Undergraduate / A meaningful name, a reminder of my identity/ Personal background/experience [3]

Can anyone give feedback for this? Am I coming off as arrogant? Is is smooth and flowing? Do I answer the prompt?
Thanks! :D
Note: This is a rough copy that may be scrapped (I have another common app essay, I just want to see how this fares).

Topic: A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

I am no Waldo. My physical features, the clothes I wear, or even my accent do not set me apart from all my Indian friends. Instead it is my name which reveals my true identity. In fact, my name "Immanuel" is a constant reminder of my originality. Yes I am Indian. And yes, I am one of the few (Indians) who are Christian.

Whenever I introduce myself to new people, they sometimes stare at me for a few seconds before they can finally comprehend the fact that I am not the person they initially expect to be. I mean, over 90% of Indian population believes in Hinduism. I am the 2% that is Christian. Though I may be physically similar to others, I believe diversity goes beyond one's physical appearance extending to one's beliefs, interests, and viewpoints. Though I may not be different from my peers on the outside, my extracurricular interests and beliefs diversify me.

My faith in God as a Christian sets me apart from people. I have embraced my religion and try to live my life accordingly. My religion is what actually introduced me to serve others at an early age. When I was young, I would help the members of my church to make sandwiches for the homeless. During the summer of my junior year, I served as a volunteer of the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose by facilitating the exhibits. Every time I help others I find pride and a sense of satisfaction. Although I have stumbled countless times, I always strive to be a child of God.

It is true that I the traditions I celebrate are different from those of my Hindu friends. While they celebrate holidays like Diwali, I enjoy celebrating Christmas and Easter with my family. Having the opportunity to attend church every day gives me a sense of solace from this busy world, something that constantly refreshes and soothes me.

While I may not be an "Indian" on the inside, I enjoy playing and watching cricket, a traditional Indian sport. Cricket is a sport that links me with my heritage. It has helped me make new friends. When I was in middle school, I took part in a campaign to spread cricket in my school. We were successful in coordinating a district-wide tournament between three schools and a majority of the players eventually joined our club. I also had the opportunity to share my knowledge of cricket by teaching beginners over the summer. My passion for cricket serves as a reminder that I am in fact Indian.

Instead of feeling like an outcast, I believe that I have the best of both worlds. I share the passion of my friends when I cheer for the Indian cricket team. I can see myself organizing a cricket club in college. In college, I can also see myself joining a Christian Club to maintain my faith and to spread it with others. Both my ethnicity and my viewpoints define me. I am unique. And I have a lot to contribute wherever I go.

Undergraduate / It is a pleasure to put others before me; Stanford Essay / What Matters & why? [6]

Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks :D

Topic: What Matters to you and why?

Right from my young age, my parents taught me that we were endowed by the creator with talents to be used for the service of fellow humans. When I was little, I would help the people in my church make peanut butter sandwiches for the homeless shelter, but never comprehended the importance of it.

During the summer of my junior year, I spent time volunteering at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. As an exhibit explainer, it was my job to make sure that all the attractions ran smoothly. I also had to mentor and guide the children who were often times inattentive, which was hard and tiresome. One day, a toddler came up to me in tears and told that he had lost his toy phone and wanted me to look for it. It took me a while, but when I did find it, he was bubbling with joy. I realized that I had made that child's day through a simple act of kindness. I determined then and there that I would use whatever position I was placed in to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

Serving others is a goal that I could achieve. Every time I scrubbed the gritty layers of paint off an apron, or patiently taught a shy toddler how to make the arms of a cornhusk doll, I remembered to give my best for the benefit of others. Serving others kept me positive and accountable for my actions. Whenever I was tired and felt like complaining about my work, I realized that my negative feelings and bad attitude would carry over to others. Similarly, my positive attitude and actions created a positive ripple effect. This cognizance kept me accountable.

I want to pursue my interests in biotechnology to help others through my research. When I was growing up there were many people like my parents, teachers, and friends who helped me achieve my dreams and goals. Helping others is merely a way for me to pass on what I received from others.

I know that I would never be able to solve all the problems in the world, but I do hope to make a difference in the lives of those whom I serve.

Undergraduate / A well rounded student ; Stanford Roommate Letter [5]

Is this too vague? Should I write more informally or formally? Any help is appreciated!

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.

To my future roommate:

My full name is_________ ___________ _________and I attended and graduated from Monta Vista High School in ________. I am majoring in biotechnology hope to have an amazing year here at Stanford. Since we're going to be together for the next four years, I would like you to know more about me.

I love the outdoors. I have played cricket, a sport relatively unknown in the US for six years and have won many awards. It clears my mind and is an outlet for my energy.

Mosy of my interests involve creativity. I have been playing the trumpet for around six years. When I hear a song I like, I attempt to imitate it through my trumpet, even adding my own spin to the tune. I love to tinker with things ranging from Nerf guns to wooden go-karts. Projects like these stimulate both my mind and my innovativeness.

I am a true geek when it comes to movies and videogames. I absolutely love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I find myself at home talking about Star Wars universe with my friends. Though I love the cutting-edge technology shown in the Playstation 3, the vintage Gameboy Color still has a place in my heart. Movies and videogames serve as outlets to my imagination; a place where I can sculpt my own fantasy.

My faith as a Christian is what defines me. It has really affected me in my life and it will still be a part of me in college and for the years to come. However, I also believe that everyone is entitled to their own viewpoints. With that said, I won't force you to read every single chapter of the Bible, but if you are willing, it would be awesome if you could come to church with me some day.

I don't know about you, but I am quite apprehensive of this upcoming quarter. I am sure that it's not going to be an easy journey from here on. But somehow, we'll get through it. I can guarantee you that.

Hope to see you this fall!

_______ _________

Undergraduate / Biology Project : Stanford Intellectual Vitality [3]

Can someone edit my essay? This is what I have so far.
Thanks!

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

In my junior year, I took Biology AP to expand my knowledge regarding biology. At the end of the year as part of our final grade, my classmates and I had to go through the Product Development Project. Everyone in my class was put into groups of nine where we had to research and make some sort of biological product. My group decided to create a garlic odor eliminating compound.

We spent much research on our topic. In the end, we found out that allicin, one of the compounds in garlic was the main cause of the bad smell. If the effects of allicin were somehow nullified, we would be able to successfully eliminate the garlic smell. Now all we had to do was find the compound that could eliminate allicin which was a protein known as a polyphenol.

Our first step was finished, but the next posed a greater challenge. Polyphenols did not come naturally. They were found in certain organic substances such. Now the main dilemma we faced was on how to extract polyphenols. After more researching, we found out casein, a compound in celery contained polyphenols. By boiling the celery, we were able to find our compound and we were successful in our goal.

Working in the Product Development Project was more enlightening than taking the class itself. It was one of the first times where my group and I were able to take part in a real-life scenario where we had to go through various steps to find the solution. Throughout the project, we also made many mistakes, These mistakes developed me intellectually as I learned from them. Through research I was able to expand my knowledge of modern biology.