2023留学申请书

　　I'M GOING RUNNING TODAY. I am not concerned about my calorie consumption forthe day， nor am I anxious to get in shape for the winter season. I just want togo running。

　　I used to dislike running. "If you don't win this game， you're all runningfive miles tomorrow，" the field hockey coach used to warn， during those lastdays of October when the average temperature seemed to be decreasingexponentially. And so， occasionally， my grief-stricken team would run numerousmiserable laps around the fields. At the end of these excursions， our faces andlimbs would be numb， and we would all have developed those notorious flu-likesymptoms; but the running made us better in the long run， I suppose.Nevertheless， I counted down the days until the end of the field hockey season，vowing never to put on a pair of running shoes again. Then I surprised myself bysigning up for outdoor track in the second half of sophomore year. I was foolishto have believed that I could ever escape this insidious and magneticaddiction。

　　Anyone would have thought that I'd be off the team in a few days， but thelast week of January caught me splashing through puddles of melted ice， andFebruary winds nearly blew me off the track. I looked forward to practices thistime around， to the claps and the persistent cheers of my fellow trackies. I wasfeeling a "runner's high" spurred by the endorphins released by exercise. But toattribute my affinity for running solely to chemistry diminishes the personalimportance that running has for me。

　　I like running—in the cool shade of the towering oak trees， and in the warmsunlight spilling over the horizon， and in the drops of rain falling gently fromthe clouds. Certain things become clear to me when I'm running—only whilerunning did I realize that "hippopo_____i" is possibly the funniest word in theEnglish language， and only while running did I realize that the travel sectionof The York Times does not necessarily provide an accurate depiction of theentire world. Running lends me precious moments to contemplate my life： whilerunning I find time to dream about changing the world， to think about recentdeath of a classmate， or to wonder about the secret to college admission。

　　Running is the awareness of hurdles between me and the finish line; runningis the desire to overcome them. Running is putting up with aches and pains，relishing the knowledge that， in the end， I will have built strength andendurance. Running is the instant clarity of vision with which I can see myfuture just one hundred yards in the distance; it is the understanding thatthese crucial steps will determine victory or defeat。

　　Running is not the most important thing in the world to me， but it is whatfulfills me when time permits. And right now， before the sun goes down， I liketo take advantage of the road that lies ahead。