Undergraduate / Yale paraphernalia (free afternoon, a compliment, history, being more spontaneus) [6]

Please help! I always help in return!

What would you do with a free afternoon tomorrow?
I would spend it with one of my oldest friends, my cello. We haven't been playing together lately because of all my college applications.

Recall a compliment you received that you especially value. What was it? From whom did it come?
"You're going places, Alex. You're going to make a difference one day." - My anatomy teacher

If you could witness one moment in history, what would it be and why?
I would love to see the miraculous landing of Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, to behold the incredible skill and heroism of Pilot Chelsey Sullenberger.

What do you wish you were better at being or doing?
I wish I were more spontaneous. Beauty exists in the unstructured nature of life-not in the notes on my calendar.

If you were choosing students to form a Yale class, what question would you ask here that we have not?
What on earth are you doing?

What in particular about Yale has influenced your decision to apply? Please limit your response to the space provided. (LIMIT- 500 CHARACTERS!!!!)

My room is covered with Yale paraphernalia: banners, bulldogs, photographs, you name it-I own it. In fact, the expanse of my collection represents Yale's endless opportunities to explore, experiment, and develop as a student. For instance, I am excited about shopping for classes geared toward medicine and other interests, living in a close-knit residential college, attending Master's Teas, and researching stem cells with Dr. Horsley. Like my collection, Yale has no boundaries.

Undergraduate / ""Alex, you're not wearing sweatpants to school." - YALE Supplement [8]

You have already told us about yourself in the Common Application, with its list of activities, Short Answer, and Personal Essay. In this required second essay, tell us something that you would like us to know about you that we might not get from the rest of your application - or something that you would like a chance to say more about. Please limit your essay to fewer than 500 words.

"Alex, you're not wearing sweatpants to school."

My mother was always unremitting in this rule. It could have been Monday morning or the last day of final exams - sweatpants were not an option. They were the "forbidden fruit" of my wardrobe. Although I initially envied my peers for the ability to wear whatever they pleased, I eventually came to appreciate the advice hidden behind my mother's fashion edict.

In her own way, I believe my mother was telling me to always put my best foot forward, to work hard despite feeling lazy, and to resist the appeal of conformity. She never let me succumb to the temptation of wearing sweatpants, just as she encouraged me to keep my head held high and shoulders back. After drilling these things in my head for seventeen years, she taught me that my appearance affects not only how others view me, but how I view myself. While sweatpants allow me to feel comfortable, relaxed, and even carefree, they fail to provide the sense of confidence I experience in a pair of black dress pants and high-heeled shoes. I'm not saying that I walk around school in a flashy suit every day, but I always try to look and feel my best.

Of course, I did not always have this philosophy toward clothes. Throughout my freshman year, everyone roamed around in their oversized sweatpants and that trendy "just-got-out-of-bed" look, making me feel isolated in my freshly ironed khakis and plaid flats. Thus, on the morning my mother was out of town, I jumped at the opportunity to wear the forbidden pants to school. I remember it distinctly: opening the rickety bottom drawer of my dresser, seeing them scrunched up in the corner, slowly slipping them on and savoring the warm fleece against my skin. It was an incredible feeling: a combination of defiance and luxury. Yet, this feeling did not last. It was only a typical day of school, but I somehow felt underdressed for every class-as if I were walking around in my polka-dot pajamas. The pants negatively impacted my self-esteem as well as my behavior, leaving me completely lethargic and bereft of any work ethic.

That one day solidified what my mother had been saying my whole life. I should show others that I take myself seriously, that I refuse to give in to the comfortable allure of sweatpants. Regardless of what other people are wearing, I should present myself as I truly am: a self-assured individual with goals, motivation, and spirit. I do not need to fit in with everyone else to feel sure of myself, and I should never let others define anything about me-even my appearance. After all, conformity is not synonymous with confidence. For me, confidence is something that must come from within but can be strengthened when I choose the right pair of pants.

---------
Okay, so I'm kind of nervous that this doesn't fit the prompt. Is the message about myself clear? I'm not at the word limit so I can add some stuff, but I wanted to get some other opinions first.

Please comment! I value all suggestions!
And I will help you in return!!!!

Undergraduate / "Difficulty need not foreshadow despair".. AMHERST [8]

I must respond to the following quote in a personal manner. "Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted."

I picked up the bottle of disinfectant, grabbed the roll of paper towels, and reluctantly walked over to the massive steel refrigerator. I knew what awaited me as soon as I opened that heavy door: food-encrusted corners, rusty iron racks, and probably a few unidentified substances plastered on the floor. Hesitantly, I rolled up the sleeves of my volunteer jacket and embarked upon a journey through filth and grime. It was a typical Saturday morning in the hospital cafeteria.

Four hours, one hundred clean dishes, fourteen dusted lamps, twelve scrubbed tables, and five polished windows later, I completed my volunteer duties at the Hospital of Central Connecticut-well, for that week at least. I knew I would be returning to kitchen duty the following Saturday, and my sense of pride and accomplishment would turn into dread as the week progressed. I would sometimes ask myself, "Why don't I just quit?" It was a simple solution. Yet, something kept bringing me back-week after week, month after month-and it certainly wasn't the hairnet or the smell of Lysol in the morning. Although some of my motivation came from helping others, a great deal of it arose from the fact that no one believed I would last more than thirty minutes in such an environment. Everyone doubted me: my parents, my brother, my friends, and even myself. I'll admit I was initially put off by the reek of vegetable barley soup and dishwasher detergent, but I came to realize that if I could handle swim practice, cello solos, and Shakespeare, then cleaning a cafeteria shouldn't be a problem. So every Saturday at 8:30 AM, I rolled up my sleeves and cleaned that refrigerator with the determination to prove myself to all the nonbelievers. Indeed, this job was far from glamorous, but that is what made my accomplishment worthwhile in the end.

Please don't hesitate to be harshly critical!
Any opinions are appreciated!

Undergraduate / TUFTS! "What makes you tick?" Essay-- School Projects [7]

For some, it's politics or sports or reading. For others, it may be researching solar power fuel cells or arranging hip-hop mash-ups. What makes you tick? (200-250 words)

Don't laugh, but I really have a knack for school projects-primarily the ones that require a huge poster board presentation. Although most students consider these types of assignments to be tedious and boring, I believe they have played a fundamental role in my education. They always served as a creative outlet-an escape from the monotonous world of memorization, bookwork, or problem-solving-and allowed me to embrace my hidden love for art. One of my most recent projects, for instance, was a poster for the Italian film "I Ladri di Biciclette." Naturally, I became so engrossed in the design that I lost track of time, and by 3 AM there were scrap drawings of bicycles covering my dining room floor. It was as if I entered a two-dimensional universe, free from any stress, tension, or judgment. There were no formulas to remember, no grammatical rules to fuss over, not even a scientific principle to keep in mind. All I needed were some markers, paper, a poster board, a glue stick, a pair of scissors, and my imagination. Most of all, I loved incorporating my own personality into the task and watching my artistic talent develop into something truly spectacular from mere doodles in the margins of my notebooks. Despite my penchant for math and science, I realized that I am far from creatively inept; I am an imaginative young adult-who definitely knows how to put together a school project.

This might be too informal.
I have no idea. I usually don't use contractions in my writing, but I figured it might be alright because Tufts seems to be super casual.

I know it needs some work, but let me know what you think.