Undergraduate / common app influential person - best friend Ryan [2]

my main issue is is this a good essay and did i focus enough on how i have changed.

It took all of high school to appreciate what an influence my best friend Ryan has been in my life. Ryan is the type of person that will discuss at length the style of Mahler, the type of musician that will continuously strive for perfection, and the type of best friend that will always take time to talk with me when I need him most. Going through high school with such a remarkable person, I have acquired some of his characteristics and qualities. Not only have I come to appreciate the world of classical music, but I also have come to understand what determination really means and how the success achieved from determination is so satisfying.

Ryan's love for classical music is clearly noticeable at first glance of his ipod's playlist. I was halfway through my freshman year when I looked through his music selection. I questioned nearly every composer on his list. From that point on, I have received numerous CDs filled with Still's Little Folk Suites, Ravel's Ma Mère l'Oye, Debussy's Children's Corner, and more. I actively listened to each piece and slowly came to understand the emotion and power behind them. Three years later, I take the initiative to find composers and pieces that connect to me, like Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis, Varèse's Déserts, and Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy. Not only do I find enjoyment in the music, but I have a deeper understanding of the music I play in band and orchestra.

While I value the new world of music Ryan has brought to me, my life has equally been altered by how Ryan achieves musical success. Everyday at lunch, Ryan goes to the band room and diligently practices on audition excerpts, pieces we are currently working on in class, or etudes for the sole purpose of improving skill. Ryan's work ethic has taught me that hard work and determination is the key to success. I have since applied this concept to my aspiration of becoming a math professor. My desire to achieve this goal keeps me focused in math classes when a below normal test score brings my spirits down. This dream pushed me to join mu alpha theta, the math tutoring club, to test my abilities of helping others understand difficult concepts. I diligently work on my math homework so I can learn the concept at hand that takes me one step closer to my dream. Because of the example Ryan unknowingly set before me, I learned not only how to be focused and determined, but how to apply it to achieve success in anything.

Ryan accepts me and loves me exactly as I am and unknowingly has had a significant influence on my life. He has enhanced it with his love for classical music and altered it with his example of determination in succeeding musically. Next year, we will both be off to pursue our dreams miles away from each other. However, I know that a part of Ryan will always be there for me.

Undergraduate / yale supplement -- i am defined by who i actually am [4]

any criticism would be wonderful. i'm really curious as to if i'm too far off the beaten path. is it intriguing or just weird?

prompt: You have already told us about yourself in the Common Application, with its list of activities, the Short Answer, and the Personal Essay. While we leave the topic of your second essay entirely up to you, try telling us something about yourself that you believe we cannot learn elsewhere in your application. Please limit yourself to fewer than 500 words.

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"I am defined"

I am not defined by titles placed upon me by others.

I am talkative and a great listener when you need to vent your problems. I am a mother to all of my friends. I have been told my laugh is hearty and warm like a grandmother's. My prude nature is countered with inappropriate inside jokes amongst my friends. I am an organized mess. I am a master at stating the obvious. I tend to use sarcasm in the most serious of moments.

I can flutter-tongue on flute yet I can't roll my R's. My singing voice could make glass shatter, but not on purpose. My heart belongs to Debussy and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I believe the piccolo is Satan's instrument. I always have a song stuck in my head. I play a mean game of Nertz and don't mind the occasional game of Solitaire. I critique the outfits on What Not To Wear in my non-matching pajamas.

My wasted time is spent on the Internet. I am equally impressed by the writings of William Goldman and Nathaniel Hawthorne. I crave the cold weather living in the middle of the desert. I have a collection of scarves large enough to make a king-sized quilt. I am secretly in love with sappy romance movies. I am addicted to sunshine but enjoy the occasional rain. I would choose a black and white picture over the same picture in color any day.

With the every piece of additional knowledge I gain, the more I feel that I have so much more to learn. I Google the real questions in life, like "Is an artichoke a fruit or vegetable?" (It happens to be a vegetable). I am open-minded unless it involves rap music, Hannah Montana, or raw carrots. My mind is boggled by the world of driving. I contemplate the universe when studying the law of conservation of mass. My life is simple yet the complex invades my brain.

I could live off of peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, orange chicken, frozen yogurt, and Nutella. I drink hot chocolate in the summer and eat ice cream in the winter. Water is my drink of choice, except for the occasional Dr. Pepper. I love the smell of coffee but the taste is horrendous. The smell of Office Max entices me yet I find office work to be mundane.

I am defined by all the little things that make me unique.