Undergraduate / 'not only legos' + 'life's unpredictability' - Stanford Intellectual Vitality [4]

Prompt:
Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.

My story is not one where the hero gets the girl and rides off into the sunset, nor is it one of great sadness or triumph over evil. I wish it were, but sadly, that's not me. My world is a much simpler uneventful one to live in, for I am but a simple student. For as long as I can remember, I have always had a driving motivation to create, to build, and later, to learn. It began for me at age 3, when I was gifted my first set of Legos. Although there were only 400 of them, I created beautiful sceneries, epic skyscrapers and learned to play out grand stories of Tolkien and Rowling proportions.

For the next few years, my obsession would grow to encompass not only legos, but also books. I was engulfed into the proverbial ocean of knowledge. To be frank, I am not by any stretch of the imagination a person who loves to work, nor am I a person who particularly loves to study, but at the pull of my curiosity I have on late nights spent hours searching the internet scouring for interesting information. Tidbits of history, rare books, and paranormal anomalies all were subject to my endless googling search. It has been said to me to never stop learning, because once you do, you can no longer grow, and if you no longer grow, you die. I am in my deepest heart of hearts afraid to die, not in the physical sense, but in a broader sense than that...I am afraid to leave the world without knowing, without creating, without leaving a lasting impression.

Opinions Please?

Prompt:
What matters to you, and why?

Life's unpredictability is what matters most to me. Life is one of the most underappreciated things in the world, and that is what makes it so valuable to me. My life is random, and that is what I love so much about it. I schedule varies day-to-day, each decision from the day prior influencing and that, and nothing is what is expected. I appreciate the small that usually go unnoticed by people. Nothing makes me feel better than dropping a $20 bill in a homeless man's Starbucks cup, or tutoring a junior high school student on how to draw their favorite cartoon character. What matters most to me is the sound of my sisters giggling as I tickle her until her eyes water.

My grandparents matter most to me. They practically raised me and taught me all that I know. The sound advice I got while watching the Jetsons with my grandpa, the hot chocolate grandma makes early in the morning. They matter to me. There is no one single situation that matters to me more than another, I appreciate life, because I know that it can be gone so quickly. My sister's giggling as I tickle her until her eyes water. These are just a few things that I have learned to be thankful for. There can be no right answer to this question, because any human being with a heart cannot choose just one thing that matters most to them, life is filled with situations and people that help to make you the person you are. Without any of those situations, you will be incomplete, which is why I try to appreciate all of them, from the A+ in Precalculus to being grounded on a Friday night.

Questions, Comments, Concerns?

Undergraduate / Stanford Roommate Essay--Blank Slate [4]

Congrats roomie! If you're reading this, we both made it to Stanford! I'd also like to extend congratulations on getting someone as cool as me for a roommate. I'm just kidding, which you'll soon find out when we meet for the first time. How to begin to describe myself: well, as long as my sarcasm, obsession with all things unusual and book addiction doesn't bother you, we'll get along fine.

My name Shakir Muhammad, and hopefully I will be your future brother. Embracing the geek stereotype is probably the greatest thing I have ever done (besides learning to play guitar). In embracing it, I think I've created a unique style all my own somewhere between movie star suave and clumsy nerd. I want to let you know now, I may disappoint you. You are probably expecting some scrawny, kid with coke bottle glasses, who can hardly go a week without playing World of Warcraft, sorry but that's not me. I am fluent in Sarcasm and a bit melodramatic. Although I am a High School athlete who loves to be in shape, you're probably more likely to find me "geeking out" over a new book than screaming obscenities at the football game...unless it's the Super bowl.

The majority of the time we spend together will be filled with awkward memories and funny experiences. I will probably irritate you to no end with my attempts at playing guitar or singing badly, and my ridiculous sense of humor that will have you rolling on the floor. Hopefully we can grow to be siblings sharing everything from our room, to advice. Don't worry about me waking you in the middle of the night with some girl in our room; I'm a bit too nerdy for that.

I believe that being paired with you may be the best thing that ever happens to you or me, not because I am so awesome that I am better than you, but the complete opposite. I am the epitome of nonconformity and a bit random. Fundamentally, I am a blank slate for you. We could start out talking about your favorite music and somehow graduate to pointing out plot holes in the latest episode of Nikita or Burn Notice--my favorite shows. Just know that I am a wild card. I have so much more to say to you, but how about we save that for our first meeting.

-Shakir, the weirdest best friend you'll ever have.

I really wanted to bring my quirkiness and my randomosity to this essay...Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Undergraduate / 'I'm perfect for you!' - What would you want your future roommate to know about you? [3]

What would you want your future roommate to know about you? Tell us something about yourself that will make your future roommate-and us-get to know you better.

Hey, I'm your new roomie and I hope we can become great friends. How about I tell you a little about myself? I am by nature a human contradiction; I am the epitome of nonconformity and kind of random. To save you time I'll tell you some of my best qualities: I am an avid gamer and fan of everything from The Sims 3 to Modern Warfare 3. I am fluent in Sarcasm and a bit melodramatic. Many people describe me as proud or arrogant, but in actuality I'm just stating my opinion, I attribute that to my nature as a prideful Leo. Although I am a High School scholar who loves to be in shape, you're probably more likely to find me "geeking out" over a new book than screaming obscenities at the T.V...unless it's the Superbowl-best commercials ever and a good long game. I love writing and can probably be found twenty-three of twenty-four hours (the last hour is for sleeping) scribbling away at my notebook planning some epic battle for a book I am writing. Embracing the geek stereotype is probably the greatest thing I have ever done (besides learning to play guitar). In embracing it, I think I've created a unique style all my own somewhere between movie star suave and clumsy nerd. I enjoy wasting my precious time by reading manga and Wikipedia articles, watching movies, or in the best situation singing badly. I'm addicted...to fun. I love quality Mexican food, but can survive on instant noodles for months. I am addicted to the paranormal and quality horror films. I also believe I'm perfect for you! See ya soon!

-Shakir, the weirdest best friend you'll ever have.

I really wanted to bring my quirkiness and my randomosity to this essay...Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Undergraduate / "Uniquely, Geeky" : Stanford Common App Essay [3]

Prompt: A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

On my bed holding a laptop that contained an empty word document that would determine my future, I sighed. I was trying to do as my English teacher always told me: "Think before you write, imagine your audience and give them what they want." The more I thought about it, I more I felt harassed, but not for myself; my worst nightmare was realized, I was sympathizing with the enemy: Admissions Readers. I was overcome with grief as I imagined the mountain of clichéd essays, how many of them would introduce their writer as an outcast, or a lone wolf, or a genius? I decided I needed a new approach, but one thing was unclear: How could I win them over as the perfect candidate for my choice college, showing them the unique extraordinary, slightly bizarre guy that I am without being just another paper in that pile of failures.

Writing this, I knew without even thinking about it: I am the complete opposite of what people think as a guy who breeds diversity. Let's be realistic: I am a golden brown, middle-classed heterosexual male. I have absolutely no physical or mental issues except for a small impulse for being overly sarcastic. When I get college catalogues, they are representing smiling, plastic-esque Barbie and Ken teens that seemed to jump right out of a Macy's or Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue who were born playing football when pageants and tanning. I have always known that those kids don't play from my team; they don't even play well with others.

Dictionary.com defines geek as: a person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues yelp especially technical and imagination, not social acceptance. This is who I am. I read voraciously, consuming entire volumes of 600 pages or more in mere hours. I have seen every episode of charmed twice and read every Harry Potter book 7 times. I play football with my friends at least four days out of the week, and still manage to keep my brain in working order. Geeks, you see not just from the ones, were not solely the computer whiz kids, nor are we logistic aimed benchwarmers from some 90s sitcom. Richard Clarke had it right: "Geeks, we get it done."

I can almost hear the admissions readers sigh, just as they thought they had the coveted Holy Grail of papers. I can almost feel the disappointment emanating from them as they proclaim mentally: So what, you're another weird kid, how does that make you even remotely qualified my school, what makes you think you add to campus diversity? A better question to ask would be how could I not add to campus diversity? I am a 17-year-old African male, who happens to be Muslim and listens to hard core Japanese Rock music. I am not afraid to reach outside my comfort zone. Isn't that the very definition of diversity?

Being a geek allows me to peek into the soul of others, and taking myself off of the beaten path. It's not about just physical appearance or computers; It's a way of life unlike any other. My outlook on life varies per person modified everything by using literature, people, human issues and pop culture not to mention religious belief and personal preferences.

Although we look a little out of place as we type away at our laptops, read Japanese comics, quote TV shows and books, and recite our sports stats. Although when we flock together and discuss the latest plot hole in The Vampire Diaries or Nikita, we may get strange looks, we embody diversity. We embrace ourselves, and step out of the comfort zone; this is why I would be perfect for your University: Because geeks, we get it done.

Keep in mind this about 137 letters over the 500 word max :/. Does anyone have Questions, Comments, Concerns,or Opinions?