Undergraduate / One "Personal" Word - UChicago Supplement [21]

In French, there is no difference between "conscience" and "consciousness." In Japanese, there is a word that specifically refers to the splittable wooden chopsticks you get at restaurants. The German word "fremdschämen" encapsulates the feeling you get when you're embarrassed on behalf of someone else. All of these require explanation in order to properly communicate their meaning, and are, to varying degrees, untranslatable.Choose a word, tell us what it means, and then explain why it cannot (or should not) be translated from its original language. - Inspired by Emily Driscoll, an incoming student in the Class of 2018

One "Personal" Word

Are there any words unique and dear to you, ones cannot live without? If, say, Esperanto was to substitute all languages in the world and this/these words were to become non-existent, you would feel as if the only mean to explain your very soul to others was lost. For me there is one such "personal" word - samokopaniye.

Samokapaniye is literary translated from Russian as digging into oneself. But don't worry - it doesn't hurt. On the contrary, it is very rewarding in the plainest sense of the word. I am convinced that the great and invaluable treasure is concealed inside every person's soul, one that nobody could steal or stain. This is the treasure of emerald kindness, golden compassion, ruby truthfulness and crystal selflessness etc. All these virtues surface up in normal human's life with various degree of consistency. For them to do so, it takes a lot: to undergo a judgment of egoism, to outrun a good portion of pride and to outscream the call of gain. Samokapaniye facilitates retrieving those virtues more easily and more often.

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Undergraduate / Tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years) [2]

Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held. (About 150 words)

Last summer, I became a FLEX finalist which meant obtained a grant for a year-long international exchange. FLEX organized an orientation camp where I gained in-depth understanding of American culture and values. Another useful experience was opening a proto enterprise within create-your-business one month program called "Civilization". The time had come rapidly to leave for the USA. All at once I was thrown into a new surrounding, exiting and disorientating. Visiting baseball games, making presentations about Russia, fencing- summer 2013 brought a lot in the way of never-done-before activities. Coming home year after in June 2014 not having seen my family during that time is a touching memory. However, the major event of the summer 2014 was finally creating a sustainable business and becoming "Civilization's" winner. Inspired by the unique experience, I feel unceasing enthusiasm to dive into the year that is likely to become quintessential to my future life.

Undergraduate / Tea with Pancakes - Story that changed my life [13]

Tea with Pancakes

One frizzing winter day, as I was falling for the hundredth time on the ice that covered the road, I was just at the point of abandoning the idea of being on the "Who? Where? When?" team. Russian winters are normally harsh so you'd say Russian hearts should have frozen long ago and have made people indifferent to the icy winds that own streets in Moscow every winter morning. However, that definitely wasn't my case. Anyway, reaching the stairs of our local little library felt like a little disappointment: all these trouble for an event of no importance to me. I was no team player so when my teacher asked me to join an intellectual decathlon team my answer would have been "no" if only it wasn't my first year of high school - time to socialize they say. So I gave it a try.

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Undergraduate / "Civilization" - love for Economics - extracurricular activity essay choice [2]

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that were particularly meaningful to you.

Now that I am wrapping up my journey as a school student I consider the Mathematics classes the best part of my study. Whatever it was, from graphing to trigonometry, from geometry to statistics, I have always admired the strict beauty and complexity of Mathematics. When I first took Economics, however, my attention was hooked immediately. Being quite a rational-minded person I was sure to fall in love with such a practical and flexible subject that infiltrates every sphere of human life. Economics has vast implication area. There can be no effective government, no developed culture unless the country is well sustained. Russia has proved it on its own skin not once: during the oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible (1565-1572), during the great hunger of 1600-1603 the fight for true knowledge, for internal beauty was forsaken for a battle for survival. Crisis of economics forced the country into cultural stagnation. There are numerous more examples and I came to see these deep sequences as quite natural. They are a real prove that Economics is the basis of life, satisfying the unlimited demands of humanity within limited resources. It has a capacity to ameliorate our society: eliminate unemployment, offer people security in their future and in future of their kids. As I was gradually progressing through the course, my understanding and appreciation for Economics grew proportionally to the material studied.

My love for Economics takes roots in the "Civilization", which is a create-your-business program. Over the course of the year the participants meet once a week to get the basic theory of Economics and Finances. In June, the practical part of the course is held in a hotel near Moscow. There, participants divide into teams of three people each and create enterprises, open factories, compete on the market, unite into monopolies, bankrupt, start over again etc. Three and a half years ago this gave me the first taste of the way Economics works and planted admiration for it. Learning to cooperate effectively, demonstrating initiative, taking risk, making on-the-spot decisions and accepting responsibility, solving challenging problems along the way - all of it inspires me to learn rules of real Economy. It was the "Civilization" that gave birth to a desire to get knowledge beyond what extracurricular program could offer.

One day, I hope to work in Business Management. I am outgoing, hardworking and articulate person and feel the need to make an accent in my career on these qualities. Besides, one of the chief joys of my life have always been learning languages and at this point I freely speak Russian, English, Japanese, French and Spanish. Working in Business seems to offer a great opportunity to apply this knowledge productively. Every time I see social commercials advertizing various small businesses that have recently appeared, I can't help imagining how one day I will become a part of one myself. Then I could occupy myself with work that I have passion for. That seems like a terrific perspective to me. Being an enthusiastic learner, I have found the path I want to follow and I am prepared to work hard to achieve my ambition. Meanwhile, the study of Business or Economics itself brings a lot of pleasure and satisfaction to me. I am a rather self-motivated person with the determination to study subject in-depth and throughout - that is the only way my curiosity can be satisfied. I believe I will be able to fulfill many of my dreams as a university student, get involved both in career related activities and in sports. I hope to be a good ambassador for which ever university accepts me.