Undergraduate / 'open and forward thinking' - Why UChicago? [5]

Here is my essay for UChicago!

Thanks in advance!

Good luck on your apps as well :)

Question 1. How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago. (1-2 paragraphs, no word limit)

I am not only captivated by Univeristy of Chicago's vibrant and diverse student body, but also it's open and forward thinking. Having lived in two contrasting countries and multicultural communities during my teenage years, I have grown to value diversity. However, I believe diversity is so much more than just being surrounded by a diverse crowd; it is the opportunity to live, study and interact on many levels with those from differing backgrounds. Univeristy of Chicago's status as a liberal arts institution and its broad array of fields of study will not only expose me to contrasting views, both culturally and academically, but will also prepare me fully for the world of business where innovative ideas can be turned into successful enterprises.

Even though I choose business as my main focus of study in university, I also retain a strong interested in Science, Literature, History, Anthropology, and Sociology. That being said, I yearn to explore the impact of business on society while widening my intellectual and cosmopolitan horizon at Uchicago and in the capital of cultures and opportunities, Chicago. While the comprehensive programs offered at UChicago will fulfil my intellectual aspirations, CAPS will also enable me to take my next step towards turning my passion for entrepreneurship and global diversity into my profession. As a thriving young individual, I believe UChicago is a perfect match for my objectives and ambitioness and my admission to Uchicago will definitely enhance the distinct and foward-thinking quality of the student body.

Undergraduate / 'new urbanities and cultures' + 'grew up in Shanghai - Why BU and my future roommate [5]

Hello! Here is my two essays for Boston University.

Any advice is welcome!

Thank you and good luck on ur apps as well!

I will read your essays in return! :)

In a few sentences, please tell us why BU is a good fit for you and what specifically has led you to apply for admission? (750 characters)

Studying in BU will not only fulfill my intellectual aspirations, but will also expose me to many new urbanities and cultures. I am not only attracted to BUs geographic location, but also fascinated by the unique offerings of the SMG. Boston's status as the home to countless intellectual and business institutions, combined with SMG's real-world based academic curriculums, will not only expose me to contrasting views, both culturally and academically, but will also prepare me fully for the innovative world of business. I yearn to explore entrepreneurship with the comprehensive programs offered at BU and I believe BU is the next step in my journey toward turning my passion into my profession.

A. It is three weeks before the start of your freshman year at BU, and you are talking to your new roommate for the first time. Since you are trying to get to know each other, what are a few things you would want to share about who you are? (500 words, 5000 characters)

Dear future best buddy,

I hope this email finds you well. Just as you are, I am just finishing enjoying my summer, and recollecting myself for my first year of college at the exciting city of Boston. I wanted to take a chance to email you in order to formally introduce myself to you and to plan out our future "home" together. I truly hope this will eliminate all awkwardness between us on our first day.

My name is Cicy Fan, I grew up in Shanghai, and attended boarding school in Canada during my high school year. Don't worry, I don't have any of the funny Canadian accent that American Television think we allegedly have, and I will not attempt to build an igloo in our room. Of course, you have all the liberty to have fun with my short-three-syllable-name; many find calling me by my first and last name a great fun, not mentioning repeating it numerous times. I have had a four-year-dorm experience at my high school, I guarantee you I will be a thoughtful roommate and a quite sleeper. However, try not to come to me crying about your homesickness or your boyfriend, I am not good with heavy emotions and tend to say the wrong things when I have to deal with them.

If our beds happen to be bunk beds, I will be totally comfortable to take the top bunk, so no need to rush to our room before I do on move-in day. More-over, I can bring a good-quality coffee machine for our room if you want to bring a toaster or a waffle maker. As you can tell, I am a coffee and a breakfast person.

My favorite color is purple, and my favorite website is certainly not Facebook. I have visited roughly fifteen countries and 30 cities. I enjoy reading non-fiction books and definitely prefer them over fiction fantasy stories. I will be carrying my small library of books by authors such as Malcolm Gladwell, Chris Hedges, and Howard Zinn to our room. If you enjoy reading them as well, you don't have to go through the trouble of bringing them. I prefer music from the 80's or the 70's and can only tolerate very little main stream music. I understand that I may have a different taste than most of our peers, however, I will not, by all means, try to brag about my interests or to force you into liking them. I like classical films as well.

Sometimes you may find me overly focus with my goals and too indulgent with my books, musics, and films. However, I am not the stereotypical Asian that is too uptight and obsessed with excellence. I may not be overly sporty but we can go on jogs together. Please, do write back to me and I can't wait to see you in september.

P.S: Would you like to explore the city with me before school starts?

P.P.S: I am abnormally tall for an Asian girl, its not hard to spot me in a crowd.

Undergraduate / UChicago Supplement - "My non-scientific method is reading" [8]

Hello everyone :)
This is my short(?) essay for UChicago, it is my first draft and is still missing a conclusion.
However, I just wanted to ask for some opinions on my take on the essay.

Thanks in advance and good luck on ur apps as well. :)

I will read your essays in return!

Observation, Hypothesis, Experiment, Analysis, Conclusion; since the 17th century, the scientific method has been the generally accepted way to investigate, explore, and acquire new knowledge. The actual process of intellectual discovery, however, is rarely so simple or objective. The human mind often leaps from observation to conclusion with ease, rushes headlong into hypothesis-less experiments, or dwells on the analysis, refusing to conclude.

Tell us about your non-scientific method. (Diagrams, graphs, and/or visual aids allowed within your essay.)
Since the advocation of secularization, the scientific method has long been introduced as the only way to learn. However, Bill Nye the Science Guy may not even be capable of explaining the dramatic phenomenas that occur in our chaotic society today with induction and deduction. To shed light into my logic-and reason-hungry brain, I chose to escape into my little perfect world. I have developed my own non-scientific method - reading. This may be a cliched or a novel idea to some, but reading, as I know it, is the perfect way for me to acquire knowledge and expand my intellectual horizon. And yes, I have been exposed to the so called "scientific methods." My conclusion, you ask? Being given the ever-so-obvious outcome of a lab by your kind physics teacher is not the right way to learn.

When I was around the age of seven and having been just introduced to the English language, I already held a big book in my hand. It was, literally and figuratively, the Big Book of Knowledge. Colorful and filled with detailed photographs, it covered topics from The Earth, to Food and Farming, to Cats. After so many years, the big book doesn't seem so big anymore, however, it still weighs heavily of knowledge and reminded the first days of my career as a reader. One can still see the carefully highlighted prefixes and suffixes and the chinese definitions I labeled in a pink pencil above words such as "incests" and "ancestors." Without doubt, reading wasn't an easy task for me then, however, it was certainly the most accessible and the most irresistible way for the eight-years-old me to learn about the basic structure of the Empire State Building and the different types of food you can make out of maize.

As I grew older, I further explored the process of reading. Being able to be absorbed into the 19th century world as Anne Elliot with Jane Austen one day then flawed democracy system of America as a liberal with Chris Hedges the other became almost magical. I observed a book's cover, hypothesized its content, experimented with the texture of the paper, analyzed the font, and concluded that the best way to read a book is to just read it.I did not fuss over the details of the process as you would in a scientific investigation. I just kept on reading. Every idea was beautifully arranged and clearly presented to me, waiting for me to absorb and digest them. I read faster and faster until my eye muscle couldn't catch up with my brain, or was it the other way around? I was not only introduced to the morals behind every novel, but was also familiarized with many complex theories that upholds non-fiction readings. I learned anything from the theory of Inverted Totalitarianism to the Cognitive Neuroscience of decision making.