not only humans, but society in general. Watching to learn is an ability I have acquired that has allowed me to understand how people act, and it has instilled in me a desire to continue to learn about how different types of people behave. New cultures fascinate me due to this want I have to understand. Simply understand.
With my time near horses I also developed a love of experiencing new things. New horses mean completely new moments to live in. Life is always changing, but embracing the change is the real difficulty. I want nothing more than to embrace changes; embrace things that are different. Tolerance, or acceptance, comes with this love of the new. The new city, the new people, the new language, and the new relationships. Yet if a mind isnt open, then new experiences cannot be new when seen through the eyes of an ignorant person. How can I learn or grow when every foreign idea spoken to my ear is marked as wrong or unimportant? I want to learn from people. I want to be shown everything.
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but at least the cat was able to live. To really live. A life without curiosity is no life at all. Seeing the world through a new pair of eyes everyday will lead me to a new perspective, and a more fulfilling life. Someday I may make a difference in the world, but I will feel just as complete if I am able to make a difference in the life of a single person. The world doesnt need to change, people do.
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<p>What do you guys think? Need a lot of work?</p>