Undergraduate /
A story about yourself that you have not already shared in your application [7]
I spent the night inside the Museum of Natural History in New York. I was seven, and my mother surprised me and my brother with the trip.We arrived at 8 p.m. I brushed my teeth with the SpongeBob toothbrush given to the kids as souvenirs. We threw our shoes off, changed into pj's, and began free roaming the museum sock-footed, Risky-Business style.
Being alone, after hours, in this enormous scene made me feel like I was in the movie, "Night at the Museum". We watched a 3D movie on black holes in the planetarium, the screen on the ceiling. Curled up underneath the stars, I gained a greater knowledge about our place in the universe. Afterward, we explored the dinosaur exhibit in total darkness, using only flashlights. Exhilarating.
We stumbled upon an unmarked door leading to a live butterfly exhibit. Alone, we observed the butterflies dancing around us in their graceful beauty. It was rebellious like the scene from "Willy Wonka", where Charlie and his grandfather sneak into the weightless bubble chamber--the moment was magical.
At "lights out" most slept under the blue whale, but I found a human-sized clam shell that did the job. There I dreamed.