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Winning Essays
2011 Essays | Chantelle LaNette O’Kelly | John Jamison
"How learning and playing games has affected my life and educational choices"
by Chantelle LaNette O’Kelly
Learn, work then play has always been a philosophy of mine. You can never really enjoy your play without learning and hard working and you can never work to your fullest without allowing yourself some play time. Learning and playing games has affected my educational choices as well as my life in its entirety. Childhood games such as double dutch and football are two games I played often when I was younger and they all taught me some valuable lessons. I have learned a lot from the schools I've attended and the places I've been in my life and they all have affected my decision to go to Hampton University in Virginia to continue my education.
Double dutch is a game that uses two pieces of rope, turned interchangeably to create a specific rhythm. A person then has to listen to the beat of the ropes turning to find their opening in order to jump between the two ropes and see how long she can last before getting tangled between the rope and thus ending her turn. While in the rope, the jumper has to follow various commands and do a series of tricks in accordance with whatever song is being sung. Football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing a ball into the opposing team's end zone.
Though at first glance these appear to simply be games play by children for fun they actually do teach some life lessons. Double dutch teaches you not to jump into a situation without being fully comfortable in it. It also teaches you how to maintain rhythm and the ability to do that is conducive to improving cognitive abilities such as memory. Double dutch also teaches stamina and has a number of other health benefits. Football, being a team sports, helped me to learn the importance of others, especially when working in a group. It also teaches you how to deal with the constructive criticism of a supervisor in the form of a coach as well as how to negotiate with that supervisor. Football also teaches you how to handle losses and celebrate victories so as not to let either affect the way you perform. Although these games are different in practice they are similar in that they provide children with something to do for entertainment as well as teach them things.
I have learned a lot from every educational institution I have attended for the past twelve years. I've been exposed to a variety of school environments from my performing arts middle school, William M. Meredith to the heavily academic, college preparatory Central High School. The most important things I've learned from these places is to have confidence in everything I do and to always perform to the best of my ability. The combination of the previous to things and my interest of experiencing differing places have affected my decision to attend Hampton University. Hampton is one of the top 5 Historically Black Colleges so I know I will be academically challenged, there is a wide variety of majors, and the campus is beautiful. I have never been to a predominantly African-American school and I decided the best time to try one was during college. Also, the distance away from my home in Philadelphia and the change in atmosphere guided my decision.
Playing has been an integral part to my learning as was previously explained but without hard work I would not be where I am today: A high school graduate with a 3.82 GPA, a Bachelor of Arts degree, and an International Baccalaurate diploma.
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"How learning and playing games has affected my life and educational choices?"
by John Jamison
As Aristotle once said, “Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” To me, learning and playing games have affected my life in a tremendous way. It has affected my life due to the fact that it has developed my curiosity in knowledge, and creativity.
Learning and playing games has greatly developed my curiosity in knowledge because learning/playing games has changed my thought pattern, which has caused my curiosity to learn/play more. For instance, when I was younger I used to play checkers, and whenever I would lose I would wonder how I was defeated. My thoughts began to change about the game and my style of play began to change as well. And because of my curiosity, I would win.
Curiosity in knowledge is a motivational push for me; it helps me strive for greatness in life. It too makes me more eager to find the truth in certain aspects of life.
Just as curiosity in knowledge is caused by learning and playing, creativity is as well. When playing games such as, chess, checkers, card games, and mental games creativity will be created. For example, when I play card games I try to think two steps ahead of my opponent. The reason of doing so is to make a move that is so unpredictable that my opponent would create a flaw in their game. I believe that creativity helps one’s life to see the world different and to also make it more unique and diverse. That is how learning and playing games affected my life. It has brought out my creativity.
Therefore, because of learning and playing games my curiosity in life has been greatly increased for the better, and my creativity has strengthened in ways that can possibly be assistance to the world.
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2010 Essays | Richard Tull, Jr. | Yuri Hodges
"How learning and playing games has affected my life and educational choices"
by Richard Tull, Jr.
Learning and playing games has definitely affected my life and educational choices. For instance, the game of baseball became a significant part of my life when my parents signed me up to play in our community recreational baseball league ten years ago. I’ll never forget what my parents told me about baseball, “it’s not so much whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” I realize now that baseball is a metaphor for life. However, it took many years for me to understand what that cliché truly meant.
As a high school freshman, sophomore, and junior, I tried out for the Central High School Boy’s Varsity Baseball Team, but did not make the team. After being cut on the third try, I was devastated emotionally. When I told my mother the news, she gave me her condolences and said nobody could ever stop me from playing a game I love or succeeding in life. My experiences with baseball have shown me that the best lessons in life are taught by how you handle failure and disappointment, while trying to succeed. I believe the game of baseball has prepared me for life’s inevitable ups and downs. After experiencing rejection on three occasions, I can proudly say that I am now a member of the 2010 Central High School Boy’s Varsity Baseball Team.
Through it all, I have managed to maintain a 3.73 grade point average in a very challenging academic environment at Central High School. Thus far, I have been accepted to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Temple University, University of Pittsburgh, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and West Chester University. I have accepted the offer to attend West Chester University and intend to major in Pharmaceutical Product Development in the Fall, 2010. To fulfill the requirements of this major, I must complete rigorous course work in science, technology, and mathematics.
After I obtain my Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Product Development Program from West Chester University in 2014, I plan to enroll in and complete a Doctor of Pharmacy Program at a select college or university. My career aspiration is to become a Pharmacist so I can help research, develop, manufacture, and dispense medication to prevent diseases and treat illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. As a Pharmacist, I believe I can really make the world a better place by educating people about their medical conditions, prescription or over the counter medication, and promoting lifestyle changes to improve the health and well being of the community at large.
Finally, playing the game of baseball has taught me the importance of setting goals athletically and academically, being resilient, and having enough self determination to complete the task at hand. Playing a game like baseball has also given me the courage to keep trying to succeed in whatever I decide to do, even when I fail or the task seems too difficult to accomplish. I will surely carry these very important lessons and values with me as an undergraduate at West Chester University and throughout my lifetime.
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"How learning and playing games has affected my life and educational choices?"
by Yuri Hodges
Games are a very important aspect in our daily lives. Games start at infancy when a child and a parent play peek-a-boo with each other. As we get older, games help create skills that we will need to be successful. Games has helped me develop skills that I will need later in life and helped me to decide my college major.
Games are very helpful when it comes to building communication skills. I have played games where kids must relay a message from an adult down a line of kids to another adult. The message might be something simple like “I think science class is boring”. When the message reaches the end of the line, it won’t be close to what it was at the beginning. A game like this has taught me how to take notice on what people say. Another game I played focused on developing trust with friends. In this game, you had to direct a blindfolded friend through obstacles. Your friend would need to trust you a lot to make it to the finish line. These examples are how games have helped build skills I’ll need later in life.
Furthermore, a certain group of games have greatly affected my educational choices for college. Playing video games has influenced me enough to pursue digital media as a major in college. My mom has continuously complained at how much time I would spend on video games, but now she is a little less concerned. I chose digital media as a major because I was interested in how games were made. I would like to learn the programming and the 3-d modeling process and other parts that make up a video game. I also would like to explore both 2-d and 3-d animation in college.
In conclusion, games, both social and digital, have helped me to become a responsible and determined person. I am confident that I will continue to pursue my educational career with the skills I have learned through games.
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