College Sample Essays: While the World Sleeps
When I wake up to the ear-splitting sound of my alarm clock, and blindly
search for the snooze button, a sudden thought dawns: "What am I doing?"
The time is 5:30 AM; all is dark and hushed. My weary body feels completely
drained of energy. While straining to open my eyes, still warm and snug in my
comfortable bed, I am overcome with a feeling of lethargy. "Perhaps I should
call in sick." Despite all my musing, and my bed's magnetic pull, I still
manage to rise each morning at this ungodly hour to join the cross-country
running team in rigorous training.
Cross-country running, a sport that requires the fusing of body and mind,
strives to maximize your physical ability by testing your mental tenacity.
Everyday represents a new struggle to beat yesterday's maximum output, an
issue of mind over matter. I have known the agony of this conflict since I
joined the newly established cross-country team. As convincing as my morning
doubts are, I do not heed them. Through pains and sprains and through adverse
weather and unfavorable conditions, I run because I made up my mind three
years ago to succeed.
With amenities such as cars and buses, I have no pragmatic reason to use
my feet, especially if I lack a destination. I do not run to the gym to acquire
a stylish figure, for my slender frame does not require it. And this grueling
run differs from a relaxing jog to a coffee shop. I am pushing myself constantly
to run faster and farther, for my team as well as for personal glory. Somehow
with tireless effort and unflagging commitment, I run through the sleeping streets
of my neighborhood with the awareness that I am steadily reaching my goal-maintaining
the discipline that cross-country demands. In my mind I see a victory line that
symbolizes the results of perseverance and hard work. This line makes me realize
that ambition and tenacity do not go in vain. And it constantly reminds me that
all those morning in which I struggled to leave my cozy cocoon have allowed me to
fly.
While the world slept, I, Jane Smith, was awake and working hard to attain my goal.
I feel more confident now, that on the road of life, when others may be walking, I will
be running. I will run through ankle injuries and through fatigue. I will endure the
inevitable hills and valleys. I will endure, and I will achieve.
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