Undergraduate / 'called on in my Theory of Knowledge (TOK)' - Stanford intellectual vitality [3]

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.

This is due in 1 hr! please help if you can! does it make sense?

As I waited to be called on in my Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class, I quietly thought to myself if my answer was really mine: Did I personally believe that lying was never okay, no matter what the circumstances or what it just a result of being taught not to lie for years. I firmly decided that "No! That's not what I believe." When it was my turn to speak I justified my answer in accordance to my beliefs and not my parents'. My parents have done a great job of molding my values and shielding me from the "ugly truth"-so to speak. They instilled cultural and religions values in me and I blindly accepted them. I never once stopped to think and look into what I was being taught.

After taking TOK for one semester my outlook on many of my beliefs began to shift. Reading articles from The New Yorker or the Los Angeles Times in class introduced me to new perspectives on the values I had been instilled with: I was forced to question what I had been taught as a child. Daily, we discuss moral obligations and situations that I never thought I would be involved in or questions that seemed to have obvious answers but don't. Pondering upon these questions compels me to go back and reevaluate my belief system. Through TOK, I feel I am more prepared for a college life, where I won't be shielded from any harsh reality like I am now. My experience in TOK gives me the confidence to be able to change what I believe and be accepting of other perspectives. I am beginning to form my own belief system, not the one I had been brought up with but the one I am going to live with for the rest of my life.

Undergraduate / "Attention Seniors!" - Duke University Supplement: Why Duke? [3]

Hi! this is my duke supplement. If you help me i will definitely return the favor!

If you are applying to Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular at Duke that attracts you? Please limit your response to one or two paragraphs.

"Attention Seniors! A Duke University representative is in the lyceum. The session will start in 10 minutes," the intercom blared over my head. It was a good opportunity to skip class I thought to myself as I packed my things up and told my teacher I was interested in going to the presentation. When I first heard about Duke University I barely gave it a second thought. It was too far from my home in California and it was located in some random city in North Carolina where it would be too cold for me; it wasn't an option. Before drafting my list of schools to apply to, I spent a great deal of time deciding my major simply because I couldn't pick just one. Throughout high school there were just so many things I wanted to learn and I anticipated a chance to learn everything-I was greedy for knowledge. Politics, economics, law, sociology, psychology, and philosophy were just some of the many things I intended to explore at college. However, no school truly gave me the opportunity to try everything I wanted to, there were too many limitations everywhere. After listening to what the admissions representative had to say my perspective on Duke University completely shifted: I had finally found my dream school. During my research for schools I looked for a place where I could design my own education without boundaries and study what I feel is important. The encouragement of originality and the intensity of intellectual freedom at Duke gives me just that: an opportunity to quench my thirst for knowledge. The freshman curriculum based on the six Modes of Inquiry allows students a focused yet unique program that will cater to their personal and professional needs. After all, global warming cannot be solved by simply learning chemistry or physics; it is a combination of public policy and international relations as well many other disciplines.

With its low faculty-to-student ratio, Duke will give students like me a chance for hands on learning and teamwork: where learning happens beyond the classroom. A chat with a professor would be just as enlightening as attending a lecture. Apart from the academics, I also want to avail the DukeEngage program to help foster my education beyond the four walls of a classroom. To me, this program is an opportunity for students to implement what they have learned and explore further what they have imagined. Dukes advocacy of education beyond a lecture hall is among the reasons why this school attracts me. For a person like me, hands-on learning is the key to success. Personally, I need to experience something for myself before I truly understand it. For me, learning economics is more than just studying causes and effects, its about a global community and learning about that requires more than a textbook. At the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, where the only freshman requirement is a Writing 20 course and First-year seminar, I'll be able to mold myself a curriculum that keeps me satiated and captivated for the next four years.

Undergraduate / 'Public School / IB Diploma' - Intellectual vitality + what matters to you [6]

ESSAY 1: What matters to you and why?
I need to cut down words on this one (specifically about 220 characters)

August 31, 2006 was my first day in public school. I had, both, waited for this day and dreaded it. Since kindergarten I was enrolled in a private, religious school: Orange Crescent. Through OCS I established my religious foundation; I experienced and immersed myself in my religion, Islam. However, after seven years, it was time for me focus on my secular education. It was a bittersweet feeling to be leaving.

Public school didn't sound too bad. I was excited to be trying something new. Yet, I was still nervous. In every possible way, I was different: different culture, different religion, different name. The odds weren't in my favor, yet surprisingly, many of the critical junior high kids I had heard so much about accepted me.

I was asked endless questions by students and teachers alike. "What language do you speak (Urdu)?" They weren't too bitter, though. New friends would come over excitedly to model in my traditional clothes. They truly enjoyed learning about my culture and religion, and I enjoyed explaining to them.

Not everybody was as accepting. At times, I felt like an outcast, and I began to hide my culture to be "normal." I avoided and neglected everything unique about me. Going out in public in my traditional clothing was embarrassing to me; every stare, every glance pierced me like a needle.

It was a futile effort; my culture was so much a part of me that I felt incomplete without acknowledging its influence. I realized I didn't need to hide my culture nor completely submerse myself into it; I tried to find a middle-ground. I needed to assimilate to American culture without sacrificing my own. I combined my principles with American traditions. My family and I began celebrating Christmas; opening presents Christmas morning, like everybody else, slowly became normal customs for us. We celebrate both Islamic holidays and American holidays just as they are.

Finally, I was content with where I was and how I was; there was no need to change. As an American-born Pakistani, I incorporated the cultures of my heritage and my environment, in myself. Now, walking into an American restaurant in Shalwar Kameez (traditional clothing) isn't that weird to me anymore.

ESSAY 2: Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
This one needs A LOT of work. I know the ideas are everywhere and its not organized at all. i just need to know what more I can add and how i can make flow better.

When I learned that every IB diploma candidate is required to take Theory of Knowledge, I was somewhat excited. I imagined Socratic seminars, no homework, and no exams: this class was going to be a breeze. However, TOK wasn't exactly as I had expected it to be. We have never done a Socratic seminar, and there are many writing assignments and exams, but I enjoy every minute of it. I anticipate walking in to class and finding interesting articles titled, "The 10 Commandments of Steve," or "Personal Best," waiting for me on my desk. Reading articles like these not only makes me a more aware and well-read person, but also introduces me to many new perspectives on ideas. I feel these articles force me to question what I have been taught as child as I am now-and will be especially during college-exposed to the many different outlooks and opinions about global and community issues. I feel this class has specifically prepared me for college life, where I won't be shielded from any harsh reality like I am now. Living in conservative Orange County, my parents have done a great job of protecting me from the "ugly truth"-so to speak. TOK not only gives me the opportunity to question the beliefs my parents have instilled in me but also to compare my beliefs to others'. Although TOK may not be an easy A, the way I interpret my beliefs, and so many other things in my life, will never be the same.

Undergraduate / 'Going out for a Chinese takeout' - Stanford Essay: Letter to Roommate [8]

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.

Dear Roommate,

I'm looking forward to living with you for the next few years. I hope to find a long-lasting friend in you; a memory of the "good 'ol days." But first there are some things you should know about me.

You will probably be able to tell much about me just by how I set up my room. Everything has a place, but I don't have boxes with labels for everything on them and yet I still maintain organization. You will definitely see many pictures on the walls and in frames. I love taking pictures especially of my family and friends. Photography is my way to scrapbook every amazing moment I have and I hope we will have many of those. Living with me, you will quickly find that I love to read. Depend on always seeing a book or two on my bedside table, especially considering how I haven't had much time for leisure reading for the past couple years.

One major trait of mine is that I love to go out; I cannot stand sitting around doing nothing. I'm usually the one who bugs my mom about going somewhere whereas my other two sisters are content at home in front of the TV. I guess this is particularly results from my desire to try new things. I'm pretty sure I'll drag you into some of my crazy shenanigans, but thats where we'll have the most fun. You'll always find me making plans to do something crazy; one day I'll be listening to and interesting lecture and another I'll be taking you out to try new, exotic food. You can always count on me to help you cross of things on your bucket list. You'll soon find that I genuinely love to learn. I'll probably be explaining some new philosophy or political concept to you daily and I'm sure you'll hear me practicing new languages all the time. [(But, I promise you I will never come home drunk-its something unacceptable for me.) <---Should I include that?]

Well, you have been warned. In between chinese take-out (my favorite) and late night study sessions, I'm hoping we both can take away something positive from the experience.

Love,
Muzna