Scholarship / Environmentalism Scholarship Essay [2]

Please provide an essay regarding your educational focus, motivations for pursuing environmental studies, experience showing commitment to the environmental field and future goals (approximately 500 words).

Henry David Thoreau said that "We can never have enough of nature." This is, without a doubt, true. Humanity needs the environment, as much for survival as for enjoyment and wonder. However, I would flip the statement and say: "Nature has had too much of man." We have cut down, burned, plundered, and bulldozed our environment to the point where only pockets of wilderness remain. The implications of this go far beyond the immeasurable beauty that has been lost. Our planet is in a state of imbalance, and if we are not careful, the scales will be tipped past the point of no return. I believe that it is now our responsibility, as members of Earth's ecosystem, to repair the damage we have caused.

It is much easier to say that we need to do something than it is to actually do it. I want to help protect and restore the environment, but as a high school student, I lack the education and the resources necessary to truly make a difference. In the long run, I hope to earn a PhD in biology or a related field, and use my degree and education to do research related to environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, and ever-shrinking biodiversity. On the other hand, it is hard to understand where help is most needed after only living in Brookline MA, and I plan on participating in a gap year program next year in order to experience these issues firsthand. I feel that if I do this, I will get a better understanding of how I should focus my education in order to find a passion which I can use in correlation with environmental fields.

Undergraduate / Commonapp activity writing - 'wrestling is by far the most meaningful to me' [3]

Out of all my extracurricular activities, Wrestling is by far the most meaningful to me.
In wrestling, the match isn't over until the ref pulls you apart. Even if you're on your back, staring up at the lights, you can still win. You just have to pull yourself out of the hole, say I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to quit, and you don't. This attribute of wrestling, that people can, and often do, win, just as long as they keep chugging, has resonated with me deeply.

Wrestling requires you to devote your entire life on and off the mat. Your diet, your activities, your entire lifestyle is shaped by the sport. You devote so much, you dedicate so much into the sport, it's all on the line when you step onto the mat, whether or not all that effort, all that pain you went through will pay off. If you win, it is incredible, if you lose, it is devastating. You have to be capable of moving past that deep low of loss, and using it to better yourself in the future.

What do you think?

Undergraduate / 'Carmen Sandiego' - UChicago supplement, Waldo- topic query [5]

I've got to be honest, I was so focused on finishing the essay that I missed a key point. This essay really doesn't say much about me. Would you suggest starting anew and attempting to make an essay that reflects more on me as an individual? Or is this essay acceptable as a sample of creativity and my thought process.

UChicago supplement, "So where is Waldo, really?"

"Sir, we've found him."
I nodded. "Show me."
The Interpol operative behind me handed me a photograph.
"Where was this taken?" I asked.
"Just outside of Bangkok sir."
The scene in the photograph showed a large crowd of people wearing bright clothing on streets crowded with stalls. Highlighted in a box was a man wearing a red and white striped shirt, a sleeping cap, a grin, and a bushy moustache.

Wait.
"Agent," I said, "Waldo doesn't have a moustache."
There was a brief pause before the operative answered, "Couldn't he have grown one?" he asked.
I hurled the photograph onto my desk. "In the thirty years we have been chasing him he has never once changed a single aspect of his appearance. Ever. It's uncanny. How come you people can't find him?" There was a brief pause as I seethed.

"I don't know Jack. Why can't you find me?"
I turned around, slow. My swivel chair squeaked as I completed the turn.
"James 'Waldo' Powers. How dare you face me like this, after all these years." I reached under my desk for the general alarm.
"I wouldn't do that Jack." I looked up; Waldo was pointing a handgun at me. I slowly removed my hand.
"What do you want Waldo? Are you here to kill me? Like you killed my cousin? Like you killed your wife?"
Waldo slammed the desk with his spare hand, screaming "I did not kill her!"
I snorted in disbelief. "Photographic evidence places you at the scene! Witnesses have testified to seeing you shoot her! Christ Waldo, it was in the middle of the street! Are you saying the photos were fakes? That those people lied?"

Waldo pointed at the picture with his gun, "See what good photographic evidence is? If Interpol agents mistake other men for me, how can you expect civilians to recognize me?"

I forced myself to calm down.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"I need to talk." He said.
I sighed. "Then talk."
Waldo took a few moments before he started speaking. "I came here because I need your help."
"Go on."
"The night before Wilma was murdered I received a note. It was written in red ink, the handwriting was impeccable.'
"What did it say?" I asked.
"It was fairly short, it said 'You are about to get what's coming, Waldo. You broke my heart, now I will break yours.' "

I raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that?" I asked.
"No I didn't." Waldo said, "That's why I brought it with me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper roughly the size of an index card. I took it. The letter was exactly as he'd described it.

"Why didn't you tell anybody?" I asked.
"I didn't take it seriously. I thought it might be a prank."
I put my head in my hands. "Okay Waldo, let's say I believe you. Who killed Wilma, and why?"
Waldo sighed, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "Do you remember the woman I dated before I met your cousin?" he asked.

I nodded. "Her name was Carmen, wasn't it? Why, do you think it was her?"
Waldo shook his head, "I don't think it was her. I know it was her. I did some research. She quit her job the day Wilma died, and she immediately fell off the grid. Also, she never forgave me for breaking up with her."

"Why didn't you come to me sooner?"
'I was ashamed." Waldo said. "I blamed myself for Wilma's death. I spent the last seven years wallowing in self pity."
"So why have you come to me now? Do you know where Carmen is?'
"Not quite," Waldo said, "I have a lead on her location, but that's all. That's why I need your help."
I looked at him for a few minutes. After a while, a grin slowly spread across my face.
"So tell me Waldo. Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?"

Undergraduate / 'Biology and chemistry random facts' - Commonapp, influence of a scientific work [7]

Aden Brown, BHS class of 2013
#4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

It was a useless chunk of information to most kids, an article in a newspaper they didn't read. It was a scientific creation unnoticed by the adults around me. It was a fascinating invention that captured my attention, led to years of creative play, and kindled my interest in the biological sciences: The GloFish

As a child, I often picked up random facts: the chemical formula for glucose (C6H12O6), the Latin word for running (curro, currere), a synonym for robot (android). I was fascinated by anything and everything, but my interests weren't focused until the fall of 2003, when I read a New York Times article about the GloFish.

The GloFish is a genetically modified zebrafish which has the coding for the Green Fluorescent Protein (originally extracted from a jellyfish) integrated into its DNA. The resulting zebrafish is a glowing bright green.

After learning about the GloFish, I visited Wikipedia and read all about genetic engineering. As a third grader, I didn't understand very much of it but what I got was this:

It is possible for scientists and engineers to play around with the instructions of living beings and to create new and improved forms of life. As an eight year-old, that was one of the coolest things ever(next to Super Saiyans, AT-AT's, and strawberry ice cream of course)!

For months, I dedicated much of my free time to fantasizing about genetic engineering. I spent Sunday afternoons imagining my own biological inventions. I thought about blue apples, frost resistant orange trees, and lion-maned housecats. The what-ifs provided hours of stimulation and entertainment. It was a fun game. However, as I grew older, the "game" became a passion.

Today, biology is by far my favorite academic subject. Expanding upon what I learned as a child has opened up new paths for my mind to explore. In biology I have discovered an avenue that connected the love of learning that I've always had with my curiosity about living things that the GloFish gave me. But the GloFish gave me more than just a love of biology; it illuminated

However, because my attention span was (and still is) too short to focus just on genetics, I developed a passion for the life sciences in general. I still enjoy watching documentaries on Rome, reading about black holes, and discussing politics with my friends; I particularly relish learning about taxonomic rankings (DKPCOFGS), the differences between monocots and dicots, and the process of cellular respiration. I now know that I want to continue learning about life; and in order to follow that goal I plan to pursue a career in biological research after college.