Undergraduate / 'Characteristic Charisma' - Boston University Roommate Supplement [2]

Prompt: 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?

If you don't see me for a few days, do your best to not worry. Don't take it personally; I just tend to go a bit crazy when I arrive at an opportunity.

I've always loved comics. As far back as I can remember, I've been captivated by the characters. They all, heroes and villains, have this innate quality about them - this sense of purpose - that compels me to read on. They all strive to become something greater than themselves. Take Magneto as an example - his own madness was driven by a moral effort to prevent the genocide of his people. Despite his identity as a supervillain, I couldn't help but feel the effects of his charisma. He and many others have shown me the power of chasing your dreams. Thus, when I find a way to accomplish one of my goals - say, acing a class or creating some device - I may opt to skip sleep.

When I do return to our room, you'll find me awake at odd hours. Every now and then, I get up at five and take walks on the beach. There's something calming in seeing the sky light up while my feet are in the sand. When I don't have any other obligations, I spend the rest of the day walking through a nearby city. This leads to me returning late; by the time I come back, I'd expect most people to be snoozing.

When I am with you though, feel free to talk to me about anything. I enjoy conversation as much as anyone else. If it's a subject I don't know too much about, be sure to keep talking even if I don't say too much. It might just be taking me some time to fully digest what you're saying. Learning is the simplest way to improve myself - and insight from someone enamored with a topic makes me want to know even more.

Meeting new people is always entertaining. Discovering the little things about them is even more so. I look forward to finding out your quirks.

Undergraduate / Natural Born World Shakers - Common App Essay [3]

Just wrote this, I feel it's rather self-indulgent. I'm not too sure if it's actually college essay material due to the theme as well. Opinions?

Prompt: Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

Some men are in another class of being. They bleed confidence after every blow, and command those around them with a rapacious charm. The lords of this world have, throughout history, overtly displayed their larger than life vanities. These men are not just obnoxious; they're so irrationally self-affirming that history cannot help but depict them as titans.

Alexander of Macedonia is one of these colossi. The King of Kings inherited an empire at the age of twenty. Due to his young age, Alexander's subordinates looked upon him with disrespect. This world-bestriding conqueror plowed on through the condescension and malice, turning his empire into one of the largest in history. He marched across the majority of the known world. Yet he refused to stop and be content. The usual fruits of conquest - gold, land, and women - were nothing to him. Alexander the Great only had one aspiration: conquering the world. His ambitious desire not only gave him the goodwill of an entire empire, but also allowed him to conquer armies much larger than his own.

Alexander's ability to overcome the expectations placed upon him, along with his ineffable sense of destiny, both resonate with my own feelings. I feel connected to the world. I see myself in the people I know, in the places I have been, even in the elements. These reflections of me all impart the same message: I was born to change this world. While my delusions are not as radical those of Alexander, I still feel an innate drive to become something greater than myself. And I know that there is no one who can motivate me but myself. To avoid stagnation, to achieve my dream, I must push myself past contentment and aggressively seek out obstacles, just as Alexander had.

Two weeks ago I squatted 225 pounds. This week I read Jean-Paul Sartre's works. This afternoon I started conversations with seven strangers. The fate I feel laughed. These small challenges are nothing for one with my will. After all, life itself is a risk - fortune favors the bold, not the ignorant. Success or failure will make little difference to me, for success is not the goal: the world is.

College is the largest of the obstacles I seek. There, my thought and emotions shall spread as I meet others. My passion will affect those around me. My resilience will keep me working hard. The experience I gain as I change the campus will be invaluable in changing the world.

Compared to the globe, I am nothing but a tiny little dot. But one day, with this miniscule body, I will surpass this planet - and that excites me. It makes the blood in my chest beat faster and faster. It tells me that, despite knowing how small I am, I will struggle to reach heights greater than I can imagine. It is an endless dream; one that shall one day shake the world.