Undergraduate / Stargazing - Brown Supp - Intellectual Experience [8]

Tell us about an intellectual experience, project, class, or book that has influenced or inspired you.

The night sky is my sanctuary. When my spirit threatens to crumble under the pressures of life, stargazing restores my mind to zero-gravity. There are no limits to my musing; each silvery thought may slip free of its cranium vessel and progress unrestrained by the laws of the physical world, reaching ever-higher into the ubiquitous night sky. Looking up, I am humbled by its sheer immensity. The very idea that space is infinite and everlasting counters all tangible logic.

And yet it is so.

Pondering this abstract truth, the gravity of my daily worries seems to dissipate.

The flickering stars are my time machine. My eager eyes comb the endless expanse for a faint smudge found only on moonless nights - the Andromeda Galaxy. My search is rewarded. Gazing at the celestial body, I try to comprehend that I am traveling two and a half million years into the past. The image on my retina is not of how the galaxy looks tonight; it is the light that left the galaxy over two million years ago. It is a memory. It is eternal. If a star in that galaxy had burned out years ago, I would not know. In my world, it is still alive, brilliant in the perpetual darkness.

If these stars can influence my life long after their flame expires, then perhaps my accomplishments have the ability to impact change long after my time as well. Staring into the night sky, I am inspired to make the most of the life I have been given. If, like a single star in the glittering continuum, my life has the potential to make even the slightest impression on the pages of the history, then I am determined to make sure that change is for the better.

Nearby movement lowers my mind back into its corporal dwelling. It is my sister, beckoning me inside. My stargazing is complete for tonight. As I return to reality, I steal one more glimpse of the masterpiece above me. A star shoots brilliantly across the ample background; with any luck, one day so will I.

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I'm aware the end in unforgivably cheesy. If you have any idea how to make it better, I'm happy to hear it.

Also, do you think that even counts as an intellectual experience? Is it far enough out there to be unique but not too far that it actually doesn't follow what the prompt expects?

Undergraduate / "From a remote Canadian town to Columbia University" - Supp - Why Columbia? [6]

Prompt: Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why (1500 chars)

When it comes to America's top universities, the main selling points of a school are always the same: its renowned faculty, its unparalleled research opportunities, its flexible programs - in short, what the school can do for the student. Certainly, Columbia possesses all of these alluring qualities; but in my opinion, what puts Columbia above and beyond other selective schools is not what Columbia can do for the student, but what the student, through Columbia, can do for the world.

Growing up in a remote Canadian town, the radius of my influence was, in the most generous times, limited. Then in my freshman year of high school, my family moved to Lecanto, Florida. Though the upgrade was comparable to moving from a town that was invisible on a map to one that could be mistaken for a passing speck, my determination was unwavering. I founded LHS MedShare: a widely successful group committed to sending medical donations to the nation of Haiti.

Now, I have the potential to embrace the hub of international dialogue, the core of opportunity, the University of Columbia, and the chance to lift my humanitarian ventures onto a global platform while simultaneously receiving the paramount of academic education. Personally, the true reward of education is the ability to bring about positive change in the world; in my eyes, no school embraces this aphorism more completely than Columbia University.

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Any criticism is greatly appreciated. Do you think I adequately addressed the prompt?

Thank you in advance!

Undergraduate / "I'm a a royal pain" - Stanford Roommate Essay [7]

Ok, so here's the prompt:
2. Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate - and us - know you better.

I decided to do something I never thought I would - answer with total and complete honesty. Please let me know what you think. Do you think I even answered the prompt? Is this the sort of thing they're looking for?

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Who am I? You have no idea. To be honest, neither do I. After hours of pondering this question, I've decided that the answer could be found in the people who know me best.

According to my mother, I'm - direct quote - a royal pain. You see my books have a tendency to end up sprawled open on every conceivable surface. At first, my mother swallowed her annoyance of my localized hurricanes, but her OCD could only be contained for so long. I think she finally lost it when she found a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance balanced precariously on top of a lamp shade. Frankly, despite the countless lectures I've endured for this behavior, I have no regrets. Find a way to fully appreciate a book when it's neatly restrained, shut and rigid, up on a bookshelf. I dare you.

Ask my friend Kim and she'll answer (a little too quickly) "in one word - quirky." I'd be lying if I said there weren't hundreds of examples to support her droll declaration. You've probably already experienced this first hand simply surveying our room: I'm captivated by M.C. Esher, I have three different types of Rubix cubes, and the cookies sitting on my desk are not the usual chocolate-chip, rather, they're white-chocolate pumpkin drops (you're free to try some by the way!)

All in all, though I haven't found myself yet, I'm not worried. Based on these opinions, I'd say I'm pretty interesting. Hopefully you'll think so too.

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It needs a lot of work. I appreciate any input! I'll be up all night :)