Undergraduate / 'No hun, but Aria' - Eugene Lang New School: a time when you were in the minority [7]

Living in a household where none of my parents have obtained higher than an Associate's Degree has taught me one thing: my parents know nothing about the college application process. During my senior year, my mother encouraged me to go to a community college to save money and she believed that financial aid profiles were some sort of slick scam. After my eighteenth birthday in October of that year, I decided to assuage her fears by applying at Macy's and saving money for college expenses. A week after my eighteenth birthday I had an interview and was hired on the spot.

My first day of work was the day after Thanksgiving-or "Black Friday"-and I worked ten hours. I threw on my replenishment apron and met my team in the men's department. As soon as I got there a woman in her forties called me "hun" and asked me if it was my first day. Soon after, I heard a group of twenty-somethings talking about drinking on Thanksgiving. Later that day I would discover that my co-workers were anywhere between twenty and sixty-five. I was the youngest of the entire group which led my superiors to address me by a sickeningly cutesy name as "sweetie". I had to fight to earn respect, even if that meant getting lost a few times, calling for help or surreptitiously standing on my tiptoes. By the end of my seasonal position, no one called me "hun"; instead they called me "Aria".

What do you think? Application is due on January 15th.

Undergraduate / Eugene Lang "Design a class and how it will impact the world" [4]

Ok so it said "approximately 500 words" this is 524, is that bad? Tips to shorten it? Oh and I'm sorry if it seems weird!

Hello, my name is Aria Barker and welcome to my ideal class. First of all, let me set a few ground rules:
1. This classroom will provide students with the unique opportunity to participate in group style discussions. Studies have shown that discussing ideas, rather than merely writing them down or hearing them in a lecture, leads to more information being stored in a student's long-term memory. Desks are placed in a circle at the center of the room as opposed to rows.

2. Daily Classroom instruction: We will begin each day by going around the circle and addressing any and all questions about the material. Both students and the instructor are encouraged to answer questions; however they must answer them in a way that does not give away the answer right away. Example: Instead of answering "What is 2+2?" with "4" say, "Hold up two fingers on your right hand and two on your left hand, now count how many you have total." After questions are clarified, the daily topic is addressed and students are encouraged to start with how the question relates to the reading material, acceptable theories or relevant real life experience. The last twenty minutes of class are dedicated to questions about the topic and a short reflection on what was learned in the class.

3. Instead of an instructor that asserts their power at every opportunity, the instructor will be approachable and ready to handle questions (and questioning) from students as well as any comments or suggestions. The instructor must also refrain from raising their voice in class.

4. As tempting as it may seem do not call the instructor "bro" "dude" or by their first name. This may not be as structured as a normal classroom, however, it is still respectful to call a teacher by Mr./Mrs./Ms.

5. A suggested reading list with appropriate deadlines is providing on the first day of class. Please note that these are merely suggestions and the instructor is happy to honor other relevant material as long as it is not a compilation from stuffonmycat.com.

6. Laptops are not allowed in the classroom during discussions because a.) They become a physical barrier between you and your peers and b.) How will the instructor know if you're Facebooking or taking notes? iPods, iPhones and iPads may only be used for instructional purposes.

And finally...

7. If you've heard the "this class is 100% what you put into it" cliché, it is true. In this class, you must not sit back and let the discussions go over your head. You need to contribute to society by applying what you've learned in class. Start by talking to a fellow student after class once a day. Then a student not in your class. Use your speaking skills to go out into the community and talk about current issues. Inspire debate and incite conversation. Speak out for those without a voice. Animals that lack the physical capability, the poor who are often shut down by rich people with louder voices, the shy citizens who need an advocate. Take what you learned from this class and be someone's voice.