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'Bungee Jumping' - Rice University Supplement


Buffomatic 3 / 11  
Dec 24, 2011   #1
The quality of Rice's academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What perspective do you feel that you will contribute to life at Rice? (Most applicants are able to respond successfully in two to three double-spaced pages.)

I take a few deep breaths, circulating the surrounding cold 30oF air through my shaking lungs as I close my eyes, waiting for the next step. My shivering body is held tightly together by a couple of straps that seem all too fragile. As the 15 mph winds blow around me, I reach down to take off my shoes before it's too late. They tell me to walk forward so I do, one step at a time until my toes starts to drift off the edge. I close my eyes once again, afraid to look down, as I reach my hands toward the comforting sky. My heart beats faster and faster, my palms start to sweat, and the muscles in my thighs begin tightening up. I hear the sound and I jump.

I used to go bungee jumping every other Saturday with a group of friends. We called ourselves "The Peregrine Falcons" because Azizi, one of the members, said that we dived similar to how falcons dive, at speeds not suitable for humans. We were an odd group of four that met early in August of 2010 at a bungee jumping place in the Sierra Nevada near Sacramento, CA. Azizi was the eldest at 54 years old and an Egyptian that moved from Alexandria, Egypt to San Francisco ten years ago and started bungee jumping as a hobby because he needed a place to release his stress from his job at IBM. Kimberly was the only girl in the group and was born in Austin, TX before moving to Sacramento. She was an elementary school teacher who always talked about her kids during our long car rides. Our leader was Landon, a 22 year old college student from England who studied Greek History and Mythology and always rambled on and on about Hermes and Poseidon. And then there was me, a 16-year-old Chinese kid who dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur who also helps charities but is stuck at school until I figure how to. We were all different and didn't resemble typical bungee jumping daredevils, but we traveled together, jumped together, and hung out together every other Saturday like brothers and sisters.

I was the youngest, most naïve, and least experienced of the four, but I fit right in. I learned more about life when I was with them than any school lecture or research paper. Although bungee jumping is a rather scary activity, I always felt safe because I was surrounded by my friends. Strangers used to walk by and stare at our group and wonder if I was Azizi's and Kimberly's child but I assured them that I wasn't. I was their friend, companion, partner even if all of our ages and ethnic backgrounds were worlds apart.

Although I only went jumping with my friends a few times the friendships and commitment I made with them will always stick with me. I bring to Rice the ability to connect and make strong bonds with people no matter how different they are from me. I know that Rice is a community with great diversity and I believe my experience with my jumping partners has shaped me to be able to get along with anybody. I understand that Houston is worlds apart from my city of San Jose but I want to try something new and Houston is just that place. Rice is home to 6,000 students each with a plan to change the world one way or another and I want to be immersed in that innovative atmosphere by connecting with many of them and being a part of their cause. When I meet new people I'm a social butterfly without butterflies in my stomach and I hope to bring that attitude and with it discover new friends, new goals, and a new home at Rice University.

Let me know what you think! Thanks!
flutenerd 7 / 19  
Dec 24, 2011   #2
It's kind of confusing how you say that you went bungee jumping every other Saturday, but then you say that you only went a few times. The fact that you only went a few times is also kind of inconsistent with the ideas you are trying to get across. You don't want them to think that you will "create strong bonds" and "be a part of their cause" only for a short time.
OP Buffomatic 3 / 11  
Dec 24, 2011   #3
I didn't notice that. I changed it to "although I no longer go jumping with my friends, the friendships and commitment i made with them will always stick with me"


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