mightygrinch
Oct 19, 2010
Undergraduate / "Super-heroes" - Columbia & NYU (Admission essay) [19]
I'm applying for college in new york city, and... I'm aiming for the two big ones. Out of fear that some of you may be prodigies of penmanship, i'll say that my writing skills are average- let's say entertaining. My main weakness is that i fall into the "funny guy" category and when I write essays, it kind of takes that turn as well. Anyways, here it goes, here's hoping I wrote a columbia caliber essay.
Topic:
Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
Essay:
I've been a loyal follower of Super-heroes ever since I can remember. Getting initiated was nothing uncommon; during the mid-nineties, they were everywhere and managed to invade every child's bedroom. Today, while I can proudly say that I don't wear Spider-Man underwear anymore, I should admit that I made the transition from action figures to Comic Books. Nowadays, I always ensure that I have enough money to pick-up my weekly dose of magazines because of one very special character: Deadpool. Knowing that he's a money-hungry mercenary who kidnaps his friends, I'll understand if you start wondering in what way he can influence my life for the better.
Deadpool isn't heroic, he doesn't stand for positive moral values, and in contrast to the visually appealing plethora of traditional superheroes, he looks like a disfigured, steroid-fed Marty Feldman. Looking back on it now, I sounds as if I have a serious problem with tastes and preferences; be assured, I am nowhere as rude nor as annoying as he is, and we don't share much besides our common love for tacos. However, What I do consider interesting is the fact that he has the skills to go toe-to-toe with the mightiest; but he chooses to be unique with negative traits, by making senseless talking and horrible jokes his originality and main appeals. Quite an unsafe gamble to stand out from the other vigilantes in tights.
Nevertheless, immature humor, melodrama origins, and even bad-manners, were the factors of his popularity among so many readers. A lightbulb moment came once I understood that through his exaggerated persona there was something to be found. I've always thought that the fact that he is new and fresh had to surprise people, but it was because he was so much larger than life that he grew to be a lot more. This is how he manages to stay in his readers' minds, and makes their lives a little more delightful while they agonize in those endless lines at the post office. In that sense, I do compare him to myself, as I've always been a very outgoing person with genuine social skills. I knew being different and humorous were a plus; but he showed me to what lenghts personality was important and how it could have a positive impact on others.
I'm not saying that we should devote every moment of our lives into trying to be funny or original, nor that one should aspire to become a clown; but I firmly believe that we should be without reserve and open to others. I've been blessed with numerous friends during my travels around the world, and nothing has ever made me prouder than seeing others pick up my speech habits, or re-doing jokes despite having different languages, mentalities, upbringings or all three combined. I'd love to say that it comes from good-looks, but I have to give most of the credit to being amusing while speaking about more serious matters. It might be a personal touch, yet we all have one. This is why most known individuals in modern society are the most recognizable in their own way. I always guarantee to show myself vulnerable so people can relate to my adventures; I think that's all it takes to connect with strangers, and you don't need to be a braggadocious Deadpool or a god-like super-hero to do so.
_______________________________________
You'll notice that i'm a really fast guy, as it took me 3 days to add two or three sentences.
I took away the "judy garland" line, but I regret it. It might be cliched, but I really do speak like that in real life, I try to find references to explain stuff but I had to take it out because of lenght issues. I compared judy garland to grease because the J-lady was an alcoholic, had a real insecurity problem, and then peacefully died. In an drug-overdose related death. On the other hand grease was the blueprint of Sclub 7, and dealt with "rebellious teenagers" with laughable haircuts beaten only by marge simpson.
Please be gentle.
Pardon any mistakes i've made or rules i've broken, this is my first post.
Please tell me whatever is bad, or whatever i have to change. Thanks!
I'm applying for college in new york city, and... I'm aiming for the two big ones. Out of fear that some of you may be prodigies of penmanship, i'll say that my writing skills are average- let's say entertaining. My main weakness is that i fall into the "funny guy" category and when I write essays, it kind of takes that turn as well. Anyways, here it goes, here's hoping I wrote a columbia caliber essay.
Topic:
Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
Essay:
I've been a loyal follower of Super-heroes ever since I can remember. Getting initiated was nothing uncommon; during the mid-nineties, they were everywhere and managed to invade every child's bedroom. Today, while I can proudly say that I don't wear Spider-Man underwear anymore, I should admit that I made the transition from action figures to Comic Books. Nowadays, I always ensure that I have enough money to pick-up my weekly dose of magazines because of one very special character: Deadpool. Knowing that he's a money-hungry mercenary who kidnaps his friends, I'll understand if you start wondering in what way he can influence my life for the better.
Deadpool isn't heroic, he doesn't stand for positive moral values, and in contrast to the visually appealing plethora of traditional superheroes, he looks like a disfigured, steroid-fed Marty Feldman. Looking back on it now, I sounds as if I have a serious problem with tastes and preferences; be assured, I am nowhere as rude nor as annoying as he is, and we don't share much besides our common love for tacos. However, What I do consider interesting is the fact that he has the skills to go toe-to-toe with the mightiest; but he chooses to be unique with negative traits, by making senseless talking and horrible jokes his originality and main appeals. Quite an unsafe gamble to stand out from the other vigilantes in tights.
Nevertheless, immature humor, melodrama origins, and even bad-manners, were the factors of his popularity among so many readers. A lightbulb moment came once I understood that through his exaggerated persona there was something to be found. I've always thought that the fact that he is new and fresh had to surprise people, but it was because he was so much larger than life that he grew to be a lot more. This is how he manages to stay in his readers' minds, and makes their lives a little more delightful while they agonize in those endless lines at the post office. In that sense, I do compare him to myself, as I've always been a very outgoing person with genuine social skills. I knew being different and humorous were a plus; but he showed me to what lenghts personality was important and how it could have a positive impact on others.
I'm not saying that we should devote every moment of our lives into trying to be funny or original, nor that one should aspire to become a clown; but I firmly believe that we should be without reserve and open to others. I've been blessed with numerous friends during my travels around the world, and nothing has ever made me prouder than seeing others pick up my speech habits, or re-doing jokes despite having different languages, mentalities, upbringings or all three combined. I'd love to say that it comes from good-looks, but I have to give most of the credit to being amusing while speaking about more serious matters. It might be a personal touch, yet we all have one. This is why most known individuals in modern society are the most recognizable in their own way. I always guarantee to show myself vulnerable so people can relate to my adventures; I think that's all it takes to connect with strangers, and you don't need to be a braggadocious Deadpool or a god-like super-hero to do so.
_______________________________________
You'll notice that i'm a really fast guy, as it took me 3 days to add two or three sentences.
I took away the "judy garland" line, but I regret it. It might be cliched, but I really do speak like that in real life, I try to find references to explain stuff but I had to take it out because of lenght issues. I compared judy garland to grease because the J-lady was an alcoholic, had a real insecurity problem, and then peacefully died. In an drug-overdose related death. On the other hand grease was the blueprint of Sclub 7, and dealt with "rebellious teenagers" with laughable haircuts beaten only by marge simpson.
Please be gentle.
Pardon any mistakes i've made or rules i've broken, this is my first post.
Please tell me whatever is bad, or whatever i have to change. Thanks!