College Experiences in Texas - Admission/Application Essay Example

College Experiences in TexasBefore you go to college, you don’t really realize how much how you are and what you consider normal is a result of how and where you were raised. Even on my first day of classes, I suddenly realized that what I had always thought to be universal fact was really only a generally shared idea with the people who I grew up with. My entire life has been in Texas. I was born here and raised here and have almost never left here. The people I grew up with are mostly white Protestant Christians.

I was raised in the Lutheran tradition and always played with other kids who had similar values, celebrated the same holidays and held the same basic ideas about God and religion and how somebody should live their life. We weren’t all about church, though. It was also very natural to participate in many of those activities that seem to define Texas like hunting and fishing. We defined ourselves by our ability to take care of ourselves, whether that meant by providing food and shelter or by fighting against those who intended to do us harm.

We have always had a strong Hispanic influence in Texas, so I have had some idea that the Mexican culture was different from mine, so I don’t think I would learn as much from an association with an Hispanic student as I would with someone who was black (there weren’t many African Americans in my neighborhood growing up) and from a far away country like Nigeria, which must have its own traditions and activities that help to define it like Texas is known for ranching and scrub brush. I imagine anyone coming from somewhere like Nigeria would have to be very different from me.

Although I have an impression that their country is very much like mine – about the same size as Texas with a variety of ecological regions and even with its own coastline, ruled through a republic as is the United States – I still think there would be many differences. For example, I am sure their culture is not the same as mine even if it is based on a similar Protestant base or even more specifically on the Lutheran faith. Their government seems to be relatively stable now, but the number of people leaving the country indicates that there has been a great deal of turmoil in the recent past.

Their education and economic situations might also be very different from mine as a result. Just the fact that they were willing to leave their homeland, even if it is just for an education, suggests that they have had a different childhood from mine and would have to see the world somewhat differently because of it.By comparing my ideas with the ideas of this hypothetical classmate, I think I could learn a lot about myself. Before I met someone who was not from Texas, I never realized I had an accent.

Once I was made aware of this, I began hearing how Texans on TV even talked different than others. Before, I just barely registered this fact in the back of my mind as an identification of that actor with Texas. I’m sure there are many other aspects of my own culture that I don’t recognize as being unique to my area. Is it a basic element of all religions that prayer should be said before a meal? Is the famous Texas independence a product of my environment or a natural, biological element of the average human being?

I don’t imagine this exploration would be a one-way street, either. I mean, while I’m learning what is unique to my culture as it compares to his, he’ll be learning more about how my culture differs from his, too, making it easier for him to integrate into our society if he wants or to help retain his traditions because he’s identified them and is now aware of them.