College Admissions Essay - The Power of Kindness
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get a life." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Darn boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
The topic of "ADN versus BSN" is one that has plagued the nursing profession for decades. Does a nurse’s level of education really matter? Can ADN nursing graduates perform their duties as well as BSN graduates? These are the types of questions that continue to be debated by policymakers, educational organizations and associations, and the general public. This may be because nurses are now one of the least educated health care roles when compared to other health care professions that are now requiring bachelor degrees or higher for entry. A more likely reason is undoubtedly due to the growing body of evidence suggesting that BSN graduates are more prepared when entering the workforce than their ASN counterparts. These findings have made some hospitals decide to only hire BSN prepared graduates or higher. Linda Aiken, director of the center for health outcomes and research at Penn State, recently stated "the evidence base is growing, and a number of hospitals are acting on it” (Burling, 2010). If employers prefer BSN prepared nurses, why don’t more of them offer pay differentials or other incentives to return to school? The answer to that question is still unknown. The Veterans Administration (VA) is one exception. The VA leads the country in employing the most registered nurses according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2011). The VA made the decision a decade ago to establish the BSN as a requirement for new hires. The VA devoted $50 million in approximately five-years to help
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended in a 2010 report that eighty percent of registered nurses (RNs) hold a baccalaureate degree by 2020. This is not a new goal, but rather one that has yet to be realized, despite being first recommended in 1965 by the American Nurses Association. Healthcare has made significant advancements since that time, but nursing standards to entry and licensing regulations have not reflected these changes (Hess, 1996). Students of both Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) programs and Baccalaureate Degree (BSN) programs sit for the same national licensing exam, the NCLEX-RN. This is a disservice to the entire profession. Associate degrees are publicly perceived as 'technical' degrees. This influences public opinion on the competency and skill of all nurses (Jacobs, et al., 1998). In addition, the lack of differentiation of graduate degrees equates different educational levels and blurs expectations and requirements of the individual nurse. It also fost...
An ecological theory first proposed by Bronfenbrenner (1979), provides a framework for understanding the dynamic ways children’s contexts, influences their development and gives us a mandate for supporting the provision of nurturing and responsive care. Bronfenbrenner (1979) as cited in works done by Skinner (2012, p2), states the “ecological environment is conceived as a set of nested structures each inside the next like a set of Russian dolls” (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). This ecological systems theory was developed by Bronfenbrenner (1979) in the hope that it would explain how “everything in a child and the child’s environment effects how a child grows and develops” (Bronfenbrenner 1979 cited in Skinner (2012, p4). Jane’s depression and the deteriorating relationship with her children are now starting to show in Thomas’s and Olivia’s behaviour. Within this structure are five layers arranged from the closest to the farthest individual: the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem these systems have continuing impacts on an individual’s development (Bronfenbrenner, 1994 cited in Skinner 2012, p3). The child is at the heart of the ecological systems model. Each developing child is recognised as a unique individual with his or her own biological and maturational characteristics (such as temperament and developmental level) that are influenced to a large extent by their genetic heritage (Elder, 1998). The wellbeing of Jane and her children are at the core of this therapy. The most important influences on children’s development are the immediate events, interactions and relationships with which they have direct contact. However Bronfenbrenner (1994) cited in works done by (Skinner 2012, p3) suggest that the “focus upon development particularly in children makes application of ecological systems theory to adults somewhat more difficult than might otherwise occur” Kulik, & Rayyan,
There are several theories that suggest how a person goes through development. Most theorist believed in only single development process or another that influence a person’s growth. However, there was one theorist that believed that there are several different aspects that influence a person’s development. His name was Urie Bronfenbrenner and he came up with the biological approach. The biological approach “suggest that five levels of the environment simultaneously influence individuals”. (Feldman 2014 pg 23) These five levels are the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and the chronosystem. To demonstrate, I’m going to examine my childhood while I was ten years old, and describe the five levels of development I went through
The college education that I am seeking goes beyond credentials in that it must first and foremost enrich my mind and spirit, and support my belief in continuous learning. My desire is to be challenged and to gain an experience that I can build upon for the future.
There are five main theories groups in the field of human development. In each of those main theory groups are many theories from several theorists, all which contribute valuable information about human development and behavior. Some theories will prove to be very useful in certain career fields, while others may not be relevant. However, at least one of theories will help me, help someone else, that may be struggling or in need of support and guidance during a difficult time.
The speaker uses the literary technique of diction to show a contrast between the natural and material world in the poem. The “island of family folklore” provokes the feeling of mystery and heritage closely associated with the natural homeland of the speaker (2). The speaker also describes the Coca-Cola given to the boy as a “potion” that he drank in a “bored” fashion (3). Even though the speaker describes the Coca-Cola, a materialistic element, “potion” carries a frightening and scary connotation. This use of the dark diction de...
What is the definition of human development? Human development is the process of enlarging people’s freedom and opportunities, to improve their well-being. Children are like aliens to our world, knowing nothing about our world or what it has to offer. In this essay I discuss how children develop using and comparing 4 types of developments: cognitive development, social development, psychological and psychosexual development. Along with those developments there are theories like psychoanalytical and psychosocial theories. I will be comparing two different age groups to show the developments and compare how different those developments and theories are between the ages 0-7.
The decision of whether or not to set the baccalaureate degree as the standard entry level into nursing programs has been the topic of debate for quite some time. Across the nation professional healthcare organizations and facilities continue to deliberate over nursing education requirements. As healthcare continues to evolve, so do the skills and the educational requirements for practicing nurses. Baccalaureate or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs place a strong emphasis on educating future nurses to function independently as caregivers, nurse leaders, and managers within their profession (Huston, 2013). Some may argue that diploma and Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) programs do not fully prepare nurses for the career path that lies ahead of them. Others have argued that the failure to place the same educational entry level requirements on nursing as in other health professions may place the nursing profession at risk of being labeled a vocational trade rather than a profession (Huston). The idea that nursing requires a lower skill level than other medical professions due to the fact that programs can be completed in a lesser amount of time is false. Nursing requires critical thinking, skill, and a strong knowledge base regardless of the degree level. However, the increasing shortage of nursing and rising number of patients places great emphasis on the need for well-educated nursing professionals to meet the demands of growing healthcare needs. The ADN program was developed due to a need to correct the nursing shortages, yet the shortage is more prevalent than ever before (Huston). The debate then is whether the BSN program should be the standard entry level program to ensure nursing professionals are appr...
One day a few kids were walking down the road so I thought it would be cool if I told him to jump into a river, I even knew that he could swim, so he did. When he started to drown I realized that he could die so I jumped in and got him out. He forgot that I told him to do it and was thanking me for saving him.
I have always been someone that is afraid to fail. From such an early age as I can remember I didn’t like to be the loser in games or get questions wrong on my school work. To me failure meant that you weren’t good enough. My parents never really taught me otherwise. I don’t think my parents really felt that they had to go over failure with me even through college. I encountered many coaches throughout my soccer career and I was always the outstanding player on the team. I was used to winning, winning in games and in the classrooms.
Human development issues have remained critical in understanding how and why people behave the way they do. Several human development theories exist to explain human development from birth through to death. Some of these have focused on the psychological aspects of human development while others on the cognitive aspect (Piaget, 1971; Lerner, 2001; Swick and Williams, 2006). Other human development theories have also focused on the social and environmental aspects (Bronfenbrenner & Bronfenbrenner, 2009; Swick, 2004). This current essay examines one of the major social theories relating to child development. The theory to be examined is the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of human development. The essay will further examine the applicability of the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to my personal development, growing up as a child between the ages of 4 years and 12 years. In the first instance, the essay will focus on explaining the – Bronfenbrenner’s theory including the four types of systems described by the theory. Subsequently, the essay will examine how these systems apply to my life in relation to the social systems in which I grew in South Sudan in Africa. It will be seen that the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory
I’ve always had a passion for helping others and I love the idea of being considered a dependable person. I enjoy when others come to me to talk about the hardship they are experiencing and being able to provide them with feedback or helpful advice. To do this I learned that you need to have the characteristics of a “people person”. You must be patient, which from my job experience of working in retail and the fast food industry, I would consider myself to be a highly patient person. I also posses the the skill of being outgoing and friendly. I allow myself to be comfortable when speaking with different types of people and I let myself open up so I can personally relate to them. By doing this I believe that others will return the comfort that I created and will want
A tenet of Buddhist philosophy for centuries, self-compassion has recently emerged as a promising intervention in Western Psychology with the potential to yield greater life satisfaction, social connectedness, emotional intelligence, and happiness while minimizing anxiety, depression, shame, fear of failure, and burnout (Barnard & Curry, 2011). In Buddhist tradition, a self-compassionate individual responds to his/her personal suffering with wisdom, loving-kindness, and mindfulness that extends beyond the self to all others who are suffering (Reyes, 2011). The Western definition of self-compassion derives mainly from the work
Development Psychology is basically the scientific study of human growth. According to (www.apa.org) it states that development psychology refers to the “changes throughout the lifespan of humans, including physical, cognitive, social, intellectual, perceptual, personality, and emotional growth.” This is important since it helps the understanding of the way humans learn, mature, and adapt to life. Human Development is the process by which inherited traits are expressed as physical and behavioral characteristics.