Undergraduate / 'invigorating history' - Stanford (intellectual vitality) - Berlin [3]

Hi, I've been trying to write this essay and I'm not sure if i'm on the right track. I'm having trouble fitting everything that I want to say in the word limit, so feel free to suggest anything that i can take out to put more in. I would appreciate any feedback you could give me!

Here it goes.

Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging.

My opinion about history changed a year ago during my summer holidays, when I visited Berlin.

I did not find history invigorating before. It was not appealing to me because of the sense that events had happened so long ago they were not important. I used to think history was very slow and ambiguous which I have now discovered is not the case.

In school, I studied the effects of the Soviet control over Berlin, and the devastating outcome that the Berlin Wall had on families and the country as a whole. Even so, I was never really aware of how recent these events were, let alone their social implications.

The city is clearly divided in two, something which I have not seen in any other city. One half is the new, technologically-advanced area, competing with other world powers. The other half is lagging behind, trying to catch-up. Ironically the jump from one half to the other is done simply by crossing a now happy and colorful wall that still reminds the city's residents of the devastating events the city went through, along with the monuments to the victims of the Holocaust, and the run-down buildings which have managed to survive the attacks of the Second World War.

This trip made me see the impacts that a historical event had on Berlin in a way that no history class could have ever shown me, but it also made me discover so much more: I became intrigued and invigorated by each country's history. I did not just climb up the Acropolis, walk into every cathedral in Rome, or trudge up to the top of the Eiffel Tower to say that I had been there. I wanted to explore the history and beliefs of every culture in first person, as I now see that it is essential to learn about the past in order to understand what is going on in the world today.

Please be brutal. Thanks

Undergraduate / STANFORD- Roommate essay (observe the people you hang out with) [5]

i'm not sure if you can get an idea of who i am as a person by this essay. i would love any suggestions!

Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. What would you want your future roommate to know about you? Tell us something about you that will help your future roommate -- and us -- know you better.

I remember when one of my friends once told me that "To know who you are, observe the people you hang out with; analyze what bothers you about them, and what you like." By doing this, I have a better sense of who I am.

My best friend Vicki, for example, runs late everywhere she goes. If we planned to be somewhere at eight...she will surely be there by nine, which really gets on my nerves. Not only do I need to be punctual, I try to be early. This is something I thought a lot of people did, yet I realized that it is something pretty uncommon, after waiting for my friends to arrive late wherever we had planned to meet, way too many times.

Some of my other friends just go with the flow. No plan on what they are going to do whatsoever. I don't like that. I guess I need things to have a date, a time and a place, or plans end up not happening, which leads to something that I cannot stand: inefficiency. Nevertheless, this does not mean that I would not hop on the subway at the last minute when a friend calls me up on short notice suggesting we go out on the town.

There is, however, one thing that I feel fortunate my friends and I share: loyalty. We are always there for each other, and are non-judgmental of our differences in personality, overall supplementing each other quite well: when one is down, the rest bring him up; extroverts encourage introverts like me to be wilder, or just because each one of us comes from a different place - culture. Some are Spanish; others are British, North American, South American, Senegalese, or even Asian. We all share our experiences and bring great diversity and innovation to the group. Thankfully for me, all of these show signs of a long-lasting friendship, which I consider crucial in life.

Undergraduate / LMU critical thinking situation - POKER [4]

Hi guys, i am having trouble with this essay and i need it done before the 31st, so i would appreciate as much advice as possible.

Talk about a situation which demanded critical thinking, and how your choices or decisions integrated character and intelligence.

It's all or nothing. What should I do? I am pretty sure that I have the higher hand but...Is it really worth risking it all? Yes. I'm going to do it.

"All in." Taking a deep breath I gently pushed the towers of chips that I had so carefully organized to the center of the table. The game was between me and James now. Everyone else was out.

My heart was ready to burst. James put his cards down...Two pair.

"Yes, I won! I have three of a kind!"

This was probably one of the most intense moments I had experienced in a long time. Yes, a poker game. I have always loved poker, but had never really played a serious game before. This time, however, we were playing for money. I needed to calculate my every move - each call, check, or fold, by combining my cautious yet assertive nature with my knowledge and analytical skills.

When someone bet high I did not automatically follow without thinking it twice. I studied the grounds: What possible card combinations could he have? Could he have a better hand than me? Does he have a good hand, or is it just a bluff? Whenever I was not sure, I never gambled - just like in real life. Some people might see it as a flaw; not taking risks, but I see it as something necessary to guarantee that things will not get completely out of hand. I explore and make sure that I have a chance of succeeding when I am pursuing a goal. Once I am sure, I attack with assertiveness and perseverance, which I did every time I knew that I would win the hand.

I am also very perceptive, which not many people are aware of. I am good at knowing what someone is feeling or thinking just by observing him. This, I have discovered is a great quality for this game in particular where so much can be deciphered with only a lift of an eyebrow, a grunt, or a sigh from your opponent. I was able to perceive whether I had a chance of winning, or if I had to drop out because someone else had a strong hand.

In addition, I had to maintain my own façade as to not reveal my winning hand. I sighed and leaned back on my chair to make my opponents think I had weak cards when I did not; or I would subtly widen my eyes to suggest that my cards were good even though they were not.

Lastly, I used my confidence. When I know something is right, I go for it.
This time I was lucky. I was given the right cards when I needed them, and was able to use my skills to win. In some ways I have to admit that poker is all about luck. You either get strong cards or you do not, just like in real life. I am sure that I will be dealt many bad hands in my own life, but I know that the key to overcome them is to play my cards right by using my skills and knowledge that I will gain through experience.

Thank you!