Undergraduate / Common app article on extra curriculars: Connections Across The World [4]

Common app prompt on a 1000 character article on an extra curricular activity / work experience.

Connect a common concept across multiple religions, Nehru's alma mater and the world's first nuclear explosion: Trinity!

My passion for quizzing has transported me across the world and has acquainted me with myriad cultures. From fjords in Norway and Moai statues of Easter Island to the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, quizzing has been my window to the world outside. For over a decade now, I've been hooked onto this intellectually stimulating experience that defines who I am.

The knowledge one can assimilate is infinite and the Indian philisophy of 'Success and failure are part of the eternal cycle, it is the knowledge attained that matters' has inspired me to strive for excellence.

Over the years quizzing has helped me transcend personal boundaries and emerge as a confident individual with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Undergraduate / 'Passion with a cause' - Common App Essay: personal experience [4]

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

22nd February 2008
"Jayashree, you're going to get a younger brother or sister" said my mother, closely watching my expression.
Surprise and excitement were my immediate reactions.
Did I have an inkling of how dramatically my life would change? No.

25th September 2012
4 years on, life has irrevocably changed.
Initially it was a mammoth challenge since we all had to alter our lifestyle to accommodate the youngest member of the family. It seemed like waking up after a decade in utopia, for now, life was everything but perfect.

Responsibilities, fragile, unpredictable conditions coupled with a bawling baby was one way of looking at it. Thankfully I envisioned an opportunity: An opportunity to grow; as a person and as a student. It has been one of the best decisions of my life.

What intrigued me was how the once motionless baby learnt to make sense of the world around her. Over the months, gurgling sounds turned to fairly legitimate words, serendipitous movements turned to well coordinated steps and through an unwavering spirit, she was one among us.

I knew then, that any talent can be nurtured, any art can be learnt to if I was willing to go the distance. Whether it's training for a 10k marathon or participating in an international platform like Harvard Model UN or even cooking an Indian meal, it was all possible.

Her birth sparked a desired to delve deeper into the uncharted terrains of neuroscience and this was further ignited by viewing her growth from the standpoint of psychology. To observe her evolve, learn from her mistakes and piece together the jigsaw puzzle called life has been a captivating experience.

The brain with its curiously confounding functioning, is the neuroscientist's muse, an elusive enchanting enigma. Psychology helped to explain how the dynamics of our family changed and enlightened me about the power of the mind.

I believe passion comes with a cause. I have a cause; to cure the maladies of the mind, uncover the reasons behind them and make the world a better place for mankind.

Undergraduate / 'life's conundrums and complications' - So where is Waldo, really? UChicago [7]

Stop. Look around for a moment. What do you see? No, I don't mean the imposing pile of applications lying at your desk or the equally harried admission officer beside you. Look beyond the obvious.

Picturise your surroundings as a highly organized concatenation of atoms; minuscule particles, beyond the scope of stereoscopic human vision. Every single particle, person or place is made of atoms of different kinds! Afterall, aren't we all essentially made of the same constituents: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and other prominent residents of the Periodic Table? Akin to finding the Ultimate Question, to which the answer is the unassuming 42, where would you possibly find that metaphysical representation of what makes Waldo,Waldo?

The 'Waldo Factor', as I'd like to call it, would have probably become the Higgs Boson of our generation. I say would have, because the closest we can get to identifying a miniature physical representation of ourselves lies in the genetic code. This seemingly innocuous but perplexingly complex code explains why we are what we are; with our quirks and eccentricites that define us. Pioneered by Watson, Crick and Wilkin, it took years of research, international collaborations and is certainly no mean feat; for it explained the fundamental structure responsible for individuality.

So the Waldo Factor is essentially an aggregation of atoms, differing only slightly from our own genetic structure and composition. This technically means that there is a bit of Waldo in all of us, just as there is a bit of us in Waldo. Waldo is within us and represents our travails and tribulations; Only if choose to look at it from such a perspective.

The answers to life's conundrums and complications lies within us. If we dig deeper, aim higher, try harder and look deeply, slowly but surely there's a solution.

After groping in the darkness, a little introspection always helps to find light at the end of the tunnel.

Undergraduate / 'quirky, thought provoking essays' - University of Chicago Supplement [2]

Question 1. How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to Chicago. (1-2 paragraphs)

To me , the University of Chicago is much more than a dream; it is a burning desire which I hope to turn into reality. Its rigorous curriculum is not daunting for it is accordance with the competitive courses I have pursued in my high school. Over the past five years, I have grown accustomed to challenging and stimulating academic courses that have exponentially increased my intellectual curiosity and exposed me to exciting new fields and prospective careers. Given my penchant for the written word coupled with my passion for the sciences the interdisciplinary approach to broaden perspectives is another alluring factor that has made UChicago my first choice. Hence UChicago is a natural transition which I hope to experience.

What intrigued me initially were the quirky, thought provoking essays and the radical approach to a 'complete education'. But today, the University of Chicago has grown to symbolize much more than that. Beneath the 'sheen of eccentricity' lies an institution equally reputed for its contributions to arts, sciences and humanities, a college renowned for its pathbreaking discoveries and above all, a University with an undying passion to learn, to question and to contribute to society. It is this redeeming quality which I can relate to and appealed to me.

I see UChicago and myself having a symbiotic relationship similar to that in lichens. The algal partner is the photosynthesizing unit while the fungal partner is the protective and nourishing unit. I hope to derive intellectual nourishment and a 'home' from the University while simultaneously providing the best of my ideas and abilities.