Undergraduate / Grinnell Supplement: How did I come to know G & a new Mascot/Nickname for G [2]

Prompt:
How did you first learn about Grinnell? (500 characters)

During my one-year stay in Madison, Wisconsin, my family travelled to Iowa to see the bridges of Madison County. On the way, we dropped by Grinnell College and took a look around. Though I was only ten back then, I recalled my visit as I began my college search and explored Grinnell on-line. Not before long, I learned that Grinnell precisely fit my dream school: a top-notch liberal arts college in the Midwest, with the full range of studies open for me to venture in, with the least restrictions.

Prompt:
Since its founding in 1846, the spirit of Grinnell College has been symbolized by its nickname, "The Pioneers." After more than a century of service, the "Pioneers" are being retired. What new mascot or nickname would you recommend for Grinnell College to reflect its history, current environment, and core principles, as you understand them, and why?(500 characters)

I think "Iceberg" is a fitting nickname for Grinnell. What we see of an iceberg is really only the 10% tip of the whole mass; the remaining 90% is hidden under the water. Similarly, while Grinnell is not so exposed above surface, below there is the 90% consisting of Grinnell's commitment to diversity and freedom in education. Moreover, Grinnell's students are also like icebergs in that they embody the 90% of potentials and a pursuit of scholarship as pure as the pure water constituting icebergs.

Undergraduate / Bowdoin supplement: How have you prepared for an environment like Bowdoin's? [2]

Prompt:
Bowdoin is a liberal arts college that thrives on intellectual discourse in and out of the classroom. Students, faculty, and staff all participate in the exchange of ideas in an atmosphere characterized by high achievement and a sense of balance. The Admissions Committee is eager to learn more about you and your school community. Reflecting on your own educational experiences, how have you prepared yourself to enter an academic environment like Bowdoin's? (250-500)

"Any creative ideas for this Wednesday's art history class?"

"How about studying culinary art?"

Thus, our art history seminar on the following Wednesday took place at the home of our teacher, Mr. Ganse. He lived on campus, in the teachers' apartment, so going to his home meant only a bit more walk from his office in Chungmu Hall. Because the kitchen was too small to accommodate the entire class of thirteen students, we divided into a group of two. Six took their seats in the living room to watch a video tape about specialty dishes all over Europe, while the rest of us washed our hands and one by one took charge of different tasks: putting slices of cheese and tomato on cracker for appetizer, tearing lettuce and other veggies into small pieces for the salad, and boiling noodle for the main dish - pasta. I started preparing jello for dessert. My propensity for jello had earned me the nickname "Jelloholic" and Mr. Ganse always entrusted me with a pack of jello mix whenever I visited his home. The six in the living room took turns washing dishes to maintain the supply of clean kitchenware.

Each course lasted no longer than a couple minutes at the fierce charge of more than a dozen spoons and forks. The grand ending of our "culinary art" seminar was celebrated with a whole quart of vanilla ice cream and my cherry-flavored jello. After a half-in-jest, yet engaging, debate on "Is culinary art art?" we thanked Mr. Ganse for the delightful brunch, and headed back to Chungmu Hall for the next period's Chinese, French, or Spanish classes.

The meal at Mr. Ganse's is just one piece of my innumerable experiences at Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, where I met not only the most talented peers from all over the country (and sometimes from abroad as well) but also engaging teachers who were willing to establish a close relationship with the students and interested in what we had to say. My overall school life was predominantly led by students ourselves - even the art history class had been opened at our request - and in most courses, I had the opportunity to give a presentation on a topic of my interest and have a thorough discussion on it with my classmates. A born communicator myself, I hugely enjoyed sharing my academic interests - and sometimes my culinary passions - with other outstanding individuals.

I feel confident that with my high school experience, I will feel home at Bowdoin, where there is an emphasis on the sharing of diverse perspectives across different cultures, ethnicities, and social backgrounds. I will be an ardent advocate of Bowdoin's commitment to not only providing extraordinary academic privileges within the school community, but also engaging the real world in the liberal arts education - and I know I will make the best out of it.