Undergraduate / 'I gained more freedom' - Johns Hopkins---Something about yourself [3]

Prompt: Tell us something about yourself or your interests that we wouldn't learn by looking at the rest of your application materials. (While you should still pay attention to sentence structure and grammar, your response is meant as a way for us to get to know you, rather than a formal essay.)

I remember when I was in elementary school, when the Gameboy became a huge sensation. All my friends got it, and they would talk about the games that they newly got, levels achieved, etc. I was left out of the conversation because my parents forbade me to get the Gameboy, saying that video games are a waste of time, bad for the health... After begging and promising good grades didn't work, I began to throw a tantrum. I was half-crying, half-yelling at them, insulting their parenting skills. I still did not get the Gameboy.

As I grew older and parents became more occupied by their work, I gained more freedom. By 7th grade, I had secretly collected enough money to buy the PlayStation Portable and two games: Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon. As I played more and more, my grades tanked and my health deteriorated. Fortunately, something clicked in 8th grade; whether it was the cultural upbringing or the productive mechanism inherent in me, I began to feel guilty about not being productive. As I moved away from the virtual worlds of Pokemon, I became more curious about the real world and got interested in subjects like history, chemistry and physics.

My parents' suppressive style did not work on me, but given the freedom, I was able to realize the dangers of video games. I'm the kind of person who thrives on independence. Because I am self-motivated and self-regulating, I'm ready to step away from my parents' shadows and go to college.

Undergraduate / 'Place of Worship' - Common App Main [4]

This is my main essay, it's 575 words, but I'm finding a hard time cutting some words out. Hope you enjoy.

The prompt is topic of choice.

I stood before the towering structure of my cathedral with its massive glass windows. Inside, the sunlight would shine on the wooden benches and reflect off the golden chandelier. The high arching ceiling and the mellow beige walls embrace this place of worship, this place of sacrifice. In here, blood is spilled and tears are shed. Hopes are destroyed and created; aspirations are built. Only the strong will survive and the weak are left outside the door.

I walked in.

The guardian angel asked for my pass and the familiar faces welcomed me in. I felt at home. Everyone inside here has the same goals, follows the same higher power. We are here to strengthen our bodies, improve our minds and purify our souls.

This is my sanctuary; this is (Gym name) on ________ Street.

The spirit of progress, of dedication is so strong here that it is palpable. Even though we all have the same routines every time, even though we come here at the same hour every day, we progress. We are proud to say "we are stronger than yesterday, and we will be stronger tomorrow than today".

As I marched towards the power rack, passing the enormous, panoramic mirrors, I found an unfamiliar figure staring back at me; I was surprised at how much I've changed. I still remember 3 years ago, when I first started.

On the first Monday back to school, I took the initiative and signed myself up for a 3 month trial period at (Gym name). After a summer of mostly TV and junk food, I was 10 pounds overweight with a whooping body fat percentage of 18. As I walk from the lockers to the workout stations, massive 200 pounders, whom I called "Billy" because it sounds like "bully", surrounded me, and I would avert my eyes when one of them looks back at me. I felt intimated and small in the presence of Gods.

The first exercise I performed was the squat, considered the king of all exercises. I attempted 95 pounds, the usual starting weight for a beginner, or so I was told. I put the bar on my back, and slowly pushed the bar off the rack; my back was already slightly bent underneath the weight. I tried to slowly bend my knees and squat down, buy my knees buckled inwards and I fell forward; fortunately, the bar was caught by the safety rack, and did not crash on my faced-down body.

I persevered, however; each workout I added 5 pounds, each workout I grew stronger and healthier, each workout I grew more confident. After 3 years of hard grind, I had become the Khnum of my body, carving it to the ideal, carving it to the figure that I see in the mirror today.

Focusing back to the lift, I warmed up with 135, and then quickly moved up to 225, 275,315, finishing up at 365. Each set takes 25 seconds and with a 90 seconds rest, I would finish my leg day at 3:40. Walking out the locker room with my muscles tight and tired, I saw a "Billy". I looked directly into his eyes and we both nodded, fully aware about how we had progressed, how we have dedicated most of our afternoons to improving our health, and how much we had sacrificed and persevered.

Walking out the gym, I felt good. And that's not the endorphin talking.

Undergraduate / 'Life is the most important thing' - Why Major Essay [3]

Prompt : With the understanding that the choice of academic school you indicated is not binding, explain why you are applying to that particular school of study

Life is the most important thing in the entire universe. So logically, the most important objective in this world is to understand and prolong life. What would be more fitting for a major than biochemistry, which studies the mechanics of life?

I first realized the fragility of life at the age of 15, when I got salmonella. Slouching on the toilet with blankets wrapped tightly around my torso, in the midst of odor of diarrhea mixed with sweat, I felt like I was going to die. What is dying like? What happens when I die? Do I just become nothing?I want my mommy! At that moment, I apprehended that nothing in the world can replace life, not money, not power, nothing. As I pondered about these troubling and insoluble thoughts, my dad brought me a glass of orange juice, and tells me that there's nothing to worry about. He explains that salmonella has a low fatality rate and that as long as I don't die from dehydration, my immune system will take care of the bacteria.

Even though this experience did not leave any physical scars, it impacted my mentality greatly. I viewed my father and other doctors not as symbols of illness and pain but more as symbols of hope and care, as their knowledge and expertise had prolonged humanity and comforted millions of citizens. I also realized the value of life, but I was surprised at how little I know of something that I cherish so much. By completing courses in biochemistry, I will understand my body much better; I will find assurance in fevers and diarrheas in that those are the ways that our bodies are adapted to dispel foreign pathogens. More importantly, I will be able to spread that assurance to my children and to my patients just as my father did to me, and that is the true goal of life.