Why I Should be Accepted to Harvard: A College Essay Satire

Last summer I went to Africa to help care for orphaned children with AIDS. The orphanage was run by Sister Clare, an 85 year old nun who had devoted her life to taking care of Africa’s unwanted children. I had to sleep on the hard wooden floor in Sister Clare’s room and only ate one meal a day because that is all the orphanage could afford. I knew these hardship were worth it when I witnessed they eyes of the children gleaming with joy because I was there. One day, the happiness in their eyes was replaced with desperation because the refrigerator that stored all of the medicine they depended on to survive broke and it was only a matter of hours before the medicine went bad. Sister Clare came to me and told me that someone had to go to the nearest town, which was 15 miles away, and find the mechanic who could fix the fridge, but she was too old to make it that far. Being the brave and compassionate person that I am, I immediately volunteered for the job and headed out. After running several miles, as I was passing a junkyard, I realized that I was never going to get to the town and back in time; I needed to figure out a way to get there faster. Suddenly I had an idea. I ran into the junkyard and after several minutes of searching I found what I was looking for: an old bicycle. I jumped on and raced down the road as the rusty wheels squeaked beneath me. With the help of the bicycle, I reached the mechanic in time for him to save the medicine . That day taught me an important lesson: if I take advantage of the resources around me I can achieve anything. Harvard is my rusty bicycle, and if I am given the chance to ride on the seat of a Harvard education, I will accomplish great things.