50 Harvard Essays

Essays are for reference only. Do NOT copy or imitate anything! 
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his frighteningly self-destructive behavior and terrifying appearance forced my 
mom to send him to a suicide treatment center. There he received round the clock 
attention, counseling, and medication for his depression and aggressiveness. He 
was released after a couple of months. 
Only a few short weeks later, supposedly after mixing his medication with alcohol, 
he went out with his friends to go to the store. There they robbed, shot and killed a 
store clerk Robert, as an accomplice to the crime, was charged with armed robbery 
and second degree murder. 
Looking back now, I realize not what Robert had done wrong, but what I had done 
wrong. I had taken no interest in his welfare, and I never intervened when he 
needed me to. I just sat back and let it all come crashing down around me. It’s in 
this respect that I guess I’ve changed the most. I’m now a much more involved 
person. I no longer allow things to just happen’ I must be a part of everything that 
affects me. I’m also a more caring and better person. To make up fro what I did – or 
rather, didn’t do – I look out for those around me, my family and my friends. I act 
like a big brother to them to compensate for not being any kind of brother at all to 
Robert. 
The experience hasn’t only made me better. In a strange way, it was also the best 
thing that could have happened to Robert. He’s turned his life around and is 
presently preparing to take the SATs in anticipation to go on to college, something 
the old Robert would never have done. 
I guess it’s sort of weird, isn’t it. Such a dreadful experience can change an entire 
family’s life, and how such a tragic situation could give birth to such great things. 
ANALYSIS 
Bright’s intensely personal essay shows us the positive outcome of what seems like 
an overwhelmingly negative experience, that is, the arrest of his brother. Through 
his talkative, intimate writing style, Bright is able to reach his readers because he 
does not take a sentimental or moralistic tone. The strength of this essay lies in its 
honesty and its ability not only to criticize his brother, Robert, for his transgression, 
but to reprimand the author for his, as well. What makes this essay so unique is that 
Bright finds himself at fault and demonstrates his personal growth from his mistakes, 
unlike most college essays that are highly self-adulating in nature. Through 
accurately assessing where he went wrong by not acting like a true brother to 
Robert, Bright’s piece is more impressive than most college essays. 
Another great strength of Bright’s essay is the maturity he displays by being able to 
take the blame for his brother’s demise. This is a characteristic of a true big brother, 
one who knows how much his siblings admire and respect him, as well as value his 
judgment. Instead of harshly reproaching Robert for his crime, Bright turns to 
himself and how he “had taken no interest in his [Robert’s] welfare.” Furthermore, 
Bright illustrates how he was mature enough to learn from his errors and improve 

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