Undergraduate / 'international background and teachings' - UPenn Professor Essay [6]

Penn offers its undergraduates an eminent faculty and a wealth of research opportunities. Use the space below to name a Penn professor with whom you would like to study or conduct research and explain why. (It is not our expectation that you contact faculty directly to answer this question.)

Throughout my childhood and early academic studies, I have developed a strong affinity towards learning about history and how individuals with power interact with society. I am particularly interested in the Soviet era, especially under Joseph Stalin's rule. At Penn, I hope to study with Professor Benjamin Nathans as well as get more involved with his current research in human rights and the lack thereof in Stalin's regime.

The horrors of the Stalinist regime completely dwarfed that of the Nazis and most other dictatorships of the 20th century. I have often marvelled at how Stalin was able to kill not only strangers (that, though horrifying, is understandable as we as humans are more impartial to people we don't know), but also colleagues, close friends and even family. The chaotic nature of the USSR during the purges was unique; there has never been a government which systematically organized its people based on pure chance and randomness. The complete lack of any morality is startling. It is important to understand how such an inherently evil regime could have come to being if we are to avoid such atrocities in the future. It also puts into perspective the progress that China has made since Mao's time and the US's own position; it seems clear to me that critics who have been calling the US an 'evil empire' did not study Soviet history.

With my international background and teachings, I believe I can bring a fresh perspective towards Professor Nathans research, and ultimately look to answer the question how a regime which strove not for good, but for evil was able to operate and last for as long as it did.

It is a bit long (around 600 characters over the limit). Any advice/comments are greatly appreciated.

Undergraduate / John Hopkins Essay (the nation where people may be per-amptively executed) [5]

2. Write a brief essay in which you respond to the following question.
Johns Hopkins offers 49 majors across the schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering. on this supplement, we ask you to identify one or two that you might like to pursue here. Why did you choose the way you did? If you are undecided, why didn't you choose? (If any past courses or academic experiences influenced your decision, you may include them in your essay.)

Imagine a nation where people are executed not for whatever wrong they did, but for what they might do. Imagine a person who was convicted of being a French spy solely due to his first name (Napoleon) and sentenced to 30 years in a labour camp. Imagine a leader who commanded such great respect from his people that they would believe whatever he said whilst he was massacring their friends and relatives. Imagine a government which committed atrocities on such a vast magnitude that Pol Pot's project seemed like child's play in comparison. Think Oceania from 1984, and place it in Northern Europe. This is more or less an accurate picture of what Stalinist Russia was like.

After reading this, I would expect you to be horrified, shocked even. I know I was when I first read about it. I felt incredulous at the extent of his crimes against mankind, crimes against his own people even. I also felt confused and amazed; I could not understand how the Russians could have tolerated what would be termed as madness in any half normal society. After I found out just how tight Stalin's grip on Russia was I felt pity and sympathy for those hundreds of millions of people who suffered directly or indirectly because of Stalin's policies. I would expect you to feel the same as I did. You would probably be more shocked however if I told you that Joseph Stalin was voted the 3rd greatest Russian ever in a national poll.

The fact that history is a study in human beings means that it is able to invoke emotions in the people studying it like no other subject can. I am aware that some people literally cry with joy after solving a particularly difficult equation; however personally I can not empathise with a set of numbers. One can not help but be impressed by Caesar's ingenious tactics or admire Trotsky's courage and perseverance. At the same time, one naturally feels hugely sympathetic to Stalin's victims and horror towards his lack of regard for basic human morals.

Unless we experience history firsthand, our knowledge of it puts us at the mercy of those historians who choose to describe to us a particular set of events, either in written form or in the spoken form: an oral tradition handed down, or, both written and spoken forms, especially if the events have occurred since the invention of the radio, television, or other means of mass communication, such as the Internet. In modern times, therefore, our knowledge of history, and hence our perception of it, is presented to us in a combination of several formats.

My passion for history stems from the fact that it is one of the few subjects which allow, indeed it encourages, debate amongst its participants. This factor makes it stand out amongst nearly every other subject. Take for example, science. There is no doubt, no question about the validity or application of Newton's Laws of Motion, on Earth at the very least. He was able to prove it through mathematical calculations and logical deduction, backed up with empirical evidence. Some people prefer it when there is a solid answer to a question. I personally however prefer a subject where I can hear both sides of an argument before making a judgement. The beauty of history is that it provides for this. The analysis of historical facts, in an attempt to answer the why of anything is always debatable. Historians are never impartial to a historical event, and so any conclusion a historian may come up with is nearly always followed by a lengthy and fiery debate about its validity. Only the facts remain relatively certain; however even the same facts can be presented in a different light to favour a different argument.

The philosopher and novelist George Santayana once said that "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it". In my opinion, this is the crux of learning history. History repeats itself; the description in the first paragraph can easily apply to Mao's China as well.

Any advice/comments?

Undergraduate / Brown U Supplement ("my summer holidays two years ago in Thailand") [6]

What is an academic experience, project, class or book that has influenced or inspired you?

The things that motivate our life's path are often only clear in retrospect. But on occasion there are those singular moments that light a fire. For me, an amazing number of those moments come with my nose buried in a book-in a coffee house, on a beach, in an airport. Something crystallizes.

I remember clearly my summer holidays two years ago at Thailand, picking up Niall Ferguson's War of the World : History's Age of Hatred. The book is a moral analysis of the military-industrial slaughter of the 20th century that poses the big question: Why was it that "the hundred years after 1900 were without question the bloodiest century in modern history"? Hatred may be a strong word, but there isn't a word more apt to describe what has happened across the world in the past century. With modern weaponry, killing has become more efficient then ever. You may have thought that we have progressed morally as well as economically and scientifically. Well this book shows that we haven't progressed at all.

As a history student, I know that prejudice and discrimination would inevitably lead to hatred and conflict. Racism is rampant throughout much of the world and ethnic conflicts are more widespread then ever. The world can only progress if conflict is resolved, and acceptance of different races and cultures is the key. Education plays a huge role in this as I believe that only through knowledge will people be more tolerant of others. Intolerance is bred through fear. With an education at Brown, I hope to be able to understand how such hatred could be resolved.

After finishing this book, I realized that history wasn't just the study of past events; it was the study of people, of human beings. The study of individuals who changed the course of history and of masses that were swept along with time. I could easily understand and empathize with the victims in this book. Despite never having had a gun pointed at my head, I could imagine the terror and the pain they felt. On the other hand, I did not understand how so many people could have acted the way they did. How was it that people simply did not care about others? Was it true then, that during moments of crisis, humans regress back into beasts? At that moment, I didn't just want to study history. I desperately wanted to study history.

It is said that good books raise more questions then it answers. My dream is enter Brown and ultimately be able to answer these questions.

Any comments?
Feedback is always welcome =)

Deadlines tonite so I better send it fast.

Undergraduate / Common App Essay - "'God's peak'" [4]

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

The Chinese name of the mountain translates into 'God's peak'. As the coach drove slowly towards our destination, all we could see was the mountain and its surrounding peaks which stretched out like a gigantic wall before us. A structure of this magnitude was something I had never seen before. Sure, I have seen movies which have depicted mountains (Touching the Void and Vertical Limit comes to mind) but nothing prepared me for this spectacular view. Imagine a mass of rock, grey and harsh, covered, absolutely covered on the bottom half with jungles of the purest green. Near the top, one could just make out the faintest hint of white, which suggested that the height of the mountain was so great that the temperature near the top was cold enough for snow, despite the tropical climate. Then imagine a backdrop of sky so blue unobstructed by modern sky scrapers and untainted by factory fumes that a young man living in a modern metropolis is so accustomed to. It was a remarkable contrast of colours and textures, a vibrant display of nature at its best.

To be honest the trek did not start off too well for me. In fact, I and my two roommates missed breakfast as we had foolishly decided not to set the alarm. This meant we did not have a proper meal before the hike, thus we had to start the hike off on an empty stomach. To further compound my problems, my water bottle was leaking and I ran out of water about half the way to the top. As I trudged on the dirt path, my mind was racing. It had only been half an hour but it had felt like an eternity.

The jungle passed us by. Another 50 minutes of hiking, and we reached what I personally termed the part of the mountain which was drier and less humid then before. The vegetation which had been so prevalent lower down had disappeared. The view was as magnificent as ever; as we were now higher up, we could see further down and there was no vegetation blocking the way. However, I was too preoccupied with the hiking to notice the view. I was dying of thirst literally but my pride stopped me from asking my friends for their water.

My friends would graciously wait for me at intervals, running ahead then staying back so I would not be alone. I realized they must have felt difficulty too, but this did not occur to me at the time. I dragged my body up, up, up. 'One step at a time', I thought to myself. I could do this. Finally, they offered me their water to drink. Despite having very little left and looking just as exhausted as I did, they were willing to offer some. In times of crisis, it is said that people bond together far closer then they would normally do. Without my friends, I don't believe I would even have made it to the base camp.

We finally reached the base camp. We thought it would a place where we could have rested comfortably. We were thoroughly exhausted, even the ones who had made it here quickly and without any complaints. This turned out to be just wishful thinking.

In fact, the base camp was designed to make the occupants as uncomfortable as possible. For a start, the taps didn't work nor did the flushing in the toilets so there was no way for us to wash our hands after a full day of hiking. Secondly, there was a rat the size of a small dog living in the kitchen. I was fine with that, but some of the girls were too shocked to even come out of their rooms (which was probably a good thing in retrospect; they were able to get some sleep). Lastly, there was no heating at all. I had lived in Hong Kong my entire life, and had become accustomed to its warm weather. We had to warm ourselves by putting our hands over the stove (the fire didn't light at all; unfortunately there was only gas) and sleep in the freezing cold. However, the mood at the camp was jovial; we had beaten whatever obstacles the mountain had hurled at us without too much difficulty. It was something to be proud of, especially for a first time hiker.

The next stop was the summit. The plan was to wake up at 3 in the morning and walk up and watch the sun rise from the top. I was hesitant to go however. I had become a coward after the ordeal of climbing up the first two thirds of the mountain. The fact that I had been the third last to arrive at the base camp despite being one of the older students caused me to doubt my own abilities. A seed of fear had been planted in me and it was hard to banish once it had set in. I was now afraid of this mountain. As a young boy I was always afraid of heights and this had only increased with age. Furthermore, I did not fancy the idea of climbing up the most dangerous part of the mountain at night without any light to guide you at all. One slip would be fatal. I could see the top from where I was; from what I could see, it was sheer rock covered in snow...there did not seem to be a path at all.

There are a few times in life when a crossroad appears before you. You can either summon your courage and walk down that path, or stay and continue as you were before. Decisions like this are life altering events. I believe that these opportunities occur to everyone; people become great by taking a chance. With determination and courage, there is no reason why anyone can not reach the top. Carpe diem - Seize the Day. I now knew what it meant.

I did not climb to the top that day. But I was told that the view from the top sure was beautiful.

Undergraduate / Interesting idea? - Argonne National Laboratory and Fermila [6]

Essay Option 4. Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab (both national laboratories managed by the University of Chicago) have particle accelerators that smash bits of atoms together at very high energies, allowing particles to emerge that are otherwise not part of the everyday world. These odd beasts - bosons, pi mesons, strange quarks - populated the universe seconds after the Big Bang, and allow their observers to glimpse the fabric of the universe. Put two or three ideas or items in a particle accelerator thought experiment. Smash 'em up. What emerges? Let us glimpse the secrets of the universe newly revealed.

(The room is dark. Slowly the lights rise and applause is heard from the audience. There are four old men dressed in white suits and spouting magnificent white moustaches sit dignified in the middle of the room, with a box which resembles a microwave sitting in front of them. A man in a black suit stands on a podium to the side. He waits for the applause to die away.)

The Host: Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm The Host and you're watching The Show!
Today, we have bought together a team of scientists whom have been working on a machine which they believe could revolutionise the world. Professor, over to you then?

Scientist 1: Affirmative. Well, here is the contraption our team has been working on for the past 24 years. Like a particle accelerator, it uses electric fields to propel electrically charged particles to high speeds and contain them; however unlike a normal particle accelerator, the fields are polarised through a Klameraton spectrum so ideas instead of particles are driven through the tube and amalgamated together forming entirely new entities possessing the very qualities of the ideas it is composed of.

S 2: Today we will attempt to create a new homo sapien. Each of us will choose the one quality we believe is the most important, and we will fuse it together using the Klameraton accelerator. Think Frankenstein, except we will be using ideas instead of human tissue. The aim of this experiment is to create the perfect homo sapien, also known as the human being.

(Gasps from the audience)
S 3: Shall we get started then?
S 1: Affirmative. As a scientist, I believe that an innovative spirit is imperative for any successful homo sapien. Without a certain amount of creativity, development will stagnate. Scientists seem to have the nasty reputation of always going by the book, however we are amongst the most creative assemblage of people out there. The quality that distinguishes geniuses from others is that one spark of inspiration; that one spark which could light a whole fire, setting the world alight with its magnificence. I wish for our homo sapien to possess this quality.

S 4: So i-n-n-o-v-a-t-i-v-e--s-p-i-r-i-t is it? Hmmph there we go, there we go!
S 2: (thinking.) Loyalty is the quality I will pick. Loyalty to your cause and to your associates and friends. One of the intrinsic values of humanity is loyalty, the supreme moral good as the philosopher Josiah Royce once said.

S 4: l-o-y-a-l-t-y...ahh the velocity is increasing at a magnificent rate. No doubt it will surpass that of light.
(The four scientists share a joke. They laugh out loud. Spittle can be seen exiting their mouth.)
S 3: That was a delightful joke, absolutely splendid.
S 2: No doubt. S 3, if you will.
S 3: Ah yes. A quality for our prototype homo sapien. What shall I choose eh? But there are so many qualities I value; humility, courage, diligence, intelligence, beauty even. Ah I discern. An insatiable passion for knowledge. This passion will be what motivates him to great things; the fuel to his fire perhaps.

S 4: p-a-s-s-i-o-n-f-o-r-k-n-o-w-l-e-d-g-e. My turn then. I have been trying to formulate a list since we commenced working on this project. A list for the qualities I deem worthy of our subject. At the top of this list I placed determination. Our subject will never reach his goal without this.

(types it in)
S 1: Lets fire her up then! Round and round we go...they're gaining velocity! Once it reaches the speed of light...
S 4: Yes I know, I shall release all the energy of it to collide. We have been through this before!
(Intense flash of white light resembling Neuralyzers from Men in Black. )
The Host: Well that was unexpected! Wasn't it now? Did everyone get their sunglasses on in time?
(Mumbles from the audience. It seems they have all fallen over.)
Well...never mind that! On with the show! Will you read out the analysis, S 1?
S 1 (reads): ...Subject has been successfully created with the chosen qualities. He has a love for sports, excellent analytical ability, generosity of spirit, sufficient intellect and a bright mind, along with a rebellious streak that may cause him trouble. However, side effects include: pride which may stem from his achievements and hinder judgement, possible jealousy due to excessive loyalty...

(shrieks and cries from the scientists)
S 2: This is horrible...
S 1 (continues reading): ... a knack for procrastination which may see him work up to the deadline on projects (and miss it for some), occasional laziness which may see him underachieve, a bad temper, tendency to curse inappropriately...

S 3 (frantically tearing out hair): We have created a monster, an abomination of nature!
S1: ...and short sightedness.
S 4: This prototype is a failure. An utter failure! Our project is a failure. 24 years spent...all for nothing...
S 2: How can we live with ourselves now, knowing what we have created?
(Member of audience raises hand.)
Audience: Well uhh sir, professor sir...isn't the goal of your experiment thing to make a person?
(Scientists nod their heads slowly, still looking downcast.)
Well...aren't you scientists? Ermm...shouldn't you know this? I know there must be a law for this somewhere...
(Thinks)
didn't that guy Newton make it up?
(Scientists still seem puzzled.)
Uhhh well...I'm sure I watched it somewhere before...Nevermind that. What was it again..? Oh yes...noone's perfect...

Curtain.

What do you guys think?

Its for my chicago app. They had a wacky question so i tried to do an equally wacky response. Do you guys think it works? Or does it sound too pretentious? Cocky?

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