Undergraduate / Abheek Raja, meaning fearless was born in Delhi; UChicago/ PAST for PRESENT [3]

Essay Option 4: "...I [was] eager to escape backward again, to be off to invent a past for the present." -The Rose Rabbi by Daniel Stern

Present: pres-ent
1. Something that is offered, presented, or given as a gift

Let's stick with this definition. Unusual presents, accidental presents, metaphorical presents, re-gifted presents, etc. - pick any present you have ever received and invent a past for it.

Abheek Raja was his name, meaning fearless. He was born in Delhi, India on February 21st, 2002. Born into poverty and living in a dirty slum, Abheek had a rough life. He grew up with a brother named Raheem, a father and mother. His father was a fisherman, doing tons of strenuous work only to receive thirty cents an hour. This income was not enough to provide for two kids and a wife, therefore Abheek and his family remained poor. Abheek's mother was a stay at home mom, caring for his little brother Raheem. It is 2008 and Abheek is now six years old. Receiving no education and living in immense poverty, Abheek spent his days as any little boy; running around with his friends creating chaos. Unlike most little boys living in Delhi, Abheek was diagnosed with extreme ADHD, other known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Due to their low level of income, Abheek's family could not afford medication for his disorder so they were forced to deal with his frequent loud outbursts. These loud outbursts would often upset his little brother Raheem, so during the day his mother would send him out on the streets to play. Abheek's mother thought she was doing everyone a favor by sending him out on the street. She would get peace in their shack and Abheek got a chance to play and release some of his energy. Little did she know this decision would end up taking his life.

It was July of 2008 and the heat was scorching outside. Humid air encompassed every living thing outside, and wearing clothes was nearly impossible. It was a normal day like any other. Abheek woke up, rummaged for his breakfast, and then went off to play, leaving his mother and little brother in their silent shack. After finding his friends, Abheek had an idea. He thought it would be a good idea to visit the hub of the city and explore. Any average six year old knows how dangerous this journey would be, especially in Delhi. Traveling outside of the slum is a dangerous trip, thieves and robbers are always on the prowl especially in the slum region. Abheek and his friends would be a perfect vulnerable target for a slum criminal, but unfortunately Abheek lives up to his name. He is a fearless child and definitely not easily frightened. Abheek's severe ADHD does not help the situation either, his adrenaline got to pumping and he became hyped up about the idea. Nothing and no one could stop him from venturing into the city, and so he and his friends took off. They were halfway there and the sun was just beaming harder than ever before. The sweltering heat tempted Abheek and his group of friends to take a break, but they decided to keep trudging ahead. Cars in sight now, Abheek got really excited and his ADHD began to act up. He started running and before he knew it he was running into traffic. BOOM. Being traditional followers of Hinduism, Abheek's body remained at the home for 24 hours, until it was cremated. Abheek's family members were devastated but they knew that reincarnation (Punarjanma) would occur, and Abheek would be reincarnated into something else. The soul is never destroyed; it takes on another body form and continues to live on.

"MOMMMM, get the door Adam's here!!" I scream this from upstairs in my room before I run down the stairs. My sister's and I all gather in the living room, we've been waiting for this day since the summer. My mom's boyfriend Adam waltzes through the door with a dark green tote box. This tote box has a little slit cut into the top of it and I knew it was here. Filled with excitement, my sisters and I all rush to the box and open it. There he was, so tiny, so cute, and very black. He could barely open his eyes as he wobbled out of the box. We all squealed with excitement as we decided what to name him, Smokey, Scooby, Scotty, no, none of them sound right. Once he loosened up to the house, he became filled with energy and excitement. He was just as hyper as can be and that is when the perfect name came into mind. SKIPPER! My sisters and I agreed to call him skipper, and that name seemed to fit him perfectly. Skipper was given to us as a gift on April 6th 2009. Adam told us that he was born on February 21st, 2009, so he was only two months old. Today, Skipper remains the same ball of energy that we received back then. He acts more like a guard dog than a house dog. He is fearless and not scared of any other dog, he even barks at pit bulls and the German shepherd across the street. Sometimes Skipper gets so hyper and crazy that I start to wonder who he was in his past life. Skipper is my little ball of joy and he means the world to me. He is like a little boy with extreme ADHD, but I love him to death.

Undergraduate / City of divers cultures/Anesthesiologist;NYU Supp;Campus of choice/Academic interests [3]

1.Tell us why you have chosen the above campus (using a maximum of 700 characters-spaces and punctuation included).

Response: New York City is a city filled with diversity. From experience, I know that it is a city filled with many different cultures and people from different walks of life. From Little Italy to China Town, the city's unique cultural flare will make me feel right at home. Along with diversity, the Big Apple provides many things to do and sights to see, the possibilities are endless. Boarding on the New York Campus will give me many opportunities to venture into the city and explore something new each night, boredom does not exist. The prime location of the New York campus will enable me to fully encounter the whole city while also being surrounded by different cultures and ethnicities.

2.NYU's global network provides students with hundreds of academic areas of interest for students to cultivate their intellectual curiosity and to help achieve their career goals. Whether you are entirely undecided about your academic plans or you have a definitive program of study in mind, what are your own academic interests? Feel free to share any thoughts on any particular programs or how you might explore those interests at NYU on any of our campuses.

Response: My eyes open as I slowly regain consciousness. How long did it take? What medicine was used? How strong was my dosage? These were some of the first questions that popped into mind. Unusual Yes, but I was immensely fascinated with the doctor who anesthetized me for my tonsil surgery. While recovering, I researched doctors involved in the pre surgical process and I came across what would soon be my newly found career, an anesthesiologist. That tonsil surgery propelled me to pursue a career as an anesthesiologist. The monumental tasks that they perform are very intriguing. I believe that New York University will provide me with the proper tools and resources needed to successfully reach my goal of becoming an anesthesiologist such as the fine open-laboratories in the Department of Biology or highly cited scholars in the Department of History. I plan on taking advantage of these resources and allowing them to aid me in my analytical research and interpreting processes. The journey to becoming an anesthesiologist will be a rigorous one but New York University will positively challenge me. Here, I would take pre-med courses while majoring in History. Diving into pre-med courses, the main course that I will take is biology. Having an extensive background of biology experience, I have learned a few life lessons from my studies. My senior year AP Biology course required my lab partners and I to create a DNA double helix structure out of recycled materials. My group successfully made ours out of skittles, marshmallows, licorice, and skewers. This essential experience set the framework for my studies at New York University. In this experience we used simple items such as candy to create a complex structure. I will apply this to my studies at New York University by using simple ideas of biology or history to solve complex problems that may exist in everyday life.

(Please help me condense response #2 to only 1,500 characters, right now I'm at 1,909.)

Any suggestions, errors, concerns or anything is greatly needed! NYU is my top choice so I would like these to be as perfect as possible thanks!