955 words typed. Personal essay. Why am I here? What is the journey that got me here? What am I passionate about? Why do I need or what to get an education? This essay should be reflective on your achievements. Review the readings: Parker’s “Balm” and the Ted Talk by Allende if needed. You can also reference the Manson article, “Ask Yourself the Hard Questions,” as a guide. This essay might be a kind of educational autobiography that documents the personal influences that have inspired current educational choices. Keep your focus small: once incident, person, or goal. Show how something small (like the “balm” in Parker’s essay) has inspired or made an enduring impression on you. Do not catalogue your life story. Be interesting and creative. Consider what will interest your reader and tell a good, but honest story about your intellectual self. Consider form and content. Create a narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Format: This essay length should provide about 3-5 paragraphs of writing. Organize your ideas thoughtfully. Have a thesis/goal clearly stated in the introduction and bring the essay conclusion back to that thesis goal. Essays must have an original title related to the content. Style: Review “Writing a Narrative Essay” on OWL (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/04/ ). Note that narrative essays are stories, with a beginning (introduction & thesis), middle (body), and end (conclusion)—very similar to an essay format. Writing style can be more casual, but should be appropriate to context and intellectual requirements of the College.