Undergraduate / The Chariot of Insecurity/ Williams / looking through a window [4]

PROMPT-- Imagine looking through a window at any environment that is particularly significant to you. Reflect on the scene, paying close attention to the relation between what you are seeing and why it is meaningful to you. Please limit your statement to 300 words.

30 degrees, 50 man queue, no water, and my bag weighed a ton. Fatigue was an understatement, and the dust in the air had settled into my white apparel; giving me a very uncouth and dirty look.

I had managed to board a bus after an everlasting 20 minute wait. I managed to get a seat, albeit a bit cramped up. To my disbelief the road was visible through the holes in the floor of the vehicle, there were bits of exposed jagged metal and no seatbelts! Made me even wonder, does this vehicle even have Insurance?!

A lady seated a row ahead of me seemed to be eating something, whatever she was eating, it sounded like she was cracking a shell. As I peered closer I realized, no way, A Crab!? You've got to be kidding me. As she continued to make an attempt to eat the crab whilst on the bumpy roads of Ghana, pot hole after pothole, she messed up. She cracked the crab shell, spraying its contents across her row, and everyone was livid but I was struggling to contain my laughter

Witnessing this made me realize that life in the Western Countries is a privilege that I had taken for granted. Advancements in technology, medicine and safety have increased the standard of living. Whereas in so called third world countries these advancements are nonexistent, therefore leading to a decreased standard of living. This made me appreciate all things that I have and be more sympathetic to the less fortunate. Life is short, so we better enjoy it.

Undergraduate / Gym gave me a new found confidence; Common App/ Topic of your choice [3]

This is my common app 500 word essay, it falls into two categories, well at least I believe it does, would you ladies and gentlemen be as kind to critique my essay as well as suggest which title it should come under even if it's "Topic of your choice"

I had just walked off the red bus (the one everyone associates with London) and started my walk to St. Georges Centre. "You can do it Eugene" My motivational Voice began to kick in and inspire me, but to no avail. There was a flurry of shoppers today, all standing out in their nice dress clothes. I stood out because of my basic clothing and my large duffel bag.

It took me a minute to get to the escalator, a trip that usually took five seconds, but today was different, far different from any other day; it was the day that was going to change my life. Placing my foot on the escalator was not soothing at all; the mechanical movement of which I had no control over adding to my nervousness made me feel like a train wreck. They say time waits for no man, but this time round I believed time was somehow taking liberties with me and insulting my very existence.

I had finally gotten up to the first floor, standing outside T.K. Maxx and hoping that I was going shopping instead of the dreading nightmare that was awaiting me on the second floor. Yet again I stood out like a sore thumb, white tee, and tracksuit bottoms; everyone knew where I was going. I rounded the corner and saw the McDonalds store, I was on a first name basis with the store clerks, and greeted them before I made my way. I think they were even surprised that I had not bought anything before taking the stairs.

Finally, I was there, after the series of flights I had broken into a sweat and was out of breath. I saw it from the corner of my eye, Fitness First, where I was supposed to attend every day of the month religiously. I handed in my member's card to the attractive receptionist, she smiled back at me, maybe it is her job, but I still think she likes me. This calmed me down considerably, until she handed my card back to me and said "Have a nice workout".

I made my way past the turnstiles and my large Duffel bag decided to make me look awkward, getting caught on one of the turnstiles. By now there was nothing I could do, I was in the gym, I had to work out or else, I would stay in this morbid, anxious and nervous state of mind for the rest of my life. Once I had placed down my bag, I got into the main lobby, there were people of various sizes, even bigger than me, this gave me the confidence to move from machine to machine, trying out new things. After several continuous visits to the gym, I can say it has given me a new found confidence, one to approach any task and situation with the knowledge that enough practice makes one perfect.

Thank you!

Undergraduate / How to prevent another Crisis in the World (College of Arts and Sciences) [2]

College of Arts and Sciences:
Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.

My heart was set on Medicine and I believed I was going to be renowned Doctor when I was older, but that all changed once I got into Sixth Form. I had healthy interests, playing basketball, watching cartoons and anything pertaining to Nature, but once I got older, those interests changed. They went from Basketball to Football, Cartoons to Anime and Nature to Economics.

My interest in Economics really developed once I was in my A-Level class. My teacher was rambling on about The Wealth of Nations. Initially I had begun to formulate the crude jokes and innuendos about poor countries for people to feast their laughter upon. The following Lesson, My teacher decided to speak about the book again and to my surprise everyone had cottoned on to the philosophies and principles of the book, which made me feel inadequate and unprepared. Not to be outsmarted again by my peers, I decided to have a look at the book. I was absorbed by the content of the book, but slightly confused as to how greatly the world revolves around certain Economic principles. I began to think outside of the box and think, what if? By this point in time I was only slightly convinced as to whether pursue Economics as my intended major, until the world Imploded.

Bank Crisis, Debt, Inflation, all these were plastered across front pages, and headline stories on the 6 o'clock news. I was petrified, the ancient prophecy that the Mayans had supposedly predicted had come a few years to early. It was until my brother consoled me that it was the Economic world in peril.

The Global Economic Crisis, this had gripped the entire world and I was shocked that no one had predicted this or foresaw this event. Albert Einstein once said "Intellectuals solve problems, but Geniuses prevent them". I became captivated by this topic and engaged in several debates with my teacher which sealed my Interest in the subject.The research resources available at Cornell are world class, this is because of the quality and quantity of the recent experiments and research programs being performed at a high level. With these resources I hope to become a distinguished Economist that has the ability to prevent economic disasters before they happen.

The diverse community present at Cornell will also help me become a successful family man in the future as academics is not the only staple of life, but caring for the people and society around me.

Thank you!