Undergraduate / Brown - global community, practice makes perfect, a competitive gymnast [4]

Please tell us more about your interest in Brown: Why does Brown appeal to you as a college option? Who or what has influenced your decision to apply? (max 1000 characters)

Brown has always been among my top choices of colleges to apply to. When looking at colleges, I was looking for a college with high academic standards, a wide variety of courses, great athletic opportunity and a global community. Brown has all this to offer and still remains my top choice. This summer I visited Brown and this only increased my desire to be a part of the Brown community. As I walked around the campus, and to the athletic centre I began to visualize myself as a student at Brown. I saw how ti would be the perfect place to pursue my intended goal of research in sports medicine while being involved in extracurricular activities such as intramural sports and debating or even trying something new. With the many options at Brown, the possibilities are endless. My cousins Karima and Salima Rasul who also attended Brown have also had an influential role in my decision. They describe their experience at Brown as outstanding and I have also seen the opportunities accorded to them as a result of the excellent education they received. Since I am an avid athlete, I was even more convinced that this was the right college for me when the academic director that Brown has not only a great academic standard but also a great athletic program. With a career in Sports Medicine, I know that I will have to be both strong academically as well as athletically.

Why are you drawn to the academic fields you indicated in the Anticipated Degree and Academic Interest questions above? (max 1000 characters)
As a competitive gymnast, it amazes me how the body can bend in ways that you would not think are humanly possible while at the same time carrying out the functions it does. I really enjoy biology because I see it and can apply it on a regular basis. Volunteering in a rehab facility combined with my education and experiences has also made me interested in the field of sports medicine which I hope to pursue. I see significant potential for research in the area of risk prevention and performance analysis as a method of prevention. Having studied in a French environment for 12 years, I have grown to love French and therefore decided to write my extended essay as part of the IB program in French on an aspect of French culture.

Essay: What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given, and why? (500 words max)
In November this year I was part of the organizing committee for TEDxIBYork which was an independently organized TED conference by my school. Amongst the remarkable speakers from across the world there was Dr. Greg Wells, a human physiologist and Olympic analyst. Wells' analysis during the recent winter Olympics was aired on television and immediately caught my attention. As a competitive athlete, I have heard all kinds of tips from practice makes perfect to believing in yourself is the key to success but one I had never heard before was the importance of dream setting rather than goal setting. This was interesting to me and initially did not make sense because whenever I have heard athletes talk it is always "my goal is to make it to..." It may be the Olympics, but it may be nationals or even regionals, but it is always about a goal. Trying to dream set couldn't hurt could it? I walked into my gymnastics training the next day with dreams rather than goals and I had one of the best weeks of training. On a daily basis, I overcome fear, pain and surpass my limitations. The moment you start thinking about dreams, it is no longer about reaching a specific thing and weaknesses have less impact. There may be little 'goals' along the way but ultimately when you start dreaming the possibilities are endless and you feel less pressure. This is one of the best advices I have been given and something I strongly believe in.

Undergraduate / "Canadian Gymnaestrada on" - Harvard Supplement - A summer experience [2]

It is topic of your choice so I decided to talk about a summer experience. I need to cut the word count down. I am not a very good writer so any help and comments would be greatly appreciated. :)

"I now declare the 2010 Canadian Gymnaestrada on", I heard the president of Gymnastics Canada announce to a full stadium in Winnipeg this past summer. This was not a competition but rather an evaluation to determine which groups would represent Canada in Lausanne, Switzerland in July 2011. Being part of a an event such as this is an entirely different experience from watching an event like this on television. I was fortunate enough to be among athletes from across the country in all five disciplines of gymnastics ranging from 10 to over 80 who had gathered together for this incredible event. Being present as an athlete at an event of this calibre meant the world to me especially since I had to "go through hoops" to get here.

I do not come from a family of athletes and my parents have never been favorable to the idea of competitive sports. Growing up I was exposed to wide variety of sports recreationally but competitive sports according to them takes valuable time away from studying. I realized soon enough that I needed something more than recreational sports - I needed a challenge. I needed to compete. I was attracted to rhythmic gymnastics because it was not like any other sport I had ever played. After much begging and pleading, I finally convinced my parents to let me compete. My parents were completely against the idea of me having to spend twenty hours a week in the gym especially since I was in a rigorous International Baccalaureate program. Being the persistent kid I am, I convinced them that my schoolwork would not suffer and I found a club that would enable me to become a national athlete.

Having been an only child for 9 years, other than the occasional school trip and a summer vacation to Europe with my grandparents, my parents and I have never travelled separately. Being an only child for nine years, I share a special bond with my parents and even on business trips we always travelled together; I have hardly been left alone. When I mentioned going to Winnipeg, my dad wouldn't hear of it. Again, I managed to convince him of the importance of this to my gymnastics career. He let me go, with great reluctance and this was my first plane trip without my family. Being in Winnipeg for the Gymnaestrada was therefore a big step for not only me but my parents as well. In all honesty, If it were not for a wedding my parents had to attend, my parents would have accompanied me to Winnipeg!

This being my first trip without my family did feel insecure at first, especially since I did not know who my roommates were going to be. As the oldest on my team I was entrusted added responsibility for the younger member especially since the youngest girl on the team was 12. While I was a little nervous at first, I saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate great leadership.

When we were allocated our rooms. at the hotel, another 17-year old girl and I were assigned a room with the two youngest girls. Two 17-year olds and two 12-year olds. I remember thinking, "How's is that going to work?" As a leader and a mentor I knew I could make it work even though we never really got along in training. As the leader of the group, I was sure that I was ready with my equipment and belongings but I also had to make sure that everyone else had their equipment and belongings. Needless to say, this proved to be a positive experience for all of us. In no time we had all become the best of friends. Even though the girls now looked up to me, we looked past the age barrier and had a lot of fun. At home,in the gym, during practices we are not allowed to talk to one another so this trip was the first time we all really got to know each other.

An important thing that I value greatly as being part of team is how much one learns from others. My current team which consists of ten girls is also unlike any other team I have been part of. When you think of a gymnastics group, you think same height, same build, similar skin colour. Getting to know one another we realised that we are a group of girls who come from 12 different backgrounds (African, Albanian, Armenian, Chinese, Estonian, Filipino, French, Lebanese, Italian, Indian, Russian and Swedish) and whose ages range from 13 to 17 but we are united by one passion and our differences are what makes us who we are. Together we are so diverse and yet so strong and although we have not known each other very long, we share a very strong bond. We have so much to learn from one another and we take the opportunity to do so outside the gym. While participating in a team sport and being away from home have taught me great lessons in life, the bond of friendships only strengthens over time. Although, I intend to keep in touch with my teammates while away at university, I know I will miss them dearly.

Undergraduate / (the abundance of options available) + (sports medicine specialist) Boston - Interest [2]

Short Essay: 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.

When an admission officer visited my school in grade 10, my attention was immediately drawn to BU and the abundance of options available. I was immediately attracted to the programs in the Medical and Physical Therapy Field because they seemed to fit exactly what I wanted to do. The following year, I had the opportunity of interacting with another admissions officer when they visited and I was able to ask questions. There has been something about BU that has really attracted me and before making my decision to apply the only thing left was to visit the school. In August 2010, I visited the school and met with faculty at Sargeant College and spoke to students there to get their perspectives. Visiting the school made me really see that BU was the perfect place for me.

Essay: 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.

Ten years from now, I see myself as a sports medicine specialist. My journey will begin at Sargeant College on September 1st, 2011 when I join the freshman class of 2015. The first step on this exciting path will be an Undergraduate Program at Sargeant with a concentration in Physiology. Through this program, I will gain a deeper understanding of how the body works. In addition, I anticipate gaining hands on experience working with the high caliber athletes at Boston University. For my career goals I see Boston University as the best place to be because of what Sargeant College has to offer and the fact that Boston University has some of the best athletes to work with. With many of the world's leading research facilities located in close proximity to BU, I see the potential for collaborative work. As an undergraduate at Boston University, I intend to contribute to the faculty by doing sports medicine research. I intend to focus on risk prevention and the role of performance analysis as I feel that more often than not, injuries can be prevented. Although education will be a significant part of my experience at Boston University, I will be involved with intramural sports and participate in some of the many clubs offered. By pursuing an undergraduate degree through the college of rehabilitation science, I will be taking steps towards my goal - a career in sports medicine. I am certain that Boston University will provide me an excellent education to pursue my passion and to be successful in my field of choice. Although I hope to continue doing research, I hope to one day be one of the team doctors for the Terriers.