Undergraduate / Something you pretend to hate but secretly like, or vice versa. [4]

Prompt:Something that I secretly like but pretend not to.
Thanks a lot for feedback guys.

The famous challenge put forth at my high school is to beat an undefeated teacher in chess- win and you become legendary. It came unexpectedly, I had only gotten back into chess since playing avidly in my youth. My win brought me fame, fame that I played off. I was proud to win, yet uncertain about how I was viewed. I decided to play off my passion for the game, claiming that I play "once in a blue moon" and that it was all luck. I was afraid I would lose my image. But I believe it was after this win that actually made me realize my true affection for the game.

Something is different about the game of chess for me. Despite stereotypes, it's a very social game. There is a mystical, enigmatic relationship that you develop with you opponent. You don't hate them, you don't like them, and you don't feel anything but the pieces that you touch. All your moves seem to channel your emotions and feelings that you've kept in your head. Although each move is thought through carefully, your mind's thought process is influenced by how you feel. Your mind and heart becomes connected, minutes tick by without you looking up, chaos from your life is forgotten. After the game, the connection is lost, whether you win or lose you look at your opponent with the same blank face you did when you sat down. It is during chess where I find I understand other people the most.

Undergraduate / UVA Engineering Prompt- [4]

Engineering: Discuss experiences that led you to choose an engineering education at U.Va. and the role that scientific curiosity plays in your life.

Perched upon the steps of a three-stepped ladder with arms and legs caked in white dust, I let out a brief sigh with a twisted face. My eyes fall upon the completed product-a cluster of crackled scraps of wood conjoined to create an ancestral altar for rituals. It was beautiful. It was mine.

The previously used pre-ordered pedestal that we threw away was neither ugly with its gold embroidering, nor was it disjointed in its assembly. It was simply just a pedestal.

Perhaps not the image of success, but in my eyes, I see the time poured into the project. The problem solving was more than measurements and calculations, but rather implemented my ability to ask how I could improve upon its precision. Each piece of the compound had to be precisely aligned which each other, along with the complexities of angles and malleability of the material. Putting it together was a big puzzle.

But, it's more than just a straightforward process. There is an intuitive sense to this. One has to imagine the final product before making and cuts. It's almost an artistic feel to picture the puzzle already completed, to see if it matches with what you want.

Every time I walk by the family room with the altar, I don't see it for its full self, I see the nail I hammered in, the slight elevation of the top, and the smoothness of its surface. Objects become pieces of work put together, I see the nail I didn't screw and the hedges I didn't fasten together.

Undergraduate / "the Green Rating Honor Roll in the Princeton Review"Emory University Supplement [2]

Many students decide to apply to Emory University based on our size, location, reputation, and yes, the weather. Besides these valid reasons as a possible college choice, why is Emory University a particularly good match for you?

Other than the predictable reasons for applying to Emory, I found a facet of this university that attracted me immensely. It's placement in the Green Rating Honor Roll in the Princeton Review caught my attention immediately. In the summer of my sophomore year, I attended a wilderness camp that focused on eco-trailing and keeping nature unscathed throughout the trekking experience. At first these efforts to "go green" had no meaning to me other than the fact that it was another selling point for many activities and materials. However, as I began to take interest in the environment and conservation, I started taking the initiative to improve upon the damaged Earth. Even though these efforts were only small steps, it meant something to me that I was doing my part in keeping the planet healthy. Maintaining a composting station in my back yard, recycling any trash if it is possible, and trying to find many others ways to contribute to the cause. What started as a mini-project began to temper into my personality and I began to sincerely care for the environment. Emory's caring attitude towards nature and its safeguard complements parallels my newly found, but strong passion. Since a college is where a student should go to truly feel at home with its social and academic atmosphere, I feel as though environmentalism and "going green" will serve as a major common ground for me to fall in love with Emory.