Undergraduate / IM LETTING MY LIFE SPEAK...but its not coming out right. (TUFTS!) [3]

"What is my name, Sheri? Do you remember me? I'm your Aunty." she said shouting over the pounding beat of the West African music. There were two things keeping me from responding. First, with my cheeks stretched between the loving clasp of her fingers, I could not talk. Second, even if I could talk, I was certain I had never seen this lady before.

This problem had occurred at every crowded, headdress-filled Sierra Leonean party that I could remember. Not a week went by when there were no baby showers, engagement parties or weddings in the family. This "family" that I refer to wasn't just the people living in my house-- my mom, dad, brother and grandma, nor was it extended family. It was every Sierra Leonean in the Greater houston area. Although I had not met them all, I was taught to call them Aunty, Uncle, and Cousin. Although

This culture has been inescapable,extensive and securing. It is a culture of constrained togetherness. Everyone is family. Indeed when my old Grandma fell and broke her hip, it was these people whom we had stood in lines with for food at parties and danced to Soukous music with that came to help, introducing themselves for the first time when they brought Granny flowers. Living as a member of the Sierra Leonean 'family 'has taught me that community is essential for happiness and fulfillment. For this sense of genuine brotherhood and utilitarianism, I am thankful to be a apart of a family as big as a city.

WHAT SHOULD I CHANGE? HOW CAN I MAKE IT MORE PERSONAL? ANY ADVICE?

Undergraduate / Tufts University paraphernalia, should i keep going for this... WHY TUFTS [3]

I really want Tufts University paraphernalia.
Backpack: To take me through the globally focused education and study abroad opportunities--the gate way to the international career I dream of.
Sweatshirt: A rare piece of uniformity found in the intensely globally and interest diverse student population.
ID Card: The key to the city of boston where internships await.

ignore the actual content. assess the idea please!

Undergraduate / THIS IS MY VOICE. i need your opinions. (tufts essay) [4]

What could make it better? How are the mechanics? Any awkward phrases?
help me out! i'll return the favor.
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I am a great thrifter.



Every Wednesday after school I trek to Salvation Army to catch the weekly 'half-off' sale.

Greeted by the musty smell of old clothes and the warm, singing 'hellos' of the volunteering ladies from the back of the store, I have reached my sanctuary.

I love the feeling of accomplishment after buying a great dress for $4 when the retail price was $400. I love when I bring friends who scoff and laugh at a "weird" purchase, only to swoon over the item after I appoint and accessorize it into the perfect ensemble. I love having an eye, giving things a chance, and having faith in something that others may think is old, ugly or useless.


Tufts Class of 2014, nice to meet you. I am the voice of optimism and innovation. I am the one to say: "It may seem hopeless but, there is potential here! We could create an online vintage store, sell these items, advertise them with her great prose and his stellar photography then give the profit to charities in Sierra Leone and Medford.


I am the girl who buys your grandma's clothes and wins 'Best Dressed' while wearing them.

I am Tori Amos*: thrifter extraordinaire.

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I'd rather not share my real name on here. *

Undergraduate / my funky shoes - COMMON APP ESSAY. thoughts? [7]

I bought my favorite pair of sandals from an old, bearded man in a closet-sized shoe store on the streets of Saudi Arabia. Years of living in Saudi had sharpened my haggling skills to thwart his expatriate exploitation scheme: "Madam, straight from Italy. Gucci, I have. Madam, Chanel, I have." There was no way Chanel specialized in Saudi Sandals, I thought to myself. I bought the sandals for half price. Although these men's sandals remind me of an alligator's head, with the wide toe as an eye and the broad bumpiness of the straps as the head, I can't stop wearing them. When I recently went back to visit my family and friends in Texas, my sandals proved to be an indicator of the openness that people have towards my life.

True to her frankness, my Aunty Josephine initially noticed a few things about my appearance and then "my ugly shoes". "You lek am fo true, titi?" she asked sympathetically in Sierra Leonean Pidgin English, whether I truly liked living in Saudi Arabia. As I showed her a picture of my friends and I dressed in long, black Burkas smiling in a booth at TGIF's she laughed uncontrollably, wheezing, "Get out of here! First, the shoes and now the dress. You look silly, child. You really like it there, don't you?" I do love the strangeness I have experienced in Saudi- from the shops that close five times a day for prayer, to sand storms, and the fact that as a female, I cannot drive past the gates of our residential compound.

While in Texas, I also got to visit my best friend, Gen. Her reaction to my sandals was just as lukewarm. After hugging and reminiscing, Gen asked me to stand up and do a quick twirl insisting, "Let's see what living out there has done to you this time." I had almost passed her inspection until she caught sight of my sandals: "What the heck are those?" she scoffed. I knew that skeptical tone all too well. It was the same tone she used in asking questions about my life in the Northeast like, "Why do you go to boarding school if you didn't do anything wrong?" or "How could you ever leave Texas?" However, I knew that Gen wasn't really looking for answers; after all, I had explained my situation before. These rhetorical questions were her way of telling me that I was missing out on comfortable weather, great Tex-Mex food and most importantly a "normal" high school experience. In the same way that Gen is not open to my funky sandals, she has never been willing to believe that I genuinely love my strange boarding school experience: sledding with my teacher's kids in the snow, conversing in Chinese in the dining hall, or playing instruments on the dorm porch with my band, Trash Taxi.

While my friends and family in Texas may not appreciate my funky shoes, friends at school ask me with eager curiosity, "Where did you get them?" or "Can I try them on?" In my time there, I have brought back five pairs of sandals to very grateful wearers. I find myself relating naturally to the open-mindedness about the unfamiliar that I have found in my schoolmates.

The mixed reviews that my sandals have received have taught me a valuable lesson: Take ownership of what love you, regardless of what people think. With this as my mantra, I been true to my passions and have never been more proud to say: I play the bongos! I speak Chinese! I enjoy GoGurt! I watch Rugrats! I listen to Jazz! I love my Saudi Sandals!