Undergraduate / "Aria and music" UVA College Supplement [3]

I was musically suppressed. The rap and pop music that infested the music stations were no longer appealing to me. I had grown sick of contemporary music, so I furiously flicked through the music channels on TV. I stopped on the classical channel; surely it couldn't be worse than listening to Justin Bieber.

That was the first time I heard "Vesti La Giubba" from Pagliacci I was quite unsettled as it was completely different from the type of music I had heard all my life. I felt an instant connection with the sound of the song. As the fragile notes softly tip-toes across the air, Lucianno Pavoroitti delivers the powerful lyrics, settling into my heart with an unspeakable, almost unbearable sadness. Four minutes later, I was awestruck and emotionally drained. The uneasy, emotional melody was almost physically tangible, and left me on the verge of tears. The piece dwelled heavily on my mind, as I found myself thinking deeper about its true meaning.

Although the background context of the piece was unknown to me at the time, the piece itself left no doubts what it was about. Representing the uncertainty of love and society, "Vesti La Giubba" embodied every sorrow I had experience. The piece had installed in me a new cause. I no longer desperately worried about my grandmother's serious health condition but thought of new ways to ease her situation. I had learned to persevere in even the most tragic situations. The beauty of the piece is an unforgettable experience I will always cherish. (256/250 words)

Undergraduate / "Without an Expression"- CENTRAL TO IDENTITY [3]

Topic: 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.

I'm really stuck on the last paragraph.

I closed my mouth and tried to convince myself to continue. I had let my speech impediment get the best of me."Come on you can do it. Just say it the way the therapist said to slow your words down if you have to," I repeatedly told myself. I had been hard at work verbally exhausted. Frustrated, I slumped down into the seat and laid my head on the wooden desk. I closed my eyes and sat there for moment thinking. "Why had I been born like this? Why do I struggle with an expression taken for granted by so many?" Seconds turned into minutes as my bleary eyes opened. My fists slowly unclenched as I mustered up the courage and strength needed to succeed.

Suddenly, I rose upright in the seat, eyes wide, and a nervous smirk on my face. I began to finish the last segment of reading, aloud to the patient speech therapist. What felt like a lifetime, was actually two short minutes of reciting. The therapist gave me a strange stern look that sent shivers down my spine. I thought that I had made more mistakes than the last session we had. She had written on a sheet how many mistakes there was in my oral presentation. The therapist then folded the paper in half before she hurried out the door. Anxiously, I opened the paper and on it was a big zero. That very moment, I knew, I could overcome any obstacle. I had won what would be many battles with my ongoing war with speaking.

I opened my mouth(?). This newfound liberty gave me power to hold a conversation and articulate thoughts and opinions long held from the public. Finally I got the respect and credit deserved. These trials and hardships had shaped me into the person I am today.