Scholarship / PBWC- FUTURE GOALS, HARDSHIPS, LEADERSHIP, and FUNDING [2]

As a Political Science major with a double minor in International Relations and Women's Studies I hope to explore various remedies to situations haunting societies all over the world. My major in Political Science will allow me to continue on to law school, become a lawyer, and someday become the CEO of my own law firm. I hope to use the knowledge and skills obtained in the classroom to help people lead a better life. A background in International Relations can give me the tools necessary to make educated decisions and arguments in the international community. Alongside and after my career in law, I would like to hold a position in the United Nations. I would like to advocate for the families worldwide that live in a constant state of fear and worry due to poverty, economic, and political issues in their country. My purpose is to lend a voice to the voiceless and help the helpless. I believe that people have the right to feel safe and have food, shelter and warmth. My hope is that someday I will be able to provide a scared mother or starving child the ability to live in this world without fear.

I had a very unstable start to high school. My parents had many financial issues which caused them to file bankruptcy, further leading to many sleepless nights listening to my parents arguing. On top of that, my family and I were continuously fighting to end my father's problems with drugs and alcohol. None of that has changed yet, but I believe I have. I learned to move past the problems in my life and focus on my education and the things that make me happy. The problems at home increased my drive to go to college and pushes me to become more involved in my school and community.

Leadership is the ability to take responsibility and set a good example for the people around you. It is the ability to stand up for something you believe in, and support it so strongly that you will excite other people in wanting to help you. Leadership means not giving up on yourself or the people you lead because they are counting on you. Throughout high school I have demonstrated leadership through being the president of numerous clubs on campus, such as: American Red Cross Club, Golden Girls Club, and United States Children's Fund (UNICEF) Club. I have organized many events, my favorite being the UNICEF Hunger Banquet in which we raised awareness about the issues of malnutrition in third world countries and raised almost $500 for UNICEF International. I have also been the leader of my own life, socially and academically. Freshman year of high school was the climax of my problems at home; we had just lost our house and everyday was a new problem to overcome. These issues had taken their toll on me through my lackluster grades, my responsible choice of friends, and my rebellious behavior on campus. As sophomore year came around I realized I needed to make a change; I enrolled myself in harder classes and eventually got into the Honors/AP/IB Program. I started playing lacrosse for the Serrano Hawks Club team and my school's JV Girl's Lacrosse team. I became committed to my schoolwork, my sport, and my new group of friends. I was leading a much different lifestyle and I am proud of the choices I made to turn my life around. However, I do not regret the mistakes I made freshman year because I believe they taught me to be a stronger person and learn from my mistakes. I believe I am a worthy recipient of the Professional Businesswomen of California scholarship because I take pride in being a strong, driven young woman who has overcome many obstacles in order to become a successful high school student.

Although some of the problems at home are beginning to dissipate, our financial issues are only getting worse. In December 2010 my family lost our business, so now only my mother's job as a nanny is supporting our family of five. With my sister and I both attending college next year my parents cannot afford to pay the tuition; therefore, the main method for funding my college education is through scholarships, grants, and loans. I hope scholarships and grants will cover most of my tuition because I do not want to graduate college in debt with student loans. I have worked too hard to give up now and hope that the Professional Businesswomen of California scholarship will make this journey a little easier.

Writing Feedback / Theory of Knowledge: Evidence to support beliefs [2]

To what extent do we need evidence to support our beliefs in different areas of knowledge?

Intro:

I think every area of knowledge required a varied amount of evidence. There are two areas of knowledge. One is about the abstract, such as art, ethics, and human sciences. The other is more defined and logical, such as history, mathematics, and natural sciences.

Abstract

Art

When it comes to talking about things that are abstract, there is no point in bringing up evidence because people want to believe what they believe regardless of what is put in front of them. If you put the Fountain by Duchamp in front of a art historian and a regular bystander, they are bound to have different opinions. The art historian would see the beauty in the piece, while the bystander would think of it as a backwards urinal with a signature on it. There is no physical evidence to sway a persons opinion when it comes to art because many criticisms and comments are based off of emotion and feelings. A persons emotions cannot be altered no matter how many art historical facts and statistics are told to them, so in the case of art there is not much of an importance in supporting your opinion with evidence because it is a very personal thing that cannot be altered easily.

Ethics

Ethics is also an abstract area of knowledge because there is never a right answer when it comes to what is right and what is wrong. People normally base their ethical actions on their gut feeling or beliefs, and no amount of evidence can prove or disprove if a persons gut feeling or belief system is valid. What is right to one person could be completely wrong to another person, so ethics is very individualistic and depends on a matter of things. A common ethical dilemma in America is the problem of gay marriage. Many people would say it is ethically wrong to deny a person the right to marriage in America, which is supposed to be a free country where all men are equal. On the other side, people argue that it goes against social norms and it is defying the word of God. Neither side is right or wrong, and neither side could come up with legitimate evidence to prove that gay marriage is right or wrong. Ethics is very situational and solely based on a persons intuitive perspective, so no evidence would not be necessary to support someone's beliefs.

Human Sciences

Human sciences are also somewhat abstract and can be interpreted in different ways. Some human sciences, such as psychology or economics, need a certain amount of evidence. In economics, if a claim was made that the United States was in a recession, there would need to be a fair amount of statistical data to back up that claim. In psychology, there would need to be psychological tests to prove a claim that someone was crazy. The only setback with these various tests are that it is difficult to quantify accurate measurements. The tests are based off of human choices of whether or not people are willing to pay money or if people take a psychology test seriously. Many tests are not subject to controlled experiments, so the results could vary, therefore skewing the evidence used to prove or disprove the human sciences. At a certain point people have to exercise free will, which cannot be fully supported by evidence. A test may say one thing but people are allowed exercise belief perseverance and believe something else. If they happen to agree with the results of the test they can use the test to back up their argument, but if they disagree with the test it would be just as valid because none of the tests are one hundred percent true, so there is leeway for various positions to be taken. For example, if a psychological test proved someone to be crazy not everyone would need to believe in that because it is someone's opinion whether to abide by the results of the test.

Writing Feedback / Discuss the roles of language and reason in history. [3]

I just started this, and I want to make sure I'm on the right track with this. It has to be 1200-1600 words.

Outline for first paragraph:

- Language manipulates a persons reasoning when they are taught history
- How events are described differently in varying countries, so no one knows the exact truth
- War- When learning about wars, our history books glorify America and seem to
be biased as to what truly happened. We seem to justify our actions.
- Cold War- We justified our actions to the American people by making the
Soviets look like the bad guys, while the Soviets justified their actions to their people by making
the American look like the bad guys. It manipulates reason because you only get one side of
the story.

Paragraph (not finished)

Language manipulates a person's reasoning when they are taught history, altering one's perspective of the truth of events in our history. Language has skewed our historical viewpoint based solely on which country we live in. Every country has a different story of what happened, each one glorifying said country in order to excuse them from any guilt or embarrassment of their bad actions. The history taught in American is different from the history taught in Russia, which is different from the history taught in Great Britain. While the world agrees on the time line of events and the existence of the events, we all diverge when it comes to the reasons that justify the actions made. Countries want to glorify their actions to their people, which they do by altering the facts in their favor. This fabrication of the truth manipulates one's reason because everyone's truth is different. People do now know what exactly happened, so they reason that their truth is correct and disregard the idea that what we've been taught could be fabricated. The whole thing is a blame game, where every country points there finger at someone else and says "he made me do it," just because it would be easier to spread lies than tell the truth. The manipulation of history affects our reason because people want to believe that their country is not flawed and has always been a positive impact on the world.

Does this even make sense? I'm not sure where to go with this essay. Please help!

Undergraduate / SHE WORKS HAAARD FOR HER MONAYYY, SO HARD FOR IT HONAYY [2]

haha the title...its the song i was thinking about while writing this paragraph.

Prompt: If you have had work experience, what skills and/or knowledge did you gain?

The many menial jobs I have done throughout high school have taught me how to handle my money in a responsible way. All the money I made at my first job, as a car washer for my neighbors, was wasted on shopping and going out with my friends. As I grew older, and the recession worsened, I began to appreciate the value of the dollar. Prices on everything from gasoline to groceries skyrocketed, and pretty soon almost half my money was going towards buying lunch. I was spending more than I was earning, and was in debt (to my sister) before I even turned 18. Real jobs were hard to come by, so I had to cut back on my spending and start saving up for emergent situation. Since I began my saving ways, I have minimized my spending to the bare necessities and saved up enough money to handle my initial college expenses. My money managing skills have helped me get out of debt and allowed me to take the strain of paying for college applications away from my parents. Overall, it has taught me to be more responsible and deal with the consequences of spending too much money on unnecessary things.

Undergraduate / "My cousin" - Who or what influenced you to apply to Syracuse University? [9]

My cousin is currently a freshman at Syracuse University, and her love for this school is the reason that I began to look into SU. I can see that attending Syracuse University has had an enormous positive impact on her. When speaking of Syracuse she speaks with admiration and love for the university. Based on my cousin's opinion and my own research, I can tell that SU is the perfect school for me. I believe Syracuse can challenge me academically, yet fulfill my social needs through its vast selection of student organizations and campus events. One aspect of SU that makes it so appealing is the amount of school spirit the students have. Coming from a high school that is known for its "Charger Freak Show" school spirit, it is very important for me to attend a university that follows that same mentality. Prior to my research on Syracuse, the only thing I associated with the university was its lacrosse team. Being a lacrosse player myself, I have a special respect and love for the sport, so I am very excited to potentially attend a school with such a successful lacrosse team. Syracuse University has the perfect blend of academics and extracurricular activities, which is exactly why this school is perfect for me to complete my undergraduate studies.

Any feedback/criticisms would be appreciated.
Thank You!

Undergraduate / "explore various cultures" - WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE AT BU? [9]

Prompt: Given what you know about Boston University, what do you hope to accomplish as an undergraduate here? Please respond in an essay of no more than 500 words.

During my 4 years at Boston University, I hope to explore various cultures and make an impact on my life and the university. Being raised in Orange County, CA my life has been very one-way and narrow-minded; at BU I want to reach outside of my comfort zone and experience new people, new activities, and a new way of life. By graduation, I hope to see the world outside of the "Orange Curtain" in a new light.

As a political science major I intend on challenging myself in a wide array of classes that will test my knowledge and prepare me for law school. When the opportunity arises I want to participate in one of Boston Universities UROP research projects that will allow me to work alongside some of the most respected and talented professors at BU. I would be honored to assist them in continuing their efforts to expand their knowledge through research. Also, sometime during my years at BU, I would like to take advantage of their International Programs by studying in cities such as Istanbul, Turkey or Rome, Italy. This would be a great opportunity to examine different customs and cultures while exercising the skills and knowledge I have obtained in the classroom.

Being a part of student government or a sorority at BU would be the icing on the cake. This experience would allow me to share my ideas with the student body, meet new people, and adjust to a new pace of life. Joining student government would also enable me to give back to BU whether it is by organizing campus events or by simply being a role model for other students. Leadership and community service have always been a priority of mine; as the president of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Club and Red Cross Club at my school I have committed myself to many hours of service towards these causes. At BU I fully intend on getting involved in UNICEF Campus Initiative and Red Cross Volunteers to continue my humanitarian work throughout college. Further into my years at BU I hope to start my own service organization or become a leader in an existing organization.

I hope that Boston University will help me achieve independence by teaching me how to stand on my own feet. I will be thousands of miles away from any family, so I believe that BU will assist my transition into a responsible adult. Upon graduation from Boston University I want to ensure my family and myself that I am strong enough to tackle the problems life throws at me in a mature way. Overall, I hope to achieve success at Boston University by working hard and diligently in school while taking advantage of some of the exciting opportunities that BU offers its students.

Word Count: 505

What parts should I take out?
I think i've explained myself pretty well.
In red are the REASONS i want to do whatever it is i want to do.

Scholarship / "WELL ROUNDED"; Courage to Grow Scholarship- Why I deserve this scholarship? [2]

The word "well rounded" might come to mind when people first meet me. I have a good academic standing, numerous hours of community service, and I am highly involved in clubs and sports on campus. People recognize my drive and dedication, however, what they do not recognize is that I am a child of domestic violence.

My father is an alcoholic and an avid user of crystal methamphetamine. The chemicals in his body have led him to do terrible things to my family and I. Many nights I am awoken by my mothers screams or the sound of items shattering as they are thrown at the walls. The police have been called numerous times to alleviate the situation, but every night is worse than the last.

My only escape from this chaos is to attend a good university. For the past 4 years I have committed myself to my schoolwork and extracurricular activities. During school I push my problems at home to the back of my mind and focus on what I need to do to get into a good university. I have accomplished many of my academic goals, so now the only thing holding me back is the issue of paying for college. I deserve this scholarship because I have come so far in life, and I do not want to stop now. This scholarship money would enable me to continue my education in order to become a lawyer, which would allow me to fight for women and children of domestic abuse.

The word limit is 250, this essay is 253.
I've deleted everything I can, so please tell me what else I can take out.
Any criticisms and comments are welcome. Thank You!!

Undergraduate / Political Science major, Boston: Why BU? [15]

Prompt: In five or six sentences, tell us how you first became interested in BU and what steps you have taken to learn more about us.

I fell in love with Boston University during an unofficial visit to the campus. While there, I met many welcoming people and got to appreciate BU's convenient location, beautiful architecture, and the diverse student body. Since then I have visited the BU website and have researched all the classes offered to a Political Science major. I also attended the BU meeting at my school, where the speaker raised my love for BU to another level by talking about the various clubs and activities on campus. The perfect mix of school and fun at BU will allow me to be successful academically, meet new people, and enjoy the college experience. My knowledge of Boston University has proven that it is the perfect school for me to continue my education.