Speeches / 'The parents, the teachers, the administration, Principal' My graduation speech [3]

EDIT: I'm so sorry! I meant to put this in the "speeches" section! Will a moderator please move it for me? Thanks!

Would you care to give me your thoughts on this first draft of my high school graduation speech?

Do you remember when we were in eighth grade, and Mr. (guidance counselor) would come to visit us in our classrooms to answer all the questions we had about high school? Did you have anything to ask him? I know I did. The prospect of high school practically scared me to death, and I had a question for him for each and every one of my frets and worries. Honestly, I had my hand in the air so much that I think he just ignored me after a while. "Is it anything like middle school?" I asked. Are the classes hard? Are the teachers mean? Are they... evil?

I'm sure that all of you have experienced something like this. We were on the cusp of entering into the unknown - the unfamiliar. It's only natural to try to quell those fears by learning all that you possibly can about what you're about to face, right? I don't know, maybe some of you found different ways to confront that challenge in front of you. But for me, the solution was to figure out the answers to as many questions as I could.

Fast-forward four years with me, now. It's 2012. Now that we've finished high school, I think we can say that we have answered a lot of questions. And, after four years' experience, the million questions that I threw at Mr. (guidance counselor) now seem nothing less than naïve and foolish. We all know now that high school is way different from middle school. We know now that the classes are challenging, and we know that the teachers are actually kind and reasonable... usually. In fact, they, for their part, answered a lot of questions, like how to write a well-planned essay, how to balance a chemical equation, how to "solve for x," how to speak a foreign language, and how to do all those other things that we're supposed to know how to do by now.

But that's not really the point, is it? No, the value in a high school education doesn't reside in the questions that we managed to answer, but rather in the questions we forced ourselves to ask. I'm not talking about raising your hand in a classroom here, though. I'm talking about those questions that have taken shape inside you over the past four years, the answers to which you don't quite know yet. What will you do with your life? What will you study in college, or what profession will you make your own? What impact will you have on the world, now that you're finally going out into it? We have asked ourselves these things, and we have begun the process of answering them, but the reality is that they remain, for now, mysteries.

On that note, I would like to leave you today with a few closing comments and a request. First, I want to say that I am proud to be a member of (my high school's) class of 2012. Over the last four years we've proven our excellence in academics, in athletics, and most importantly, in character. I'll never forget that day we showed the world who we are as a class, and I am immeasurably honored to have been a part of it.* Second, I'd like to thank all those who made it possible for us to receive our diplomas today. The parents, the teachers, the administration, Mr. (principal) - without them we wouldn't be gathered here in these caps and gowns. And finally, I want all of you to consider those questions that (my high school) prompted you to ask, and I want you to go out and answer them. Thank you.

*This is a reference that they will understand. I'm referring to a day where all the seniors skipped class for a day of community service.

Thank you so much for your input!

-Katmandu

Scholarship / University of Tulsa Presidential Scholarship essay [3]

The prompt was "If you could change one event in the course of history, which would you change and why?" I chose this topic because I wanted to avoid the typical Holocaust or Black Death or MLK's assassination-type responses.

65 million years ago. Prehistoric North America. The stagnant, steamy air bears down on the sunbaked plain of ferns. The humidity is so intense that the air is almost tangible. A herd of quiet herbivores lounges in the open, bending their three-horned heads to graze on the endless sea of ferns. They simply refuse to exert themselves any further in the unbearable heat. Even the young ones can only tussle with each other for so long before they too graze sluggishly. The herd is so engrossed in their task at hand that they scarcely notice a rustle in the trees nearby.

Immobile, and under the cover of a nearby thrush of magnolias, stands a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Silently, stealthily, she observes the herd. For a few hours she has patiently awaited her mate, who is hiding in another cluster of trees directly across the field, to initiate the attack. For several hours longer they stare, scarcely making a sound, anticipating the perfect moment. Twilight falls. As the sun drops, so do the Triceratops, sinking to the ground to sleep for the night. The male Tyrannosaurus decides that now is the time to make his move. He thunders into the midst of the herd, his steps waking the sleeping animals left and right. The larger Triceratops don't even have the chance to circle around their young before the Tyrannosaurus singles one out, directing it toward his mate. Before long, the female Tyrannosaurus pounces, and the animal is soon brought down. The pair feasts on their long-awaited meal over the course of the night.

Such was the age of the dinosaurs. Day after day, year after year, century after century, they lived in ecological harmony. From the dawn of the Triassic Period to the end of the Cretaceous, an era spanning 185 million years, dinosaurs dominated the landscape. Then, the whole world changed. At the end of the Mesozoic Era, a meteorite the size of Mount Everest crashed into the Yucatán Peninsula, clouding the earth with pillows of ash and changing its climate forever. Most of the dinosaurs went extinct with the sudden influx of cooler weather, with only a few surviving to evolve into the birds we know today.

But what if that meteorite never struck the earth? What if the dinosaurs were given free reign to live on to the present? A different world we would have, certainly, like a page straight out of Jurassic Park. With this completely different range of wildlife, the entire biosphere would bear only a slight similarity to that of today. To study the dinosaurs, we would not have to rely on fossils and other geologic records, mere imprints of what life was really like. Instead, we could observe these prime biological specimens in the flesh.

For me, a self-declared dinosaur enthusiast, this opportunity would be an experience of a lifetime. As a young child, I watched every dinosaur documentary that there ever was, read every dinosaur book I could get my scrawny hands on, and constantly pestered my parents to take me to the local natural history museum. Yet, those dinosaurs that I wanted to see so much could never leave the realm of the screen or of my imagination. I think it goes without saying that, given the chance to alter any event in the history of the world, I would prevent the impact of the meteorite that struck Earth 65 million years ago and initiated the decline of the dinosaurs. That way, a Tyrannosaurus hunt on the wide North American plain would be more than a mere fantasy - it would be visible, touchable reality.

Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it.

Scholarship / 'Uncle Hub's advice to Walter' - Johnson Scholarship at Washington and Lee [6]

I'm applying for the Johnson Scholarship at W&L, and this is my essay.

Here's the prompt: "Describe a work of art that influenced you, and describe that influence." (I already cleared using movie with an adcom)

"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most." Such was Uncle Hub's advice to Walter in the 2003 movie Secondhand Lions, a film full of inspiration and insight. The story revolves around Walter, a twelve-year-old boy from the city who is forced to spend a summer with his two eccentric, reclusive uncles in rural west Texas. Uncle Hub and Uncle Garth are the embodiment of the archetypal "manly man," with their shotguns, propensity for swearing, and largely meat-based diets. Over the course of a few months with his newfound relatives, young Walter hears the story of his uncles' North African exploits, adopts a pet lion, and learns what it means to be a man. As a viewer of the movie, I accompanied Walter, hearing what he heard and learning what he learned. Near the end, Uncle Hub delivered a short impromptu speech to Walter. Although it only lasted about twenty seconds, Uncle Hub's "What Every Boy Needs to Know about Being a Man" speech made me think critically about how I live my own life.

The main point of Uncle Hub's makeshift speech is summarized in his poignant statement about what a man needs to believe. Although it may seem confusing at first, this avowal has merit when I apply it myself. More specifically, Uncle Hub's words validate my personal outlook and my faith- the aspects that most clearly define any person.

First, Secondhand Lions validates my idealistic outlook. After his profound statement about what a man needs to believe, Uncle Hub went on to clarify what he meant. He told Walter that it is necessary to believe that "people are basically good" and that "honor, courage, and virtue mean everything." In my personal experience, I have found that maintaining such a sense of optimism, in addition to adhering to a morally justifiable code of conduct, to be invaluable. While the modern world may not put these values in high esteem, belief in them and in their preservation is still indispensable to the individual, as Secondhand Lions has shown me.

Furthermore, Uncle Hub's speech made me consider my faith. Faith, after all, implies a jump of belief to something that is not definitively true. According to Uncle Hub, making such a leap is essential for every man, and I share this belief. Throughout my life, I've experienced periods of doubt and skepticism regarding the existence of a god. Yet Secondhand Lions helps me regain my perspective. Uncle Hub's words remind me that, although my faith is not based in fact, it is still a necessary component of my life. True or not, belief simply for the sake of belief is imperative.

In short, Secondhand Lions has shown me that oftentimes the things that are not necessarily true are the ones that are worth believing in. In particular, Uncle Hub's "What Every Boy Needs to Know about Being a Man" speech has stressed to me the importance of undeterred optimism, old-fashioned values, and unquestioning faith. Altogether, these values constitute my personal code of conduct. At Washington and Lee, a school renowned for its emphasis on honor and integrity, such a code of conduct will serve me well.

Thanks for your input.

Undergraduate / 'Academic Decathlon' - Common App short answer [4]

Here is my <1000 character short answer response about an extracurricular activity.

As I opened the test book, I nearly laughed out loud at the first question.
"Which colors are present on the on the man's shirt in 'Mezzetin?'"
"Who cares?" I thought. That had to be the most irrelevant, useless bit of information on the face of the earth. Lucky for me, I knew the answer because I'd read it in the Art Cram Kit about fifteen minutes earlier. But that was only a coincidence. Did the Academic Decathlon test writers really expect me to know about all the subject areas in such detail?

Simply put, yes they did. In fact, knowing obscure facts about equally obscure subject matter is the very essence of AcaDec. I had no idea what to expect as I opened that test book at my first competition, but what I found was a challenge - a challenge that I would embrace for the next three years.

Thanks in advance

Undergraduate / "My 1986 Camaro" - My common app essay [3]

This is my common app essay. I think it falls under option 1, which says "Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you," but let me know if you think it only falls under the catch-all option 6.

Before reading, please consider the title, and, if you can think of a more clever one, please tell me.

My 1986 Camaro

Growing up - the concept disgusted me. I was accustomed to freeloading through life: school for nine months and slacking off for the other three. When my adolescence finally ended, I knew the fun would inevitably stop. I would be yet another drone, buzzing my life away in the hive that is adulthood. Yet, even at the age of fourteen, I knew that my then blissful, worry-free stage in life had to end eventually. Not because I felt myself maturing, or as a result of some striking epiphany, but because my parents (of course) thought it was time I found a job.

But I wouldn't acquiesce to their wishes so easily. No, what I needed was a way to stick it to my parents - some way to prevent myself from becoming a wizened old hat, like they obviously wanted. In short order, I schemed the perfect plan to accomplish my objective: I would spend every last dollar on a Chevrolet Camaro - red, with a rudely loud engine under the hood. By my impeccable fourteen-year-old logic, it was perfect. Wasting all my money on a gas-guzzling potential death hazard would surely offset any accidental "growing up" that I'd done in earning it. My precious immaturity would be saved, and my parents would be sufficiently irritated.

Of course, I still had to put up my end of the deal. There would be no Camaro until I had paychecks directed my way. So, like the typical Midwestern teenager, I detasseled seed corn. Sure enough, and as my parents undoubtedly foresaw, detasseling was chock-full of such treacheries as "character-building" and "real-world experience." Every day, from five a.m. to around two, I slogged through my seemingly endless rows, systematically neutering corn plant after corn plant. However, I won't digress with assertions of martyrdom. In the end, I managed to survive the experience, buy my red Camaro, and, despite my disagreeable attitude, make some new friends.

Life behind the wheel of my rumbling muscle car was nothing short of pure bliss. I was a child with a brand new toy, revving my engine and tearing up the road. Speed limits were meaningless - applicable only to lesser cars. The sound of the engine was more melodious than even the most beautiful symphony. My Camaro fulfilled my every expectation, and gave me a sense of power unequaled by anything I had ever felt. Nothing could stop me; I had the keys to a four-wheeled, living, breathing monster.

Within a few months, however, my grand scheme began to implode. A plethora of obstacles that I hadn't considered began to impede my naïve pursuit. I had to shell out hundreds of dollars for gasoline, insurance bills, and enough replacement parts to build another complete car, the sum of which dropped me into a pit of debt to my parents. I realized in one striking sweep that my plan had been blatantly irrational all along, which left me burdened with a difficult decision. I could continue on my current path, or I could make the mature, adult choice: to sell the Camaro and start anew. Although it pained me to see my beloved car go, I finally settled on the reasonable decision.

In the end, my irresponsible adolescence did come to a close, but not in the way anyone expected. Who would have guessed that owning a muscle car, not long days in a cornfield, would cause me to put my life in line? I didn't know it at the time, but by deciding to sell my Camaro, I took the first step on the long journey to responsible adulthood. My fourteen-year-old self would have never believed it, but being an adult is not so bad after all. I'm not "yet another drone, wasting my life away." No, I am on the path to becoming an unabashed, self-proclaimed grown-up, and it no longer disgusts me to say so.

Thanks for your input

Undergraduate / To write about detasseling, a summer job - Can you help me get started? [2]

For the Common App, I've tentatively zoned in on option 6, which is the "topic of your choice." I've decided to write about detasseling, a summer job I've had for 4 years. (It's an agriculture-related job, google it if you want to know more)

The trouble is, what would be my underlying point? I can't just write about detasseling. What should I try to say through my detasseling experience?

Thanks
katmandu