Undergraduate / Potato Salad and Chitlins - how spent summers Princeton [5]

The end of the school year signaled one thing: liberation. Finally, I would be free from the reign of my parents, free to eat any available junk food, free to stay awake past 2 A.M. For the last two summers, my freedom materialized in the form of educational trips to Paris, France and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 2010, I lived, worked and played in the "City of Lights," attending OxBridge Academic's L'Academie de Paris. I chose Creative Writing to perfect my writing skills. This class lead me to explore new writing styles such as prose poetry, cubists poems and missing 'e' text. Writing in the homes of legendaries Victor Hugo, Honorè de Balzac and the cafes Hemingway and James Baldwin once graced presented a highlight of my literary tour. In Film in France, I gained expertise in the French New Wave cinema movement and produced films featuring improvisational acting. At the theater La Filmothèque, a viewing of the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Wrong Man" and director Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" left me breathless. During my free time, I tramped down unknown streets like a native Parisian to boulangeries, patisseries and lost corners.

Once again free, a year later as a member of the Summer Academy for Math and Science, I lived on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Here, I was introduced to Mr. Rolle and Mr. l'Hopital of the famous Rolle's Theorem and l'Hopital's Rule. In English, I wrote two essays for college admission and silly poems on my hatred of potato salad and chitterlings (pig intestines). Using digital forensics to recover data from compact discs and computer hard drives, I studied the habits of individuals through timestamps and hacked passwords. Ruined by the memories of my sophomore biology class, I reluctantly took Biotechnology. My dread soon morphed into awe as the understanding of the biological make-up of genetically modified foods absorbed my brain. Each summer, I re-entered under the watchful eye of my parents with new interests and increased confidence.

Undergraduate / Cookie Dough Ice Cream&&Gossip Girl, Stanford roommate letter [8]

feed back please! thank you
2. Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate - and us - know you better.

What's up Roommate,

Congrats and let's get ready to make the best of our first year in college. The name is Nia, Nia McGill. As an "only" child, I am excited to have a roommate. My home is in Broadview, Illinois, a tiny suburban village outside of Chicago. I live with both parents and my older brother is married with four children.

As I unpack my bags, you will soon learn of my love for food. For a skinny person, I eat a lot! The microfridge will always be stocked with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, Oreos, speculoos, Nutella and occasionally fried chicken. And now rejoice: your roommate can cook and not just a bowl of ramen noodles or Kraft macaroni and cheese. I can fry, boil and bake almost any food.

Warning: there will be days when you walk into our room and catch me fist pumping. I pretty much listen to every genre except hard rock and smooth jazz. Another warning: I am some what of a rat. The only trouble I have at home is keeping my room clean. Five times a year, my room has no clothes in a pile, papers on the dresser, shoes under the bed. But do not fret; I will try my best to keep my side of the dorm emmaculate.

Somewhere between doing homework and volleyball, I find time to watch Gossip Girl, Jeopardy, America's Next Top Model. Play board games, laugh at comedies and read the newspaper are some other interests. I have to be totally honest with you: I have an obsession with clothing and developing new fashion styles. People always compliment my outfits and think I pay extreme prices for fashionable, quality clothing. What they do not know is my secret weapon: shopping in thrift and consignment shops. So roomie, if you ever need advice on clothes or help cooking a cake, I'm on the other side!

Sincerely,
Nia

Undergraduate / Mac Miller on my Stanford's app? - Question [7]

Should I mention Mac Miller under one of my favorite artists for Stanford's app?

Undergraduate / Molecular Gastronomy - Stanford Intellectual vitality [4]

Thank you for any feedback!

1. Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
Surrounded by strangers, I sat in the audience with no idea what to expect. With my love for food, I was instantly hooked after hearing about a lecture hosted by the Chicago Humanties Festival, "Deconstructing Dinner: Molecular Gastronomy." I craned my neck, seeking the origins of a mysterious, visible gas appearing from under a table. Thomas Bowman, executive chef of the pioneering restaurant iNG (Imagining New Gastronomy) walked on stage and the revelation began.

The latest culinary technology, molecular gastronomy, combines art and science, focusing on a deeper understanding of the chemistry and physics of food. Its goal is to change existing expectations of how food should look and taste. Molecular gastronomy also explores how new cooking methods, tools and ingredients produce various textures and flavors. Tools usually employed in the laboratory such as centrifuges, food dehydrators and laser infrared surface thermometers are moving into the kitchen. He explained how the molecular gastronomy movement utilizes "ingredients" like liquid nitrogen, hydrocolloids and food additives to form edible foams and gels. To demonstrate, Bowman "cooked" a waffle with liquid nitrogen, the mysterious gas. The waffle was fast frozen since liquid nitrogen's temperature at normal atmospheric pressure is -210 degrees Celsius. For enjoyment and aesthetic purposes, Bowman applied a blowtorch for completion.

In this program, he articulated how the miracle berry, native to West Africa, generates the perception that foods are sweet. The protein miraculin binds to taste buds, causing sour and savory foods to taste sweet, its effect lasting for one hour after digestion. When miraculin contacts acids, it activates the sweetness. Miracle berries contain no sugar introducing another alternative for diabetics and dieters. Attending this lecture not only increased my understanding of science in food but changed my perception of the conventions of dining.

Undergraduate / Biotechnology, Isolation of DNA - Princeton supplement [5]

Engineering Essay
If you are interested in pursuing a BSE degree, please write an essay describing why you are interested in studying engineering, any experience in or exposure you have had, and how you think the programs in engineering offered at Princeton suit your particular interests.

I was first introduced to engineering in my freshman algebra class. My teacher recommended I attend Illinois ELITES, a program to show how meaningful math and science are in our daily lives. During the Saturday sessions, I worked on a self-paced, computerized math program, Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS). After completing the sixteen-week program and becoming one of the top two freshmen, I earned a scholarship to attend the Illinois Aerospace Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a weeklong summer camp. This experience opened my eyes to the world of mathematics, chemistry, physics and engineering. Many factors went into my decision to study engineering, but the most important were the unraveling and development of answers to human problems globally.

As a member of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr., I competed on a team in the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Engineering Academies Statewide Competition. In "The Long Way Home Challenge," we had to create a system to move tennis balls around detours and obstructions, build in less than 65 minutes with an assortment of office supplies and explain the system's capability; my team won second place. I did not know what discipline of engineering to pursue, but this experience eliminated Civil Engineering and free me to explore other areas.

A six-week program for rising seniors, Summer Academy for Math and Science at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) provided the opportunity to complete research project with CMU faculty members. For my engineering project biotechnology, I performed a biological investigation of organic dog food to determine if any genetically modified genes (GMO) had been inserted. GMOs are dectected by isolating deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), performing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzing the yield using spectrophotometry and gel elctrophoresis. The project allowed me to acquire hands-on exposure with current techniques applied in a molecular biology lab.

As a student at Princeton, I will have access to vast resources and chances to study and work with accomplished professors. The engineering department's development of practical skills by working with equipment and learning more about analysis and real-life problems reinforces my decision. Additionally, incorporating global subject matter and viewpoint into the classroom will help my international studies. The Study Abroad and International Internship Program to research and establish worldwide links amazed me. Not only would I be able to direct an engineering study but also travel abroad. The best part is the encouragement for all students to take advantage of the options. For someone with very little foreign contacts, relations like these are inspiring. In fact, the universal vision, partnerships and lifelong learning initiatives were the deciding factors in my pursuit of engineering at Princeton.

Thank you for any feedback!