Undergraduate / Question- Evaluate the influence your family has had on you. [3]

The influence my family has had on me has shaped me into the teenager I am today and the man I will become. From my family I have learned manners and responsibility, but what I learned most from my family is that which I have yet to experience; my life in the future when I am married and have a family. My family has provided me with the foundation for the rest of my life.

What I have learned from my family is that even though money sounds like the best thing in the world right now, when I get older, I better not let my life revolve around money. The one thing I cannot do is let myself get mesmerized by the business world. I will definitely go to college, have a career, and make money but I am going to make sure to spend time with my family. Money cannot buy happiness. Yes, with money I can afford to eat at the most expensive restaurants and have the most elaborate furniture, but a couch is never going to return my love. My wife and children are going to return my love. I have been lucky enough to be part of a family that cares and loves deeply for one another. A bond that is centered around so much love that one would willingly jump in front of a moving car to save the life of another member of the family. This is the everlasting bond that I have learned to be a part of.

I come from a big family, and when I look around and see my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and the rest of my family, I see that they are all happiest when they are with their families; not when they are out spending money. My family is a low income family. We have been on and off food stamps but we are happy, and that is what truly matters in life. Of course times have been harsh where we had to cut down on certain luxuries but even during those times we were happy. We still all loved each other, and it was times like that that made us even closer.

I know that when I have a family, I am going to make sure to spend time with my wife and children. I will attend my children's school plays and graduations, and I will always be there watching them grow. I have seen my cousins get married and I have seen the expression on my mother's face when she gave birth, and never have I seen them happier. I have learned that the true meaning of living is loving and caring for one another and I am never going to forget that. I have learned what makes the perfect family because I have been exposed to it my whole life. It has nothing to do with money, but everything to do with ones love for one another.

Nikolaos Koskinas

Yes, I know this essay needs a lot of editing to it. Before i go on with this essay to revise it I want to know exactly how powerful this essay is for undergrad admission to college. Your editing will be greatly appreciated because I have been having a lot of trouble writing this essay and getting my ideas down strong. I have re-written it a couple of times all ready. I believe this is my third or fourth draft. If you could, i would like to know if i have a strong introductory paragraph and a strong opening sentence, and if i have a strong closing sentence, and if not, any advice on making them strong sentences will be very much appreciated. Lastly, this essay is topic of my choice and if you believe another prompt would be better than the current one i would like to know what it is. Thank you in advance

Writing Feedback / Essay: What dish holds a strong associative power for you? [5]

Question- Our association of food with culture is generally automatic and unquestioned. Food, because it is so inextricably tied with need and pleasure, becomes the nexus of rich association. In this essay, tell us about a dish that holds a strong associative power for you and teach us something that is of personal importance to you.

Coming from Greek descent, culture is very important to me. It is vital that I don't forget my heritage because I am going to have to pass it on to my children as my parents did to me and their parents did to them. For us Greeks, Easter is the most sacred and celebrated of all the holidays. To show our devotion and commitment to religion, we fast all meat and dairy products for seven weeks and attend church every week. On Easter Sunday we end our fast and celebrate and feast with family and friends.

I know that on Easter, after seven weeks of not eating any meat or dairy, I am going to enjoy the feast more than anybody else. I'm going to sit down, take my first bite and be overwhelmed by the taste that I haven't felt for seven weeks. Every year I experience this feeling. For the main course I eat platefuls of meatballs, chicken cutlets, different kinds of cheeses, rice, and everything else being served. For dessert I eat tsoureki (Easter bread), koulourakia (Easter biscuits) and other desserts. With no comparison, Easter is the day where my palete is overwhelmed the most by the pleasures of food.

While all the food served on Easter is absolutely delicious, the most important and mouth-watering dish is the lamb. Lamb is sacred for us and is therefore the centerpiece of the table during Easter. Greeks believe that every part of the lamb must be utilized. As a result, we separate the lamb into three distinct dishes. The first dish is mageritsa; take the intestines, heart and liver of the lamb, mix it with rice, dill, lettuce, eggs and lemon and make it into a soup. The second dish is kokoretsi; they cut the liver, spleen, heart and glands of the lamb and place them one by one threw a skewer, wrap the fatty membrane from the intestines around everything, and grill it. The last dish coming from the lamb is placing the lamb as a whole onto a spit, tying it securely so that it does not stir and slow roasting it until it is ready. This dish is my personal favorite because of the outstanding taste of the lamb, but even more so because it is the first piece of meat I eat after seven weeks. Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God, and on Easter we eat lamb to praise Jesus' role as a sacrificial lamb.

Undergraduate / 'Accountant dream' - How has The Macaulay Honors College changed you? [NEW]

I had a dream that I would go to college, become an accountant and have my own firm. That dream is slowly coming true. It is now 2013. I completed my undergraduate degree at Baruch College and I'm entering the first term of the Zicklin Honors MBA program. Ambition, tenacity and enthusiasm have enabled me to attain the GPA, GMAT and 150 credit CPA requirements to enter the MBA program. I am currently an accountant working for KPMG. Even though I may be the youngest and least experienced of the accountants, I have qualities that others have lost since the start of their careersïthe excitement, curiosity and exhilaration you get on the first day of your job; the same excitement a five year old boy experiences when he gets his first bike. My life is just beginning.

Macaulay Honors College has made me an ambitious man. I will become a CPA. I will have my own firm and I will be successful. Nothing can stop me. In the last four years Macaulay Honors College has taught me that even though the odds are against you, never stop short of your potential because if you are determined and passionate, there is no reason why you can't meet your goals and succeed. As a senior in high school I was timorous about college. I desired and longed for the chance to go to college, but coming from a low income family that dream seemed impossible. Macaulay Honors College allowed me to attend college by providing me with a full tuition scholarship. Until now part of my dream has come true. Macaulay Honors College has changed me from a boy with a dream into a man with a future.

Hi, i was wondering if you can edit my essay for undergrad admission at Macaulay Honors College and tell me your thoughts about it. Your editing will be much appreciated. Please and thank you.

-Nikolaos Koskinas