Undergraduate / I liked the speed, adrenaline rush: How failure affected me and what i learnt from it. [6]

Sprints. I loved them. I liked the speed, the adrenaline rush, and the cheers that greeted me at the finish line. Way back in junior high when i was an athlete, inter-school athletic competitions were my favorite events of the school therm. During one of these such competitions, l learned a lesson i would never forget.

It was a clear Wednesday morning with the kind of sky that invariably lifts a person's spirits up. We drove to the El-wak sports stadium singing inspirational songs popularly called "jama". The stadium was filled with color: red, green, blue, yellow, white and many others. Every school had its trademark color. At about ten, the games started. The 100m sprints were up first, followed by the hurdles, the 200m race and the 800m race in that order. The 100m relay, my event, was the last for the day. As it approached, our coach gathered us together and said in his stern voice, "Do not drop the baton! I repeat do no drop the baton or else you'll be disqualified. Understand!" "Yes coach", we replied. Our event was announced and we started jogging and stretching. We were then arranged in the track. I was the second person in the relay. Po! went the pistol. The starter, Loretta, was running towards me, baton in hand.

Thud! thud! I could hear my heart drumming in my ears.My palms were sweaty.My entire body was tensed and drenched in sweat. My stomach was tied in knots; the butterflies were flapping beyond control. I stretched out my hand,ready to receive the baton.WHAT! I had dropped the baton.Oh no! I'd done the very thing I'd so desperately tried to avoid.The other competitors took off.I stood there staring after them. It was too late for me.The rest of the event was a blur. On the ride back to school, i sat down quietly unable to look my teammates in the eye.

Later that day at school, our coach told us that he had told us we would be disqualified if we dropped the baton only to ensure that we were extra not to do so and that we would in fact not have been disqualified. My shame knew no bounds at that point. Not only had i dropped the baton but i had also given too easily. Many motivational speakers talk about never giving up and persisting in the face of discouragement.Even the Bible extensively talks on this. I used to consider them as cliches. I realized, the hard way of course,that its their accuracy that renders them cliches.I never quite took these things seriously until experience knocked at my door.

On the walk home that day, i wondered why i had dropped the baton.As i pondered on it, i realized it was because i was extra nervous that day. My nerves were at a personal record breaking high. All that pressure and high expectation had weighed heavily on me, affecting my performance. I realized that i performed better when i was calmer.Because I'm a usually antsy person, it's taking me quite some time to learn to remain calm in any situation.

Although i no longer sprint and would not become the female Usain Bolt i envisioned at the time, i carry these lessons with me now.And even on occasions when i forget, there is always some random event to remind me. An example is the 2013 world cup semi-final match between Korea and Iraq where a korean player scored the equalizing goal eighteen seconds to the end of extra time, an instance in which most players would have given up.

Undergraduate / COMMUNITY CLINIC; an extracurricular activity that impacted on me [7]

Wanting to do something meaningful with my spare time, I asked my mother to help find a place to volunteer at. When my mother suggested I work at the community clinic, I was reluctant. I don't like hospitals; the combined smell of medicine and strong anticeptic was unappealing to me.

I was astonished at the size of the clinic. I did not realized how small it was as I'd never been inside it. My first day at work was a little slow. My job was to help the National Health Service Personnel register new people with the health scheme and renew expired card. Gradually things started speeding up.

Most of the people who came to be registered were either illiterate or half-literate. It was very sad to see girls my age who didn't know exactly how old they were or how to spell their names. To add more fuel to this fire, a lot of girls who weren't even eighteen years old because they were pregnant and did not have money for pre and post natal care as it was very cheap for pregnant women to register to get free health care. I started to really appreciate the little things like my education and responsible parents that I'd taken for granted and deemed myself entitled to.

Thereof, I'm grateful for everything that I have and I try not to complain about what I don't have.
-Rolanda Azeem

Undergraduate / Stanford writing supplement ; letter to my roommate. [3]

Hey Roomie,
I can't wait to meet you. You see, I love to meet new people. I like to experience the diversity; the different ways of thinking, expressions, sense of humor, preferences and character traits. I love it when I meet a person and the encounter affords me a totally different perspective on issues. I yearn to understand people and why they do what they do, probably explains my fascination with psychology. I believe in honesty. The truth is most at times unpleasant but I'll rather it be let out than kept hidden. Curiosity, they say killed the cat. Well thank God I'm not a cat because if I were I'd have died ages ago. When I see something new that interests me, I try to find out all I can about it. I hope you don't get irritated by the philosophical quotes sprinkled in my diction. My love for philosophy is only surpassed by my love for psychology. Forgive me when I come off as hyperactive, prudish, blunt or naïve, those are some of my flaws. Please don't let my eccentricities bother you. You may actually find them refreshing or at least amusing. It will be really cool if you like music so that we can listen to tracks together. If you're not very talkative, no worries, I can carry on a conversation with little prompt. Always expect the unexpected from me, I never cease to surprise. I'm looking forward to our adventure at Stanford University.

Love,
Ro.

Undergraduate / "Debate? nah, not me" ; Extracurricular activity [2]

My first year in high school when asked if I wanted to join the debate society, my first response was 'nah, not me'. I gave myself many excuses like, "I'm shy, I cannot possibly speak in front of a crowd." I've always been talkative person, but I was also very shy. Eventually after thinking it through, I decided it was time to shed my timid skin and embrace a more vocal and confident me. So I joined the debate term. At my first meeting, I sat back watching the other debaters debating. "INTIMIDATED" does not begin to describe how I felt. The passion and insight with which they debated was unsettling.

I was very surprised when I was asked to partake in the next round of debating. I was hyper-nervous. After balloting, I found myself in the government member position. The motion was, "This house moves that Chinese goods should be banned from the country." With the little knowledge I had in economics, I was able to think up a few points. Unfortunately, I was not able to exhaust the seven minutes given me, although I didn't do as badly as I'd expected. I found that I actually enjoyed myself.

I stayed with the debate society. Debate was every bit as entertaining and insightful as I'd hoped it'd be, if not more: sharing ideas with my colleagues, critically listening to brilliant opponents' arguments, trying to find loopholes in their arguments, reading extensively to be abreast and so on. Although it was stressful and nerve racking at times, it was more than worth the trouble. Debate has opened my mind to so much and made me a more assertive person than I was when I first began.

Undergraduate / I cannot help but see a bright impact;Why Upenn?What College of Arts&Science have for you [2]

Why University of Pennsylvania? When I started my college search, I knew it would not be an easy task finding the right college. Limited by my inability to visit college campuses, I turned to the internet as my main source of information. Upenn stood out for me.

As if getting the opportunity to be taught by eminent professors who have received Pulitzer prizes and Nobel Prizes among other honors were not enough, I would get to partake in Penn's incredible curriculum: both general education and specialized education. I intend to major in Psychology, but it'll be great to try out other courses such as philosophy or theatre through Penn's interdisciplinary study program. I would love to further my French speaking prowess and the language study program offered at Penn would give me this opportunity. It's my dream to travel round the world, experience new cultures and see new things. Upenn's study abroad program would give me the chance to study in an entirely different environment and experience different cultures. This would complement the practical outside classroom application of knowledge that Penn offers.

The academically based community service SAA offers is an amazing chance to use knowledge acquired to help the community. Not only would I be helping people, but I'll also be improving my problem solving skills. Research is such a worthwhile endeavor. It enables you to come out with information no one has ever discovered. The world is as advanced as it is because of research. Taking part in research of any kind at the 'Urban Research University' is a dream I hope would come true one day.

I'd feel right at home in the diverse community of Upenn. I'd get to meet new people every day from different corners of the world, forging lifelong friendships. The fact that the large size of this community does not affect the intense learning experience usually ascribed to smaller colleges is dumbfounding. It's practically enjoying the benefits of both a small university and a large one. I'd love to experience stand-up comedy and spoken word when such programs are organized by the school. I'd also get to audition for department productions to display my acting skills. All these in the city of brotherly love where I'd fine delicious cuisine that fits my meagre budget.

I believe college should be an educative, fun, eye opening and potential exposing experience. I know I'd get all this at upenn. With Philadelphia as my extended classroom, and all the opportunities offered at Penn, I cannot help but see a bright impact making future for myself.

Undergraduate / EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT TO ME - Stanford essay:what matters to me and why [2]

After all is said and done, a person's family would always be there for him or her. No matter how dysfunctional a family is, its members would always love each other. We can always call on our family in our time of need. For this reason among a multitude of reasons, my family is the most important thing in the whole wide world for me.

Even though my family is the most important thing to me, I do not downplay the importance of friends in my life. No man is an island. I cannot live on an island alone with my family, without any friends. It is important to have people your own with whom to share experiences, jokes, fears, aspirations and so on.

Plato once said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." I try to live by this philosophy. I realized early on that it is very important to be nice to people. Helping others either with a kind word, a smile, a tutor, or with cash goes a long way to lighten a person's burdens. This in itself is a blessing.

Last but not the least, education is important to me. Through school, I've been able to learn so much: math, English, economics, French, geography and social studies. This has expanded my mind and my knowledge base. Without education, I'd probably have been a domestically abused mother of two by now. So yes! Education matters to me and I cannot wait for my impending college adventure when my mind would be further broadened.

Undergraduate / independence- i wish i were there. stanford: a historical event i wish i'd witnessed [2]

On the 6th of March 1957, a nation was born in Africa. Ghana formally known as Gold Coast was that nation. The first in Africa to be liberated from colonial rule and allowed to govern herself. A beacon of hope for all other African nations. Looking at pictures and videos from the past, I sense the immense joy of my people. Their joy was so complete; their hope so infectious. I wish I were there when it happened. I wish I were there to hear Dr. Nkrumah's speech, to drink in the joy and hope of my people.

Undergraduate / 'money' society's most significant challenge: stanford supplementary essay [2]

Avarice, the excessive desire for money is the most significant challenge facing society today. The saying "money is the root of all evil" should be modified to "Avarice is the root of all evil." Man is naturally insatiable but this insatiability if left unchecked will have dire consequences. Our thirst for immense wealth is fueled by what we see on the television these days. Music videos, together with their lyrics encourage the youth to amass wealth by all means possible. It's no wonder that society is plagued by corruption, embezzlement, armed robbery, organized crime, debt and so on.

Undergraduate / experience important to my intellectual development [2]

Throughout my basic school education, I was an average student. I'd always considered myself average - so I hung there, in mediocrity. I didn't think to do anything about the situation as I'd thought it unchangeable. With my Basic Education Exams [(B.E.C.E.) my first external examination] fast approaching, I decided to put a little more effort into my academic work. I was moved to an honors class at the end of that academic year. This came as quite a shock to me. When I finally wrote my B.E.C.E., I passed with flying colors obtaining nine A's out of ten.

I then proceeded to ***** High School, a first grade school. I'd decided if I could make such good grades before, then I could maintain those good grades. I studied really hard in senior high but I was still quite surprised when I received awards. I still saw myself as the average junior I'd been. With time, however, I grew accustomed to being acknowledged as a good student.

Back then, I wouldn't have dreamed of applying to such a prestigious school. But going through my rise from average student to good student to excellent student has taught me that nobody was born average. Our choices, our resolves and our determination to see them through makes us overcome that ban called mediocrity.