Undergraduate / Some people opt for starvation rather than solitary dining [3]

full prompt: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

hey guys, here is my first draft for the common application essay. a few issues i'd like comments on are:
1) is eating alone and the social stigma surrounding it really an entrenched belief in society?
2) is my topic of choice too shallow/superficial? i have asked some friends and that seems to be the general critique i get.

here's my essay. all comments are welcome. thanks!

The idea of eating alone is often met with intense revulsion to the extent that some opt for starvation rather than solitary dining; dinner parties today have become popularity contests and the lone diner is the social leper - to be avoided at all costs.

I was initially oblivious to this entrenched belief until a conversation with a classmate in 2010. It was way past lunchtime and the most recent meal break my class had was hours ago. Since I had brought a snack from home, I lounged in class during lunch and was thus aware of my classmate who skipped his meal despite obvious signs of hunger. "Why are you skipping lunch," I inquired. The reply was a surprising revelation: because there's no one eating now and I don't want to eat alone. As someone who had always prioritized my health, that reply set me thinking about the validity of the belief that only dining with company was acceptable by today's societal standards. For sure, that sort of self-induced fasting was neither pleasant nor palatable which was why it puzzled me that people would go to such great lengths to construct an image of themselves which they were not. All this in the name of adhering to a belief.

Gradually I began to find myself eating alone more and more often both during recess and lunch breaks as my way of challenging this belief. In the process I'd be aware of the ___ (argh i can't find the word for it) stares I attracted in the crowded canteen but they didn't bother me. I mean, eating alone creates space and time for introspection and simply for yourself which you can hardly expect to get in a group dinner often characterized by banal or awkward conversations. On occasions, friends would ask me why was I eating alone and I would reply "just because.". Although that reply usually brought out the "are-you-sure-you-want-to-do-this" look on their faces, it concisely sums up my entire case against the toxic belief that eating alone was a social stigma: there's is nothing wrong with it and you don't need a reason to do it; you do it simply if you like it.

I do admit I have niggling doubts sometimes. What if my self-imposed social isolation spirals out of control? What if my friends interpret my action as a veiled attack on the value of their company? After all, there was a considerable degree of risk associated with my way of challenging that belief. Nonetheless, I draw solace and vindication from the emergence of movements such as the Eenmaal Restaurant movement in Amsterdam which offers "tables for one". The challenge against this belief is admittedly in its nascent stage but I am glad to be able to bring something to the table.

460 words

Undergraduate / Imagination - lazing around or dozing off at my grandmother's home [4]

full prompt: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

ok here's the thing: i've tried to add something new to this essay so it might need a bit more work. your comments are certainly welcome.

it would also be nice if you guys could read the essay before helping me with the questions i have posted below. cheers!

I have always spent my school holidays at my grandmother's home, left to my own devices and imagination but most of the time I was lazing around or dozing off. [...]

after review:

The place in which I feel most content is my imagination. In the worlds and homes that I create, I am in complete control of the events that happen and from this sense of assurance, I develop and maximize my confidence in real life, allowing me to achieve feats I was never able to in the past. In the words of the poet William Ernest Henley, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul".

As a child I was never very confident of myself. Being branded by my parents as the least adorable one out of all my cousins (albeit jokingly) compounded the development of my self-confidence, which eventually undermined my confidence in making friends and deliver public speeches. If I had to pick one incident to illustrate this, it would be when a teacher in school called me a kookaburra (referencing the Australian nursery rhyme), sitting alone on his old gum tree, laughing occasionally. The moniker caught on and for the rest of my primary school life, I was referred to as a lonely kookaburra - not the best environment for contentment to be found.

Confronted by this predicament I began to keep to myself voluntarily and also due to my poor ability to make friends, maintaining a few close friends throughout secondary school. While these friends undoubtedly bring me joyful moments, I was in search of a better environment which could provide me with belief and confidence, one where I could determine how events unfolded rather than be subjected to the crass comments of others. Left to my own devices, the bulk of my time was thus spent seeking solace within my own imagination.

However, it was the day which I was due to give a presentation in front of my class which reignited the development of my self-confidence. In my imaginary environment, I saw an grand auditorium full of people dressed nicely in suits and evening gowns and as I strutted on to the stage, I was greeted with ecstatic cheers and deafening applause befitting a celebrity. Thereafter and still within my imaginary environment, I delivered my presentation with great aplomb, receiving a rapturous standing ovation at the end of it. As I waltzed my way back to seat, I received congratulatory pats on my back and countless handshakes. Alas, I snapped out of my imagination. How I'd love to experience that in real life though!

It was then that I, buoyed by strength derived from my imagination, decided to throw all caution to the wind and attempt to regain my self-confidence. While the reception to my presentation was nowhere as grand as I had initially imagined, I nonetheless felt perfectly content as I realized that my imagination was an endless oasis of strength amidst my daily struggles in real life.

With my fear of public speaking confronted, the next step was to make friends confidently. Again, my imagination took control, creating an environment where I conversed with a stranger suavely on a long train ride. I initiated the conversation with a sweet compliment on her impeccable dressing and we talked for the entire ride, not a moment without words or laughter. How I'd love to experience that in real life! The power I drew from my imagination thus translated into real life, enabling me to become a more self-assured, less self-conscious person.

My imaginary environment was like a shapeshifter at my will, able to conjure up different scenarios from which I could derive the required attribute. There I am in control since sensory and environmental details can be altered unlike in real life, and that is why I am most perfectly content. There, I am no longer the lonely kookaburra. Gay my life must be!