Undergraduate / 'From a young age, I found a feeling of comfort in music' - William and Mary Essay [2]

Prompt: Beyond your impressive academic credentials and extra curricular accomplishments, what else makes you unique and colorful? We know nobody fits neatly into 500 words or less, but you can provide us with some suggestion of the type of person you are

From a young age, I found a feeling of comfort in music. Like most kids in my generation, I remember the euphoria that came along with the day I got my first iPod. The opportunity to have all this music in the palm of your hand was mind blowing. But, unlike most kids, the day that surpassed that for me was the day I heard vinyl grace a record player for the first time. The sound seemed to possess my body and my mind, a power I didn't know an object could possess. Record players are almost extinct in today's society, because of the alarming amount of music technology that is appearing day after day. But there is a sentimentality that comes from a record player that could never be replaced with any kind of new technology.

I have been collecting records since I was eight, and my dad salvaged his old record player and started playing some old Elton John records in the winter. Since then, I felt defined by my music taste. I felt separate from my peers but in a comforting way. I had my own sort of solace that no one else really knew existed and that was a beautiful thing. Over the years, any extra money I've had has gone to buying a new record, a new form of solace that can occupy airspace and provide a break from reality when needed.

Becoming attached to my records has also opened to my eyes to different cultures and different time periods that have come before my own. Records used to be the only way of distributing music, which sparked a large amount of people from different backgrounds using the record as a medium of music distribution. It allowed me to feel connected to the world around me. My favorite example of this, and possibly one of my favorite records I own, is Cold Fact by Sixto Rodriguez. Rodriguez was an Detroit folk singer but ultimately put his dream of being a singer down after his album, Cold Fact, wasn't very successful in the U.S. However, unbeknownst to his knowledge, his album spread to South Africa during the Apartheid movement and became a staple in the household of the South African people during that time. The words in his songs ignited their desire for social change and inspired millions.

My records have become a reflection of myself. They provide connection with myself and connection with the people around me. The same words that are sang in every single one of my records are a reflection of me as a person, and with each record, I continue to grow. This connection I feel because of these records is also one of my reasons for wanting to become a History major, and eventually become a History professor. I want to be able to connect with people, and discover things that the past knows about the present and even the future. There is so much to discover and history as well as my records gives me the opportunity to do that.

Undergraduate / Neurodegenerative disease and its impact on a person - Washington and Lee Essay [4]

Any advice would be appreciated! I am also short of the word requirement, so letting me know anything else that needs to be added would be appreciated as well :)

​Prompt: What do you value enough to promote to a wider audience? Why is it important to you?

I attended the Georgetown Medical Institute the summer after my junior year. The aim of this institute was to allow high school students to learn more about and explore the vast range of opportunities the medical field has to offer. This was one of the most engaging weeks of my life, but there was a particular experience throughout those seven days that struck my heart like a arrow, and is one of the reasons for the career path that I am potentially aiming towards.

We took a day trip to the National History Museum, an experience that I didn't anticipate to gain much from, because it was the National History Museum and we were all there to learn more about medicine, not history. They led us into a cramped, dimly lit theater, where they showed us a short documentary called 'Twitch.' The documentary followed a seventeen year old girl make the decision to undergo genetic testing, after her mother had died from Parkinson's disease the year before. According to doctors, there was a 50% chance that she would develop Parkinson's in her 40's as well, so the challenge of knowing or not knowing spoke highly of her bravery.

While I felt for her and noticed a tear or two streaming down my cheeks by the end of the documentary, what I truly discovered that day was the impact that a neurological disease has on a person. Neurological disorders tend to be hidden from society, because of the physical and mental degenerative effect that it has on a person. The entire being of who they are, or who they were, disappears entirely. I immediately felt enraged that something with such a detrimental effect could happen to person. Our minds are everything to us. It controls everything we think and feel and do, and these disorders have the ability to make all that disappear.

As soon as I reached home the week after, I reached out to neurologists in my community. I demanded to know more about Parkinson's and diseases like it. One of the neurologists at my local hospital was happy to satisfy my desire to know, and soon after, I began working closely with him once a week on discovering the underlying issue that causes Parkinson's. I also began donating large sums of money, as much as a high schooler with a minimum wage job can, to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.

As I discovered more and more about these neurodegenerative disorders, there was one unsettling factor that kept appearing and it continues to shake my bones in a way that still upsets me. No one seems to understand the gravity that a neurodegenerative disease has on a person, or even a family. This is the issue that I value most in my life, and one that I feel as if audiences around the world would benefit from exposure to. Education about neurodegenerative disorders is extremely important, because as society becomes more aware of the conditions that these diseases force onto their victims, the closer we can become to cures and worlds where these diseases don't pose a threat to the people that we love.

I've always held a passion for the medical field, but after my exposure to the documentary 'Twitch' and subsequent research of neurodegenerative disorders, it has become clear to me that this is what I need to do with my life. These conditions should not exist, and it pains me to watch people having to deal with these diseases, and having no control over the deterioration of their livelihood. This is preventable, if our society as a whole can ban together and discover the tragedies that these disorders have the ability to inflict.

Undergraduate / Red Cross volunteering - a huge step towards my goals in the medical profession [6]

Prompt:Please elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences

My decision to volunteer with the Red Cross last year helped me make a huge step towards my goals in the medical profession. For some reason, I had never saw the Red Cross as an organization that would accept high school volunteers, but when I discovered that it did, I was ecstatic. On my first day, I was immediately greeted with smiling faces and welcoming arms, as a new volunteer ready for work seemed to remind them of Christmas morning. I didn't get the chance to work directly with the taking of blood because of my lack of training but I found comfort in the environment and initiative that the Red Cross had in place. Their mission is simply to alleviate human suffering in the face of disaster, much of which involves blood donors. Through the Red Cross, I felt as if I was able to be a part of something greater that has the capacity to help people around the world. I felt connected to different kinds of pains that were felt around the world and giving my time to this organization was my way of letting these people know that I was there for them in this time of struggle. I hope to continue to devote my time to the Red Cross, because the mission that they wish to accomplish is of great importance in the world and I want to continue to help others in any way that I can.

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Undergraduate / My freshman year as a member of the class of 2019 - VCU Essay [5]

Prompt: As you start your college career, what is your primary goal as a student and how have you prepared to meet this goal, how do you plan to succeed, how do you feel you will do at VCU

As I potentially begin my freshman year as a member of the class of 2019, I aim to obtain a degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. VCU is a strong candidate in furthering undergraduate education because of the School of Allied Health Professions. This offers me a strong foundation to start my career in the medical field and learn as much as I can before I begin medical school four years from now. This school also has a wide range of specialties, many of which aren't available anywhere else in the state. This would help broaden my horizons when it comes to the medical field because, as a high school student, there is so much left for me to learn. As well as the broad specialization that the School of Allied Health Professions offers, VCU also has the ability to help me succeed by offering the Guaranteed Admissions program to the VCU Medical Center. This would allow me to become familiar with the award-winning VCU Medical Center and potentially set myself up to obtain a job there in the future. Having the Guaranteed Admissions program as an option would help my future move in the right direction. As well as the impressive aspects of the VCU I mentioned above, there is also an extensive amount of research opportunities available to me at VCU which can help further my medical knowledge. This department of research would allow me to learn hands-on, rather than just in the classroom.

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Undergraduate / Extraordinary documentary called 'Twitch' - American University Essay [4]

Prompt:American University is known for its politically active student body, where students engage in a variety of local, national, and global issues. Discuss an issue of importance to you and how you hope to become further involved with it as a member of the American University community

I attended the Georgetown Medical Institute the summer after my junior year. The aim of this institute was to allow high school students to learn more about and explore the vast range of opportunities the medical field has to offer. My perspective of life seemed to change when we were shown this extraordinary documentary called 'Twitch.' The documentary followed a seventeen year old girl make the brave decision to undergo genetic testing, after her mother had died from Parkinson's disease the year before. I felt for her that day in that dimly lit and cramped theater. As I noticed tears streaming down my cheeks, I truly discovered the impact that a neurological disease can have on a person. Neurological disorders tend to be hidden from society, because of the physical and mental degenerative effects that it has on a person. The entire being of who they are, or who they were, disappears entirely. As a member of American University, I hope to educate the public about the gravity that a neurodegenerative disease can have on a person, and even a family. By documenting the lives of families affected by these disorders, I hope to show society the importance of finding cures to these disorders and spark social change by appealing to the hearts of the public. American would give me the ability to further my education and knowledge, by allowing me to obtain an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and helping me get closer to my goal of a cure.

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Undergraduate / To become neurologist that specializes in neurodegenerative disorders that affect physical movement [4]

Prompt: American University provides its students the freedom to pursue majors and minors within and across the different schools and colleges of the University. In no more than two paragraphs, discuss your academic goals and how American University would help you achieve them.

My ultimate goal academically is to become a neurologist that specializes in neurodegenerative disorders that affect physical movement, such as Parkinson's and Huntington's. American University is a great choice for me because of the degree in Neuroscience that the school offers. The program allows me to study biology and chemistry simultaneously, which are two of my favorite subjects, as well as explore questions about the human mind that I am anxious to get answered. Along with a knowledgeable faculty, American University is equipped with the tools and the knowledge I desire to further my understanding of the field of neuroscience. As well as these impressive credentials, American University also offers extensive research opportunities for me to get involved in as a part of the community. American's nationally ranked Center for Behavioral Neuroscience offers me the precise tools I need to further my education and hopefully develop a cure for some of the neurodegenerative disorders that are affecting society today. This excellent research center allows me to approach some of the puzzling and interesting questions that affect our daily lives like behavioral excess and emotional health. Being engaged in this center would also help broaden my perspective by learning from students and professors who are also interested in the same concepts and problems that I am. Specifically, the symposium that is offered within this center offers a great opportunity for me to learn from the world's leading researchers in Neuroscience and ultimately broaden my knowledge of the field.

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Undergraduate / Beyond your academic credentials, what else makes you unique and colorful? William and Mary essay [3]

Prompt: Beyond your impressive academic credentials and extra curricular accomplishments, what else makes you unique and colorful? We know nobody fits neatly into 500 words or less, but you can provide us with some suggestion of the type of person you are. Anything goes! Inspire us, impress us, or just make us laugh. Think of this optional opportunity as show and tell by proxy and with an attitude

For my seventh birthday, I asked for a trip to Russia. I still remember the look on my mother's face after those words left my mouth. She looked at me as if I was insane. As if I was a stranger she had never seen before. "Why on Earth would you want to go there?" My elementary school teacher that year had a map of the world that spread across the entirety of her back wall. As soon as I got to school each morning, I would drop my backpack at the front of the classroom and sprint to where the map was positioned. The world seemed so vast and I had never seen or heard of most of it. At the ripe age of seven, my biggest question was if you went to the bottom of the Earth, would you fall off? The same kind of question arose for if you went to the top of the Earth. I had developed this idea that if you went to the very top, gravity would not exist and you would float upwards, straight into space. This is why I wanted to go to Russia. I wanted to test my theory, like all good scientists want to do. I still hope to reach the top of the world, and the bottom of it, as a way to answer those questions that I posed just ten years ago, even though I know the answer to them in theory. These questions and that map sparked my subsequent interest in the world and its cultures, an interest that still exists today. In the eighth grade, I enrolled in my first year of French at my school. Today, I am in my fifth year and have reached a point of near fluency through my hard work and my pure love for learning languages. I have also taught myself how to speak Russian, with the help of a tutor and online tools. I am currently learning to speak Dutch, as I want to see myself fluent in as many of the world's languages as I possibly can. My ultimate goal is to experience the cultures that these languages represent in their entirety and gain a broader perspective through experience. I want to grow as a person and I am taking initiative to do that. With each language that I learn, and hopefully master, I aim to visit that country and use my knowledge of their language in a completely new way. I want to live the fullest life I possibly can and I see travelling and exploring the world as a way for me to accomplish that goal.

Undergraduate / Elon Gap Semester Program gives me the opportunity to learn in a completely new and innovative way [2]

Prompt: Why do you want to participate in the Elon Gap Semester Program? What contributions do you think you can make to the group and the program? What do you hope to learn from the experience?

The Elon Gap Semester Program gives me the opportunity to learn in a completely new and innovative way, a type of learning I have never been exposed to before. By working in a hands on way to better the conjunctive communities that make our country what it is, the Gap Semester program gives me the ability to grow as a person while helping the communities around me to grow. I am always looking for challenging new experiences that have the ability to make me a stronger person. I have always been passionate about service project based learning, and started this journey in the eighth grade, when I went on my first mission trip with Appalachian Service Project. A Methodist-affiliated organization, Appalachian Service Project takes groups of high school students to the rural Appalachian Mountains to rebuild and repair the homes of the poor. I learned so much from that experience; most importantly, the importance to give back. The pure kindness that the residents gave you made you want to give them as much as you possibly could in return. I hope to continue this pattern of giving back to less fortunate members of the community, and hope the Elon Gap Semester Program can help me fulfill that goal. I have experience in service projects and possess a love for the immersive experience it provides, which are qualities I can contribute to the group and the program. I also possess a positivity that makes people feel warm, which would be beneficial to the morale of the group and the program.

I have never been given the chance to travel around the country in the capacity that the Gap Semester program offers. There is so much opportunity for improving the communities that we visit. As well as visiting Costa Rica, there is also so much opportunity for the immersion of the new cultures that are offered there. Getting the opportunity to connect with people in what seems like an entirely different world is a rare opportunity that I don't want to pass up. This program offers exposure to different areas of the country and allows me to help the less fortunate in an entirely new way. Through this experience, I hope to gain knowledge that will help me become successful in the years to follow this program

Undergraduate / I never saw myself as an average child - Elon Scholarship Essay [2]

Prompt: Why do you wish to be a physician? How has your service to others impacted you and your desire for a career in the medical field?

I never saw myself as an average child. At the age of ten, I found myself picking up novels of intellectual value. My father always seemed to be reading thick books of complexity and being that I idolized his intellect in a sense, I took it upon myself to read the same type of books. One of those books, and one that I still read over and over again, is Stephen Hawking's biography. He is an extraordinary man, and most people don't realize the caliber of what he has done, and what he has overcame. He was diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of 21, a disease that has a life expectancy of two years after diagnosis. Most people are diagnosed with the disease after the age of 50, which is part of the reason Stephen's case is so remarkable. Motor neuron disease occurs when the motor neurons that control voluntary muscle movement are progressively destroyed, because the neurons in the lower and higher cortexes of the brain aren't able to communicate properly.

Before I learned about the disease, I learned about Stephen's many achievements. His passion for theoretical physics struck me in an awe inspiring way. Passion is evident through action, and his action before and after diagnosis contains the same thrill and passion, a fact that genuinely surprised me. Then, I subsequently learned about the disease. The realities of motor neuron disease struck me in a way that sent chills down my spine. You have no control over your life at all, and you helplessly deteriorate at the hands of the world. At about the same time I was learning about all of this and being affected by the raw pain the world has the ability to inflict, my grandmother was diagnosed with malignant brain tumor. They went in for surgery, weren't able to remove it, and told her she was going to die soon. She died on her birthday the following year. She was 66. This filled with that same raw pain I imagined Stephen Hawking felt. But I knew I had to turn that pain and anger and frustration into something else, something better. I turned into a passion that has the capacity to help others, so the same pain didn't have to be felt by hundreds of others in the future. This is why I want to be a physician. I have a passion and empathy for others and I want to do all that I can to rid the world of the neurological disease that is affecting its victims and their respective families.

In the ninth grade, I volunteered at the local hospital and delivered flowers and mail to patients across the entire floor. I wanted to be able to provide positivity to people that were facing pain at this difficult part in their lives. They were dealing with a lot and I wanted to keep them positive. However, in the eleventh grade, I decided to branch out and also offer my services as a volunteer to the Red Cross. At the Red Cross, I felt like more of a direct influence in helping the people. We were offering much needed blood to people in the face of disaster. I am extremely grateful for these volunteer opportunities that I have been given in the medical field. However, these volunteer opportunities have only sparked my passion for the medical field further. I want to impact a patient's life in a hands on way, and be given the power to save lives. My volunteer experience and my early developed passion for curing neurological diseases has helped me decide that a career in the medical field is the right choice for me.