Graduate / Stanford AND Brown - Horrible equilibrium [NEW]

Alrighty, so this was originally written for Stanford's "What matters to you, and why?" but I think I may also be able to use it for Brown's "Why are you going to college?" (both have 2000 character limits) Any help with that possibility (and maybe the final sentence) would be amazing. Thanks!

What matters to you, and why? (2000 character limit)

My equilibrium has been ruined ever since I spun myself too much on desk chairs for fun as a child. Today, merely turning 180 degrees makes me feel woozy and momentarily incapacitated.

Growing up, my life felt chaotic and contradictory. While I despised my parents for their strict parenting, the sense of safety they gave me was comforting. Catch-22s invaded my life and I was unsure what to think. In retrospect, this chaos was in fact the definition of balance itself. Contradictions are the means of coping with the negative and positive aspects of life; when added together, these elements yield an almost perfect balance.

Whether it's in regards to friends, education, or even the food I eat, I'm always trying to find a harmony. Balance is imperative in my search for happiness because it gives a structure to my world. No matter how tasty, I'm not going to eat only Taco Bell for the rest of my life because it's necessary to have a balanced diet in order to be healthy. Likewise, I'm not going to do homework all day after school because it's detrimental to have no interpersonal relationships. A group of supportive friends is just as beneficial as school work, but its advantages are manifested in a different way. In striving for a perfect life, varying aspects need to be comparable, a notion essential for stability.

It's with these sentiments that I will enter college: with the primary goal of creating a balance not only in my life, but also in that of others and the world in its entirety. I will discover the passions that will saturate my mind throughout the rest of my life as I advance in my studies. I hope to introduce others to my interests and their evolution, gifting them with a perspective that would otherwise pass unnoticed. I aspire to bring the world a sense of balance vicariously through the harmony that I aim for in my own life.

Although the steadiness of my inner ear is horrible at best, it would be mistaken to say that I don't value balance.

Undergraduate / 'I am a library' - rough draft of Common App [5]

Alrighty, so I mainly need help in making it sound more personal and getting it all organized. I know there are things I could do to make it sound better and say more, but I'm kind of lost right now. Thanks for your help, and I'll make sure to return the favor :)

At the library, there are countless books on almost any subject you can imagine. Vegan cooking? Check. Mystical dragons? You bet. Getting into college? Of course. When researching, it's far too easy to get lost in the sheer amount of information available and end up focusing on just one side of the story over another. Attempting to comprehend it all appears to be futile.

I'm a library; composed of an exotic mixture of black, Chinese, Greek, Swedish, Danish, and Icelandic, I was born with the opportunity to see life with an eye filtered by no culture in particular, but confusing by nature.

Some of my closest friends are Korean. They follow most Korean traditions and they know what bibimbap is. They are Korean not only by blood, but culturally, too. My friends actively identify with their genetic makeup, while I am left to wonder where the culture is that is supposed to come hand in hand with my ethnicities.

This lack of defined culture is confusing and disorienting at times, but it is ideal in regards to getting along with others. With no cultural preconceptions to hold me back, I'm like a book in which everyone is welcome to include their story.

But fate isn't the only thing that has influenced my racial blindness. My parents are the epitome of open-minded; growing up, no set of beliefs was ever forced upon me. I was left to my own devices to figure out what I believe in and who I am, but not to judge others. A five-year-old, I once came home singing a cute song I'd learned from school. Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these! Disgusted, my mother sat me down and explained the possible consequences of this jingle. You can't just talk like that. It may mean nothing to you, but it could make other little girls cry. Think about how it could make other people feel. I've taken her advice to heart.

My ethnicity-independent upbringing is that of tolerance and acceptance, but my interpretation of it is paramount. In an attempt to find a sense of balance in my life, I have decided to embrace other cultures with an eye sans criticism. Together, my ethnic soil, nurtured roots, and vivacious leaves have set me up to mingle with nearly everyone, indiscriminate. I've had a two-hour conversation with a British-accented English teacher from France about beat-boxing. My religious best friend and I have skimmed through her Bible in search of the literal meaning of the seven sacraments of Catholicism. With a petite Korean girl no taller than my shoulder, I've considered the ethical implications of grinding at school dances. My life has been enriched and I have been shaped so much from the people I've talked to and the stories I've heard.

Hopelessly ravaging through the library a week before your next term paper's due, calm down and pick up a book from one area, and then move onto another-maybe even some books that are seemingly unrelated. Eventually you will feel informed and balanced on the topic and ready to write your paper.

Undergraduate / Stanford Roommate - Why are there cats on everything you own?! [10]

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (2000 character limit)I'm afraid that this essay says too little about who I am as a person/to Stanford-That's what I need clarification on most. Thanks for all your help, and I'll make sure to return the favor :)

Bonjour, Roommate!

Je m'appelle Ariana, and the first thing you should know about me is that I talk to myself A LOT in French.

When you first meet me, I'll probably be unpacking a plethora of cat socks, memorabilia from my travels to France, and a few of my most cherished CDs from my 80s floral print suitcase. You'll meet most of my friends through this picture frame clock I got for Christmas last year. Don't worry, you'll make it into a frame soon enough, but don't be alarmed when the picture is printed out and my face is twisted-I usually make ridiculous faces in pictures because I know it'll get a laugh.

My perfect night would be getting back to the dorm late after my last club activity, turning on some French music, and drowsily taking online personality quizzes until my eyes feel heavy and I fall asleep. But that's assuming that I don't have four hours of homework to do. If there's anything that high school has taught me, it's that there needs to be a balance between homework, activities, and wandering around the Internet until the wee hours of the morning.

I hope you like getting involved in anything that interests you. Out and about more often than not, I'd love for you to join me. Whether it's performing color experiments involving the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (I find language SO interesting), taking a plastic bag around campus to pick up trash, or attending a musical at the Memorial Auditorium, expect me to be busy. When something catches my eye, I go all in and dive into its depths to get a real feel of it. On the other hand, it's okay if you're into different things because all the real bonding happens midnights during dead week when we SCREEEAAAMM out our window together, drowning in our mutual despair. I know that, if nothing else, we'll click because we're both studying at Stanford.

See you next fall!

P.S. You might want to learn a couple French phrases before we meet. Start with "Why are there cats on everything you own?!"

Undergraduate / Brown Community - IB "poster girl" [2]

Thanks in advance for the feedback. I'll be sure to return the favor :)

We all exist within communities or groups of various sizes, origins, and purposes; pick one and tell us why it is important to you, and how it has shaped you. (1000 character limit)

"You're in the International Bachelorette?" my cousin said, astounded. "What kind of program is THAT?"

Towards the end of last year, I decided to be the IB "poster girl," a name I devised for the few seniors each year that everyone thinks of when they think of IB. To me, they've been role models, exhibiting the qualities of an ideal student: involved almost to a fault, intellectual, and caring for others. I would be remembered by underclassmen as THE IB student of 2011-2012.

Each year, English classes go the Plagiarism Seminar put on by a few IB seniors. By the day before the seminar this year, the presentation was not prepared and no one had any idea what to say. Hesitant to continue, I remembered my goal and jumped in full-force. Not did participating show ideal IB student qualities, but I stepped out of my comfort zone to both learn and teach about something plaguing my school.

IB has made me who IB today. I have grown parallel with what it asks of me and more, learning about myself along the way.

Undergraduate / Brown Curriculum - France and Psychology [3]

Alrighty, so I know this is choppy, but I just need some help with the general idea, and maybe figuring out how to integrate it and maximize my content in the small amount of characters. THANK YOU!

I've known my career pathway for 4 years now: psychology. This is a passion I've been committed to, but with little experience, so when taking courses in psychology, I may become interested in something else.

I've had a love for France's language and culture since 3rd grade. It began as a simple interest and has grown into my life. I wish to study and go abroad to France as much as possible.

The Brown Curriculum is ideal. Not only are my intended areas of study an unusual mix that would otherwise be difficult to pursue, but I may deviate and seek out other areas. I will be able to explore my current interests, along with myself through those that will develop during my stay at Brown.