mgbseventeen
Dec 25, 2016
Undergraduate / Tufts Essays: What Will They Know About Me/What Can I Improve? [2]
All comments and criticisms welcomed. Thanks!
1. Which aspects of Tufts' curriculum or undergraduate experience prompt your application? "Why Tufts?" (50-100 Words)
As a Jumbo, I will be surrounded by the academically elite. There will be times where I may fail, times when I won't be the most intelligent in a discussion or class. Nevertheless, I will have a plethora of fellow Jumbos - professors, mentors, students - of whom I can collaborate with and learn from.
Out of class, being a Jumbo takes on a whole other meaning: I desire to contribute to Tufts in more than academics. Join the robotics club? Of course. Perform sketches for "Major: Undecided"? Why not? Audition to beatbox for the Beelzebubs? Not out of the question yet!
2. There is a Quaker saying: "Let your life speak." Describe the environment in which you were raised-your family, home, neighborhood or community-and how it influenced the person you are today. (Required length is 200-250 words)
Being the oldest child in my family, I was often the first one through the wall when it came to school, sports, and growing up in general. From kindergarten to fourth grade, my experimentation with what is right and wrong landed me in the principal's office once a year. My early development was a quest in the dark, limited to the rights and wrongs my parents and teachers would feed me with each incident.
As I became more involved in my community with little league, church, and summer camp, I came across the older sibling figures I had previously not been able to look up to. These volunteers and counselors could not have been more than seventeen years old, however they connected with me more than any adult could ever hope to. Without knowing, they showed me the correct way for a young adult to act: respectful, open-minded, honest. These high school aged role models may not have been aware, but each moment spent in observation left a lasting impression.
This exposure left me yearning to afford the youth of my community the same exposure to good influences, especially from someone just a few years older. As a youth baseball coach, religious education teacher, and summer camp counselor, I hold myself to the same standards I saw in those role models 10 years ago. I hope to relay the message of being a good influence on others so that they may "pay it forward" the same way.
3. It's cool to be smart. Tell us about the subjects or ideas that excite your intellectual curiosity. (200-250 words)
Hip Lead. Leg Drive. Arm Slot. The biomechanics of a pitcher's delivery is poetry in motion; I watch it unfold stanza after stanza. Baseball culture has become myopic about its superb hurlers, calling them "Golden Arm" or "Cannon". However, the perfect pitch requires more than a swift snap of the wrist.
At Winning Pitcher's Academy in Framingham MA, an otherwise forgettable pitching lesson would become a moment of revelation for my younger self. Video analysis of my delivery allowed Coach Brad Miller to snipe and scour my mechanics, exposing hindrances I would have never seen before. He taught me that good mechanics is a matter of a good kinetic chain: the lower half of the body must move in a way that allows the upper body to finish in the correct position to increase velocity and reduce arm stress. These mechanical adjustments altered fractions of a second, but they would lead to a much longer pursuit of knowledge.
From that point on I was fully engrossed in the quest for elite biomechanics. I would spend my free time watching gifs and videos of major league deliveries, noting the amount of torque and momentum they generate with their whole bodies. I began to take a liking in Toronto pitcher Marcus Stroman. At 5'8", he is one of the shortest active major leaguers, but his force and rhythm make for a formidable fastball. Not only had this biomechanical perspective improved my pitching, it had sparked my obsession with improvement.
All comments and criticisms welcomed. Thanks!
1. Which aspects of Tufts' curriculum or undergraduate experience prompt your application? "Why Tufts?" (50-100 Words)
As a Jumbo, I will be surrounded by the academically elite. There will be times where I may fail, times when I won't be the most intelligent in a discussion or class. Nevertheless, I will have a plethora of fellow Jumbos - professors, mentors, students - of whom I can collaborate with and learn from.
Out of class, being a Jumbo takes on a whole other meaning: I desire to contribute to Tufts in more than academics. Join the robotics club? Of course. Perform sketches for "Major: Undecided"? Why not? Audition to beatbox for the Beelzebubs? Not out of the question yet!
2. There is a Quaker saying: "Let your life speak." Describe the environment in which you were raised-your family, home, neighborhood or community-and how it influenced the person you are today. (Required length is 200-250 words)
Being the oldest child in my family, I was often the first one through the wall when it came to school, sports, and growing up in general. From kindergarten to fourth grade, my experimentation with what is right and wrong landed me in the principal's office once a year. My early development was a quest in the dark, limited to the rights and wrongs my parents and teachers would feed me with each incident.
As I became more involved in my community with little league, church, and summer camp, I came across the older sibling figures I had previously not been able to look up to. These volunteers and counselors could not have been more than seventeen years old, however they connected with me more than any adult could ever hope to. Without knowing, they showed me the correct way for a young adult to act: respectful, open-minded, honest. These high school aged role models may not have been aware, but each moment spent in observation left a lasting impression.
This exposure left me yearning to afford the youth of my community the same exposure to good influences, especially from someone just a few years older. As a youth baseball coach, religious education teacher, and summer camp counselor, I hold myself to the same standards I saw in those role models 10 years ago. I hope to relay the message of being a good influence on others so that they may "pay it forward" the same way.
3. It's cool to be smart. Tell us about the subjects or ideas that excite your intellectual curiosity. (200-250 words)
Hip Lead. Leg Drive. Arm Slot. The biomechanics of a pitcher's delivery is poetry in motion; I watch it unfold stanza after stanza. Baseball culture has become myopic about its superb hurlers, calling them "Golden Arm" or "Cannon". However, the perfect pitch requires more than a swift snap of the wrist.
At Winning Pitcher's Academy in Framingham MA, an otherwise forgettable pitching lesson would become a moment of revelation for my younger self. Video analysis of my delivery allowed Coach Brad Miller to snipe and scour my mechanics, exposing hindrances I would have never seen before. He taught me that good mechanics is a matter of a good kinetic chain: the lower half of the body must move in a way that allows the upper body to finish in the correct position to increase velocity and reduce arm stress. These mechanical adjustments altered fractions of a second, but they would lead to a much longer pursuit of knowledge.
From that point on I was fully engrossed in the quest for elite biomechanics. I would spend my free time watching gifs and videos of major league deliveries, noting the amount of torque and momentum they generate with their whole bodies. I began to take a liking in Toronto pitcher Marcus Stroman. At 5'8", he is one of the shortest active major leaguers, but his force and rhythm make for a formidable fastball. Not only had this biomechanical perspective improved my pitching, it had sparked my obsession with improvement.
