Undergraduate / Stanford University Summer Session (International). [6]

Prompt: How will participating in Stanford Summer Session advance my future career, academic, or personal goals?

Maximum of 500 words in length.

Essay:

Lorenzo Fernández
Junior in Industrial Design

To whom ever will be an influence to my acceptance as a student,

It's been a while since my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. For me it has been a roller coaster experience; ambivalent feelings begin to emerge... I feel sad but at the same time I'm grateful because of the fact that I've learned so much. Humans have control over so many things, yet we forget that just like any living thing on this planet, we are so vulnerable. We can take care of ourselves, but nothing is one hundred percent guaranteed. We can plan in advance, but we will never be able to predict what its actually going to happen in the future. Sometimes we spend a lot of time thinking instead of actually doing what we want right now. Negative thoughts are the main reason we restrain ourselves to do what our nature dictates us to do. Thinking about future accomplishments or having long-term plans is obviously something very important. But sometimes people plan so much they forget things and ideas change as time passes by. I think its better to stick to the plan knowing that nothing will ever stay the same. My plan is to do what I love right now and when the time comes Ill make a decision on what I want to do next. I'm in the pursuit of becoming a better person, and I will take any opportunity that helps me accomplish that. That's one of the main reason I'm applying for Summer Program, because I believe it will give me the knowledge and experience necessary to make great decisions in life.

Faq, Help / Adding a plagiarism filter. [7]

Sorry for writing something non-related to the topic... I thought it would be a great idea to add a plagiarism filter for the threads... What do you think? (Kevin)

Undergraduate / Essay for a Summer Program of Architecture [5]

This is the second yet not complete, of two essays I have to write for a summer program of architecture. I'm completely blank. I don't know what to add... so any help is welcomed. :)

Thanks,

Prompt Describe a compelling social occasion from your personal experience, where the physical environment played an important role in affecting the nature of that occasion. Pay close attention to the particular characteristics of the place.

Essay I didn't know where the ball was going to take place, until somebody told me that traditionally, midwinter ball is held at the gym. I didn't believe that for the fact that the gym is for sports and there is no way it could be modified into a ball room. However, there is always a possibility and they did it-- the room didn't look like a gym anymore. Details such as the disco ball, the lights, and the music made me forget I was in the gym. The aesthetic of the room captivated me.

Undergraduate / "it's only a matter of will to overcome our obstacles" - admissions, college apps [12]

This is one of many essays--the longest--that ive written for my college apps. Please read and share your opinion about it. Thanks!

In life we are presented with innumerable obstacles. An example of this is fear. Being afraid to face an impediment is very common in many situations, especially difficult encounters. Essentially, the world is divided into two groups of people: those who have the will to face the challenges that will be presented during the course of their lives, and those who are too afraid to confront them. The ability to face these barriers, other people, or sometimes even ourselves is developed with experiences where an individual must find a way to deal with a dilemma that won't let the individual accomplish a task or a mission in life.

The capacity of overcoming these barriers is measured with the abilities that I have developed in my life. When I first got to SJNMA, last January, my English was not as good as it is right now. There was an obvious lack of communication and understanding between the teachers and I. Therefore, I could not express myself very well. Sometimes they couldn't understand what I was trying to say. That was the first barrier I had to deal with. I live in an environment where everyone speaks English. It wasn't easy at the beginning, other students laughed at me when the teacher asked me to read a text from a book or when I tried to explain something. But I didn't care, because failure is not an option for me. I knew what my goal was and nothing would interfere with what I wanted. Months passed and I got better and better. I decided to take a course of English during summer which helped me improve my ability in reading and writing. Now that I am in English 4, I feel comfortable reading books that are more difficult to read as well as writing papers about them.

At the beginning of this school year I was invited to join Cadre, a military training program designed to provide and give structure to the leaders of the Corps of Cadets. One of the most difficult challenges was the obstacle course. We were assigned to do it with the intention of testing our problem-solving abilities.

I was one of the first members of the group to finish the task, but one of the team members was stuck on an obstacle. As a unit we had to help each other. I managed to encourage him, but he denied that he had the skill or ability to get through the obstacle. He could not see what I could. I was looking at an individual with all the necessary tools to overcome the obstacle but he was blinded by his fear. I had to come up with something that would ignite motivation in him. The first thing that came up to my mind was: "Cadet, this is an example of an obstacle that you are going to have to face within the course of your life. Believe that you are strong enough to conquer your fear and overcome this obstacle." Instantly, I could see the motivation in his eyes. He was no longer afraid of the wall, and did not doubt his abilities anymore.

Obstacles exist and we all have the capacity to overcome them; it's only a matter of will.