Undergraduate / Cornell Hotel Management Essay [2]

Hi guys. Obviously I don't have time to change much so I really just want my grammar and spelling checked. Also this essay as it stands is EXACTLY 500 words, so if you think I should ass one let me know if there's one I can remove. Thanks for your help!

What work and non-work experiences, academic interests, and career goals influenced your decision to study hospitality management? How will these contribute to your success at the School of Hotel Administration?

Throughout my life I've had the opportunity to stay at some fantastic hotels around the world. The Lanesborough Hotel in London, the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Amman, the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele in Lana'I, and the El Conquistador in Puerto Rico are just a few of many examples. My experiences at these locations have left me incredibly interested in the ways that hotels run. As such studying at the School of Hotel Administration is something I would love to do.

The attention to service that all these Hotels provide is fascinatingly meticulous. The Lanesborough in particular is a great example. The Lanesborough seems to remember every thing about all their guests. Upon returning to the Lanesborough they remember your name, what newspapers you like, what you like to have in your room, and so many other tiny details. The fact that each floor has butlers also shows extreme attention to their customer's needs. Seeing all this taught me an appreciation of such practices. Having a customer be taken care of so carefully justifies the high prices to the consumer and ensures customer loyalty.

The way the Lanesborough came into existence is an inspiring story of genius business practice. The building that became the hotel was originally a hospital; in fact, the breakfast room used to be a morgue. Picking this location was an innovative idea that paid off greatly. After the renovations you would have never known the building's origins if they didn't advertise it. This shows the value in having an open mind to what's possible, particularly when it comes to getting the location you need.

Location is key in running a hotel, particularly those of resort hotels. The Grand Hyatt in Aman brilliantly chose to build a pool on the roof. At first this may seem like a fairly standard decision, but it becomes so much more when you realize that the pool they built features an excellent view of the nearby Grand Mosque. The El Conquistador in Puerto Rico was built right next to the ocean, making for a gorgeous view and countless entertainment opportunities.

The Lodge at Koele, in Hawaii, was particularly interesting for the location they chose. Despite that they could have built the hotel by the beach, as seems to be the logical decision for a Hawaiian resort, they choose to build the hotel in an unspectacular mountain. They managed to turn this location into a positive however, delivering something very unique by providing something that Hawaii isn't otherwise known for This allowed them to stand out from the countless beach resorts in Hawaii.

I feel that these experiences have taught me much about what makes for a smart decision in hotel management. At the very least, I know the value of service and I know the value of location. Also I have a bit of a legacy in the hotel business, my Grandfather owned a hotel and as such I also know a significant amount about the day-to-day operations of a hotel.

Undergraduate / Cornell CAS Essay - check over my spelling and grammar [NEW]

Hi. Obviously I'm very time limited so I can't change anything significant as far as content goes.

Ever since I can remember, I've always loved movies. Film has always fascinated me. The way that simple pictures on a screen and sounds from a speaker can affect a person is incredible. Film can convey not only thoughts and ideas, but also emotion, and in my opinion, it does so far better than any other artistic medium. My favorite thing to do in life has always been to entertain others, and film has the potential to entertain millions of people at one time. With such an obsession with the power of film, it was only natural for me to start making some of my own.

I first acted upon this interest when I was in middle school, and since then my involvement in filmmaking has continued to grow. I started out making short comedies. Seeing the looks on people's faces as they watched those films were some of the best moments of my life. Knowing that people had enjoyed something that I made was a wonderful feeling. So I continued to produce more comedy. Then, after studying the works of directors such as Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen, I became inspired and expanded the types of films I wrote to include more dramatic fare. Those directors make films that are so intelligent and contain so many brilliant ideas and themes. I knew that with enough dedication, I could do the same. Making sure my films had depth and artistic value was, and still is, very important to me. Currently I'm working on four different projects with genres varying from documentary to drama to comedy and music video. I like to think that I am succeeding in all of these forms.

Cornell would be a great place for me to study film. While I like to think that I am already fairly proficient in the artistic aspects of filmmaking, there is always more for me to learn. The resources that Cornell's film program offer cover everything that I could possibly need to learn the craft in depth. Cornell also has one thing in particular that makes it stand out in this regard-- I noticed when I visited that there was a movie theater on campus. I was incredibly impressed by this fact and beyond simply how fun and convenient that is, it's an excellent educational tool because it would allow me to study films the way they were meant to be seen. Cornell Cinema, Ithaca's year round film festival, brings older films to that theater that I might otherwise never be able to see in such an environment. Studying at Cornell is a dream of mine, and I was delighted when I found out how perfect it was for my intended major.

Undergraduate / 'Did not die in this moment' - NYU Tisch Dramatic Essay [2]

I appreciate any help you guys can give me, this is my first time posting on this website. I have to have this in the mail tomorrow.

Prompt:Introduce yourself. Describe an unforgettable event in your life and how it changed your perception of yourself or the view of someone close to you. This event can be dramatic and/or comedic. The assignment may be written as a short story in the first person or as an essay.

They say that right before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. My god I hope it does.

I was on my way home from a field trip to Gettysburg. Spending the day there with my friends was more then just educational, but fun, a truly enjoyable experience. As I sat on the bus, talking to my friends, I had a sense of satisfaction. I was happy; I was enjoying life. But then a sense of dread came over me; as soon as I got home I knew this feeling would end. I had a massive amount of work to due the next day and it had the potential to take up my whole night. Once I arrived at home I got to work, the drudgery was painful, but not as much as the rest of the night would be.

My work was coming along quite nicely; at the rate I was going I'd have gotten it done with time to spare. But then it happened. First I felt a movement in my arm, then all of a sudden, a sharp pain in my chest. I fell to the ground. It felt exactly like a heart attack is supposed to. I was confused. I didn't know for sure that's what it was, but I was scared, more scared then I had ever been in my life. Then the symptoms expanded and got stranger. I felt a sensation of liquid rushing throughout my torso, I began shivering, my heart rated spiked, I felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen, and my arms and hands slowly began to numb. It just continued to get worse. Something was wrong, very, very, wrong. If I were alone I would have called an ambulance. Even in retrospect I realize that this probably would have been the best idea. However I was with my family and my father is a doctor, he's never taken any medical issue I've ever had seriously and as I sat their thinking this was the end, he acted like it was nothing. I thought that this would be the way I died, sudden and anti-climactically.

It was in this moment that my life was forever changed. It's not an uncommon story to hear someone who has gone through a near death experience opine that they need to live more in the moment and that they hadn't enjoyed life enough. My revelation was quite the opposite. All I could think about was how I hadn't done anything substantial in my life. I thought about the famous. I knew the names of important scientists, such as Jonas Salk, a graduate of NYU's medical school, his research had saved the lives of so many people; he would be remembered fondly for centuries. I knew the names of important politicians, such as Ted Kennedy, Barak Obama and countless others that changed the landscape of American government, they would be recorded in history. I knew the names of important entertainers such as Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, both of whom attended NYU and whose work had enriched the lives of countless moviegoers; their films would be eternal. As I thought about all these people it was clear to me who I was: nobody. I was so scared in this moment not because it was the end, but because it was an end without any sense of accomplishment.

I also thought about my friends and how much they mean to me. I thought I might never see them again. There was nothing I wanted more desperately than an opportunity to say goodbye to them. I would not be blessed with that opportunity. It was an incredibly depressing thought.

As these thoughts occupied my mind an hour passed. I slowly began to recover. Feeling returned to my extremities, as I controlled my breathing my heart rate returned to normal and the pains subsided. I was still in shock. I'm not a religious man, but if I were, this would have been the time at which I thanked god.

Obviously I did not die in this moment, but a part of me did. My ability to feel at all carefree about anything was gone. From this moment forward I knew I was going to have to live my life a different way. I needed to do something worthwhile, become somebody. I would have to become a more dedicated person. Up until this point I had little regard for my health. That would be the first and easiest thing I would change. I was going to do whatever was in my power to prevent an event like this from occurring again. Unfortunately though it did happen again. It came back the next day even worse; I was rushed to the hospital. After being there for a few hours my symptoms again subsided and none of their tests showing anything, so I went back home.

Slowly over the next few weeks, the symptoms started to recur less and less and when they did I wasn't nearly as scared as after having it happen a couple times I realized it wasn't killing me. Its been three months since the first time it happened and to this day no one's really sure what caused it. The prevailing theory is that it was acid reflux, which has been known to mimic heart attacks on rare occasions, luckily though it's not nearly as deadly. That diagnoses doesn't fully explain all of the symptoms though.

They say that right before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. That's the perfect poetic image for the end of life. It wraps up your life's story in a neat little bow right before it all disappears. There's no real reason to believe it's true though. No scientific evidence backs up this fabled occurrence. I've had so many wonderful times in my life, maybe I just didn't come close enough death, but none of those times came back to me. I just felt a sensation of being alone, and that was even though there were people with me. I truly hope that when my time comes and I'm the closest to death I'll ever be, that I will see my life play back, and even more importantly, I hope that there will be something amazing to see.