Undergraduate / U Chicago, desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future. [5]

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future?

A myriad men and women that I admire have attended, and taught at the University of Chicago. I have read twice Saul Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March, analysed the works of T.S. Eliot, and quoted Milton Friedman a countless number of times in Economics class. This is the first and foremost reason that I would like to attend the University of Chicago.

My uncle, Dr. Srinivas Reddy, has a wealth of experience when it comes to the American university system. He was once a professor at Columbia, New York University, and UCLA, and was also a visiting professor at Stanford. Knowing my personality and my areas of academic interest, he recommended the University of Chicago. He spoke of its excellent Political Science department, and explained me that the courses are very application based (preparing students well for life after school), and that there was a large emphasis on skills development. He also said that Chicago really puts its students to the test. I feel this very important because the strength of a program is the extent to which it challenges its students. I work best when I am pushed to my limits, and would work even harder, especially in a top institution like Chicago where there is a fiercely competitive environment. I do not mind long hours of study so long as they are fruitful because the pain of hard work is only temporary after all.

Unfortunately, despite my keen interest in Chicago I was not able to visit it during my trip to America over the summer. I was staying in New Jersey and only for a limited amount of time. I did, however, perform extensive research on the University, and have spoken to a cousin of mine who is an alumnus of the school. He majored in Economics.

He told me that Chicago is an excellent choice if I am intending to study Political Science because of the wide range of interesting courses available. He also said that the Economics courses were more quantitative than qualitative, and that Chicago likes to follow its own curriculum to a certain extent. This, I feel is what sets Chicago apart from other institutions, its willingness to experiment, and to propagate the idea of intellectual freedom. This is exactly the type of institution that I would like to be associated with, a seedbed of innovation and drive to know more.

By nature I am averse to linear classroom education. Despite the fact that it gives my field of study variation, with the development of telecommunications and such, I do not enjoy natural science with its rigid parameters. The Social Sciences are viscous, and to a certain extent temperamental, this being a quality that I admire. Economics and government are two subjects in particular that are forever changing. Their very foundations are unstable, and under constant scrutiny. There is always something new to examine whether it be the correlation between abortion and income, or the global struggle to keep protectionism at bay. These subjects can be looked at from so many different angles, and merged with a number of other disciplines. For instance, Milton Friedman despite his background in Economics conducted a number of metallurgical studies, which exemplifies the University's encouragement of students to broaden the scope of their research, and renowned interdisciplinary approach towards education. This is why the University of Chicago is home to so many Nobel Prize winners. Its alternative methods allow it to produce innovators. In this sense I enjoy working beyond the borders of a classroom. In subjects that I enjoy I make regular readings. In terms of Economics I have tried Galbraith (despite the limited nature of my knowledge), and in terms of history I have read both John Gaddis' "We now know" and Eric Hobsbawn's "The Age of Extremes".

Another aspect that attracted me to Chicago was the idea of a student union. The fact that students have a certain amount of control over their college must make the Chicago experience all the more personal. I feel that at my present school far too much power lays with the institution in the sense that the students cannot make small changes, for instance, food in the cafeteria. I could see what a large influence the students have upon college affairs on the Chicago website. It was evident in the admissions process itself, as the students themselves had created the prompts. Again, this highlights the "left of centre" nature of the University of Chicago, and gave me an insight into the types of individuals that attend it: broad minded, and passionate. I was particularly impressed when I saw that students had protested with dining hall workers for an increase in pay. The idea that I would not simply attend Chicago, but would also call it my own is a very exciting prospect. The student run Chicago Maroon also caught my interest. I am editor in chief of the newspaper at my current school, and there are not many things that I enjoy more than writing, so I would love to become a staff member. Acting is also a passion of mine, and Chicago has a thriving drama scene. I am glad to see that this option is available as acting allows me to express myself in the fullest manner possible.

I am set upon majoring in political science. Currently I am intending to go to Law school after attaining my degree. However, being young and fickle minded I am assuming that I may change my mind at a later stage. This is yet another reason why I would like to study at the University of Chicago. Its courses will allow me to apply my knowledge in many different fields leaving my career choices very open ended. Everything about Chicago indicates that it is dedicated to academics and the well being of its students. For instance, despite not having a pre-law degree course the university provides students with an environment in which to study for their LSATS via CAPS. Furthermore, the attitude of the University of Chicago towards education is conveyed succinctly in its motto "Let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched". Chicago will give me what I want- substance. I do not want to be in the possession of a number of superficial facts when I graduate. I want to have control. I want the information that I possess to be at my disposal.

Essentially, I would like to attend Chicago because it is an anomaly. I am intrigued by the fact that the education I would receive at this institution is far different from the education I would receive at any other top institution. I hope to meet people there who are as self-aware, motivated, and as dedicated to their field of study as I am. I think that I could bring the best of two conflicting cultures to Chicago and a whole new perspective on life due to the unique nature of my experiences. I would do anything to be a part of such a collision of ideas and intellect. The University of Chicago is definitely the sort of school that I want to be a part of. A school with an environment that is not only conducive to learning, but also to the development of free independent thinking.

My SAT score was awful: 1980

WR- 640
CR- 660
Maths- 680

My SAT II scores were abysmal

Maths II- 620
Lit- 630

My IB scores were reasonable

Maths HL- 6 (A)
Economics HL- 6 (A)
Histor HL- 6 (A)
English SL- 7 (A+ or *)
French SL- 6 (A)
Bio SL- 5 (A)

TOTAL= 36/42

I have a bunch of extracurricular stuff. Basketball, soccer (founder and captain), school newspaper (editor in chief), working administration/accounting at a 4*hotel and I have worked at numerous NGOs.

Some recommendations from teachers and places I've worked.

I am applying to Chicago for Eco.

Are my essays good enough, and what do I need to do to improve in them?

Undergraduate / "conflicting cultures" - COLUMBIA ADMISSION ESSAY [9]

This was actually my UC app personal statement, but I'm thinking of cutting it down and submitting with my Columbia app too. Input would be much appreciated. Take no notice of the mistakes I corrected them on the UC site.

Prompt: Write an essay which conveys to the reader a sense of who you are. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to, experiences which have shaped your life, the circumstances of your upbringing, your most meaningful intellectual achievement, the way you see the world - the people in it, events great and small, everyday life - or any personal theme which appeals to your imagination. Please remember that we are concerned not only with the substance of your prose but with your writing style as well. We prefer that you limit yourself to approximately 250-500 words (or 1-2 pages).

Having lived in England until I was 14, and in India for the past 4 years I have experienced two so called "conflicting cultures". Despite being of Indian origin, it is safe to say that I was an "Orientalist" (as Edward Said would say) or more simply put, an ignorant. I was born and brought up in the city of Birmingham. My contact with India was negligent. I'd visited it every other year for a couple of weeks. When I moved to India in 2005, however, it had been seven years since my last visit. my idea of it was vague. India to me was a place "where my relatives lived", a place where people pronounced the "n", a place that still didn't have McDonald's. It was frozen in 1998. The timing had been perfect. This great change in my life had collided with my formative years. I was fourteen and at a stage where my intellectual curiosity was growing exponentially. The years when knowing superficial facts was enough had passed. There was an innate desire for substance. I wanted to learn everything. I wanted to know everything there was to know. The world was a machine and I wanted to find out the purpose of every cog. This want had stemmed from my newly acquired "heightened sense of things" in a manner of speaking. I was intrigued by small events (instants in time), whether it was the skeletons of trees in winter: naked and deformed, or even the twitching of my toes. It's like when you first realise you exist. Everything was high definition. Images were sharp, clear-cut, crisp. Nothing escaped me. I had complete control. During my seven-year absence, the city of Hyderabad had changed. There had been a proliferation of western culture. Income disparity was expanding at an ever-quickening pace. Money was where it once had not been. People's lifestyles had changed drastically. Wilderness had been replaced by urban development. Moving to India was not quite as big a step back in time as I had imagined. There were modern apartments, shopping malls and a wealth of foods. This was the culture shock. I was curious to know how this had happened. This process of learning, coupled with my intrigue, matured my comprehension of the world around me. There was too much happening that I was not aware of and this frustrated me greatly. I was full to the brim with questions. I spent time with my father everyday asking him how such rapid development had taken place. for the first time, I came across the word globalisation. At the time the idea seemed bizarre. India and China were going to be able to compete with the likes of America. I drew from this that the world was always looking to increase efficiency. Companies wanted cheaper costs of production and they had come to India to achieve this. Land prices reached the sky. Land that had been worth nothing a mere ten years ago was now worth millions. There was good and bad in this. A nouveau riche group had appeared in Hyderabad. People now had the opportunity to do what they had once not been able to. New businesses were created which in turn created new opportunities for the general population. The world was a very different place from what I had once thought. It was much more complex. This was not the only thing new to me though. I joined and am still attending an International School. I met a lot of people from backgrounds and cultures that were very different to my own. There were French, Finnish, Italians, Russians, Filipinos and even Kyrgyzstanis. My closest friends was from Sweden. People were so different, even odd. Due to this I learned to become more tolerant of those around me. I became less uptight. Over these four years I've pulled myself apart and put myself together a number of times and I'm still looking to be a better person. Despite the self-dissatisfaction, the context had been ripe for lessons and experimentation. As this part of my life draws to a close I look back on it. I see that I've developed as a person. I know my capabilities. I know what I want in life. However, there is still a desire to learn more, and to achieve more. I think the best way to reach the latter goal is to get a good education at one of the world's premiere institutes. I'll use my sharp insight and ability to think on my feet to pursue a career in law. I also intend to keep changing, to keep learning from my experiences and hopefully become a better person as a result of my efforts.

I also have this back up essay. It's not complete, but tell me what you think of it so far. Thanks.

I am one of a million shards of glass situated neither here nor there. I am a descendant of the Indian Diaspora that came to England during the 1970s. I am incomplete, vague and have only truly understood my culture in the past four years. Having been born and brought up in England until I was fourteen I was ignorant, fooled into thinking that I was English. India was a place of poor people and accents to be mocked. I was an orientalist (as Edward Said would say).

Essay Option 1

"At present you need to live the question." - Rainer Maria Rilke, translated from the German by Joan M. Burnham.

I am one of a million shards of glass situated neither here nor there. I am a descendant of the Indian Diaspora that came to England during the 1970s. I am incomplete, vague and have only truly understood my culture in the past four years. Having been born and brought up in England until I was fourteen I was ignorant, fooled into thinking that I was English. India was a place of poor people and accents to be mocked. I was an Orientalist (as Edward Said would say). I was an insider looking in. A product manufactured by the west, brainwashed and blinded, my mind constructed and divided into something entirely different. I suppose this "opening of my eyes" was a concoction of my formative years. It's a result of the intense questioning that I have put myself through.

The timing had been perfect. This great change in my life had collided with my formative years. I was fourteen, and at a stage where my intellectual curiosity was growing exponentially. Superficial facts would no longer suffice. There was an innate desire for substance. I wanted to learn everything. I wanted to know everything there was to know. The world was a machine, and I wanted to find out the purpose of every cog. This want had stemmed from my newly acquired "heightened sense of things" in a manner of speaking. I was intrigued by small events (instants in time), whether it was the skeletons of trees in winter: naked and deformed, or even the twitching of my toes. It's like when you first realise you exist. Everything was high definition. Images were sharp, clear-cut, and crisp. Nothing escaped me. I had complete control. During my seven-year absence, the city of Hyderabad had changed. There had been a proliferation of western culture. Income disparity was expanding at an ever-quickening pace. Money was where it once had not been. People's lifestyles had changed drastically. Wilderness had been replaced by urban development. Moving to India was not quite as big a step back in time as I had imagined. There were modern apartments, shopping malls and a wealth of foods. This was the culture shock.

I was curious to know how this had happened. This process of learning, coupled with my intrigue, matured my comprehension of the world around me. There was too much happening that I was not aware of and this frustrated me greatly. I was full to the brim with questions. I spent time with my father everyday asking him how such rapid development had taken place. For the first time, I came across the word globalisation. At the time the idea seemed bizarre. India and China were going to be able to compete with the likes of America. I drew from this that the world was always looking to increase efficiency. Companies wanted cheaper costs of production and they had come to India to achieve this. Land prices reached the sky. Land that had been worth nothing a mere ten years ago was now worth millions. There was good and bad in this. A nouveau riche group had appeared in Hyderabad. People now had the opportunity to do what they had once not been able to. New businesses were created which in turn created new opportunities for the general population. The world was a very different place from what I had once thought. It was much more complex.

I joined, and am still attending an International School. Over the years I have met a lot of people from backgrounds and cultures that were very different to my own. There were French, Finnish, Italians, Russians, Filipinos and even Kyrgyzstanis. My closest friend was from Sweden. People were so different, even odd. Due to this I learned to become more tolerant of those around me. I became less uptight. What I called normal changed.

I think that I embody Rilke's idea of "living the question" to a certain degree because introspection has been the tool with which I have shaped my life. "The question" is collective, an umbrella term if you will. Thomas Hardy once penned the words "events did not rhyme quite as he had thought". I realised this at a certain point, and knew that it was up to me to change and adapt to the situation. Over these four years I've pulled myself apart and put myself together a number of times and I'm still looking to be a better person. Despite the self-dissatisfaction, the context has been ripe for lessons and experimentation.

----------------

My SAT score was awful: 1980

WR- 640
CR- 660
Maths- 680

My SAT II scores were abysmal

Maths II- 620
Lit- 620

My IB scores were reasonable

Maths HL- 6 (A)
Economics HL- 6 (A)
Histor HL- 6 (A)
English SL- 7 (A+ or *)
French SL- 6 (A)
Bio SL- 5 (A)

TOTAL= 36/42

I have a bunch of extracurricular stuff. Basketball, soccer, school newspaper, working administration/accounting at a 4*hotel and I have worked at numerous NGOs.

Some recommendations from teachers and places I've worked.

I am applying to Columbia for Poli Sci and Eco.

With all this in mind can my essays get me through the door? Columbia is my dream school. I would do anything to go there.

Are my essays good enough, and what do I need to do to improve in them?