Undergraduate / Self-Fulfillment ---What matters to you and Why (which beginning is best?) [8]

which is a better beginning? i like the animal one but i believe the one about my parents is a lot more straightforward. what do you guys think??

1) Amongst the many things my parents taught me, reaching self-fulfillment was never one of them. To them, the idea having a stable job was enough to satisfy anyone who wanted a pleasant life. However, self-fulfillment has come to play a major role in defining how I lead my life

2) Being an animal means growing and learning; the major goal in their life is to reproduce so that the species continues to exist. This is true for all animals: lions, bees, crocodiles, etc. However, being a human allows us to surpass these lifetime ideals. To accomplish this, most strive to be happy; a few go even further than that to try to accomplish what I believe to be most important, self-fulfillment. This is what matters to me the most; reaching self fulfillment and being able to reflect back on my life knowing that everything I did

Undergraduate / 'I love the Beatles and eating' - Letter to Roommate! Stanford supplement [6]

**i still need cut it down a bit.. but let me know how it is so far! thanks in advance!

Hi future roommate!
Hope you are doing great! I am currently exhausted; I just got home from playing soccer with my friends. So far, this summer has been the best yet. Not only have I continued to stay active by playing soccer and running with my cross country team, but I have caught up on some reading, I have gone to the beach and I am planning on taking dance lessons, something I have always wanted to do. Hopefully, you are enjoying your summer as much as I am. After all, it's our last before college begins so we must make the best of it!

Although it is quite some time from now, I warn you when you first meet me, please do not be overwhelmed by my inquisitive nature! I tend to bombard people with questions when I first meet them. I do not mean to scare you; I simply want to get to know you. I love to meet new people and there is so much to learn from you! It's going to be hard staying silent.

As of now, we are still complete strangers to each other but I want to change that so that when we meet, there will be at least one thing that is familiar amongst the many changes college will bring. First off, don't be fooled by my slim figure; I love to eat. Trying new foods is one of my favorite things to do. At the moment, my favorite food is Korean Barbeque. If you have never had it before, you should definitely try it! I can assure you, if you are not a vegetarian, you will love it. I also enjoy cooking and baking and although I am not the best at it, I hope to one day acquire my mom's cooking skills. As for music, I do not have the typical teenage taste. Although I enjoy modern music, my all time favorite band, the Beatles, broke up more than 40 years ago. My friends refer to me as an 'old soul' due to my preference for classic rock. However, I am very open minded with music so if you have a different music taste, I would love to listen to it! Furthermore, though my education is a priority, I love to have fun, too. It can be slightly difficult at times, but I always make sure to balance the two out.

Now that I told you a little bit about me, hopefully I won't be much of a stranger anymore. However, there is still a lot more to know so hopefully you are looking forward to starting school as I am! Have a great summer and see you in a few months!

Undergraduate / 'Quit, you will be better without it' - running common app essay [3]

** i chose the first option, writing about a significant experience and how it has influenced you. thanks in advance!

Life is like a piece of music with people as its musicians. The greatest musicians are those that keep their work resonating in the audience's ear long after they have stopped playing. As an individual, I want to continue to have the music of my accomplishments be heard long after I have gone.

My family has always been able to hear my music; however, as much as my parents listen to my melody, they do not understand that extracurricular activities like sports and work are what sync together to make my harmony. Cross-country became a major part of my high school tune when I began running my freshman year. I loved running; the overpowering adrenaline that rushed through my body while I raced was indescribable. Nothing could make me feel as content as running did. However, as great as cross-country was, it was severely energy draining. With school and practice, I was rarely home and when I was, all I could do was rest. My parents noticed this and saw only the surface of it, that it depleted my energy and time. They could not understand that running became a passion that was part of me because they believed that a valuable educational experience required only academics. By telling me, "Quit, you will be better without it," it was as though they wanted my music to be silent.

As immigrants with different educational experiences, my parents could not avoid this narrow point of view on education. However, since I knew that these extracurricular activities were essential for creating a significant learning experience, I never gave in to their words; I continued to play sports. I even began working during the summer because my parents could not afford to pay for my sport's fees. Again, those same words rang in my ear, "Quit, it's too much for you." Nevertheless, I wanted to show my parents I could do it all. That entire summer, I ran cross-country, played soccer and worked. Whether I had to wake up earlier to catch a ride with my mom or shower at friend's house for work because I commuted, I did it. I fought for it and it paid off. At the end of summer, I managed to keep a job, run, and practice soccer. My parents were wrong; I had kept my music flowing.

There are still times I wish my dad would cheer for me as I finish my race or my mom would help with team dinners. However, if it wasn't for their lack of support, I would not have developed into a persistent individual who learned that regardless of who attempts to stop me, I must always aspire to do what I love. Now, I strive to get what I want, and I will not stop until I make it happen. As I continue to make my own melody in life, I have kept that chant as a guide to lead me to create my own timeless piece of music.

Undergraduate / 'assumptions rather than knowledge' - intellectual vitality- stanford supp [9]

**my ending is not nearly as strong as i would want it to be.. but how is it overall? any suggestions on how to make the ending stronger??

I had been telling my dad I was due for a dentist appointment sometime soon. Immediately, my dad questioned why I needed to go the dentist, "Didn't you just go a couple weeks ago?" he asked.

"No... I went to the orthodontist, for my braces. I need a dental check." I replied.
"Aren't they the same?"

Although small his mistake, it is one of many that he has made from assumptions rather than knowledge. Even as I tried to explain the difference between the two, my dad's stubbornness and ignorance kept him from understanding that he was wrong; there was a difference between the two professions.

Up until recently, I had always believed my father was the smartest man I knew. His ability to answer any of my questions growing up astounded me; it inspired me to be just like him because to me, his knowledge seemed endless. He knew about everything, whether it was cooking, navigating, financing --the list went on. However, as my education surpassed his I realized that his words were not knowledge. When they were right they were words spoken from experience, but when they were wrong, they were assumptions made without proper evidence to support them. I began to see that instead of sounding like the smart man I had thought he was, he sounded like foolish man, especially when he is not willing to accept the valid truth. Even though this 'I-know-it-all' nature is part of his personality, I know that his lack of education is what is to blame for his ignorance because before he could ever start high school, he had to drop out of school. He was never given the option to continue his education.

First hand I have witnessed a man who claims to know it all, but really knows very little. I respect and appreciate him, but I no longer look up to him in that aspect. Instead, his assumptions sans knowledge have lead me to yearn for that knowledge that had been missing in his words. I made it my own personal endeavor to search for that knowledge,