The following Common App essay was written by a student we tutored last year. She will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall.
The Middle Child
My sister, Rachel, is reserved, polite, and has read more books than can fit on her shelf. In addition to being the scholar of the family, she always does the right thing. My brother, Aaron, takes being the baby to heart. He’s thirteen, and is 5’9, but is still a mama's boy. He’s also a star athlete who continues to amaze us every year. People often label me “the forgotten child” and manage a look of sympathy when they learn that I have an older sister and a younger brother. The middle position in the birth order seems to automatically place me in the shadows of accomplishments made by the first sibling, and parental doting over the last. But the assumption that I will always be overlooked has sparked a desire to stand out. Where it’s assumed I will be vulnerable I summon resilience, and when I’m expected to be passive I strive to be assertive. My siblings often join together to instigate fights with me, but I eventually learned how to not be taken advantage of. At first this was difficult, but one day my grandmother stepped in to help me find my way. Rachel, Aaron, and I would always argue over who would get to use the shower first. One time I called dibs on showering first (calling dibs was serious in my family). I grabbed my towel and walked up to my room to get my pajamas when I heard the shower turn on. I tried to get in the bathroom, but the door was locked. Rachel was in the shower. I yelled that I had called dibs, but she said I was too slow. Aaron overheard and agreed I hadn’t been fast enough. Devastated, I ran to my grandmother with tears running down my face. I told her I would always be mistreated as the middle child. She said that in life people will try to walk all over me if I let them, but I have to stand my ground. After that talk I’ve found ways to be true to myself. Sometimes my family teases me by telling jokes at my expense, but I know how to roll with the punches and laugh along with them. When I’m playing soccer I don’t let my coaches or my teammates get to me either. I once had a coach who would try to break me down, but I pushed myself harder to prove to him that I was not impacted by his negative ways. Being a middle child has taught me how to be resilient, and when I should be assertive. Having an older sister is like having a second mom, and Rachel loves to tell me what to do. When we were younger we would play a Disney Princess game on the Wii, but I would never be able to explore the parts of the game I wanted to. I would just follow Rachel around the map as she took on every challenge. My Wii controller even had a number 2 on it. Before I knew it Aaron started following me. He did whatever I wanted to do because I had become the leader. The first thing I did was assign Aaron the second Wii controller. Finally, I held the first one. In the Disney princess game we had to guide our characters through the map so they were never lost. Helping the character find success gave me the desire to guide people in real life. I am confident in my abilities as a leader and have been recognized for my leadership skills. I was named captain of my soccer team and have been “team captain” for many school events. Having an older sister and a younger brother has allowed me to play both parts: the leader and the follower, and this has helped shape me into the strong and decisive person I am today.