Hi,
I'm preparing my application essays, one of which asks about an ethical dilemma that I faced - and how I responded to it.
I understand they're not asking for something trivial, however, I'm at a fork in the road in trying to write about either one of two stories. I'll summarize with some detail. I'll try to keep it short...
1) Basically a coming-of-age story at seventeen (before I had my license, but had a permit), when I felt the shame of stealing my mother's car, driving to Manhattan with friends and going to a club. When we got back to the car, the back window was smashed - and my mother's bag (in which she keeps her church books and stuff) and dry cleaning were stolen. My friend then asks for the keys to get something from his bag in the trunk; (my mom's car didn't have a trunk button inside...old GM car, bleurgh). Friend then locks the keys in the trunk. We had to rip open the backseat, which I then shoved my friend (kinda overweight) into the ripped space to grab the keys. Time was ticking. My mom would wake up at 5:00 am to go to church for individual prayer. I drove my friends back, then my panicking was reaching critical hot. I went to a 24hr store, bought a snapple, raced back home. I drank down the tea, peeled off the wrapper, smashed the bottle to the ground, crushed the glass further into small pieces - (took out the curved pieces w/ the snapple logo)...then spread out the glass on the ground under the door that was smashed. There was still a lot of window glass pieces on the seat. I then left the door ajar - and sneaked inside and into bed. Bit later, mom left - then came rushing in, yelling to my dad that the car had been broken into. Long story short---> cops came, wrote it up---> days later i felt so guilty, I confessed ---> parents hugely disappointed, still I felt horrible - and still regret it today. Teachable moment...Never lied to parents again, which opened a path to a closer relationship and am the dutiful son to them.
2) at 25, was working in big real estate development project. was ambitious and felt this particular job and project would do great things for me. one facet was to get state and city legislation bill passed that would benefit the industry, hence in turn our company. basically, involved getting local and State politicians on board, from both Republic and Democratic sides...meaning distributing funds for their campaign accounts in exchange for their aggressive support at the state capitol. It wasn't necessarily illegal, but nonetheless wrong, in my opinion. It wasn't my idea, but I was a part of it...filtering the money to them. I felt like crap about it, losing sleep, going to work with nerves rattled everyday. I was already doing ok there, but, I wanted so badly to get on the owner's good side for my career. Long story short, I went along. In subsequent years, in my professional career, because of that experience, I've been ethically grounded and have chosen to act socially responsible, faced against other dilemmas... I drew a line and stuck to it, regardless of gain.
So, I don't know which story to go with. The first seems like a part of every kid's stupid rite of passage...so perhaps it may be too trivial. The second is a little more serious, but the problem is I did nothing about it... I went along with it, then later moved on to another company, but took that experience to ground my moral compass.
Appreciate your feedback on which would be the more relevant and stronger story for the question.
Thanks.
J
I'm preparing my application essays, one of which asks about an ethical dilemma that I faced - and how I responded to it.
I understand they're not asking for something trivial, however, I'm at a fork in the road in trying to write about either one of two stories. I'll summarize with some detail. I'll try to keep it short...
1) Basically a coming-of-age story at seventeen (before I had my license, but had a permit), when I felt the shame of stealing my mother's car, driving to Manhattan with friends and going to a club. When we got back to the car, the back window was smashed - and my mother's bag (in which she keeps her church books and stuff) and dry cleaning were stolen. My friend then asks for the keys to get something from his bag in the trunk; (my mom's car didn't have a trunk button inside...old GM car, bleurgh). Friend then locks the keys in the trunk. We had to rip open the backseat, which I then shoved my friend (kinda overweight) into the ripped space to grab the keys. Time was ticking. My mom would wake up at 5:00 am to go to church for individual prayer. I drove my friends back, then my panicking was reaching critical hot. I went to a 24hr store, bought a snapple, raced back home. I drank down the tea, peeled off the wrapper, smashed the bottle to the ground, crushed the glass further into small pieces - (took out the curved pieces w/ the snapple logo)...then spread out the glass on the ground under the door that was smashed. There was still a lot of window glass pieces on the seat. I then left the door ajar - and sneaked inside and into bed. Bit later, mom left - then came rushing in, yelling to my dad that the car had been broken into. Long story short---> cops came, wrote it up---> days later i felt so guilty, I confessed ---> parents hugely disappointed, still I felt horrible - and still regret it today. Teachable moment...Never lied to parents again, which opened a path to a closer relationship and am the dutiful son to them.
2) at 25, was working in big real estate development project. was ambitious and felt this particular job and project would do great things for me. one facet was to get state and city legislation bill passed that would benefit the industry, hence in turn our company. basically, involved getting local and State politicians on board, from both Republic and Democratic sides...meaning distributing funds for their campaign accounts in exchange for their aggressive support at the state capitol. It wasn't necessarily illegal, but nonetheless wrong, in my opinion. It wasn't my idea, but I was a part of it...filtering the money to them. I felt like crap about it, losing sleep, going to work with nerves rattled everyday. I was already doing ok there, but, I wanted so badly to get on the owner's good side for my career. Long story short, I went along. In subsequent years, in my professional career, because of that experience, I've been ethically grounded and have chosen to act socially responsible, faced against other dilemmas... I drew a line and stuck to it, regardless of gain.
So, I don't know which story to go with. The first seems like a part of every kid's stupid rite of passage...so perhaps it may be too trivial. The second is a little more serious, but the problem is I did nothing about it... I went along with it, then later moved on to another company, but took that experience to ground my moral compass.
Appreciate your feedback on which would be the more relevant and stronger story for the question.
Thanks.
J
