Undergraduate / 'interested in current events' - UMD Supplement- Citizen Journalism 300 words [2]

Q1:
Each year the University of Maryland selects a book to provide a shared intellectual experience for faculty, staff and all first-year students. The First Year Book provides an opportunity for community dialogue on a topic from the perspective of different disciplines, from the sciences to the humanities. This year, the First Year Book committee selected journalist Brooke Gladstone's The Influencing Machine. Gladstone, perhaps best known as the host of NPR's "On the Media," built a career covering the media in all of its intricacies. The book considers the role of "objectivity" and bias in the media, observing that we use social media to filter and make sense of what we hear from traditional journalism source

Discuss a time when you witnessed the impact of citizen journalism in your community. What did this event teach you about the potential for an individual to influence public opinion?

At my school, people are very interested in current events. In fact, the students love the news so much that the administration made a new Hebrew class in which the students could talk about all of the news tidbits they wanted, as well as debate the big social issues facing our country. Sometimes, we even participated in "citizen journalism," and brought in reports on stories that we had researched. We reported on both national and international stories, both close to home as well as far away, all the while learning how to present a news story as well as how to engage an audience. One day, my friend brought in a story about a court case that had been dragging on for years. He explained how the media had spun the story so as to make their audience feel remorse for the alleged perpetrator of the crime. It was with this story that I realized that any individual could influence public opinion with the manner in which he portrayed events. With their use of words, emotion, and acting they could, in effect, control the feelings of their audiences. An even greater realization took hold after that-that anyone could change the course of history with a few words. This especially rings true at a University such as Maryland, where people from all over the world come to study and debate, to influence and in turn be influenced by the speeches of their professors and their friends.

THANK YOU!

Undergraduate / 'human beings love to talk' - UMD Supplement Self-Expression Essay 300 words [2]

300 words
"Seek the fashion which truly fits and befits you. You will always be in fashion if you are true to yourself, and only if you are true to yourself. You might, of course, rightly wear that style which is emblazoned on the fashion magazines of the day, or you might not." -Maya Angelou

Other than fashion, what medium(s) do you choose for self-expression and why?

On the whole, human beings love to talk. At times, it seems that we hardly trust a thought or a feeling to belong to us until we have communicated it to others. We love to talk about everything and anything- what the weather is like, whether we saw the Olympics, and even about the latest edition of our favorite magazines. However, all of this talk points out one thing- that as humans, our needs and ability for self-expression are gigantic. Indeed, our capacity for self-expression lies at the very heart of our humanity. Since speech is such a core function of society, it is the ultimate vehicle of self-expression. Our ability to speak gets to the core of who Man is, and what he can do. Man's ability to speak not only marks his intelligence, but allows us to become spiritual by allowing us to transcend the self and relate to something other. Not only can speech spark different feelings in each and every person, it allows a wielder of words to redefine reality by communicating his experience of it to others. Through speech, every human being has the power to create. We can extend beyond the reality of our own existence and recreate ourselves and our vision of reality in the minds of others. Not only this, but through, we can inspire others to act, and nowhere is this more evident than on college campuses, where there are daily demonstrations, speakers, and rallies that seek to influence students to adopt their version of reality. The University of Maryland is a perfect example of the creative power of speech, with values such as "Civility and Collegiality" as well as being a place where diversity is promoted, ensuring that a multitude of voices will always be heard.

THANK YOU!

Undergraduate / 'the mascot of Olin was a phoenix' - Supplement- Is Olin a good fit for you? WHY? [3]

Why is Olin College a good fit for you?

During my summers at NIST, I gravitated between two different groups- the theoretical scientists and the experimental scientists. The theorists urged me to come and explore the mathematics of atomic vibration, while the experimentalists urged me to come into the lab and create graphene. For a number of weeks I was torn between the two- theory and practice. The theorists said, " You need to understand", while the experimentalists said "You need to experience." Over time, I realized that what I wanted wasn't just one or the other, but a mix of the two. However, it wasn't the usual blend of theory first and practice later that most schools advocate, but the opposite- practice first and theory after.

This was one of the criteria that I used as I started my college search- I wanted a school that wasn't just concerned about transmitting knowledge, but one that takes the abstract and detached world of engineering and brings it down to a personal level. I looked all over the country- and then I found Olin. I discovered not only a design-based college that had achieved a unique balance between practice and theory, but also a haven, one that encourages both leadership as well as teamwork.

During my campus tour, I learned that what Olin strives for is to have its students experience engineering not only as students, but as entrepreneurs. The design-based classes emphasize creativity and imagination by giving students the opportunity to define what's important to do without teachers telling them. It's about getting the students to question with boldness, to experience, and with those questions and experience will come understanding. This is a place where the learning style, the passion of the students, and the teacher enthusiasm would all complement what I would bring to the table- passion for both learning and helping others learn, a vast imagination, and a steadfastness that I apply to every problem I come up against.

I also learned about the Honor Code at Olin, which not only emphasizes a set of simple values, such as integrity and openness to change, but that it emphasizes an spirit of partnership that is reflected in its curriculum. It's important in Olin's project-driven environment that people be able to work together for a greater purpose. As I learned from my position on the Student Council of my school, it is key for leaders to realize that you can achieve more by helping others achieve their own potentials and empowering them than by deciding who should lead. This appeals to me because I know that I learn more from the group interactions that not only leave me with new ideas, but everyone else as well.

As I was leaving campus, I saw that the mascot of Olin was a phoenix. Looking back, I realized that the phoenix perfectly symbolizes Olin. It's a place with a willingness to reinvent not only its teaching methods, but how its students think, and I could think of no other place to be.

Thank you for any help!