Harry Potter Essay

In wrapping up my college application process, I finally stumbled upon the one prompt that will henceforth always stick out in my mind. The prompt that I had absolutely no trouble with whatsoever. The prompt that will make my last name a little bit more visible and (hopefully) advantageous. At the end of this long and seemingly never-ending road of unforgiving word counts, fixing, editing, scrutinizing, rereading again and again and again, and that shaky feeling you get right before you hit "submit", there is a gleaming light. For my final college essay, I got to write about Harry Potter. And to celebrate, I wanted to share. 

In the Harry Potter series, a “sorting hat” divides students into four “houses.” Each house has its own characteristics that can roughly be translated as bravery, intelligence, ambition, and duty.  If you were to create a sorting hat, upon which characteristics would you base the sort?  In which “house” would you put yourself? 

Growing up immersed in the world of Harry Potter, I was always drawn to the idea of the four different houses. Desperate to know where I fit in, and even more desperate to know why, I developed the notion that these houses could represent the different sectors of high school students. I’m surrounded by thespians and jocks, mathletes and history buffs. Everybody’s different, but somehow, everybody’s connected. And so I’d simplify the disparities into the following: creativity, logic, spirit, and diplomacy.

            Students in the house of diplomacy would be defined as tactful and judicious. They would be the speech and debate kids—the editors, the leaders, and the speakers. Sagacious and intuitive, they would handle situations in a most politic manner.

Logical students would excel in anything that involves problem-solving. They would be the thinkers—deliberate and precise. Math and science would be their language; equations and riddles would be their drugs of choice.

            In contrast, the spirited students would be the dreamers. They would be impassioned and energetic—contagiously enthused. Here one would find students with an extensive knowledge of show tunes or outstanding athletic ability. Fervent and driven, they would pour their heart and soul into everything.

            The final house would be for the creative ones—the artists. Bright. Resourceful. Their common room would be littered with scribbled poems and quick sketches on paper scraps. One would find students wearing headphones and writing feverishly in notebooks. Their imaginations would run rampant, filling them up, making them whole. This would be my home. The sincerity I pour into my work and interests combines the varying convictions that would make each house unique. I choose to invest my youthful exuberance into self-development, and I seek to inspire. To create. To dream. To make the world I want out of myself.