Undergraduate / BU essay- open-minded, diligent, and curious [5]

This is my first rough draft. Is this a good approach to answering the prompt? Thank you in advance for commenting =)

In an essay of 500 words or less, select 3 words that describe who you are and how those traits/characteristics can contribute to the BU community.

I could feel my heart pounding with excitement as I disembarked the crowded bus near an old firehouse in Parita, Panama. The driver handed me my over-packed orange suitcase from the top of the bus overflowing with other baggage as two adults and a young girl with bright blue curlers in her hair approached me with warm smiles and arms extended for handshakes - my familia for the next five weeks. As a diligent, curious and open-minded teenager, I looked forward to spending my summer in a foreign country.

At first I struggled to communicate with my new neighbors and family as a result of my limited Spanish. This impediment hindered me from satisfying my curiosity about my host family- I wanted to learn about their traditions and family history and understand the jokes they shared with each other. I decided to take action to improve my Spanish; while watching novelas with my family, strumming Spanish songs on a host cousin's guitar, or reading the newspaper, I asked for the meaning of words I did not know or looked them up in my pocket dictionary. With my host family's support, my "No entiendo" as responses was replaced by structured sentences that expressed my ideas.

By being diligent in the steps to improving my Spanish and curious about my community, I not only augmented my vocabulary, but also discovered interesting facts about my host family and Panama that I probably would not have learned from a textbook or country guide- when conversing with a neighbor one evening, I listened to her stories about working in the hospital, discussed the imbalance of the quality of teaching English in public school versus private schools, and learned that Governor Schwarzenegger has land in Panama.

In Parita, I was exposed to a lifestyle more laid-back and open from my own way of life. Community members often organized parties and fundraisers down at the plaza, during which the pariteńos united to watch masked dancers perform and a community leader crown a reina, and dance and drink afterwards. As I strolled down the streets with my American counterparts, older men hissed and called out "gringa", the slang term for white foreigner. Even though I felt uncomfortable about some traditions and behaviors, I did not criticize my community; I reminded myself my study abroad guide's advice, "It's not right, it's not wrong: it's different.", and attended the fiestas with my family to learn more about Parita's traditions.

These traits that helped me in Panama will allow me to succeed in the BU community: my curiosity will drive me to participate in research and internships to learn more about my major in the field; my diligence will allow me to work hard in and outside the classroom and approach professors with questions on new material; my open-mindedness will allow me to interact and accept my peers from the diverse student body. I hope to combine these traits to learn more about our diverse world alongside BU students next year.

Undergraduate / BU: how became interested? [11]

Please comment on word voice and content! Thank you.

In five or six sentences, tell us how you first became interested in BU and what steps you have taken to learn more about us.

Growing up in a city bustling with foreigners and rich in attractions has influenced me to search for colleges in similar settings. After discovering that BU's community mirrors Chicago's eclectic and lively scene in Princeton Review's Best 368 Colleges, I turned to the school's website to discover how students thrive on a diverse campus situated in the busy, cultural city of Boston. Besides its metropolis location and diversity, opportunities at BU, such as improving a community during spring break and teaching children in Ecuador, entice me to attend. With the BU Advantage and enrollment in both the CAS and SED, I know that I will receive the best preparation to teach in elementary schools. I hope to join BU's community next fall.

Undergraduate / Syracuse- influence, work, and experience [6]

Hi. Please take a look at these questions. Do I answer them fully and are my answers too long? There is no specified limit; the prompt says to answer in several sentences. Thanks!

1. Who or what influenced you to apply to Syracuse University?
****the first 2 sentences I copied from my BU essay
Growing up in a diverse city that is rich in opportunities has influenced me to search for colleges in similar settings. After learning that Syracuse's community mirrors Chicago's eclectic and lively scene in Princeton Review's Best 368 Colleges, I turned to its website for more information on how students thrive on the Orange campus. Besides its location in a metropolis and a diverse student body, Syracuse's vision of "Scholarship in Action" influences me to apply to the University. I prefer to apply what I've studied in the classroom to my neighborhood and to learn through experience rather than just memorizing facts. My preference for this type of learning is why I have traveled to Latin America to help improve communities and why I tutor elementary school students. I'd like to attend Syracuse to join an institution that promotes this interactive learning and development. I am also applying to Syracuse because of its well-recognized School of Education. In the school, I believe I can receive the best preparation in the Teaching and Leadership department to be an inclusive elementary school teacher.

2. If you have had paid work experience, what skills and/or knowledge did you gain?
I am currently employed at my high school's Sidewalk Café. My responsibilities entail serving students and faculty hot beverages, keeping the café area clean, encouraging students to purchase from the café, tracking the orders that students make, and working at the cash register. From working in the café, I have learned about the importance of teamwork and cleanliness in running a business, particularly one with food. In order to ensure that the customers receive their correct order, I have to divide the work between my co-worker and me: one of us works at the cash register and marks off which drinks the customers purchased, while the other handles the drinks with gloves by the coffee-maker. Not only does this prevent customers from receiving the wrong order or either of us workers losing track of what was ordered and paid for, it hinders the spread of germs. Instead of touching money as well as the drinks, only my co-worker or I is assigned to each task so that any pathogens on the money don't reach the drinks. To ensure further cleanliness, the countertop and café tables must be wiped with antibacterial wipes and garbage must be picked up. Communication is also important in running a business so that customers will know about the drink available. Sometimes we run out of the more popular drinks, so we promote other drinks by putting out enticing advertisements until the popular drinks return.

3. Our mission of Scholarship in Action extends beyond the classroom to include engagement opportunities with our campus community, the City of Syracuse, and locations across the globe. Based on your academic interests, tell us what real world experiences you might pursue during your education at Syracuse University as part of this mission.

As mentioned in the first response. I prefer to learn through experience in addition to textbooks and notes. As a student at Syracuse, I plan to continue pursuing my interests in cultures by participating in the university's extensive study abroad programs. I am interested in the program in Santiago, Chile where not only could I continue developing my Spanish and learn about another culture in Latin America, but I could also actively discuss and plan how to tackle political, sociological, and environmental issues. By making changes in another country, I could develop ideas for renovating communities back home. I also would like to participate in the short-term programs during which I could pursue an interesting subject hands-on, such as learning London's history by touring the city or studying the use of water by working on projects in China. After tutoring elementary school students and living in a city with one of the poorest quality of education, I'm interested in reforming the education system and helping those who suffer from these systems. I plan to volunteer with Syracuse's Say Yes to Education to help students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and help develop other programs for this organization. By volunteering in Say Yes, I hope to return to Chicago after graduation with ideas for reforming the Chicago Public School system.