Undergraduate / 'quiet afternoon in the area' - common app on inspiration [2]

This is my essay for the common app. I'm not sure what section it falls under or If it is a good college essay or not .I'm international so its kind of difficult. I'd like if you could read and tell me your opinions.And I'd specifically like

It was a rather quiet afternoon in the area.The sun was setting early and the wind was blowing gently.I decided to take a stroll so I could draw some inspiration from anything to start my mid-term projects.

I walked past a few blocks then further down, I was quickly reminded by the appaling stench that I was in Lagos city.My mood altered a bit but I was determined to keep an open-mind.

A careful step after another,I dodged potholes and little puddles of dirty water.Along the road I stoped here and there to greet a carpenter or say 'ekunse' (well done) to a hair dresser or a tailor.At the end of the road,I did not feel quite certain I had found the sort of inspiration I needed so I decided to take a left turn to Keffi street.

As usual it was laddened with noise from car horns and bargaining traders.Today it was unusually crowded for an afternoon so I decided to head back home back. As I sat trying to recover from the long walk,I kept thinking of all the men and women I had encountered on the road.From the woman meticulously twisting and curling strands of hair with her fingers to the carpenter using crude implements to the fish sellers bargaining skillfully with their customers all I felt was admiration.

These people worked hard day in day out to make sure there was food on their tables instead to complaining of the gross unemployment in the country or the government's inabilty to provide them with electricity and basic amenities.I felt blessed to be a part of such people and I formed an inner conviction to possess that quailty of the society.Come whatever troubles there may be I am going to work hard like the people of my country and hopefully one day be in a position to give back to them ,put smiles on the faces of her citizens.

Undergraduate / 'The simplest things in life...' - The extracurricular part of common app [3]

I need to cut this down by 42 characters.And if you could comment on grammar and anything else it'll be appreciated.

The simplest things in life could bring you the greatest of joys.
This I realized as I watched the faces of students light up with bright smiles as I informed them that the challenge 2020 initiative had decided to take up a project in their community school.

The challenge 2020 initiative is a non-profit team set up by students to reach out to our immediate community. As the secretary, I was very proud.

I had spent my last year of high school writing letters for sponsorships to individuals, of approval to the LGA, organizing fund raising events, raffle draws and internal competitions to raise money for the building project estimated at N10mil.

We had managed to raise N4mil. And get a volunteer architect to sketch up the plan for the building; 2 storeys, 6 classrooms, 3 toilets and a first aid room. It was to be the only cement structure in the complex.

As I stood there watching the students jubilate and make merry, I saw flashes of the years' event before my eyes and a feeling of full contentment flooded my soul.

Undergraduate / Hostel living (the environment you grew up) [3]

Tell about the environment you grew up in and how it has shaped you .

Please edit , comment whatever help you can. I have only a few days to the deadline.

Junior- a student in grade 7,8 or 9
Nightcap- Light snacks taken just before bed.

Staring into dark, too tired to move myself into a more comfortable position ...
5.30am
Ding! Bang! Ring! I am not sure which sound was the loudest or which exact sound woke me up .All I am sure of is the rush afterwards to secure a spot in the bathroom and the punishment for oversleeping. Conscious of this, I sluggishly got up from bed and made it to the bathroom. Luckily a friend had already saved me a bathing spot.

I had served punishment the night before till 1.00 am. The dorm captain-a senior had punished the whole room for not reporting to her earlier the morning before. I was beat!

As a junior, I dreaded mornings. It was always the most strenuous part of the day. On a regular day, I bustled through the long line of seniors to get a bathroom spot, rushed through my morning duties-occasionally other senior's duties as well and struggled to be in time for the breakfast call. All before 7am.

After school hours, the struggle continued. I had to make it in time for the lunch call, eat lunch fast enough in time for the siesta call, then dinner and fit laundry in between. It was still my first week in boarding school. I was a junior and by virtue of hierarchy at the bottom of the chain on everything even nightcap. Sometimes, nightcap finished even before I got to the front of the line.

I learnt fast and hard that time was crucial. Time did not belong to me. It belonged to the hostel routine. We were always running for something or from something in hostel. I never wanted to be found wanting in any situation so I tried my best to balance things.

I loved being in boarding school. Although there was high discipline and plenty restrictions, I enjoyed the thrill especially as a junior.
As time went on, I climbed the hierarchy ladder and life became more comfortable. I enjoyed each stage and appreciated the level of organisation the hostel bodied. In each level of hierarchy there was something to be learned; time management, independence, communalism, leadership and tolerance. Hostel life also taught me respect.

The communal life and the sort of hierarchy the existed created an enthusiastic environment. Juniors were eager to climb up the ladder and become seniors and seniors took pride in their responsibility of control. Everybody played a part in the community. The goal was the same to keep the hostel clean, and comfortable.

I believe a great deal of who I have become is as a result of life in my hostel.

Undergraduate / What motivated me to apply?Smalley and Bob Curl Rice University [3]

What motiveted you to apply to Rice.

While I was in a chemistry class learning about the different allotropes of carbon, I found a diagram of a buckministerence- a spherodial fullerene (large molecule of carbon atom). "Discovered by Rick Smalley and Bob Curl Rice University" was written below the diagram. This was the first time I was aware of Rice University.

The name seemed unusual so I decided to learn more about it. I learned about the research opportunities for undergraduates, the study abroad program, the location in Huston-USA, the internationally diverse student body a whole lot more.

I was always torn between medicine and engineering as a course of study. When I finally chose to major in engineering, Rice appealed to me more. I found out it was the 2nd smallest research university. Furthermore, it was in close proximity to the Texas medical centre where I could intern and explore options in medicine.

Rice presents me with the opportunity of a rigorous course of study, one that will stimulate my way of thinking and will push me past limits. I like to participate in insightful classroom discussions. The low student faculty ratio and close contact with professors at Rice give me the chance to.

Picturing myself attending a school with top-notch architecture, rigorous curriculum and a buoyant campus motivated me the most.
I look forward to watching the popular marching owl Band perform.

Undergraduate / 'I lend a hand' - Why did you choose this field of study? [3]

Why did you choose this field of study?
I watched him struggle to fold the edges of the paper smoothly with his little fat fingers, and I could not help but walk over to my little cousin and straighten those edges with him. As we watched our little paper aeroplane take its flight we argued on how far it would go before it falls and how we could make the next one fly further.

This is the sort of person I am. I can not help but lend a hand especially when it involves setting up an appliance or building something up.

I thirst for knowledge for creating solutions to everyday puzzles. This 'puzzles' create the enigma of life and the human nature that surpass the human intellect.

In the past year, I have been torn between choosing pre-med and engineering as my undergraduate major; Pre-med because I am interested in the complexity of the human nature and its enhancement, and engineering because I enjoy creating solutions to problems.

After much weighing and reasoning I choose engineering- bioengineering because it duly combines my interests in the human nature and creating solutions to conventional problems.

Undergraduate / 'like to a bowl of soup' - What Perspective would you contribute [2]

This is a very very rough draft.
Please I need ideas on how to develop, enhance or start it better
comment on grammar and style too

Prompt:The quality of Rice's academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What perspective do you feel that you will contribute to life at Rice? (Most applicants are able to respond successfully in two to three double-spaced pages.)

My background is a like to a bowl of soup; consisting of different ingredients but coming to together nicely. This is how I like to picture Nigeria. Both my parents come from towns in Eastern Nigeria se parated by only 200 kilometres. Yet, they have very different cultures.

On my paternal side it is forbidden for a female to inherit her father's properties while on my maternal side, only females have a share of their father's properties. Despite the several cultural contradictions, we have lived happily as a family for many years.

I have also lived in Western Nigeria where greeting your elders by kneeling (for girls) and lying flat on the floor (for boys) was a sign of good home training and Northern Nigeria at where it was taboo for females to dress in shorts and tank tops. In each case I quickly adjust to the societal norms. The cultures across the country are so diverse.

Which perspectives would I contribute?
I have drawn experiences from an eclectic nation and cannot pinpoint exactly where or which ones I will contribute. I do know the I can share my many experiences, the ways of life I have learnt and the different techniques of dealing with change.