College entrance requirements and preparation

¶ … earliest childhood I have been fascinated with architecture. Even as a little child working with crayons and magic markers, I was drawing buildings and bridges while other children drew family members, animals and flowers. My favorite toys were Legos and building blocks, and unlike many boys my age, my pleasure was always in constructing and never in demolition. I pursued the art of building throughout my childhood, and by the time I was in middle school I already knew that I wanted to be an architect. It should be no surprise, then, that when I informally began my college search a few years ago, Ball State University quickly distinguished itself in my mind as a school whose architecture and design programs would help me succeed in my life goals.

I have always stayed focused on my goal to become a great architect and a credit to my family and school. In middle school, I was actively involved in sports, playing baseball and boxing. I enjoyed working with the team in both cases, and I took great pride in helping my friends succeed while also winning recognition for myself. However, as I grew older I realized that if I truly desired to build more than sandcastle or clubhouses, I would have to focus on my school work.

So it was that in high school I did not join the sports teams, but instead focused on doing everything I could to advance my knowledge of architecture and design. When I had electives available, I attempted to take classes that would lead me to a better knowledge of the principles and tools of architecture. I took many years of art classes throughout my school career, and I took three years of CAD design courses in high school. For the last four years pursuit of excellence in my school work has truly been the focus of my life.

Though school has been my focus, I also wanted to assure that I never lost touch with the needs of my community. I believe it has been well demonstrated, through time, that even the greatest architect fails to make a great building when he does not take into account the needs of its inhabitants. In the same way, I think that the gift of youth would be unfortunately limited if learning how to be an adult prevented one from learning what sort of adult one ought aspire to be. For this reason, I was active in AMVETS, volunteering to help in the local veterans community. This gave me insight into the qualities which create strength in personal life, and gave me a renewed appreciation for the importance of community and inclusion both in life and in building.