Undergraduate / 'Cultural Passport' - Other MaCaulay Honors College Essay [3]

I am GSL of THS. I am not posting this so that others may copy it. I am the original author of this piece and reserve all of my rights to it. I am posting it with the SOLE purpose of getting advice on it. DO NOT STEAL MY WORK!!!

Question: It is now 2013, how has the Macaulay Honors College changed you? (300 words)

I'd love any advice you can give me

It's a gorgeous morning on this beautiful spring day in 2013, and I sit waiting for my interview in the waiting room of Princeton University's Fellowship Coordinator's office. The grounds look no different today than in 2008, when I first visited the campus. As I wait, I find myself wondering where the time flew. These last four years at Macaulay, albeit fully packed with exciting internships and educational opportunities, seem like only brief moments in time, which passed far too quickly, and yet the depth and extent of my studies, the exciting research projects I was involved with, the opportunities to work with some of the nations leading historians, is evident in my grades and portfolio of work.

Using the funding provided to me by the Macaulay Honors College, I have been able to study in places like France, and tour famous historical sites like Normandy Beach and the Somme River. Seeing these places first hand has enabled me to not just understand the history of the events, but to amerce myself in it. Internships with organizations like the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit and the US State Department have provided me with invaluable practical experience in my field.

With my Cultural Passport, I have been able to enrich myself by visiting museums and seeing artifacts up close, at little or no cost. I have seen beautiful exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, and attended operas at the Metropolitan Opera House. I have not just received a mere education, I have received lessons in life and culture, lessons that will serve me will as I peruse my career.

Those broad and rich experiences at Macaulay is the reason why I am here today at Princeton University being actively sought after for a much coveted seat in their graduate school.

Undergraduate / 'naval budget' - MaCaulay Honors College Essay [9]

I am GSL of THS. I am not posting this so that others may copy it. I am the original author of this piece and reserve all of my rights to it. I am posting it with the SOLE purpose of getting advice on it. DO NOT STEAL MY WORK!!!

Assignment: Pose an original question and answer it. (500 words)

My main concern is that my question isn't clearly understandable, I hope someone can help.

In this post cold war era, a burning question to be answered is whether our Navy should continue to allocate exorbitant sums of money for new warship development, especially when our brave armed forces are primarily engaging in desert and urban ground combat. Prior to the collapse of the USSR, the United States invested tremendous resources into becoming the world's most advanced military super power, with the most powerful Navy in the world, composed of 283 warships. This build up was in anticipation of a war with the USSR. However, since the collapse of the Soviet Empire, it is clear that such a war will never happen.

The US Navy was established in 1789, with a budget of $1,000. In a press release, the Navy estimated its budget for 2009 would be in excess of $149 billion, with $14.1 billion dedicated to new warship procurement. Considering that in November the Pentagon's Defense Business Board told President-Elect Obama that defense budget cuts are essential to our government, one must question whether such grandiose expenses are necessary. In order to determine if spending should be reduced, the role of warships in the global war on terror must be examined.

According to a 2008 Congressional report, the Navy plays an important role in the global war on terror (GWOT), namely through the use of our 11 nuclear powered aircraft carriers, which provide air support to our ground troops. The Navy also provides transportation for troops and supplies while the Marine Corps, a part of the Navy, is deployed to fight terrorism throughout the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the navy has a sizeable fleet of warships, including 68 nuclear subs and hundreds of destroyers, frigates and other ships, which are designed only to combat sophisticated targets, like enemy warships and submarines. This abundant fleet is usually relegated to providing support for ground forces or policing piracy, while the Marine Corps actually engages in some of the most intense combat.

The proposed 2009 naval budget only dedicates $1.5 billion to the USMC, while $14.1 billion is slated for new warships like the Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier. Considering the current type of combat the US Military is engaged in, this appears to be an exorbitant waste of vital funds. The US Navy tonnage, or the combined weight of our warships, is greater than the next seventeen largest navies combined. Although there are potential threats to our nation on the open water, such as the USS Cole terrorist attack, the risk is relatively minimal. The Department of the Navy should be diverting money away from new warships and investing it in the USMC and new aircraft programs like the F-35 fighter jet. Additionally, considering our current deficit, the federal government should reduce the size of our fleet and diverting those funds towards economic recovery. The effects of freeing up even a third of the Navy's budget intended for new warships would put a measure of relief on our debt stricken government.

Undergraduate / Hofstra Essay - I am GSL of THS [6]

I am GSL of THS. I am not posting this so that others may copy it. I am the original author of this piece and reserve all of my rights to. I am posting it with the SOLE purpose of getting advice on it. DO NOT STEAL MY WORK!!!

This is an essay that is due today, so if you can read it over that would be great. Even if you can't do it today, please read it over as it will help me in my future essays.

Thanks

Describe a meaningful event or experience and how it has changed or affected the person you are.

I love school; I enjoy my accelerated, advanced placement, and college now classes. I also love the library, where I enjoy reading, studying, and researching. I actively participate in activities like sing, drama club, mock trial, and Latin club. However, the activity in which I have experienced and gained the most inner personal growth has been the concert choir.

When I first entered [high school], against my mother's expressed wishes I might add, I was a young, fragile, and vulnerable boy who was riddled with anxieties. I was extremely uncomfortable in large, overwhelming, and over crowded places. Tottenville has over four thousand students and staff and is at 132% capacity. As a matter of fact, Tottenville is the largest high school in Staten Island. However, I chose the school because it offered the perfect accelerated academic program for me, the Institute of the Classics and Humanities, and it offered all of the extra curricular activities that interested me. I also chose Tottenville because I wanted to challenge myself to overcome my anxieties and discomforts so I could better prepare myself for college and the real world.

With each performance, chorus has allowed me to face my anxieties head on. Where anxiety and timidity had once dwelled, confidence and enthusiasm now exist. Because of the growth I have experienced from chorus, I now thrive as a student and individual. Almost without realizing it, I have been changed for the better by my experiences. The magnitude of my growth became evident this year on September 11th. Every year my school traditionally performs at South Street Sea Port for a memorial concert. This year, as we were waiting to perform, I noticed one of the freshmen looking panicked by the crowds, a feeling I was most familiar with. The area was loud, crowded, and overwhelming. The occasion was stressful and he was nervous about performing in front of thousands of people, the mayor, and the media. I approached him and reassured him that he was well prepared and had done well at rehearsal. I shared with him that when I first came to Tottenville, I was nervous too. With my support and encouragement, he relaxed almost immediately. Moments latter, as we performed, and I stepped forward and started my recitation of Lincoln's inspirational Gettysburg Address, I realized something; that freshman used to be me. I used to panic at the drop of the hat. Performances in front of people used to terrify me. I realized that I was a completely different person now, I had not only compensated for my difficulties, but I had conquered them.

Today I am confident and I deal with stressful situations with grace and calm. I am not shy or timid, I'm outgoing and expressive, and I'm not afraid to raise my hand in class to offer my thoughts, questions, or opinions. I went beyond dealing with my anxieties, or even surviving my anxieties, I conquered them. Being in chorus is largely responsible for this.