Under Graduate - University of Berkeley - Essay 2

PROMPT #2: 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?

My father would often tell me that the elevator to success is out of order. We all have to climb the stairs. The harder we try, the higher we reach. I am what I am only due to the constant guidance I have received from parents, teachers and peers. My father’s advice would often come to my mind whenever I felt stuck and helpless. So I would try harder. Thus I believe my experiences have helped me become a fighter and eradicate the challenges that prevent me from succeeding.

One such example which I would like to narrate is my tryst with sports. I loved all types of sports but Table Tennis, Badminton and Tennis was dearer to me than most others. I used to play with my friends and in school teams. I never took the extra effort of practising it daily or enrolling for coaching classes. I did pursue normal Tennis and Badminton classes more so because some of my friends were also taking those classes. I thought I played quiet well – this feeling lasted till I realised I was not winning a single game for myself or for my school. My contribution to the team was also not noteworthy. Then, I decided to enrol for Table Tennis as I wanted to excel in the game. Thus, I believe I have the ability to realise my short-comings and take remedial actions to correct the same.

My housing complex had a Table Tennis facility, and I would find myself practising and competing almost every day. I was constantly praised for my ‘smashing’ technique. I improved on it each passing day. My professional trainer also helped me develop my skills so that I could now compete at a much larger scale. I started taking part in competitions in school. Training is one part but enduring the pressure of a game is another. I found out that I broke under pressure several times. Numerous participation and several lost matches made me stronger and helped me developed my mental agility. I would no longer crumble under pressure. By the time I entered 10^th grade, I started winning a few games. This prompted me to take part in inter-school competitions. Now this was a much bigger arena and new talents to tackle. The exposure helped me to constantly train myself to be a better player than what I was a day before. I developed newer techniques, observed other players and picked up valuable tips from their styles.

Finally, our school won the best school team prize in the year XXXX and I was overjoyed. This time, I was proud of my contribution to the school’s success. I was proud of my team mates and was happy to realise they felt the same about me.

Overall, my journey as a non-descript player to a winning team member taught me valuable principles of life such as a desire to learn, withstand pressure, accept failures and a lot more. And I believe these learning will be a part of my development all through my life.