Undergraduate / Voltaire or Neil Armstrong? Who's the better influence for my essay? [4]

Hello! First, thanks for reading this.

I was planning on writing my essay over Voltaire because after studying European history I really enjoyed his effect on the world and his teachings seemed revolutionary. I brought it up at dinner one night and my father had told me I should choose someone more closely related to the major I want to study (Aerospace Engineering). I told him that it had to be original and had to be someone who truly effected me and he went further to disprove my position.

So my questions are as follows:
- Is it a good idea to write an essay on a philosopher in general?
-Would it be better to keep my essay topics close to the major I'm interested in (Not just the "Someone who impacted you," prompt)?

-One of my teachers told me to keep the essay under 500 words, is it okay to go over?

Thanks again, and I look forward to your help!

Undergraduate / Not easy, but worth; Common App- Travelling Bug [4]

This my Essay C for the common app. I was really hoping I could get some feedback and criticism on it.

Thanks in advance!

Travelling: it is something everyone should have the pleasure of experiencing. I have had this pleasure throughout my life and started travelling at a very young age. When I was two months old I took my first plane ride the UK to visit my father's side of my family. Now, being only two months old I can't exactly say I remember it in detail, but I still like to think it made the first impact on my life. After that first trip my family and I would travel back and forth, every other year if we could, to Wales and England. This was only the beginning of my adventures. My father works for Chevron and travels around the world to different job sites. This made growing up difficult. He would leave home for three weeks and then come back for one for about eight years of my life. It was on that eighth year that he finally invited my mother and me along. Our destination: China. Ten years ago and I still remember details like it was yesterday. There were malls that were underground, small animals I'd never even imagined, and buildings twice the size of any I'd ever seen. I will never forget that trip. It was the trip of a lifetime and when I caught my first travelling bug. Seeing everything was just intoxicating and fascinating. To see the way the other side of the world lived was exciting. I couldn't wait to get home and tell everyone how amazing it was, but of course there were the nonbelievers. My teacher of all people was one of them. She sent a letter home accusing me of lying and making up stories about my trip so my own father took off work one day to come to school and show the teacher all the pictures of me and ended up giving a presentation to the students about China. To this day my family still gets a kick out of the story; I just wish I could remember the teacher's face when she was proven wrong. However that was only the beginning: five years later when I was twelve my dad gave us the opportunity to move to South Korea. We gladly accepted the move and packed up and left. The two years there just added to my travelling kick. This time I made friends and broadened my world perspective. The international school I went to was a melting pot of cultures and I got to experience them all. This is the trip I'm most thankful for because it really widened my perspective. I'm very lucky to have had these experiences and unlike many of the other people I meet on these travels I actually appreciate what I've learned. I've seen the Eifel Tower, Big Ben, The Great Wall of China, and the Korean DMZ all before I was eighteen. Now I've embarked on my newest adventure: Australia. I will spend my senior year here seeing the sights and experiencing the culture. It was not an easy decision to leave my friends on the last year of school with them, but it is definitely worth it. I can't wait to see where else life will take me.

Writing Feedback / Common App (Essay B) - The Importance of Worldwide Cooperation [2]

Write an essay about an issue that is of importance to you, your community or the world.

Essay B (Issues of Importance)

Everywhere you look people will argue and bicker to dispute the most irrelevant points. From a local level to a much broader national level it would just appear that no one can ever get along. Having traveled the world I have experienced firsthand how people are quick to judge others simply based on what they've heard on the news or from stories circling around. This abundance of prejudice is slowly attacking the human race. From Seoul, South Korea to Paris, France I have seen all sorts of attitudes towards American's and most of which are quite negative. Once in Korea while I was out with a few of my friends we were asked by a local where we were from and I responded that I was from The States and was quickly looked down at and the man quickly lost interest, but my friends who spoke up and said they were from Canada made the man excited. He threw thumbs up to the Canadians and laughed and sparked conversation with them while I was left to wonder what made people from the United States look so unappealing to this man.

It is this sort of prejudice that is extremely evident in today's world and it isn't helping. It would appear that no one can seem to get along for any extended period of time before the backstabbing begins. What monumental feats does the human race expect to achieve while it is still fighting itself? If a majority of nations banded together for a common goal it would be achieved so effortlessly and they could move on to the next task. My favorite example of the cooperation that can take place between nations is the International Space Station (ISS). The station is made from parts that have come from all over the globe and it is truly a masterpiece. Imagine if the world could unite like that against an issue closer to home. World hunger with efforts from all the nations combined could be eradicated, wars could be stopped, and, hopefully in the near future, the human race could leave earth and our solar system and work as a team, or one large collective to explore the galaxy without prejudice and fear of one another.

ALSO: I'm thinking about writing Essay A (Person who influence you) over a group, would that be alright or should I just narrow it down to one person?

Thanks very much! :D