Undergraduate / One thing I learned from our band - Dont be ugly Wallpaper - C. Gottesman 2015 [3]

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

"Don't be ugly wallpaper!" Mr. Gottesman bellows as we all recoil jokingly, knowing that it was but one of the many archaic metaphors he used to explain proper musicianship. I belong to a very unique community that includes revolutionaries such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Our brush is our instrument, and the canvas is a vacant hall yearning to be filled with the various blends and tones our instruments make when coupled together in complete harmony. To be more specific, the community I am referring to is our proud Spartan Jazz Band. In this community we are only as strong as our weakest link. We are united by our undying love for music, and we gain fulfillment in making sure each link is as tight as a tick. "Don't be ugly wallpaper!" Mr. Gottesman bellows, one of the common phrases used to express dynamics and color. Don't be afraid to question status quo, splash color and life into everything you do. Whether it's blowing a horn or brushing your teeth, you will never catch me plastered on the wall of some tacky two star hotel.

Undergraduate / The road less traveled challenged me because i hate it - common app supplement [3]

Doing a supplement for UVA looking for any type of feedback please be brutally honest I'm no stranger to criticism
the prompt was - What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?

TWO roads diverged in yellow wood, but I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. The road not taken has been my favorite poem ever since I read it in 6th grade. Its not my favorite because of its relatable message, or clever use of diction. It's my favorite poem because I hate it. The poem itself is quite simple a man has two difficult choices, and has to choose one of them. What really perturbs me at first in this poem is that the traveler describes both roads as "equally worn" but at the end he says that choosing one has made all the difference. The poem was simple enough, but why did the traveler feel better after taking the road less traveled. My teachers explanation would never satiate me. This poem pushed me to really read into texts, and find underlying meanings. The traveler choice was not better than the other one, in fact there was no right choice at all which was what made it so difficult in the first place. By reading more into a poem that I hated I grew to love, and understand not only Robert Frosts poetry, but also to gain a better appreciation of poetry in general. I found the poems message wasn't about making a choice, but rather about looking back on the choices we've made, and having enough confidence to tell ourselves the decisions we've made are the right ones. We forget previous provocations, and say the road less traveled has made all the difference.