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Posts by yang
Joined: Nov 29, 2009
Last Post: Feb 25, 2014
Threads: 2
Posts: 278  
From: United States of America

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yang   
Feb 25, 2014
Undergraduate / Cornell University - REASONS for TRANSFER [3]

I like the clarity and directness of your essay. 2 short comments: 1. You need to be a little more specific. The only thing I feel that you understand about Cornell is that it offers 4000+ courses, and even then I'm not sure it is unique to Cornell. Are there specific programs, research opportunities, labs, that you are interested in Cornell? When I went through the application process a few years back, my counselor said that if you can replace the name of the college by another one, say Yale, then there is really no distinctiveness in that essay.

2. Passive sentence structure. Example:

Attending Cornell would be a great investment in my future, an opportunity I would take full advantage of.

I would fully take advantage of the opportunity of attending Cornell as it would be a great investment for my future.

There are a few other similar circumstances. try to use "I -action-" instead of "the school"
yang   
Nov 11, 2010
Undergraduate / Stanford Supplements: Necropsy, My Ears are My Soul, Freedom - EA [5]

Here's an idea that seemed really interesting, but severely lacks support.

Unfettered from tradition, Stanford's independent spirit stands as a beacon for all possibility.
Why so? I'm sure that you know of Stanford's strange acceptance pattern, explaining the uniqueness of its student body, but in what way? You mention several academic aspects of Stanford, but these are not unique at all...neither do they show an "independent spirit" nor "beacon for all possibility"

Food for thought: capture Stanford's uniqueness, and your essay would truly be special. Far more than simple eloquence.
yang   
Mar 2, 2010
Research Papers / Death Penalty Research paper (it should be banned) [10]

who are we to say that the person needs to die

if all think like you, then we wouldn't have any murders. However, we do have murders, which is against the nature of things; therefore, it's ok, even righteous, to sentence the person who infringed human rights in the first place for the sake of good nature of things.

This argument is supported by Hamlet: Regicide is unnatural (against nature), but since the king's brother murdered the king, it's only natural that he gets killed as well, even though he becomes the new king.

Now, i'm not supporting death penalty; simply showing you the flaw of your argument.
yang   
Feb 25, 2010
Essays / Is the Statement of Purpose (PhD program) word limit enforced strictly? [10]

Although I am uncertain for PHD programs, usually the word limit stands for +-10%. Since it states 300-500 words and not around 500 words, the admin might want below or equal to 500.

I'm sure that you could reduce it somehow, often it's cutting down a few nonessential details that'll do the trick.
yang   
Feb 23, 2010
Research Papers / Death Penalty Research paper (it should be banned) [10]

I need to know how to paraphrase my source information

Well, for a research paper, paraphrasing ISN'T enough. What defines a research paper is the incorporation of various sources through CITATION. How to cite? Type MLA format in google. It'd be too complicated to explain the MLA format in detail.

Now, you've got good ideas, but you need to combine your ideas and come up with a central thesis, just like a normal essay. You could say: According to this this this, the death penalty should be banned, and put up a bunch of paragraphs FULL OF CITATIONS and RELIABLE (preferably not wikipedia or other random websites) sources (don't forget the bibliography). You could also refute the counter argument, saying: Proponents of the death penalty have argued this this, but this this proves that they're wrong.

I think that you should research on research paper format (pun :)) so that you fully understand the requirements for a full-fledged MLA research. Good luck!
yang   
Feb 9, 2010
Undergraduate / Eliot's "Prufrock"; College essay on literature that changed me [5]

measured out my life with coffee spoons

that's something typical of English. so even if you ARE mature, you won't measure it out with coffee spoons cuz...you're not English. In the same reasoning, even if you are immature, you could still measure it out with coffee spoons since that'd be your lifestyle. This is simply an allusion to Macbeth, I don't think that you quote it that appropriately. I'd suggest another passage.

btw, how old do you think prufrock is? he's actually only 35-45 range.

not from the grand and magnificent

well the quote itself isn't grand. the entire story focuses on whether Prufrock'll ask that girl out. THAT'S IT!!! It's nothing great, if not for the hidden theme: To be or not to be. He's chosen to not be, a cowardly act. What would you choose?

overall, I think that you've got the style, but not the poem entirely. It's not as much about maturity and really making an impact on the world as simply facing moments of doubt, which could be as small as asking a girl out, and you've got to avoid Prufrock's cowardice and choose to be, to follow your heart and not care about what others speak of you.
yang   
Feb 7, 2010
Undergraduate / The importance of education - personal essay (TOPIC E) for UT transfer [3]

My generation

I. use I whenever you can.

In my personal opinion, It is way too personal

definitely not

I read other people's essays, they were more like research papers, it seem dry but well written

you've read crappy essays then

I think mine is not well focused

hmm...it is well focused in that you've got a central theme: education, but you try to fit your entire life in such a tiny space that it seems all over the place.

The essay has some grammar errors which I won't bother to correct. Just get an English teacher.

Now, on your comment of whether it's too personal, I'd say that it's not personal enough. You've got a bunch of details on your life, but not what you think of them.

I was very fascinated with speaking English

It is this kind of personal thinking that you need. There's a bunch of stuff happening TO YOU, your parents supporting you, your friends supporting you...but not enough OF YOU, which is how you've reacted, what did you think of education, how do you view your parents' sacrifices, why were you all of a sudden interested in college.

Things to avoid:

The importance of education has a different meaning to different people.

Sure, different people have differen opinions of education. WHO CARES? This is your essay about you, and the reader wants to know you. Not other people, not your parents, not your friends. YOU. Therefore, I'd suggest that you completely devote the essay to your thoughts and your life. Sure, mention what your parents have done for you, but don't make that the bulk of your paragraph. Frankly, for every sentence you spend on your parents, you need 2 on your reaction and emotions.

Now, there are several ways to go about this prompt. My favorite is anecdotes. The most interesting fashion of answering to college prompts is to tell stories. What happened on the first day of school? What EVENT made you realize the importance of education? Was there 1 day that you saw your parents labor and simply wept because you were touched? Tell fragments of your life that led you to this epiphany.

College essays are supposed to be interesting to read; well written is only the prerequisite. A well written, but dry essay is worth less than nothing. If you really want to go to UT, tell your life story and make it real for the reader. There's no such thing as too personal. If you can make the reader life your life and at the end cry for you, you've gotten into UT.
yang   
Feb 7, 2010
Research Papers / Nuclear energy - I need help on research paper! [2]

-Objective: Is NPG a nice idea to use as alternative energy?

it should be your thesis, and you should clearly say YES or NO.

Answer: Is NPG a good idea? -> Discuss about NPG (in conclusion)

no, the purpose of your intro is your thesis sentence that clearly explain the rest of your essay, and you can't wait till the end to say yes or no. It would be a very immature writing or narrative. Since you are doing neither, put your answer in the beginning.

Thesis
support
support
support
...
Repeat thesis in a different way.

If your body paragraphs follow that pattern, then it's right. Remember, always support and come back to your main thesis in the intro.

Oh, and a research paper is different from all others because you need to QUOTE!!! so find articles and CITE a bunch of stuff and you'll be good to go. Don't forget the bibliography and MLA format.
yang   
Feb 7, 2010
Undergraduate / "wait for my new test scores" - My letter of appeal to USF [2]

yea, before you send this out, definitely get a teacher to review grammar. It's deferred, not differed.

And it only took a tour of USF to turn my act around.

what do you mean by this? elaborating on why USF is so important to you is definitely more worthwhile than complaining about your senior year.

I have already taking both an ACT and SAT, but scoring poorly on both. But really I am not that great of a standardized test taker. And on top of that there were a lot of things going on in my mind.

Maybe try to sound less like you're complaining. Sure, some people are simply horrible test takers, but that shouldn't be an excuse. I don't think that saying this will help you get sympathy from the admin.

Going in to the test was very hard because for the past few weeks I couldn't sleep very well.

lol why? The job loss was a legitimate "excuse", but this is NOT. You could instead say that you've tried to help your parents by searching for a job (idk if it's true), and that'll sound much better than "not sleeping well". Anxiety is part of the test, and if you succumb to that, it just means that you can't take pressure.

But with two very low scores I was hoping to get differed rather than denied.

why? with two VERY low scores you should get denied. So why deferred? I'd suggest replacing very low by unsatisfactory

Because I am willing to do anything to spread the USF motto of "Truth and Wisdom" throughout the community of Tampa.

I have no idea what you mean by this. Spread the motto? how?

when I sent mine in I really didn't have much to offer or make me stand out from the rest.

well then, why are you surprised of getting denied?

The overall tone of your essay sounds like you understand that you've failed, and you want a second chance, which isn't bad, but you said it in a way that makes you look bad. Instead, I'd appeal by highlighting your STRENGTHS, and explaining why you didn't do well on the standardized tests (while emphasizing that you are far more intelligent than the tests suggest b/c your grades or whatever), and end by saying that you've taken measures of getting higher scores, and that you guarantee that these new scores will be a much more accurate picture of your abilities. Remember, you want to make them go BACK on their decision, not CONFIRM it and then ask for a second chance.
yang   
Feb 7, 2010
Undergraduate / "education" is little more than an expensive isolation - essays for Stanford. [5]

I know that my chance is pretty low. But I still want to try.

"The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."

- Randy Pausch, the Last Lecture.
always give a shot :D

four years institution

Why mention four-year institution? Are you transferring from a school that takes less than 4 years?
Ah, I see, community college. I'd suggest then that you say: to Stanford, a top quality institution that would balance my education and the reality. After all, Stanford isn't any four-year institution.

I like the organization of your essay. You divided your essay in essentially 2 parts: real-life experience, and your own major. Then you tie both together. (you do have to be more precise in tying them together though. Just through internships? I mean, couldn't you give an example of a certain field of your major and explain what you could possibly get in Stanford, apart from the "unlimited resources", there's not such thing anyways, that'll allow you to get the experience needed?)

Mentioning Stanford, I have NO IDEA of why you want to go to Stanford. The only reason you've given that you want to transfer is real-life experience. Why couldn't you get that in a community college? And more importantly, WHY STANFORD? You could get internships in virtually ANY college, but why a top notch school like Stanford? You need to provide reasons other than internships and real life experience. I'd suggest you look up Stanford's website and actually go through their programs and tie that into your major.

As it is, this essay unfortunately won't help you in your quest to Stanford. In order to have an impact, you need to really convey why Stanford is different than any other four-year institution to you.
yang   
Feb 4, 2010
Undergraduate / Why I want to research Chemistry [3]

if you like science so much, why not bio? why not physics?

it seems to me that hiv and aids are medical problems, which is more related to bio/biochem than pure chemistry. So why chem?
and why AIDS? it's a rather odd topic to talk about. you've got cancer and all these, but why a sexual disease in particular?

I understand that every one won't make it to the end of the line of go through with the plan if succeeding in this field of study, however I have faith that I can

is that all you've got? faith? is there any plan?

well, your essay feels like a typical answer to the prompt: why this major and why our school. I suggest a path that would link your own story to the major, like telling an episode of your life, an event, that made you realize your passion and please explain what you plan to do instead of saying: i BELIEVE that i'm gonna be great...it's pure arrogance.
yang   
Feb 3, 2010
Writing Feedback / Cool vs uncool - an argumentive definition essay [7]

That's what makes this essay argumentave :)

well you're not trying to provoke argument, you're trying to persuade the reader that you're right; argumentative essays are really similar to persuasive ones (except minor differences), and you're definitely trying to come up with the strongest and most flawless argument possible, not leaving the reader perplex and doubt you. If so...then are you trying to accomplish in your essay? point out an "argument" that has logical fallacies?
yang   
Feb 2, 2010
Writing Feedback / Cool vs uncool - an argumentive definition essay [7]

uncool high school kids follow the rules and lack self confidence

lol that's a very very bold statement, especially the second half. So you suggest that ppl who follow rules lack self confidence?

You are cool if you think you are cool, and if you think you are uncool, then well, you are uncool.

lol your conclusion makes me smile :D so what about those ppl who think they're cool, but are in fact simply half assed jerks?
yang   
Feb 2, 2010
Undergraduate / neurological and social causes and treatments for anxiety disorder-UT Austin SOP [5]

I wasn't in the top ten percent and am a white middle class male

lol not sure about that, i'd say the same for being an Asian, since we r an over represented minority.

though there really was never a moment that I can say was the catalyst for wanting to go

if there's really no revelation time, then you should go the dream/vision way, which is to say that you've always wanted to go to that school and stuff...either way, you've gotta show you want to go there, especially after having applied there once already.

beware, DO NOT say anything bad about your current school, don't compare programs. it'll just make you look bad.
yang   
Feb 1, 2010
Undergraduate / neurological and social causes and treatments for anxiety disorder-UT Austin SOP [5]

here's my question: why ut austin? why transfer?
I believe that in the case of transfer, the admin wants to know as much about the reason of your transfer as who you are as a person, therefore, I'd suggest a combination of both your moment of revelation and your interests, you can hardly talk about one without the other anyways, since you are dealing with a transfer after all.

if you can't think about the moment of revelation, why did you want to transfer? it's always hard to go to a new environment, so what made you think ut was worth it? it had to be more than the programs, or you'd prob have applied there in the first place; programs are good everywhere, so why ut austin?

answer this question, talk about yourself, and you'd be just fine.
yang   
Feb 1, 2010
Undergraduate / Great interest into helping people, especially children, University of Michigan [3]

I don't understand the purpose of the first paragraph, and I don't think that you need it there. It's generic and you should generally avoid saying things like "we should do this this" or "we have tendency to think this way". You only have 250 words, be personal!

Since I was little, I showed a great interest into helping people, especially children

That'd be a much better start of your essay.

Besides children, learning and mathematics are my passion.

there's absolutely no transition here. You put 1 sentence out there about helping people, and move on to math and LEARNING? never EVER put learning as a passion, it's like saying "I like bleh..."

now, you need to develop on the idea of helping people. Don't start talking about something, then immediately going off about somethign else. I suggest that you spend at least 1 paragraph on a SPECIFIC and PERSONAL example about helping people/kids.

Before high school, I heard a lot of students saying negative things about biology and especially chemistry.

where does that come from? You just mentioned math/bleh, now it's bio and chem? come on, have some focus!

Your third paragraph is definitely out of place, it should've been right after you said: I like to help people. It's still very broad. You talk about how you are

strong, disciplined, determined, and willing to take any challenge and opportunity

, yet I can say the same thing and it wouldn't matter at ALL. You can't just say good things about yourself without ANY sort of support. It's like writing a research paper solely based on hypothesis and conjecture, without experimentation/actual data to back it up.

I'd suggest you structuring your essay this way:
find your focus, do you want to talk about kids? If so, try to tie your major to it. Math/science? works 2. CHOOSE 1 out of these 2. you've only got 250 words, no time to go back and forth.

1st paragraph: come up with an interesting intro. the beginning of a story for example. college essays should be personal stories that respond to the prompt, not scattered theses all over the place.

2nd paragraph: using that story or short anecdote, link your interest to that. For instance, you could talk about the emotions you felt on the podium after winning a bio/chem contest in the first paragraph, and in depth about how you've come to like the subject, and what part of it you like (don't get technical here). you need to keep the reader interested by telling a story, not showing off the bit of knowledge you know about these subjects, or worse, mention them in a general way that could be done by ANYONE. remember, you are 1 out of 1000, stand out!

3rd paragraph: conclude. If you don't have space left, don't. a conclusion is unnecessary, but if you feel like it, do it.

overall, if you wish to have an essay that actually will help you, rewrite it in a much more personal way. The reader wants to know about you, and it's not through mentioning your interests, which are very typical of Asians anyway, that'll pull you through.
yang   
Jan 26, 2010
Undergraduate / UM, Book that has made impact on you: Victor Wooten (The Music Lesson) [16]

So, it definitely is better to call the baby he or she, but what do you do when you are writing about a baby from the perspective of someone who does not know his/her/its gender?

That is always a hassle, just like to be "politically correct", we have to use he/she and guys/gals (although i've never been bothered to call a group of girls "guys").

So here's my question. Since babies are human, should a person with unknown gender be called "it"? Instead of saying he/she, should we call mr. X/mrs. Y it for the sake of simplification?
yang   
Jan 24, 2010
Undergraduate / UM, Book that has made impact on you: Victor Wooten (The Music Lesson) [16]

the little buggers

in ender's game, the brother keeps calling him bugger lol. I guess that guys are less likely to get offended than girls, who go "whoo" and "ahhh" and "sooo cute" every time they see a baby lol.

but kevin, you're exactly right in that i was more discussing style in this SPECIFIC case of baby. I still believe that grammatically, you can't replace a human being by "it".

Just thought of an interesting question. Using "it" dehumanizes baby, so does the use of "it" in such a way supports/promotes abortion? (since a big part of the abortion argument is the humanity of the baby, or the fetus) this question is pretty random, but i'm curious on whether it could be seen that way.
yang   
Jan 22, 2010
Undergraduate / UM, Book that has made impact on you: Victor Wooten (The Music Lesson) [16]

However, I did notice a contradictory note in brackets on the second definition: (used to represent a person or animal understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned whose gender is unknown or disregarded).

you're right, but if you read the examples, they don't directly make reference to the baby or person. "It's John" is ok, but not to replace John by "it". I see the dilemma, but I don't think that the definition meant to replace the human. I believe that to be safe and to avoid the possibility of offending the reader by dehumanizing babies (some might be very sensitive to those kind of things, I personally wouldn't care if I was the reader) you should use a more appropriate pronoun. I simply pointed this matter out so that your wonderful essay will not be negatively viewed upon because of such a small issue.
yang   
Jan 22, 2010
Faq, Help / Question about EssayForum - How does this site work? [103]

You misunderstood me. QiMin was saying that the teachers gave her/him good grades possibly because he/she was Chinese. Not, bad grades.

oh, i see. It's unfair, but I'd not complain if I were the one receiving the benefits, which is DEFINITELY not the case. The entire college process is skewed this way since colleges favor not just a little URM (under represented minorities) which unfortunately doesn't include the so called "Asians". It's insulting to native indians, blacks, and hispanics, but they benefit so...

As for SAT, reading books (well, reading anything of a certain level) will help you tremendously.

lol i just talked about THE SAME THING you did in another thread a few weeks ago. My argument the other day was that immigrants, because they have to learn a whole new language, master the grammar better than some of the native speakers who don't really care about syntax and stuff when they speak. I totally agree with you in that SAT helps improving English; actually, that's how I overcame most of my writing quirks, but since it's still a foreign language, I have yet to perfect my grammar.
yang   
Jan 21, 2010
Undergraduate / UM, Book that has made impact on you: Victor Wooten (The Music Lesson) [16]

Oh, it is for NOT for humans, that's for sure. You can't say: this person did this, it blabla. instead, it's this person did this, he/she blabla (to be politically correct)

dictionary.reference.com/browse/it

If you look carefully at the examples, NONE replaces a PERSON with the pronoun it. It's ok to say "It's John", but not to say "It did this this this" to replace John. The pronoun "it" was created for and only for inanimate/nonhuman things.
yang   
Jan 20, 2010
Graduate / applying Compute Integrated Manufacturing (Asia University) [6]

I have to learn

I had to learn

did the assignments and projects

what kind of assignments and projects?

Also, take out the "had to" and say: "I learned, or I did". This way, it doesn't make you sound like you HAD to do it without any choice.

While this meant additional work

what meant additional work? school lessons? how is that additional work?

And I had to help System study and program design. I am very interested in System Design and programming very much.

I had to help System study and program design and I became very interested in those disciplines.

at your university.

at XXX university, avoid using your's

I think that you should parse your essay into paragraphs, so that it doesn't read like a huge paragraph. Have an intro and a thesis that tells the reader what you're going to talk about. Overall, I think it's a pretty good graduate essay, considering English isn't your first language.
yang   
Jan 20, 2010
Undergraduate / UM, Book that has made impact on you: Victor Wooten (The Music Lesson) [16]

that baby that cried because it could

a baby isn't an animal, so can't use "it" here

Is it too long? no, it's quite a novel way of structuring and I do praise you for that.

However, I do have to point out that this essay doesn't completely answer the prompt, which is

especially challenging, stimulating, or provocative

and

impact on you

Although you say that the book taught you something, you didn't emphasize on how the book impacted you or how the book was ESPECIALLY challenging, stimulating, or provocative. Honestly, I don't think that the admin cares about what you got out of the book didactically, but more emotionally.

Also, the goal of writing this essay, as well as all others, is to convince the reader that you are the perfect candidate, and you can only do that through hinting subtlety at your skills and strengths of character. In this essay, the reader doesn't really see what strengths you have, except perhaps music, and a bit of psychology. Although you write beautifully, I am not particularly impressed with you as a person from the little you told in your essay. (not an offense, but simply pointing out what this essay is lacking)

Furthermore, the essay is a bit distracting because you switch drastically your thesis, and even now I don't get what your main topic sentence is. You started off talking about music, but then switches to some baby/psych stuff. I think that you ought to put some thesis in your "intro" and start right off with your main idea instead of waiting till the middle since that could confuse the reader.

btw, hasn't the deadline passed?
yang   
Jan 18, 2010
Faq, Help / Question about EssayForum - How does this site work? [103]

One of them even accused me of plagiarism when I quoted Lord of the Flies and wrote after the quote, "--Lord of the Flies" which still confuses me to this day.

haha, perhaps you didn't quote in MLA?

Hell, English wasn't even my second language--it was my third.

hey same here, high five!

i think I get what QiMin's trying to say. "Failure" doesn't mean actually failing, but compared to a math class where you can easily get an A+, an A- in certain english classes means death...at least for me. I don't ever remember getting above A- or writing an 9 on an AP prompt, although by some miracle i managed a 5 on the AP language exam.

Envie, I do disagree with

If they based your grades on your ethnicity that is the most offensive thing a teacher can possibly do.

Chinese people traditionally get a lower grade NOT because of race, but because we are not used to the language, being immigrants, and simply don't get some of the nuances in English, which are essential in writing good analysis. Also, my teacher pointed out that I have some writing quirks particular to "immigrants", such as wrong prepositions like "different to" instead of "different from". These are correctable by studying for SAT, but I still struggle with them sometimes.

My point is that teachers are generally fair, and if they give lower grades on essays, that's not cuz of race or anything, but because of writing skills. Most people in my class gets the same grade as me, which means that I, and I would dare to speak for some of my other counterparts, am simply not as good in writing as in math, but so what? I'm still young and have ample time to improve :D
yang   
Jan 16, 2010
Graduate / MBA Essay on Leadership through mentorship [4]

devil's advocate

haha that's not true! i'm not trying to instigate argument for the sake of it. I simply believe that every essay can become better, so I'm simply pointing out things that I think would strengthen the essay lol. If the reader shares my opinion, wouldn't this essay be a lot stronger?
yang   
Jan 16, 2010
Undergraduate / 'memorabilia items' - Why is the University of Chicago a good match for me? [6]

actually, gerry, the length might not matter, since you surely have heard of the essay that the Dean sent out for this topic that is a pretty huge controversy.

Here's the link to the essay: talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/834970-should-u-chi cagos-admissions-dean-have-sent-essay-around-am-i-too-strict.html

It's quite long, so I guess that originality tops reading the instruction!
yang   
Jan 14, 2010
Scholarship / Medea from Jason and the Argonauts, Essay on One of the Mythological Characters [10]

But, I don't think I will be good enough so I won't apply...yet ^_^

haha don't say that. I highly doubt that I (i'll only speak for myself, if you know what i mean), an immigrant who came here only 2 years ago, am "qualified" to criticize many of the people who write a lot better than me. You story telling skills, for instance, is far far superior than my own. However, I don't think that this has prevented me from helping others because you really don't have to be a better writer to criticize others' essays. It's more about a different perspective and the expertise that only YOU have.

As I said, becoming a contributor doesn't make you superior; therefore, you don't have to be superior to become a contributor.
yang   
Jan 13, 2010
Undergraduate / College teachers are not all the same. [7]

So, the teacher did not mention the mistakes by pointing out the names. She simply said:

sometimes, teachers don't tell you everything you did wrong...it's kinda like a first impression; they can't say that don't like your essay because...they just don't like it, but the impression and the "hidden" factors will make them grade a bit differently.

the essay lacks coherence.

i wouldn't say coherence...maybe it lacks refinement and it's honestly (no offense) childish, but it's logical for the most part.
now, remind me again, is this an esl class or are you still learning english? there's ABSOLUTELY no irony or sarcasm intended, but if you are learning english, then the style flaws would be perfectly understandable.

the essay would be better if I used short-sentences.. (Subject- verb- the rest of sentence.

for your essay, yes. You have some comma splice mistakes such as

understanding collocation, my English teacher, Dr. Sarah Smith, did not explain enough the combination of words together

you've got this new subject, my English teacher, so you can't separate it with a comma. It's gotta be a semi-colon or period before that.

actually, it would be better if you said "understanding the concept of collocation", i'd see where the coherence part MIGHT come into play

the essay contain unnecessary further details especially in examples(exaggerating )

exaggerating...no. but it does highlight what i was talking about earlier on the impression factors. Teachers don't like students judging them, so they'd think that everything you wrote about it is unnecessary

I won't again ask revising any teacher who, consciously or unconsciously, makes the students feel low

not sure what you mean here. won't ask revision from any teacher?

but i definitely agree with you on the part that teachers, in any subject as a matter of fact, should instill love of that subject in students. unfortunately we don't find those teachers too often. Btw, you're in college right?

oh, btw, if i were to complain about my stats teacher vs my math teacher, I'd basically copy paste your essay. just a comment lol.
yang   
Jan 12, 2010
Scholarship / Medea from Jason and the Argonauts, Essay on One of the Mythological Characters [10]

rapoch
lol, funny, you've got 2 last names?

Envie
he's a MODERATOR, which is a self explanatory term. He's "recruiting" you cuz he sees you have very strong writing abilities and would love that you join our ranks. Contributors are nothing more than students/nice people who are dedicated in helping others, so becoming a contributor will (hopefully) make you edit more people's essays.

At least, that's how I saw it.
yang   
Jan 12, 2010
Undergraduate / College teachers are not all the same. [7]

abd85
may I point out that this is in the wrong forum?

though i'm not an english teacher...far from it, i'd still like to give my opinion, if you don't mind.

well, if your teacher's dr. sarah smith, you deserved to fail.
if your teacher's john miles...it's still not a surprise that you failed
if your teacher's none of the above...i see every reason why he/she's failed you.

think about it, would you give a student a high mark for an essay that insults one of your own colleagues?

COME ON! you never ever name teacher names in essays; generalization is an art. Judging specific teachers will get you absolutely nowhere since you 1.don't have the credibility to judge an established professor, 2.your teacher is probably laughing with the person you judged right now, and you've made yourself 1 more enemy.

Now, the essay itself isn't that bad. It's analytical, although rather childish, and has good syntax and grammar.

again, what killed you is naming the teachers and judging them negatively-or actually, judging them at all!
yang   
Jan 12, 2010
Undergraduate / 'memorabilia items' - Why is the University of Chicago a good match for me? [6]

Isn't the deadline way over?

lol yea. maybe going for late?

For my personal preference,

haha, isn't that everyone's "preference"?

oh, btw, this essay is supposed to be 2 paragraphs, not 3, so make it short.

Also, you have some good details, but watch out for syntax, you might wanna get an english teacher to check it.

Finally, I personally didn't care about this prompt much, and I highlighted in a rather concise essay some of the main elements of the school, like scav hunt, econ dept...you have to understand that this school's very creative and ridiculously "nerdy", so try targeting your answer in that area. don't spend too much time on this tho, the biggie is honestly the 5 choice long essay. That's really what you need to do well on to get in. trust me, i've gone thru it.
yang   
Jan 12, 2010
Undergraduate / "Dr. Martin's Lectures" -Essay about someone who has made an impact on your life [6]

lol, it's not what i meant, but that'll do.

em...maybe this essay sounds better when it's paragraphed, but as it is, it lacks a central element that defines a good college app essay: YOU.

feel free to disagree with me, but the only part that you actually tell the reader who you are through your thoughts is in the last 2 sentences, when you talk about your reaction to the symposium...and of course in the introduction where you talk about the things you've heard...which unfortunately doesn't have much to do with your thesis, which is essentially how dr. martin impacted you.

A lot of fellow students misunderstand this prompt and spend all their time talking about the "someone". However, this prompt isn't asking you to talk about a person other than you; in fact, the admin won't care about how great or what that person has done, but how you are impacted by it and why you would be a good fit for that school.

Therefore, I'd suggest you shortening your intro and start with Martin's lecture, then spend the rest, the BIG chunk of the essay on your reactions on it. keep in mind that you are trying to prove that you are the perfect candidate for that school, so make sure that you show insight and highlight your qualities. intertwining the whole thing with your background would be pretty cool too.
yang   
Jan 12, 2010
Faq, Help / Question about EssayForum - How does this site work? [103]

haha, i wish i had an english teacher who is "only human". My 10th grade english is a graduate from Harvard, and my english teacher now is...a self considered genius (not saying he's not, but if he is AS smart as he thinks he is, then he should consider doing bigger things, like writing a book or something).

they're of course, both arrogant to some extent, and aren't shy about it. This isn't anything bad and I'm not complaining about it (in fact, I'm even glad that I have such teachers since they both helped me tremendously), but I just think it's funny how different english teachers can be.
yang   
Jan 11, 2010
Undergraduate / Wash U St. Louis - University Scholars Program in Medicine essay [5]

I had originally written a few sentences about research I did over the summer, but I took that out because I didn't want to just introduce something and then not be able to expand it into a separate paragraph.

yea, don't

well, I thought that because you emphasize that you really liked to care about people on a very daily basis and physical level, like doing things for them and helping them do things they couldn't by themselves, which is very like nursing.

However, I totally understand that for a high school senior, you prob won't have a bunch of research papers and experience in doctor duties, so your essay is perfectly fine the way it is. You've shown enough interest in medicine and most importantly, a heart to help, and that's really what the school's looking for. After all, you don't really have to declare a major until second year, so they won't care so much about what exact major you're aiming at.
yang   
Jan 11, 2010
Undergraduate / Wash U St. Louis - University Scholars Program in Medicine essay [5]

Good job! This is very nicely written and answers the question perfectly.

However, I do like to point out that you have a rather strange way of paragraphing. You don't have an intro or conclusion right? There's nothing wrong with it if that's what you want to do with your essay.

About your question on the page thing, it's really not a big deal as long as in single-spaced form you do not exceed say, 1 and 1/3 of a page.

Oh, one last comment, from your last sentence and the rest of your essay, you seem to be more aiming for a nursing career than becoming a doctor, am I completely off track?

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