Undergraduate / The Judge Behind the Black Curtain; Extracurricular Essay for Vandy [2]

Prompt: Briefly elaborate on an extracurricular activity or a work experience?
This is the supplement for the Vanderbilt application.

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Walking into the room feels like walking out onto a glass ledge, swaying thousands of feet in the air. Behind a poorly draped black curtain sits my judge, typing swiftly into the file that will decide my fate. Butterflies, man's best friend, flutter in my abdomen, ramming against its walls. I stand there patiently waiting for him to finish, all the while praying he will type on--just one more second--so I can climb through my F Major scale in my head just one more time. The clicking discontinues and my judge requests my chromatic scale.

Hesitating just slightly, I reach down and slide my clammy hands over wool-wrapped mallets-my saviors. The moment my hands begin to glide over the mahogany bars of the marimba, I am secure, acquitted of any crime. The anxiety previously exploding across my body is no longer my enemy, but my friend, pressing me on through the scale and the prepared pieces that follow. The black curtain falls and behind it there is no longer a judge, but an audience eager to consume the next note of my performance.

When I close the final roll of a Samuel Hazo rhapsody, nerves and emotion are no longer my enemies they are my friends. Anxiety is nothing more than a miscommunicated adrenaline rush. Anxiety and nervousness are emotions and music is the art of emotion. Playing music is having the ability to take pain, sorrow, and even anxiety and convert those indescribable human emotions into aural beauty. Music has taught me to take my emotions and convert them into something constructive.

Music is my favorite escape and band is a major part my life. I can't thank the trusting walls of my band-hall enough for the years of growth they have provided me. In their confines, I have grown and developed into the person I am today. For eight years, they have protected me against assaults on my masculinity and given me a place to put my emotions not into words, but music. My peers and friends in band have supported me and have given me numerous opportunities to develop the leadership skills I now use on a daily basis. As I look back over the years I've spent playing in the band, I realize that it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Undergraduate / Adding Some Southern Flavor to NYU; I realize just how much I yearn to attend NYU. [9]

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. :)
Prompt: NYU is global, urban, inspired, smart, connected, and bold. What can NYU offer you, and what can you offer NYU? (200-400 words)

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New York University has always stood out as one of the most prestigious, progressive institutions of learning in America. After visiting New York and falling in love with the city, I realize that I want a college experience in an atmosphere different from the rural community I currently call home. Visiting NYU's campus, meeting current students, and experiencing the beating heart of the school, helped me reach the conclusion that New York University is the only place for me. After experiencing so many different aspects of the university, I realize just how much I yearn to attend NYU.

I have visited New York with my entire family, but most recently I experienced the city with just my mom; we were able to explore the areas of the city that aren't tourist hotbeds. The sheer size of the city and the diversity of the community that calls the university home amaze and intrigue me. The bustle and fast-paced action of the city as a whole excite me, but the quaintness of Greenwich Village, SoHo and the other communities that surround NYU remind me of home. I know I can fit in, grow, and give back to NYU and my community here in Alabama.

The opportunities for cultural enrichment and community service are unparalleled at New York University. I am excited about taking advantage of those opportunities, engaging myself in volunteer work, and immersing myself in the social diversity the university has to offer. My life experiences have given me a receptive mind--one that is open to different ideas, cultures, and lifestyles. My intellectual curiosity will bud at NYU, where I can grow with the world-renowned faculty, the bright and interesting students, and the challenging atmosphere.

NYU can offer me a place to develop and I can offer it the needed perspective of a boy from rural Alabama. My relationship will be symbiotic; I will take advantage of the amazing teachers and rigorous courses, but I will offer my unique perspective to the clubs, organizations, and class discussions in exchange. As an open-minded critical thinker, I will be capable of defending my ideas and opinions even in the face of opposition. Most importantly, I can add some southern flavor to NYU.