Undergraduate / Shrimp Paste philosophy; Background or Story [3]

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

"No! I will never swallow it! Ever!" I shook my head wildly whenever persuaded to eat shrimp paste. That was also my reaction two years ago during a trip to a seaside village in Thanh Hoa, where allegedly the best shrimp paste in the province was produced.

Shrimp paste is a Vietnamese delicacy made by fermenting shrimps, used as dipping sauce or marinade. Despite people raving about how tasty it was, I had never been tempted to let my chopsticks touch that raw-pig-blood-texture, darkish purple goo (my description of the paste). Its smell was even worse: my cousin spilled shrimp paste in my room once, and days afterwards I still mistook its odor for a dead rat's. Those two things were enough to convince me not to eat it. While practically everyone I knew eagerly dug in, I dreadfully shivered.

Not surprisingly, that trip was my ultimate nightmare. The prevalent fermented shrimps' smell was unbearable. But what terrified me more were the meals. I grasped when my uncle enthusiastically announced that everything would be prepared using the "famous" local shrimp paste, "Did he say EVERYTHING?" Not hesitating, I decided to survive solely on Pringles I luckily brought along, while everyone else was immensely engrossed in the dishes. Mom said I was wasting a once-in-a-life-time opportunity and I wouldn't last long with snacks.

She was right - the second night, my life-saving Pringles supply had already depleted, and I was starving. Considering I was too skinny to lose another kilogram, I began re-thinking the 'shrimp paste-me' relationship. Why did I hate it so much? Of course for its gross appearance and smell, but had I ever eaten any? Well... no. I never knew how bad it tasted... Or was it bad at all? Questions started popping up in the desperately hungry non-paste-eater's mind. I started wondering if I was wrong, since obviously I didn't know the flavor; I only thought it was nasty. And then there was a saying: "We're afraid of what we don't know." If that was the case, then I just didn't eat shrimp paste simply because I feared something bad might happen (like vomiting); I didn't have the guts to see how it was really like. What if this whole "shrimp paste is scary" thing was only made up? What if it wasn't so scary after all?

Bearing that in mind, I decided to stop having cold feet and give it a try (and also to ease my stomach). To the surprise of everyone else, I at last joined the table and actually had the courage to dip a piece of tofu into shrimp paste for the first time. Still, I have to admit I did feel a little tense while chewing it, telling myself "Please don't throw up." I waited and waited... but nothing catastrophic happened. I didn't vomit as I expected. And in fact it tasted absolutely pleasant - not so fishy or acrid but unexpectedly lighter than I thought. I nodded when my uncle asked how it was. He chuckled, "See? You never know until you try." Smiling proudly for accomplishing what was seemingly impossible only minutes ago, I was eager for the next bite.

That incidence has changed how I look at what's new: just that I don't know how it's like to do something doesn't necessarily mean that the outcome will be awful or that I shouldn't take a shot. With nothing but the courage I found that night, I've finally dared to skate, go diving, approach a neighbor with Down syndrome, deliver public speeches, run my own club and so much more. Now I can't even imagine why anyone should refuse to engage in new things. I mean, I've been doing so for a while now, and it's wonderful. Such has my life been - always willing to discover the various delicacies the world has to offer - ever since Shrimp Paste Philosophy 101.

Undergraduate / "Creative and rigorous scholarship" - Bates supplement [3]

In addition to the Common Application essay, please select one phrase from the Bates mission statement below and comment on how it inspires you and draws you to Bates. Please upload your 1-2 paragraph response below.

Since 1855, Bates College has been dedicated to the emancipating potential of the liberal arts. Bates educates the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. With ardor and devotion - Amore ac Studio - we engage the transformative power of our differences, cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action. Preparing leaders sustained by a love of learning and a commitment to responsible stewardship of the wider world, Bates is a college for coming times.

I want to tell you one of the many reasons why I love Bates. No, this time it's not the Economics department or the Debate Council, not even the annual leaf jump or Waffle Station if you ask me. I love Bates even more for its dedication to ensuring a "creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community", of which "creative" is what entices me most.

Like any other missions stated by the college, this is reflected in all aspects of the Bates life. The first time reading up on Bates, I was inundated by the overflowing creativity inherent in not only the innovative faculty (I personally think the idea of Language Arts Live reading series is absolutely wonderful) but also school events and student organizations from the Slackline Club, Mirror to the Sunshine Society. But what's more important is that here at Bates, my imagination won't simply be expressed; I will be glad to see it challenged by others through rigorous competition and enormously amplified by a tight-knit community that invariably embrace the unconventional. It seems that for every crazy invention or ambitious scheme I have in mind (like using polymer clay to spread happiness), there will always be Batesies cheering me on, "Just go for it!" And if that isn't enough, there are also top-notch facilities and programs like Ladd that will help turn those ideas into reality. As a person who believes creativity is so central to our individuality and intellectual development, an invaluable tool on which we can rely for whatever we do, I see Bates as a scintillating promised land. Dear Bates, my wildest dreams want to be with you.

Undergraduate / "What does being a Diplomat mean to you?" - Franklin & Marshall supplement [2]

Franklin & Marshall seems so close. There's a special feeling with every thought of this place. I've lost count of how many times I've replayed the 'Who We Are' video on the college's website and couldn't help smiling widely. Maybe, in the end, it's no longer the renowned Economics department, the beautiful and tranquil campus with the Hartman Green I've always loved or the Blue & White Society that make me stay; it's simply the people here.

At the college, everyone seems to treat each other like family. I first got that impression when I received an email from Patricia Ressler back in November regarding my inquiry, and it was the rare one that wasn't one-sentence long like replies from other colleges, but instead so patiently elaborated on what I hadn't understood. Though just a small gesture, the letter cheered me up at the time I was desperate with the application. Even now I feel the same endearment about the Diplomats, always.

Being a Diplomat then means being part of a big family. In a family, members care for and help one another, even if the one in need comes from the other side of the globe, which I am. Growing in a traditional Vietnamese home, I'm invariably taught, "Before you learn anything, first learn to be a (good) person." I won't just learn to be a scholar at Franklin & Marshall; more importantly, I will look up to others around me and learn to be a responsible and altruistic person in the community, willing to put myself out for others and strive for the common good. I can't help thinking the same as Katie Delaney in the video: "It makes me feel like I'm doing something for a reason and it has a purpose. That purpose is greater than myself." I will find that purpose nowhere else but here, as a proud Diplomat.

I want to bear that name, to be a part of that family. But even if I can't be one, Franklin & Marshall will, for me, still be a family worth having.

Please comment on my essay as critically as possible. Thank you for any precious responses!