Columbia short answers - books, shows, and why Columbia

Guys I'd love if you could help me with these. I'm international and I dont know if some books are cliche in USA. So please give me your opinions and suggestions on these answers (esp. on the why Columbia). Thanks a lot :)

1- List the books you read for pleasure in the past year:
"The Arch of Triumph" - Erich Maria Remarque,
"The Shadow of the Wind" - Carlos Ruiz Zafón,
"Rule by Secrecy" - Jim Marrs,
"My Name is Red" - Orhan Pamuk,
"Love In The Time Of Cholera" - Gabriel García Márquez,
"The Alchemist" - Paolo Coelho
"Memoirs Of A Geisha" - Arthur Golden

2- List the required readings you enjoyed most in the past year:
"Anna Karenina" - Leo Tolstoy
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl",
"Madame Bovary" - Gustave Flaubert
"Three Comrades" - Erich Maria Remarque
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" - Victor Hugo
"Father Goriot" - Honore de Balzac

3- List the print and/or electronic publications you read regularly:
sciencedaily.com,
nature.com,
bbc.co.uk
"Volleyworld" magazine

4- List the films, performances, exhibits, concerts, shows, etc. you enjoyed most in the past year:
2012 (directed by Roland Emmerich)
FIVB World Cup
"Salome" (opera by R. Strauss)

5- Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why:
Why Columbia? Because I love blue. Because I adore the sight of the Alma Mater statue under a cover of whiteness. Because columbia.edu is my homepage. Because the mentoring of two Nobel prize winners, Eric Kandel and Richard Axel, would make my academic experience unparalleled. Because I am looking forward to diving in the SURF program and to exploring through vast opportunities of independent study and undergraduate Neuroscience research. Because I see in Columbia a globalized environment whose diversity I can yet foster. Because I want excellence. Because I am not afraid to fly higher.

None of the books are particularly cliche over here. I think all of them were a great choice. Though when I did my Stanford app they asked the same thing and I included one thing for humor to show that I am not just academics and brains and blah blah...

I loved your why columbia essay very poetic I guess. One suggestion would be breaking the pattern at the end..maybe. Not sure but I think it would be more majestic if something different was at the end to solidify your commitment to Columbia

I hope you get in and If you have the time I would be eternally grateful if you can look over my essay:

I don't think you should stress too much on the short answers. These questions seem like they're meant more for the admissions people to understand you better. Just be truthful. The only one you should really worry about is the one where you write which is number 5.

I like it a lot but it kind of bothers me how you start off with a question, although you do make good use of it.

Why Columbia? Because I love blue. Because I adore the sight of the Alma Mater statue under a cover of whiteness. Because columbia.edu is my homepage. Because the mentoring of two Nobel prize winners, Eric Kandel and Richard Axel, would make my academic experience unparalleled. Because I am looking forward to diving in the SURF program and to exploring through vast opportunities of independent study and undergraduate Neuroscience research. Because I see in Columbia a globalized environment whose diversity I can yet foster. Because I want excellence. Because I am not afraid to fly higher.

I noticed that you change your tone from sarcasm to seriousness to sort of a grandiose style. Not sure if thats good or not...

Also the last two sentences sound like a generic response perhaps you could replace it with something a little more unique.

If you could take a look at my Cornell essay(its due tonight) that'd be great.

Thank you for your feedback.
@ Kenny: Well, I tried to cover the most that I could and to express my personality in the meantime. I wanted to make it fun and random, specific, serious and poetic - all in one. Do you have any suggestions for the last sentences? Plus how did you find the other replies? Thank you.

Hi Anada, I'm sorry I didn't get to help with these before you submitted. You should check out the contributor page because you help so many people... you might as well be able to use EssayForum on your applications and resume. I really appreciate the help you have given people!

I don't like all the sentence fragments you used in that last part, about why Columbia. I think it was too many fragments and not enough discussion of serious plans for how you will spend your time. But it doesn't matter! They will appreciate this as you wrote it.

:-)