Undergraduate / High heels helped me battle my inner demons../UChicago Arch-Nemesis Supplement [6]

Essay Option 1: "A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies." -Oscar Wilde.

Othello and Iago. Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. The Autobots and the Decepticons. History and art are full of heroes and their enemies. Tell us about the relationship between you and your arch-nemesis (either real or imagined).

"Bright student but needs to participate more in classroom discussions" my mother said as she read out my elementary school progress report. My father hardly even reacted to those words anymore; every semester, the comments would be very similar. Throughout my childhood, my family had always been very academically driven. My father, being the first in his family to seek a post-secondary education, actively exercised his belief in the importance of a proper education. Unable to impress my family with anything I did in school, I grew up feeling incompetent and incapable.

"Dad! I got an A on my creative writing piece."

"How about that math test last week?"

To make it worse, I was absolutely terrible at everything my family valued to be the most important. Math, especially, has been a prominent weakness in my life. Growing up with a western-style education, I came to love the social sciences and language arts. These values juxtaposed with my family's values in the mathematics and sciences. Because of the conflicting values between my family and I, I came to accept ineptitude as a character trait. As a result, I developed an introverted personality and found difficulty reaching out to new people.

So many times in class would I would raise my hand quickly - only to quickly pull it back down. Even if I thought I knew the answer, any sliver of doubt would prevent me from responding. The seeds of insecurity that had been planted in me during my early childhood had bloomed into a thriving seedling during my teenage years. Every day, I would sit idly by as my classmates answered questions I knew the answer to. Every day, I would live with a constant air of disappointment and frustration. Every day, I would stare at the hollow-eyed girl staring back at me in the mirror and wallow in the knowledge that I am the person that is holding me back, that I have been my own worst enemy.

During my battles with my insecurities throughout my teenage years, I discovered an unlikely ally. I had started participating in public speaking activities in hopes of improving my public speaking and general communication skills. In these situations, it is usually required that you wear business formal attire so wearing high heels became a routine part of my life. While I initially endured some light-hearted jabs at my inability to walk quickly, I soon began to discover the worth of my sleek, black pumps. While I was wearing the heels, I felt self-assured, confident, important and secure. For the first time, I actually believed the words I was saying without any lingering question marks at the end of my statements. My friends have always thought that I wore high heels to look more feminine or 'pretty', but the real reason why I wore high heels was because the pressure in my toes from the shoes prevented my knees from shaking when I made speeches.

Together, my heels and I battled the demons of my self-doubt and pierced each one through the heart. Slowly but surely, the flowers of my insecurity began to wilt. I learned that my self-worth cannot be quantified simply by what others think of me, no matter how important those people are. As time went on, I watched the girl in the mirror transform from an unconfident and nervous wreck to a strengthened and outspoken woman. The demons in my heart no longer trouble me. As for my heels, they have found a very comfortable place in the back of my closet where they are no longer needed.

Undergraduate / Molly Moon's Incredible Book on Hypnotism/ Cornell Supplement [8]

Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.

For as long as I could remember, I have always been a little different from the rest of my friends. Unlike the other girls of my age who gushed over the new Barbie and Bratz dolls, I obsessed over new books. My family was well aware of my adoration for the written word and they made sure to make weekly trips to the local library. On one routine trip to the library, I was casually browsing through the shelves that I had already frequented so many times in the past before. All of a sudden, an interesting-looking book caught my eye. Between the glimmering cover and intriguing title, my eight year old self could not resist picking up this novel. "Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism?" my mother grumbled as I handed her the book "Are you sure this is the book you want?" I only nodded enthusiastically. For the next several days, I pored over the details of Molly Moon's journey with her lethargic but loyal pug. From her daring getaway from the orphanage to her escapade in New York City, Molly Moon forced me to obediently hang on to every word. After finishing the entire novel in two days, I read it again - and again. To my parents' annoyance, I even attempted multiple times to practice Molly's hypnotic techniques on my younger siblings.

My interest in hypnotism, however, did not falter or fade. Instead, it evolved into a mature passion and love for Psychology. Among many other things, I began to keep dream journals, map my circadian cycles, and plot personality profiles. Upon entering my junior year, I leapt at the chance to take the Psychology course that was offered at my school. After attaining the highest mark in the course, I continued to further my interest by taking the Advanced Placement exam later on that year. In my senior year, I took it one step further and applied to the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia as a concurrent student. Upon acceptance, I began to attend lectures twice a week and partake in the university's psychology experiments.

"Why do we dream?" and "Is it possible to discern a sociopath from other people through a normal conversation?" are two of the many questions I had asked myself while I was growing up. Now, I am finally developing a foundation that has given me the ability to answer these questions. I can only hope to further develop the knowledge base that I have already attained and cultivate my skills at the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University. With the research-orientated atmosphere and the impeccable combination of sociology, psychology, and philosophy courses at Cornell, I feel like an education in the this College will not only be enriching, but will also be a crucial stepping stone in my educational pursuit.

Please help! Any feedback is appreciated :)