成功申请芝加哥大学的Essay范文5.

芝加哥大学Essay申请范文5：Reaching Out to Others Through Past Experiences

Describe a way in which you have reached out to others and tried to make a difference in an area of others&apos&apos lives.

A few years ago, I learned that I have a condition called hyperlexia. This condition is characterized by learning language "out of order" in childhood - in fact, almost in the same manner that an adult learns a foreign language. I was actually misdiagnosed in childhood, however - I was thought to have a different but related disorder, and I was considered "cured" by the end of second grade. I&apos&aposd always had some quirks, though. I learned that these were some lingering fects from hyperlexia (whose most obvious symptoms fade once the child conquers language). In order to learn more about myself and others with hyperlexia, I decided to join an email list sponsored by a prominent hyperlexia website.

The hyperlexia e-mail list I joined consisted of mostly younger moms - women in their 20s and 30s who had recently discovered that their children&apos&aposs eclectic mixes of gifts and disabilities were caused by this one mysterious condition. I gladly shared my experiences with hyperlexia, hoping that there were at least a few "lurkers" on the list that were adult hyperlexics and could share in my challenges. I did indeed meet some such people, which was a wonderful experience. But it wasn&apos&apost until I began receiving emails from other "listmoms" that I realized how much my stories were appreciated. These emails would generally read something like "Thank you so much for your insight and for sharing your experiences with hyperlexia. I am growing to understand my 3-year-old son much more clearly because of you." It took a few months of these emails for it to fully sink in - I could actually make a difference in some people&apos&aposs lives through my triumphs and challenges with hyperlexia. I jumped at the chance, because I knew that were I at the same stage as these parents - having just learned that my child suffered from a relatively rare language disorder - I would have loved to talk to someone who had been through it all bore.

Awhile after I had begun posting at the hyperlexia list, I perused another forum board dedicated to hyperlexia. I noticed that there were quite a few teens who had posted there, wondering what this disorder was that they had just been diagnosed with. Although I had searched for an email list for hyperlexic teens, I hadn&apos&apost had any luck finding one. That was when I decided to start my own. This online support group for teens with hyperlexia and related disorders, which I founded in December 2001, has now welcomed about 30 members; and we always know that we can come to our fellow list members when we&apos&aposre struggling with something or just want to vent about our shared "quirks."

Although the world of hyperlexia is currently a very small one, it uplifts me to know that I have made a difference in it. Perhaps through my small contribution, combined with the contributions of others, hyperlexia will become more well-known and fewer children and teens will be misdiagnosed such as I was. I also hope that everyone can gain insight from my experience - and understand that even the seemingly smallest gestures can positively influence the lives of others.