Undergraduate / "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh," Panic's frantic scream echoed in the cavernous cave. [8]

one thing:

isn't it supposed to be
regarded my twin sister and me
also:
we are all rich, athletically disinclined nerds.
and someone who worked hard to get good grades, I am a living testimony
I must say that I do not really see the contradiction between being a nerd and someone who works hard to get good grades.
But other than that it is, as already mentioned, well, countless times, awesome.

By the way, props to creating a thread with 45 posts :)

Undergraduate / "Sadness"- Yale supplement [9]

Tell us something about yourself you did not get the chance to say in the common app

This essay here is a lot like psychoanalysis. I get to talk about myself to an academic, I do not see the addressed person and I get to pay 80 dollars for this opportunity. "So how are you feeling today?"

To be honest I am sad. Sometimes I feel just the pain of being. It is the result of the gap between idea and reality, or the difference between what is and what is possible.

I believe strongly in the idea of cultural understanding and yet I look at a world full of racial conflicts.
However, it is not only intellectual, but also personal disappointment in the world.
When I first went to secondary school everything was intense. I met new friends and felt the total excitement of saying "Hello, I am Max." to a cute girl. Although I have now grown accustomed to school, sometimes in a trite lesson I cannot help but long for the thrill of the first day.

One way to deal with the gap is to simply block out the sun of ideas and to live sedatedly in the cave of conventions. I have tried this a few times. However, even when I was laughing and drinking beer at boring parties, my happiness was only superficial. It did not feel real. This is why I choose to seek true excitement through exploring the virtually endless possibilities of human experience.

About a year ago I first read about the revolutionary concept of polyphasic sleep. By sleeping several times a day, one can reduce daily sleep to four hours, or even up to two hours. All it takes is an incredibly hard adaptation period of four weeks.

Although my first two failures led me almost to believe polyphasic sleep was impossible my fascination with the idea let me try a third time and succeed. Since two months I have four hours a day more to expand my knowledge and experience.

I have learned speed-reading, which enabled me to read texts two times faster, and started to meditate daily, which lets me attain peace.
However, the most prodigious discovery I made was lucid dreaming. This is the learnable ability to control one's dream actively. Mankind is actually able to create the world as it likes.

When I explore these things I feel like a pioneer into the unknown realms of the human mind, which fills me with pure passion. When I make myself aware of the fact that I have learned about those things in just one year, I realize that I have only glimpsed into the human potential which is bigger than I can possibly imagine. This fills me with awe of life and lets me forget about my occasional sadness.

Well, our first session has come to an end and I have obviously started to feel better. I hope that we can begin treatment at your office in fall. Psychoanalysis takes a long time, so how would you feel about a time span of four years?

Please review as drastically as you like

Well, our first session has come to an end and I have obviously started to feel better. I hope that we can begin treatment at your office in fall. Psychoanalysis takes a long time, so how would you feel about a time span of four years?

Undergraduate / "Homeless guy " Common app essay [7]

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence

Mankind has always loved myths and fairytales. The characters in those stories are idealized and represent ideas common to us. Little red riding hood is the epitome of moral goodness, the wicked witch in Hansel and Gretel represents pure evil. We need those characters since in reality people have always two sides to their personality. However, sometimes a person, who seems to come out of a different world, comes along to influence our lives forever.

Two years ago I volunteered at the "Bahnhofsmission", an organization at the railway station that took care of everybody who was in need of help. While my first two days of work had been calm, at the end of my third day I was devastated. A man whose marriage proposal was rejected came in and insinuated under tears that he was about to kill himself. A heroin addict had thrown his syringes at us, shouting "I hope you all get aids". The atmosphere had calmed down, but I was deeply shocked. However, then something happened religiously inclined people would call a wonder.

Equipped with torn clothes, a wild beard and crutches a homeless man came in who seemed as though he had slept a week under a bridge. In fact, he had. "After sleeping a week under a bridge you just need a coffee", he said laughingly and sat down. While I was providing him with coffee my co-volunteer whispered to me that the man reeked of alcohol. Obviously endowed with a good sense of hearing, the man said smilingly:

"You know, this is exactly what some cops told me when I was driving with an electronic wheelchair down the road. "You smell very much like alcohol, sir". Then I:"I am an alcoholic. I always smell like alcohol". The cops:"Are you drunk right now?" "Again I am an alcoholic. I am always drunk".

"But you cannot drive like this on the road!" "What are you gonna do? Take away my wheelchair?"
"OK, but be cautious." "Of course I am cautious you idiots, these are my bones."

This person was the epitome of peace. He instilled in me fascination with the power of mind, which made him perfectly happy despite disability and homelessness and which afterwards enabled me to not let asthma and skin disease affect my mental happiness. More importantly, this man fascinated by being simply himself which showed me that inside of every person is something uniquely beautiful worth searching for. This revelation sparked my interest in psychology and acting which both let me explore the wonderful depths of a personality.

If he read those lines he would likely say laughingly "I am not the epitome of anything. I am just a bum." He would probably have a point. However, mankind needs inspiring stories to carry it through times of doubt and uncertainty. Just as children are read every night the fairy tale they love, every time I have doubts in humanity I remember this man and realize that life is ultimately beautiful.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated