Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Essentially, talk about something important to you in 500 words. There were various permutations in the wording between Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Georgetown, and UVA, but this was my general "major" essay.
Consider the Piet`, by Michelangelo. Not his first Piet`, the masterpiece with
Mary forever youthful and mourning over the luminous Christ, finished at 23 and
enshrined in St. Peter's Basilica, but his afterthought. Michelangelo said that
in sculpting, rather than imposing his will on the block, the statue is already
perfectly formed inside of the marble; he merely chips away the stone concealing
it. His last Piet` Rondanini was left half-delivered on his death at age
ninety.
It is a coincidence of history that the Christ and Mary are frozen stepping
from
the marble, almost dripping off like water at their feet, and their torsos are
obscured by the rough grain stone. Form and imagination meet in this Piet`, and
it proves that the artist's saw is not hubris, but his own deep sensibility of
form.
Michelangelo's renaissance sensibility is also modern. Karl Popper's
epistemology of falsification is the enormous chisel that divides what we know
from what must be. Science exalts and humbles its student, whose deepest
insight
is the removal of chaff. There is truth in data obscured by the opacity of
ignorance, and so analysis is a chipping away. Plodding sterility brooding over
the pure marble, the dispassionate scientific method has no taste for insight
unless it is reproducible. Intuition and the chipping away become negative
images that meet in beauty, where science and art are the mind becoming one with
the external.
I learned this at the National Institute of Health. My research involves data
from PET scans of sleeping patents, which we correlate with
electroencephalograms
to learn how brain metabolism is reflected in brain wave patterns. One thing we
have noticed is that while it's commonly thought that brain activity decreases
generally across the brain as a person goes deeper into sleep, there are some
regions that actually decrease less. This is exciting, and something which we
seek to explain, and yet, my work has also been extremely mundane. I spent time
dividing the brain into 200-odd general anatomical regions for comparison among
subjects, and I spent long hours tweaking the mathematical form of the data.
Often, it would seem like meaningless numerology.
Yet, to find a conclusion in
one of these forms that relates back to the brain itself through all the
numerical and formal abstractions, to all the brains of our subjects, is a
moment
of beauty where insight illuminates a drab chain of logic and cuts off a chip of
marble that never truly belonged.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Please relate your interest in studying at Georgetown University to your future goals. How do these thoughts relate to your chosen course of study?
We all know the feeling: dragging ourselves out of bed at an utterly ridiculous hour of the morning, wishing our hardest that we could just crawl back under the blankets and go back to sleep. Hitting the snooze button again' and again' and yet again, until we realize we have fifteen minutes to get dressed and out the door. Every job and every responsibility has its drags; my hope is to find a career that I don't view as a constant chore, but rather one that I enjoy. I've had my share of classes that I utterly dislike, and I find myself dreading the forty-five minutes that I spend in those rooms. I could never be happy in a job where I felt in this way, no matter the salary or the benefits. As I write this essay, I know what my interests are, and I have a general idea regarding potential careers - medicine, astronomy, or civil engineering. Yet every time I try to explain why I'm interested in these things, I feel like a deer caught in headlights, with my mind a useless blank. It's hard to describe what draws me to these disciplines, but I'll try to put it into words. The purpose of life is to help others and to improve the quality of their existence. This is the fundamental logic of medicine and health care. My mom runs a pediatric practice, and wherever we go we find patients sending a smile and a friendly hello to 'Dr. Huang.' She deals with everything from runny noses to abortion, and enjoys every moment of it. It must be amazing to sit with expecting parents and watch a sonogram of their baby, or to come out of surgery knowing that you've just saved a father's life. Of course, where there is life there is also death, and where there is joy there is also sorrow. A doctor is most important then, helping a couple through a miscarriage, or a family through a loved one's death. You catch a glimpse of the most personal times in people's lives, and then is it truly worth it. I've often looked up at the star-speckled night sky and felt a sense of insignificance, as if I was just a blip on the wider scheme of things. There could be millions of civilizations minding their own business in the vast expanse of space, and we wouldn't have a clue. Perhaps it's the unknown that appeals to me, but even so I would like to solve part of that mystery. I don't want to just look at the stars through a telescope. I want to be able to go there and see them in all their splendor. I want to travel to another galaxy and perhaps find a thriving society like ours. It is a challenge to go where no man has gone before, and I'd like to be the first. The world has changed so much since the time that the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge were built, but they have stood the test of time. They have watched the transformation from then to now, and yet one thing remains the constant: the looks on our faces when we see these incredible structures for the first time. As a civil engineer, I can contribute to something just as extraordinary. The profession combines just the right combination of creativity, hands-on work, and scientific expertise. If the generations after mine are just as amazed by my creations as I am by the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate, then I can imagine no greater achievement. By now you must be wondering what this all has to do with Georgetown, and I will tell you. When my undergraduate experience comes to an end, I hope to emerge a 'Renaissance woman', an individual who is talented and capable in all areas. The pursuit of this ideal leads me to the liberal arts at Georgetown. Over the years I've taken everything from multivariable calculus to auto, and I've found something I like in each of them. At Georgetown, I will have the opportunity to expand my interests in both the sciences and the humanities. The two hold such different perspectives on the world; it is intriguing to see how each side views the issues of today and of the past. For example, scientists regard the world very rationally and logically. On the other hand, an English major perceives life more creatively and emotionally. A balance of the two is what I am looking for in my education. Georgetown allows me the liberty to explore all these possibilities, as well as any further interests I may discover during my undergraduate education. No matter what path I choose, Georgetown will always hold something for me.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Name an item that is special to you and explain why it is.
'Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere.' Forrest Gump Here he comes again, stomping down the stairs with big thumps. Even as I sit here on the other side of the house, I can feel the ground shake as he approaches. His face soon appears above my soles as his bare feet slide on top of me. The moment I feel his calloused feet against my foot beds, I wonder what our next adventure will be. Hardly a day passes when I am not with him. Every day through sun, wind, rain, and yes, even snow, I protect his feet. People tell him that he is crazy for wearing Birkenstock sandals in the winter, but I know that I am special to him. He is always running'to school, to Student Council meetings, to volunteer at the hospital - so I suppose that is why he and I are always a pair; he just needs to slip me on, and he is set to run out the door. We share many memories. I will never forget those long physics lab periods when he would pour over his work, making sure he examined every aspect of an experiment, or those days he would stay after school just to run extra trials. I could always tell whenever he got frustrated because his right foot would begin to shake, but he never quit; his curiosity would not let him. I remember days in government class when he would get into political debates with his teacher. Sometimes he would win, sometimes he would not, but he always came out of them more knowledgeable about the topic than he had been going in. He is never afraid to speak his mind and stand up for what matters to him. Together, we have marched in human rights protests in New York City, circulated petitions at his school, and fought the school board for club funding. Sometimes, he even fights with his brother for the remote control, but that's him, always passionate about what he does. Yet he never forgets about his other interests, however small. Sometimes we hang out in Barnes and Noble as he flips through magazines, looking for articles on international politics. There are sunny days we go to the park and toss Frisbees with his friends and rainy days we run out and dance in the rain. As a duo, we once joined in a snowball fight, only quitting when his feet began to turn shades of blue. I even remember, though not fondly, the day he used me as a projectile while horsing around with his friends. Still, I never miss a beat, even on sprints with his greyhound. I know he remembers the same things. Perhaps Forrest Gump's mother was right when she said that there are such things as magic shoes. But I am magical for a different reason: I can not only take my friend anywhere, but I can also take him to his memories of where he has been and what he has done. He will never leave me because we share these memories that pictures cannot capture. I know that when we arrive home after a long day, he will carefully place me in my corner spot near the door. There I will sit and wait, until I can again feel the rumble of his footsteps.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
General personal/candidate statement. Also, an essay describing a triumph. I used it for both questions.
Every young person has had some struggle, some grand accomplishment suitable for the college application essay--some intense effort wrought with pain and the eventual thrill of triumph. With this in mind, it seems apropos to recount a trying time in my life that is one of most defining first experiences. 'I'm not going to do it," I protested though I knew it would do no good. And so began my tale of woe: My first pull-up! Not a matter of life or death, I know, but a struggle nonetheless, and these things always seem worse during the anticipation. I already looked foolish enough, wearing the most athletic-looking thing in my closet that somehow never looked quite right on me. So why not complete the humiliation by failing miserably in front of the entire team? "I'm just a coxswain," I sighed as I grabbed hold of a metal bar that had proven to be the bane of my existence. Staring up at this, I thought about how utterly unnecessary the process was. I could be doing anything else! But I knew from the expression on my coach's face that I was doing nothing else until I got my chin over that bar. Tired and frustrated, I decided to give it a try. And so I tried, not just tried, but tried hard. Apparently, something inside me wanted to do this. I was not going to let an inanimate metal rod beat me. I was better than that. It wasn't just competitiveness that got me up there, though, and as much as drive to succeed motivates, it wasn't that either. I think it was looking down at my bow seat's hands, blistered and battered from weeks upon weeks of driving an oar through the water. She was cheering for me. The whole team was, and so I did it. And when I came down, I was barely aware of the minor physical accomplishment. Instead, I focused on the realization of what it meant to really be part of a team. The support, the camaraderie, and the understanding were all manifested in this one small act. This was what I truly saw as an accomplishment at that moment. In retrospect, I have realized that this event has served as a metaphor for how I deal with challenge in general. I believe that when faced with adversity, it is of paramount importance to stand firm and grab hold of the bar. That is why this event stands out in my mind, turning the simple narrative of a coxswain's first pull-up into a struggle worth mentioning.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
"Tell us about an experience that tells us about you"
I boarded the train at 9:17 and sat down. I opened Camus. The Stranger.
'Light reading for the summer?' said the man seated on my right. I looked at
him. 'Yeah'. - Digging into my bag, I pulled out a garishly green, laminated
copy of World's Best Coin Tricks. Grinning, we talked. He works for the State
Department. I was interning at the NIH and get off at the end of the red line.
He works setting up education exchange programs and I did neuroimaging on sleep
and language patient. His major was national defense at the War College, and I
asked what he read. 'Modern writers and the classics, like Thucydides, and a
Prussian' he trailed off. 'Clausewitz? On War?' I offered. 'Yeah!' he said.
'I bet nobody else in this whole train has read On War.' What else have you
read? 'I've read Sun-Tzu and Herodotus, but haven't read Thucydides.' 'You'll
like it,' and he asked me what I wanted to do for college.
'I'm really not sure now. There are a few things.' 'Go on?' 'I either
want to
go into neurology, business or join the CIA. I'm undecided, but until then I
want to major in economics or biochemistry. I also want to join the Peace
Corps.' 'That's great!' he said, 'I was in the Peace Corps 20 years back.'
'Really? That's awesome! Where did you serve?' 'Afghanistan, in Kabul believe
it or not.' 'Do you speak Farsi?' I asked, remembering reading a snide letter
to the editor of the Washington Post deriding yet another professor's plan for
peace in Afghanistan of teaching US soldiers Arabic by pointing out that people
in Afghanistan don't speak Arabic. 'I did, but I'm out of practice now.'
Thinking of languages, I added, 'Would you believe that I don't speak my mother
tongue?' He looked at me appraisingly. 'Yeah, sure. Maybe your parents wanted
you to assimilate?' 'Close,' I replied, 'My dad speaks his regional dialect,
while my mom's from elsewhere and speaks her own dialect. They didn't share a
common, natural language and met in the US speaking English.' 'That's really
interesting,' he replied. I asked, 'So what did you do in Afghanistan?' 'Oh, I
taught English to schoolchildren in Kabul, and since there wasn't much to do, I
kept a dream log.' 'Really? That's unbelievable!' I burrowed into my bag,
scooping from below my laptop a small, cloud gray book called A Little Course in
Dreams. 'I promise you, that's the last book I have in my bag, so no more
surprises.'
'Wow,' he replied, 'I haven't seen this book in a long time.' Pulling out a
fountain pen and writing the title and author on a corner of newspaper, it was
his stop coming up. So he asked for my phone number to continue the
conversation
later: I gave him mine, took his, shook hands. Tucking the slip into page 73,
the Horizontal Vanish, of World's Best Coin Tricks, I leaned right and went to
sleep, bound for Medical Center.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
This essay was a response to the open-ended question, "Do anything you want to a sheet of paper to persuade us to admit you."
Dear Princeton Admissions Committee, When I had to find a number for reading in my ranked list of activities, I had trouble placing it. I've always read, and I think that reading is something too important to me for one line. So, here is a list of the books I've read over the last year that I can remember. I hope that this can give you a sense of where I've been intellectually wandering outside of school. Sincerely, Now reading: Ecrits, Jacques Lacan One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez American Constitutional Law, Laurence Tribe The Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal editorial pages daily. Fiction The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams The Orestia, Fschylus The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell The Plague, Albert Camus The Stranger, Albert Camus Artemis Fowl (Trilogy), Eion Colfer The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Great Cases of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison The Golden Bough (condensed volumes), Sir George Frazer The Tin Drum, Gunter Grass The Saskiad, Brian Hall Folk and Fairy Tales, Martin Hallett Mythology, Edith Hamilton Magister Ludi, Herman Hesse Ulysses, James Joyce Collected Stories, Franz Kafka Captain Courageous, Rudyard Kipling The Man Who Would be King and Other Short Stories, Rudyard Kipling Eden, Stanislaw Lem Chronicles of the Vikings, R.I. Page The Morphology of the Folk Tale, Vladimir Propp The Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling Holes, Loius Sachar A Series of Unfortunate Events Series (11 volumes), Lemony Snicket The Bronze Bow, Elizabeth Speare Huck Finn, Mark Twain A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers Non-fiction How to Build your Home in the Woods, Bradford Angier Arabic in Three Months, Mohammed Asfour The Complete Book of Abs, Kurt Brungardt The Complete Book of Shoulders and Arms, Kurt Brungardt Libertarianism, A Primer, David Boaz De Bello Gallico (The Gallic War), Julius Caesar Alchemy : an illustrated A to Z, Fernando, Diana. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Frederick Douglass Caesar and Christ, Will Durant The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Thomas L. Friedman The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud The Book of Survival, Anthony Greenback Godel, Escher, Bach, Douglas Hofstadter Modern Times, Paul Johnson Dreams, Carl Jung Man and His Symbols, Carl Jung Psyche and Symbol, Carl Jung Worlds Best Coin Tricks, Bob Longe The Discourses, Niccolo Machiavelli History of Florence and of the Affairs of Italy, Niccolo Machiavelli Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators, Riccardo Orizio Winning Table Tennis, Dan Seemiller The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, Barbara Tuchman Ethics: Theory and Practice, Manuel Velasquez The Middle East: Opposing Viewpoints, Mary Williams Coaching Olympic Style Boxing, USA Boxing The Evelyn Wood Seven-Day Speed Reading and Learning Program, Evelyn Wood Poetry The Waste Land and Other Poems, T.S Eliot Never, Jorie Graham Complete Works, Edgar Allan Poe Collected Poems, George Seferis Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, J. R. R Tolkein The Aeneid, Vergil
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Describe a character in fictions, an historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
Sitting on a grassy hillside, Scipio Africanus stared down at the burning remnant of Carthage. After three long years of fighting, Rome's mortal enemy was defeated. Scipio ordered his troops to salt the soil and cross the city's foundation by plowshare so that it would never rise again. Still, tears rolled from his eyes and the words of Hector slipped from his lips: 'The day shall come in which our sacred Troy and Priam, and the people over whom Spear-bearing Priam rules, shall perish all.' Asked by a companion what he meant, Scipio replied, 'This is a glorious moment, Polybius; and yet I am seized with fear and foreboding that some day the same fate will befall my own country.' Many people who hear this story interpret it as a fable of humility, but pure humility isn't what forged the story into accounts of the battle, or impacted Romans so strongly that they whispered the tale as a bedtime story for their children. What speaks so powerfully to us is Scipio's gravitas, his sense of the importance of the matter at hand. Scipio Africanus didn't lament looted museums, burned orphanages, or even the fate of the city. In the dying embers of Carthage, he saw Rome. As heirs of the Roman Empire, our culture is steeped in classical thought and we surround our judges and lawmakers in Corinthian columns, but gravitas is acutely missing. And there is no better example of this than our dealings with the heirs to the Carthaginian Empire, Libya. Libya seeks to purchase an end to its pariah status by paying blood money for its Lockerbie bombing. Four million dollars dribble when the UN lifts sanctions of Libya, then four more drip should the US lifts its own sanctions. The final two million trickle if the State Department removes Libya from its terror list. The Wall Street Journal editorial page, probably one of the last confessed bastions of Roman virtue, acridly expressed its sentiments by asking, 'Would the US accept ten billion dollars from Osama Bin Laden and call it even?' But the story goes deeper. As a young nation, we lack the gravitas that Rome had. We possess greater power than Augustus ever wielded, but we lack earnestness in what we do. In ancient times, tribute was accepted in exchange for yielding your prerogative to wage war. Now, we place sanctions on North Korea, or Cuba, or Libya as their actions compel us, and promise to lift them should conditions ever change. Through international law, we've given up the catharsis of forgiveness. Rather than forgiving and forgetting, we simply forget. Scipio Africanus stared into the dying embers of Carthage and discerned the fall of Rome. We stare into the embers of Libya and see nothing.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Jot a note to your future college roommate relating a personal experience that reveals something about you.
In my junior year of high school, I was thinking of what I could over summer. I had already applied to do research, but it would be months before I would hear from them. In the meantime, I was making other plans. I desperately wanted to travel, but I didn't know how I'd be able to. I found a book on travel in the library, and buried inside of it was a footnote on traveling by courier flights. By agreeing to take the manifest of a cargo with you on a flight, courier companies are able to speed their packages through custom faster than if the cargo had been sent through as a package. Thus, for sensitive deliveries that require quick custom clearance, it's necessary to buy an airline ticket. Rather than hire couriers to take packages across the world on short notice, the companies let citizens accompany packages, and offer the ticket as a steeply discounted incentive. I realized it was possible to get a round trip flight from New York to London for $50 dollars. Other flights were free if you were adventurous enough to leave with hours of notice. I had an entire travel plan laid out, from keeping my bag permanently packet to staying with family friends in various cities across the world. At the last moment in April, I heard from the research institute, putting a premature end to my plan. Traveling is still an option for my next summer, though.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Discuss an intellectual interest of yours.
Whether politics is an endlessly various soap opera or the deepest expression of our culture striving for itself, I'm totally captivated. I spend at least an hour a day over the newspaper, and read, from left to right, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal editorial pages. What captivates me is that politics is the ratio of all disciplines. Biology collides with business in Medicare, but the conflict centers on methodology, not fact. Making two opposed op-eds talk to each other is like squeezing water out of rocks. The dull language of policy is truer than any other because the allocation of resources seeks to span the breadth experience. Ultimately, the law of conservation is the law of the universe, and policy can't deny all of it at once, nor any of it forever. My brother and I both read multiple newspapers, and for years we've played tennis and talked through our opinions of the opinions. We both love to rattle off order of magnitude calculations. An opinion in the Post on falling Chinese aquifers brought us to calculate that the world's energy supply, including metabolic, is about 50/50 biomass and oil. Almost a gigaton of wheat is harvested annually, nearly a quarter of all agricultural yields, and a gigaton of oil is burned, with four times starch's energy density. Wherever I go to college, I know I'll miss these conversations.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Of the activities, interests and experiences listed previously, which is the most meaningful to you, and why?
I'm deeply interested in biology, so the activity most meaningful to me has been my research. I began last June when I was chosen as a summer biomedical research intern. This senior year, I've continued my work through my school's selective mentorship program. It allows chosen seniors to leave school three days a week at 10:00 AM for area labs. I take the metro to the DC where I continue my work as a volunteer and leave for home at the end of the work day. My foray into research began when my chemistry teacher, suggested I apply to the summer internship program. I applied, and while waiting for a response, I became interested in the work of a researcher who was exploring the intersection of neuroimaging methods and language. Luckily, since I had studied neurobiology and had read some Noam Chomsky, both scientific and otherwise, he could find a place for me. Our project involves comparing differences in regional brain metabolism with EEG brain wave patterns. Our data suggest that as a person falls deeper into sleep, brain activity decreases less in certain area of the brain than commonly supposed. My role has ranged from analytical work to dividing the brain into over 200 different anatomical regions for region to region comparison, and the last half-year has been extremely exciting for me.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Write about anything important to you that will give us a sense of who you are in 500 words.
'Tell me the causes, O Muse, why the Queen of heaven drove him, a man marked by such devotion, to undergo so many perils, to endure so many toils. Can the minds of heaven bear such malice?' (Aeneid, 1.15) Water laps at my heels, and I realize with a start that high tide is washing in. On salt caked soles, I walk back from the foot of the lighthouse, thinking over a classical question the Aeneid's opening raises: do the gods inflict suffering from cruelty or apathy? The year was 1911. My grandfather coiled his hundred-year lease into a shallow pocket of his thick dungarees. The promised lush acres rolled down to the sandy shores of the bay on the West rim of the island. Age twenty, he rooted his sugar-cane plantation under the bright-eyed lighthouse. Planting by the bay, he prepared his crop for the harvest of the fall. Growing sugar cane is exacting work. At harvest time, the towering Cane calls you to the field, barbed and beckoning by serrated leaves. The field is given to flame, cleansing it of dry leaves and releasing caramelized incense as it burns. The stalks are hacked down by machete and bundled alongside the plantation tracks. Later, agents would appear at the junction to receive the burnt offerings. My grandfather fathered many children before my father was born. But between the first and the last, times changed. Our family plantation was successful, but the tide of globalization eroded our prosperity. Although our cane was less expensive than Floridian cane, farm subsidies to Florida cane growers amounted to $618 an acre, and Congress severely restricted sugar importation into the United States. As a result, Americans pay four times the international market price for sugar, while island growers are denied the right to compete. Plantations folded, and the honorable and ennobling work gave way to the pursuit of tourist dollars. My grandfather felt that tide lap at his heels as the agents granted less and less for cane. Soon, they stopped coming at all, and our plantation came to an end. Abel killed Cane and Globalization struck us from tillers into wanderers, scattering us East of Eden. We prospered in the United States, becoming doctors, teachers, and businessmen, but ultimately, we're still wandering. Walking on salt-caked feet across the shoals that separate the lighthouse from the plantation, I gaze over the worn fields. The plantation lies fallow and its fields are covered in low shrubs, tall grass, and dead leaves. On a corner of the property, our old tractor rests in a furrow, grizzled by tawny rust. The air is thin and cool, without a hint of the caramel of burning cane carried on ocean breeze. In the distance, a yacht slices across the bay under the bright-eyed lighthouse's gaze: Carthaginian ruins blurring into Roman foundations. Now, I realize that the classical question of whether we've suffered from apathy or malice doesn't matter. Now, it's only my academic point.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
The Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either autobiographical or creative, which you feel best describes you. If transferring from a four-year institution, please include your reasons for transferring from your present institution.
The Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either autobiographical or creative, which you feel best describes you. If transferring from a four-year institution, please include your reasons for transferring from your present institution. I have dealt with various forms of adversity in my life. I was the first member of my family born in America. I was forced to learn a language alien to my household. I was able to overcome these obstacles, and become a stronger person as a result. Recently, I went through the tumultuous process that is college admissions - yet another bout with adversity. Yet, in dealing with this adversity, I was able to change my attitudes about life and become a better person. Senior year started off innocently enough; the college admissions were neatly stacked in a nice pile, and I did well on the SAT. I had done the leg work in high school and was excited to see the fruits of my labor. I felt confident about my applications and knew I would get into one of the eight schools to which I applied. Days, weeks, months went by; the excessive trips to the mailbox had begun. Decision day came, and I was stunned to see I had been rejected to all of the schools except to my safety school - Penn State, University Park. At first I was disappointed, but I refocused myself to do better in college, eventually persevering and learning many new things that have really helped me not only in the classroom, but also in life. My days in Happy Valley have been a valuable learning experience. I am more goal-oriented than I have ever been before. I decided to recommit myself and build a solid foundation my first year in college. I feel that I have accomplished that; I made Dean's List in my first semester, even while taking two Honors courses. The load doesn't get any lighter for my second semester. I am currently taking Honors Math and English, along with Organic Chemistry and Microbiology. I plan on doing well in all of these courses and hopefully raising my GPA. I have also been involved outside the classroom as well. I am currently a sports reporter for The Daily Collegian, the Penn State student newspaper. Also, I am a patient floor volunteer at the Centre Community Hospital. I will also work in a research lab over the summer, gaining valuable experience. I am also involved in numerous other student organizations on campus. I have become more dedicated in everything I do both in the classroom and outside of it as well. Being at Penn State has not only helped me focus in the classroom, but taught me valuable life lessons as well. With the large university, I had to learn to take the initiative on my own because there was no personal attention, and I had to take on far greater responsibility. I had to know when I have to study and not slacking off. I was forced to create a regimented schedule, making sure I get enough food and sleep. Overall, my whole view on life has changed because of my experiences in college. However, as much as I have learned at Penn State, there are a few things that are not to my liking. I do not like the aspect of having a class with 700 other people. There is no forum for discussion, the professor is essentially giving a speech and you have to regurgitate the information on an exam. There is no deep thought or application involved. Furthermore, because of the large size of the university, it is a challenge to connect with your professors. Another big problem is the prevalence of Greek life on campus. I must be able to find a balance between school and my social life. That balance I feel I have achieved as I have earned exceptional grades without losing my sanity. What attracts me to Georgetown? I want a place where I can be comfortable learning and not worrying about all the distractions surrounding me. Georgetown is a Jesuit university which seeks to provide an ideal atmosphere for learning. I will pursue a degree in Biochemistry and seek a minor in either Psychology or Government. I plan on pursuing a career in medicine, and will seek to devote time towards research. I will look at the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown for an opportunity because my primary research interest is cancer. Furthermore, since I have an interest in government, what better of a place to be than Washington DC? I feel that Georgetown offers me a better atmosphere in which to achieve my goals. I have been able to completely change my outlook on life in a span of six months and am far more focused on achieving my goals then ever before. I feel the switch to Georgetown will provide a far better atmosphere in which I can succeed and reach those goals.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
What are your educational or career goals?
Back when I was really young, people always used to ask me, 'so what to do you want to be when you grow up?' My candid childhood response was 'baseball player or a doctor.' To this day I love baseball, but there comes a time in every kid's life, when they find out that hitting a curveball is not as easy as hitting a little league fastball. However, as my dream of playing in the big leagues may be dead, my dream of someone 'paging Dr. Hasan to the O.R.' is alive and well. I have devoted myself with one ultimate goal in mind - becoming a doctor. The road that leads to medical school is a long and challenging one, but I have completely devoted myself towards achieving that goal. I feel that the University of Virginia has the resources that I would need to reach my goal. At UVa I will pursue a degree in Chemistry with a specialization in Biochemistry and will commit to challenging myself if accepted and excelling in whatever classes I take. Chemistry interests me because it is amazing to think how something so small, the atom can be so complex in form, structure, and behavior (reaction-wise). Furthermore, a specialization in Biochemistry interests me because it teaches you how chemical reactions are used by humans to perform everyday functions. Using that as a base, one can then investigate the molecular basis for many diseases and eventually bring about a higher quality of life for humans. Chemistry is just one of the many topics that interest me. There are many other goals of mine outside of my major as well. I took a class in Psychology last semester at Penn State and was really fascinated by a lot of the complex things about the brain and the way people think. Furthermore, politics has always been a huge interest of mine. I have always been the one who likes to discuss who this country is run and whether the legislators are doing their jobs. I have many interests, both related and unrelated to my intended career field and I will continue to seek things that interest me. I also took a course on American Politics that I really enjoyed. The material was very interesting to me. I hope to pursue minors at UVa in both of these areas. My desire for a full education should go beyond the classroom. I will seek an opportunity to conduct original research. I plan on working in a lab over the summer and will hopefully gain valuable experience that I will use at Virginia. I plan on seeking a position in a lab in either the Chemistry department or the Medical School at UVa. By volunteering at the University Hospital, I can gain valuable clinical experience and observe doctors practicing medicine in real life situations. I have been volunteering at the Centre Community Hospital here in State College, and will continue to pursue this interest at UVa. A quality education is only part of the package. Actually applying that knowledge to the real world is what actually completes that package. Besides all of my interests in school and activities related to a medical career, I want to be well-rounded enough to participate in other things that do not deal with school or work. I am a huge sports fan. As a result, I became a sports reporter for the Penn State student newspaper, The Daily Collegian. I will continue my interest in journalism at Georgetown by writing for the Daily Hoya. I also have a keen interest in politics and I am a member of the Political Science Association. I can build off that interest even more because in DC. I would be right where all the action takes place. I could get a staff position with a Representative from my district and get involved more then I could have ever imagined at Penn State. I wrestled in High School, and have continued that in college as part of the club wrestling team. There is no wrestling team or club at Georgetown, but I would work to try and establish one there if there are enough people to show an interest. As a Muslim, I am a member of the Muslim Students Association, and promote good relations with members of all faiths. I would become involved with the Georgetown MSA, and get involved with the Center for Muslim-Christian understanding. I went to a Catholic school for most of my life and know about both religions very well and I would very much like to further promote understanding between the two faiths. I am involved in things not related to my intended career, but I enjoy these because they interest me and at Georgetown I will be able to develop these interests further. My goal in four years of college is to gain the experience of living, learning, and being responsible independently. I will use the foundation I build in college the rest of my life, and apply the knowledge I gain for the betterment of humanity.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
The Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either autobiographical or creative, which you feel best describes you.
Michael Newman, my guitar teacher, is not a square. He's about the same age as my father, wears an earring, and always has a hat and cowboy boots on. Every Friday at 7:30, when most kids are vegetating in front of a TV, I go for my weekly escape to Musician's Workshop in the heart of America's greatest state, New Jersey. Musician's Workshop is where all up-and-coming musicians converge to play instruments they could never afford and receive instruction of the musical variety. One week, I walked into the Workshop with my midnight blue lefty Fender Stratocaster just in time for my lesson. I went into Mike's white room and noticed that he had a strange guitar resting against the wall. The wood finish was black with dirt and the whole body and neck were covered with signatures in various colors. Mike returned from the restroom, offered me a piece of gum, and asked me how I was doing. 'I'm fine. Sweet axe.' He pointed out the different signatures it bore and the Little Mermaid stickers his daughter gave him to 'make it more pretty.' 'Here's one from when we opened for the guys who sang 'Born to be Wild.' The lead singer broke his strings on stage and I gave him my Les Paul. He was banging it all over the place. And here's an original Mike Newman innovation, the 'Newmanizer.'' He pulled back a metal bar attached to a spring at the bottom of the guitar and let it go. The bar quickly rubbed back and forth against the strings, and a strange sound came forth. 'This thing can communicate with other life forms. I was reading a book about Albert Einstein. They say nothing's faster than light, but the 'Newmanizer' can take light on any day of the week.' Mike picked up my notebook and opened to the place where he had transposed the whole solo to Cream's 'Crossroads.' 'You know, the guitar is like a transporter for everything that's going on in the world at any particular time. Sometimes I get on stage and I have no idea where the notes are coming from. It's out of my hands. If you listen to Clapton's 'Crossroads' solo, you'll hear all that was going on in the sixties. Music is powerful.' 'Yeah, I was watching the Queen's Jubilee the other day, and when Paul McCartney started singing 'Hey Jude,' it seemed like the whole of England was singing along.' 'That's the power of music. Play a chord when your friends are fighting. The whole atmosphere will change. We're all connected, but we just don't realize it. There's so much hate and violence in the world. I'll tell you how to solve the problem. Give every kid something that sounds funny, like a harmonica.' 'Maybe, one day,' I replied. 'Here, sign the guitar. I figure one of these days a student of mine may save the world.' I took the marker and signed right around the headstock of the guitar. We went on to play Sublime tracks. 'Well, life is (too short), so love the one you got, cause you might get run over or you might get shot.' I left at 8:05 and went home, thinking about what Mike had said. Sometimes I thought he was too idealistic, but then I asked, 'Why not?' I might not be the one who saves the world, but I'm young and naove enough to try. It's the journey that's important. I woke up at dawn the next morning with my Strat and sat in a chair on my deck. I played a G chord and listened. The replies of birds came from all around me. 'We're all connected, but we just don't realize it,' Mike had said. I thought about him and how things would be when I went away for college. One of my favorite lyrics came to mind: 'Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.'
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
This was the essay for the Common Application - one of the suggested topics was to write about a challenge you faced, which is roughly what this is about, though of course I took a creative angle to it.
'Kelly, why do we do this?' Val's question jolts into my rain-numbed reverie. 'D-d-do this?' I chatter. Water lifts the fragrance of shampoo from my braids and smudges mascara beneath my friends eyes. 'This... this sport.' Val spits the word as though it tastes bad. 'This torture. This hell. This exercise in misery.' 'Oh,' I reply, comprehension forcing itself across my icy face. 'Cross-country.' It's 4:21 on an October afternoon, and the rain is coming down like artillery fire. A whistle's lament cuts through the syncopated patter of the rain and chatter of my teeth as I take my place on the starting line. Crack! The report of the gun gives way to a thunderous rumble as fifty lightweights with whipping ponytails jostle for the lead. I hang back; years of racing have taught me to choose my battles carefully. Now is not the time. This is not the place. These girls are not the enemy. Thudding down the field, across the bridge, the clackety-clack-clack of one hundred and two feet rasps on weathered wood and wet gravel. Wood chips slither beneath my spikes as we scramble up monsters affectionately dubbed 'Freshman Hill' and 'Snake.' Val's question buzzes around my thoughts, unanswered, as the miles trickle by. Permeating the scene like the scent of wet leaves, apprehension weaves my stomach into knots. There is one hill yet to come. Cardiac. It is a name to strike fear into the most intrepid runners heart, a catchword in elite cross-country circles, the highest point in Sunken Meadow State Park. Deceiving us with twists and false summits, ridden with jutting roots and rain-gouged rivulets, nearly perpendicular at its apex - this hill is the defining feature of our course. Salty rain trickles between my lips as I approach its base. This is the time, the place, the enemy. I am ready. Pumping my arms in rigid arcs, I seem to bounce in place as other girls stagger past, hands on their knees. Trees and pebbles, rain and runners, all melt away until I am conscious only of this: that there is the hill, and there is me; and one of us will have to give up first. One of us... it won't be me... getting there I'm almost there n o w ! even breathing artificial regulation gives way to gasps of painful triumph as the victory burns in my calves my heart thumps in my ears like a war drum and my legs unwilling children must be forced to continue its not over yet knees still trembling the conquered hill pulls me toward its base with a force stronger than gravity feet skim the ground and then I am at the bottom and the colors cease to blur and again I find my rhythm wet braids beating a tattoo across my shoulders as they move like pistons or like dancers to a rhythm like the heartbeat of the pulsing earth. I have won. In the serenity of the final mile, epiphanies shoot like stars across my vision, startling me with sudden answers. A philosophy forms, unanticipated, as old questions are cast aside. Life is about the little things, the rain, and the leaves, and the easy rhythm of breathing. It's about running up hills, even though walking is faster. It's about spending hours on a poem for sheer love of language, not for a grade; it's about learning because I want to understand, not to outdo the person next to me. It's about running. I do not run to beat the clock, or my teammates, or the time my coach expects of me. I run because in the spaces between the footsteps and the heartbeats, I can feel the fiery green echoes of my soul. As I sail across the finish line, rain now warm against my skin, there is not a doubt left in my mind. I know why I do this.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
The question asked you to reflect on the things you expected to get out of your time at Georgetown.
Morning in DC An autumn breeze whistles over the bridge as I climb off my bike and rest it against the stone railing. Below, the Potomac catches the light of the rising sun as the Georgetown crew team glides by like a phantom from my past. I pull off my helmet and lean pensively against the railing beside my bike. Watching the team slide away, listening to the watery cadence of oars in perfect unison, I remember my time on that team and my time at Georgetown. I was a 'walk on' to the crew team - entering the college as an English major with a minor in philosophy, I had envisioned a collegiate life devoted to reading, writing, and philosophical rumination. Although athletics were at that time the farthest thing from my mind, they eventually became an significant part of my Georgetown years. Though my torn, faded 'I Bleed Hoya Blue' shirt was retired from active service a few months after graduation, it remains in my trunk of keepsakes, a symbol of the indelible mark Georgetown has left on my life. Cozy hours studying in the Lauinger Library, afternoon epistemology classes out on the lawn, Sunday masses at the Dahlgren Chapel, morning hours sculling down the Potomac, chanting 'Hoya Saxa!' at countless basketball games... all these are part of what Georgetown means to me; all are precious memories and integral parts of the person I have become. Now pursuing a doctorate at the Georgetown Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, my post-graduation plans are as uncertain as they were the day I first set foot on campus. There is, however, this important difference: my indecision at the outset of my academic career was due to ignorance of the possibilities before me; it is due now to my knowledge of so many fascinating fields. Maybe I will take a chance on a career as a free-lance novelist; or perhaps I will become a professor of English at the college to which my heart will always belong: Georgetown. I might also fall back upon dreams of my younger days, switching from graduate to professional school to become a surgeon or a politician. Perhaps I will choose the path so many have predicted for me, designing and illustrating my own line of greeting cards and stationery. Maybe I-ll revert to the earliest professional dream I ever entertained, and spend my declining years as a near-sighted librarian. My future is no more certain today than it was five years ago, but I face this vast uncharted territory with knowledge and experiences only Georgetown could have given me. I know that, no matter where my path may lead, I have within me now the ability to be successful in whatever I choose. The passage of a large limousine behind me startles my daydream back to reality. Traffic is picking up, birds chattering, morning sun brushing off night-s autumnal chill. The crew team has long since disappeared down the river, leaving only a ripple of foam on the Potomacs gleaming surface. Setting my helmet on my head decisively, I mount my bike and pedal off down the bridge. I have places to go.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Analyze an international situation about which you feel strongly.
Fidel Castro led a rebel army to victory over the Batista dictatorship in 1959 in Cuba; he has ruled the country ever since. In 1960 the United States began using unilateral sanctions against Cuba by first imposing a partial embargo that became a total embargo 16 months later during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After the collapse of the former Soviet Union and the subsequent halt of financial support, Cuba plunged into a severe economic depression. Some analysts say that without Soviet support Cuban communism just couldn't work while others blame the U.S. embargo for Cuba's trouble. Cuba's government and its inability to stand without Soviet help must be held accountable for the state of its people, but the U.S. embargo worsens the situation. In fact, Castro has used the unfair embargo to gain political support. The United States should end the embargo on Cuba for the benefit of the Cuban people and the benefit of America. A law enacted in November 2000 provides for some shipping but a federal license must be obtained. Even foreign ships are subject to this new law if they wish to dock in the U.S within 6 months of visiting Cuba. This arrogant proclamation and our stubborn adherence to the 40-year-old embargo promotes many nations to criticize America. Allowing for the limited sell of food and medicines because of the recent hurricane does not alleviate the real plight of the Cuban citizens, and only strengthens the government's resolve to stand up to the condescending piecemeal aid from a historical foe. The fastest way to end human rights violations and hardship under Castro's Communist regime is by flooding his communist society with capitalist dollars. As the United States is no longer threatened by Cuba, it is time to end this failed embargo and move onto a tactic that will actually help the people of Cuba.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Write a one page personal statement yourself and your reasons for wanting to come to Georgetown.
The cornfields extend for miles in every direction. After the harvest time, the dry, crumbling stalks remain scattered in the field; their only use comes when ardent decorators collect the eerie stalks to use as Halloween ornamentation. Yet these endless rows of decaying corn that stretch on in the dusty earth are as effective as the Great Wall of China was at repelling invaders at keeping Indiana safe from terrorists. 'First of all I want to assure all of you that you are perfectly safe here and we will do everything to keep you that way.' The words of my dean of schools didn't assuage any feelings of fear about my own safety; instead, his words inflamed me as I realized that I did not want to be safe. I didn't like being tucked away in the infinite cornfields of Indiana, perfectly protected but unable to do anything. I wanted to be in Washington DC. After September 11, I removed every university that isn't in Washington DC from my college list because I could no longer dupe myself into believing I would ever go anywhere else. I finally made a firm commitment to a career in International Relations and preparing myself for that future. Unfortunately, despite my epiphany and newfound drive, I am still stuck in the middle of nowhere until next fall. To better cope with the static situation, I started the Joe's Cafi Group. Every Sunday my roommate, my former chemistry teacher, several random people who wandered in during the first meeting, and I gather at the local coffee shop for lunch. The conversations range from Shakespeare's Hamlet to the nature of biological weapons to the wonders of Belgian waffles. I can't wait to interact with Washington, but treasured friendships and homey places keep me sane until I can.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
This was an open-ended adaptation of the personal statement that allowed flexibility and creativity.
Page 263 of my 300 Page Autobiography ...and that is why, to this day, I keep the Preparation H and toothpaste in separate drawers. Six o' clock. This was it. I fumbled around with my shoelaces. My movements were slow and deliberate. I grabbed Mr. Hodge's acoustic guitar and an extra shirt, anticipating uncontrollable perspiration, and jumped into the Buick. My baseball game had been a disaster, a clear reflection of my nervous preoccupation. I probably would have struck out all four times, if I hadn't been hit square on the hip in my last at bat My thoughts, or should I say nightmares, of the last several weeks had not been on baseball, on school, on the state of the union. My thoughts were on nailing Creedence Clearwater's Proud Mary in front of a packed house and living in rock and roll immortality for the rest of my high school career. The stubborn steering wheel on the Buick was even harder to control my sweaty, shaky hands. I remember looking down and laughing uneasily to myself at the bulbous knobs on my mom's goofy looking tape deck. Who buys a tape deck in the 21st century? Where was Janna? It was 6:45, and I could not find my Janis Joplin-esque vocalist anywhere. After a frantic probing of the auditorium, I found her in the back of the lobby coming out of the bathroom. Her eyes lit up and then, painfully, she hugged me. Bits and pieces of a story involving a garden rake, a flat tire, and an impatient tow-truck driver gushed from her mouth as tears streaked down her face. Her day had been as apprehensive and gut-wrenching as mine. Somehow, that was strangely reassuring. We waited. It's funny how time seems to warp when you're the second to last act in a 30-act talent show. We sat in the makeshift "backstage" of the chorus room and heard the muffled sounds of the Irish "Riverdance," the scatological comedy routine, the Pearl Jam cover songs. In an effort to limber up, I attempted to touch my toes. My pants, apparently dissatisfied with my decision to loosen my tense muscles, split down the inseam. Luckily, Janna had a safety pin in her handbag (I had always wondered what was in there) and she resourcefully patched me up. Seeking solitude I went into the men's room before we went on. I looked into the eyes that stared back at me in the mirror. They were scared; they were nervous. I was a bedroom guitarist, not a "jukebox hero," as my beloved Foreigner's words foretold three decades before. I leaned over the sink and prayed. It wasn't a prayer of repentance; I didn't pray for an incredible performance. I just prayed that I wouldn't mess up in front of my friends, my parents, and my Willie Nelson-look-alike guitar teacher, Wayne. Indeed, I changed my shirt. I could feel my heart beating wickedly in my chest, an ever-intensifying battle drum that had reached a dangerously hyper crescendo. And then, right after the third sophomore rendition of "Genie In a Bottle," our names were called. Reality, rather surreality, set in. The curtain went up and Hodge's guitar and I floated thoughtlessly onto the stage and into our stool. Janna followed with her microphone. Without hesitation I began with my opening solo. As the lights dimmed and music filled the air, I remember gaining confidence. That is, until the lights came back on, and yells from the crowd indicated that my amplifier was not working. Confidence turned to dread as the sound crew rushed to the scene to diagnose the technical snag. I said another silent prayer in an awkward span so long it seemed that I could have read the entire gospel. By the time the amp was back online, my throat was drier than my calculus teacher's humor. I strummed away again, more timidly this time, and the lights dimmed once more. All the devotion and effort I had put into this night was numbed out of my mind. I was drugged by fear. The remaining memories of my moment in the spotlight remain blurry and dreamlike. The thing I most remember is hearing treble. Incredible treble. A frequency so high pitched I would later wonder whether my dog could have recognized the song. I barely remember (luckily) getting caught in the curtain in my panicked exodus from the stage after the performance. I barely remember sitting in a storage closet on stage during the last act. I barely remember the sea of faces in the lobby after the show, giving artificial congratulations. I barely remember getting in the Buick and half-realizing that the prognathous tape deck had been stolen because I had left the doors open. Who steals a tape deck in the 21st century? When I got home, I asked my father for the naked truth. "Dad," I asked "how was it?" "Well," he began, "sometimes painful experiences teach us lessons and build character." I went to bed that night with a shattered ego, an irregular heartbeat, and character coming out my& ...
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement
'Hey! wassup?' -'Not much, u?' 'Haha same, just doing hmwk' -'yea me too' Welcome to the world I have looked forward to everyday since the beginning of my adolescent days. I seem to find myself anxious to sign on with the rest of the world and get caught up in the web of online personalities. I watch my fingertips swiftly caress the smooth keys with a clickity-clack that soon becomes music to my ears. My parents can't help call it an obsession, but I've befriended the little yellow running man. AOL Instant Messenger has become a key to unlocking a whole new side to who I am. My parents have generously granted me the title of a promising student and an ambitious daught, but what about simply being a confused teenager looking for others in the same boat? 'dude I wish it were Friday, I wanna go out' -'I know, same here' In our world of messaging, we create the rules. The mundane phrase of 'whatever' can answer all sorts of questions from 'what should I have for lunch?' to 'what is the meaning of life?' Simplicity at its finest; things dont always have to be so complicated in our fabricated, or rather, online world. I remember my good friend and I always having a blast talking online, often mocking how pathetic it is, then pointing out how we are such hypocrites. One day though, she broke out of the conventional conversational style. 'do you ever get that gut feeling where you know something's wrong??' I thought it to be a trivial matter and apathetically replied, -'yea sometimes, but it goes away. Hope you feel better soon babe!' and gradually brought everything back into the prospective of the nonchalant Instant Messenger world. I shudder as I realize how I instinctually talked my way out of her facing her problem, dismissing her IM of possessing any serious implications. However, I'm forced to remind myself it's just more convenient this way; we all just want to be okay, or at least pretend we are. Escaping problems in reality is not possible; thus, the online world becomes our haven. Recently though, I've begun to realize the difference between who I am and what I IM. Though now I'll never really know whether my friend's problem was serious or not, it's a consequence of instant messaging I've come to accept. It's becoming even harder to decipher one another as we disguise ourselves behind bubbly screen names. We've all become personas of someone we want be. IM seems to have created mass confusion in distinguishing peoples' true identity and simultaneously decreased the self-confidence of many users. It seems as though people willfully reveal secrets in the world of 2' by 4' windows, but hesitate when they come back to reality. I fear the ignorance of being unable to distinguish reality from facades. I hope to steer away from this technologically advancing world, go back to conversations over Starbucks hot chocolate, to sign off from fantasy, and check into reality. It's becoming far too easy to slip between who you are and who you want to be. The gap between 'I am' and 'IM' is gradually decreasing, and it's becoming harder each day to distinguish the difference. I'm afraid. The ability to transform one's own image has now been placed in the hands of 11 year-olds. People will continuously strive to perfect an aspect of themselves, and technology has now provided them an outlet to do so. As for me though, I want to be liked for who I am, not who I am pretending to be. So the next time I am online, I will be real. Deception and confusion are two states of mind the world can do without. 'I am certain.' X.Y. has logged off. Session concluded at 3:14 PM.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Describe an activity that has impacted you most.
Entering high school feels like walking into another man's dominion and hoping
to integrate into a society established a thousand years before your time. But
through trial and error, experimentation, humiliation, and a little bit of
passion one tends to find his/her own niche. As appealing as electrical
engineering and robotics came off to me at first, my natural inclination as a
timid 14 year old landed me into the hands of a newly developed club: The Junior
State of America. The fancy name hooked me in, but the objective of the group
keeps me there today. The student run organization hosts 3 statewide conventions
a year to discuss bills currently being debated within our government and laws we
as students would like to see brought to D.C. I, unlike my veteran
private-school-since-kindergarten peers, doubted my ability to take part in such
a political convention. By watching others at conventions to mimicking them in
front of the hotel's bathroom mirrors, I watched myself dissolve into the
political atmosphere. JSA was no longer just an overnight stay at a fancy hotel,
it has became a way of life and choice of career for me.
Currently in my 4th year participating as a JSA member, I try to remember how I
became hooked. Maybe it was the anxiety to voice an opinion with no restraints,
or the ability to play devil's advocate; nevertheless, I found myself
volunteering to be a main speaker for topics such as advocating the teaching of
abstinence and instituting metal detectors in public schools. The other times
when I listened to others argue the pro and con of a resolution, I found myself
itching for a chance at the podium. I watched my social skills develop alongside
my passion for politics, and soon my growth was noticeable and rewarded through
Best Speaker Awards.
As I became a more experienced member, I encouraged my friends to join, hoping
the same passion for impromptu speaking and politics would capture their hearts
as it did mine. I went onto become the head of Public Relations for the
organization, watching it grow significantly each year. JSA conventions became my
outlet to be heard and I seized each and every opportunity to become a
politically active member in the society. My involvement the past 3 = years with
this organization encouraged me to remain up-to-date with political affairs, to
become involved in student leadership organizations, and to stand up for
controversial beliefs regardless of popular opinion.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Describe a global issue that means something to you.
Seems with each passing decade, technological advances continue to perpetually increase an average human's lifespan this planet defined by its limited resources. Pertinent today, the idea of overpopulation looms as a gradually growing predicament in the shadows of other more 'important' world affairs. As the world population continues to increase, the united efforts of all human beings in every nation-state are the only ways at tackling the global issue. While no single solution be it technological, economical, or social, exists that could solely solve the world's population dilemma, a combination of the three are in order to prevent natural means- starvation, pandemic disease or warfare as becoming the only solutions to undermine the problem. The United Nations has put forth many efforts to find solutions to the growing population dilemma, but possibly the most effective would be utilizing technological advances to secure future generations. Through biotechnology, scientists have made crops more plentiful, more pest resistant and more nutritious over the years. Food products derived from new technologies are as safe, if not safer, than conventional products. Yet, scientists role-playing 'God' via biotech engineered food unsurprisingly sparks controversy among religious, wealthy citizen's who can afford their three meals a day. One must remember that a billion people's daily goal is to find and consume a loaf of bread. Globalizing genetically engineered foods will replace the farming class, leaving many jobless; however, prices of foods will decrease because of the potential to produce crops with greater efficiency than any single human being. The tradeoff would cause short-term job loss, but long term prosperity. While morally disagreeable to some, technology and genetically engineered foods would be able to eliminate the threats of famine, drought, and infertile soil caused by the excess carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as the population continues to grow. While the environment is important in preservation, the idea of slowing down the rapid pace of the population increasing is just as important. While resolutions to universalize birth control have failed in the past, with the education of women and the freedom of choice and access to abortion clinics, could provide a temporary solution. Pro-choice may conflict with religious groups and the Islamic and Hindu faith. Yet without a means of stopping rampant births worldwide, the quality of life for people living in these regions will continue to deteriorate. The county's gradual advancements will continue to be offset by the overpopulated regions. Another possible solution could be following China's model in limiting families to one to two children. As it is another solution stirring controversy, overpopulation is something negotiations and compromises cannot solve; drastic measures are the only solutions. Pessimism and skepticism undoubtedly linger in the minds of all countries as to which approach to take in solving the issue of overpopulation. Through big and small measures, cooperation is needed by all nations to tackle the problem at hand, and there has no doubt been some success. However, by using the United Nations as a model of how well the world cooperates, it seems that while the solutions may be out there, the natural inclinations to put one country's own affairs above the rest may hinder the success of taming the imminent threats of overpopulation. Also, the world prioritizes other world affairs over the overpopulation problem. The ignorance of the issue intertwined with the growth pattern it follows today will eventually cause it to become the predominant problem, overriding all others and cause more severe consequences than the world may be ready for.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Tell us about who you are. Personal Statement
EARLY ACTION Essay One. Korean-Spanish, that was how my American friends identified me. Unlike Korean, my birth identity, or Spanish, my cultural identity, I did not know what to make of my new identification. Korean-Spanish reflected my past and it seemed that this new identification was my only possible one in America. Somehow my American friends were fascinated by a 16-year-old Korean boy who came from Spain and spoke four languages fluently. Maybe Korean-Spanish was how I really identified myself. Or maybe I had already guessed that my new friends would hyphenate my identification, just like African-American, or Japanese-American. (Pardon me if I am wrong, but to me, it seems as though most of the American identifications include hyphens.) In America, everyone seemed categorized and hyphenated. I read a number of passages in the Critical Reading sections of the SAT I that began by citing articles or books written by different hyphen-identified people. One introductory paragraph said: 'This passage is from a book written by a Chinese-American woman about Chinese-American women writers.' Another stated: 'This passage is from a book by an African-American woman who is a law professor.' I was confused: 'So, is the author of the book African or American?' Hyphenation of identities was perplexing and ambiguous to me. Why cant everyone with an American passport be just American? America has always been an eclectic society where much diversity in ethnicity and race existed. In that sense, America is more than just a country; it is a smaller representation of the world. However, Spain and Korea have always been, and still are, countries mostly populated by people of single ethnicities. Spain and Korea both want to maintain the country among their people and limit opportunities for foreigners. They have to change. I was blessed to be able to live in three different countries, on two different continents. My intercontinental life has given me the ability to perceive the world from a different point of view. Before I realized, the American culture found its place in me and naturally became part of me. I no longer am just Korean-Spanish, but Korean-Spanish-American. As I assimilated the diverse cultures each continent represented, my international experiences helped me to understand that underneath, people were very much the same regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. Maybe that was why I felt that learning many languages English, Spanish, and French was essential. I believe that foreign people and cultures can only be truly understood through their own languages. Yet, I hold onto my native language, Korean, for I know how important my roots are. Ironically, even though the world is being globalized, ethnicity, race and religion still cause friction among people. I hope, with my international experience, I can help make the world change into one in which ethnicity and race are of little consequence. I am convinced that through understanding, tolerance, and acceptance, we can make a difference in this world. It is time to begin a journey towards the shaping of a truly globalized world, where I hope to act as an unbreakable bond among different countries.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
General personal statement, no topic
Reach As I cross the green, I pause to take one last glance over my shoulder at the castle, trying to capture an image that will last me a lifetime. Months ago, as I daydreamed at home in Taiwan, the desire found its way into my head: I wanted to kiss the Blarney Stone. As an Asian American, I do not have any drop of Irish blood in me. The strange urge, though, grew stronger, and by August, I have managed to fly, walk, ride, run, and tumble my way to Blarney Castle in Ireland. That was the summer after grade ten; and actually, I aspired then to do more than just kiss the Blarney Stone. I wanted to set foot in the Vatican, behold the Leaning Tower of Pisa, visit the little Irish town called Tralee, reunite with Irish friends I had met a year earlier, marvel at the magnificent Book of Kells, and venture up the snowy mountains of Switzerland. In order to do so many different things, I needed great control over my itinerary, so I decided to make the trip alone: total freedom. As I was only fifteen years old, making my own trip would be a challenge. I would have to plan my route, book youth hostels, compare airfares, pack for the long trek, and fly alone to Europe. When I finally touched down at my destination, I would have to find my own way to the hostel on foot and public transport: a reasonable budget would permit no taxi rides. Then, for about five weeks, I would be on my own. My family and friends would be back home, thousands of miles away. My parents had complete confidence in me, but I wondered, as I hugged them goodbye, if their confidence was misplaced. Before I knew it, though, I was checking in at the hostelI had made it to Rome. I soon met other travelers who shared my interests and discovered that I could easily make friends if I felt lonely. I learned to be independent, to be a street-smart backpacker, and to get along with strangers. First in Italy and then in Ireland and Switzerland, I surprised myself by being able to roam and discover on my own with only a trusty cell phone as a lifeline. I found museums to visit, streets to shop, ancient ruins to explore, and national parks to hike. Afterwards, I always managed to arrive back at Pisa Centrale Station for my next train, Bus Iireann Killarney Station for my next bus, or Zurich Flughafen for my flight home. I realized each of the dreams I had had in Taiwan and new ones that came to me in Europe, like biking through Killarney National Park. The park boasts many breathtaking sights ranging from waterfalls to castles and from gardens to lakes. Exploring the park, I biked over 24 miles in one day. After hours upon hours of cycling, I was exhausted; the stunning beauty of the terrain ahead, however, kept me moving. I remember parking my rented bicycle on the shore of a vast, serene lake and sitting at the waters edge. There was not another human in sightin any given direction, I could see only the emerald of grass and leaves, the amber of branches and earth, and the sapphire of water and sky. The idyllic beauty of my surroundings was overwhelming. However, what I enjoyed that summer, more than the scenery and the landmarks, was the independence and the adventure. For the first time in my life, I was completely on my own, free to go where I wanted, when I wanted, free to follow my itinerary or change it on a whimfree to decide. I discovered that when we chase our dreams, we are on our own, but if we want something intensely enough, we will find a way to reach out for it. I accomplished much that summerI have fifteen rolls of film and a new, confident outlook to prove it. Those five weeks were the most amazing ones of my life.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Please discuss your future goals and how attending Georgetown University will help you achieve them.
Dreams and Decisions I rubbed my sweaty palms together as I scrutinized the hands of the grandfather clock. If I had glanced at the dark, seasoned wood that formed the clock's frame, I might have imagined that the grandfather clock was as old and venerable as the edifice in which the clock stood. I knew, though, that the clock had been installed less than a year ago. My eyes, moreover, were riveted on the clock's golden hands and the dark, circular track around which they eternally raced. The long hand was in the lead, coming to rest over the number 11. With each motion of the hand, the critical moment edged closer, and my heart beat faster. In less than five minutes, I was to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. I had grown up loving law and justice, taking part in mock trials and reading legal-history books at home, just for fun. Being in the Supreme Court building awakened an old dream of mine: appointment to the High Court. It was a notion I had entertained more than once in the past, a goal I told myself I was working toward. My dream of Supreme Court appointment lingered far beyond the horizon, but being in the Court to argue a case was, at least, a step in the right direction. Studying government at Georgetown, too, had been pivotal'it had prepared me for law school and set the tone of my career. For the study of government, what location could have been better than the heart of the world's most powerful democracy? Georgetown's location had allowed me to seek internships on Capitol Hill and also to frequent the Supreme Court building, listening excitedly as landmark cases were argued. Years later, here I was, again in the great courtroom - this time to argue a case of my own. It was a civil-rights case; the issue at stake was one that I was passionate about and had long been waiting to argue. This moment itself was already a dream come true. My thoughts drifted from dreams of Supreme Court appointment to the first time I had served a public office. Long ago, in May of my sophomore year in high school, I had decided to run for the office of Student Council President. Throughout the signup period I debated with myself, asking, 'Am I ready to handle such a heavy responsibility?' I pondered the issue for two weeks and decided, 'Yes, I think so.' Then came Campaign Week. I ran from classroom to classroom giving speeches, putting up posters, and passing out stickers. When I wasn't running around, I was writing slogans, crafting speeches, and meeting with my campaign team. That week, I also had to work out the complicated flight arrangements for the trip to Europe while I was taking in the summer. To pile even more pressure upon my shoulders, Campaign Week was also SAT week. Looking back, I could not believe that I had survived that insane week. However, I had done it, and, at the end of the week, I had become the second sophomore in my schools history to be elected Student Council President. Now, thinking back, I hoped that my experience as a public servant would come in handy as I continued to pursue a career in government and politics. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a gavel. I looked back at the clock. It was time. I stood up, took a deep breath, and walked toward the front of the courtroom. My chance was here.
