I was finishing up my Princeton application and I was wondering if anyone was willing to help. Much thanks
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you. (About 150 words)
Columbia Undergraduate Commmon Application Supplement
I was just finishing up my Columbia common application supplement and was wondering if anyone was willing to help?
1. Briefly describe which single activity listed in the Activity section of your Common Application represents your most meaningful commitment and why. (150 words or less)
a. Nine proclaimed nerds sitting around a table reading through a giant book. Trying to memorize every detail; their brains numbing from an influx of knowledge. All unified in their agony and their dream: to win the state championship. Academic Decathlon is an activity that I took on during my junior year and since then has become the most meaningful commitment in the academic sphere. I enjoy it the most and have committed the greatest amount of my time towards it. The primary reason for this is because it is an organization that allows the true me to flourish. In it, I can let my competitive spirit run wild, my desire of learn independently to be fulfilled, and my social side to come out. By allow me to truly express myself, as well as enjoy myself, Academic Decathlon has become my most meaningful and integral part of my life.
2. List the required readings from courses during the school year or summer that you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
a. Silk suits and tattered rags, shimmering white palaces and old decaying huts; the life of luxury and the life of poverty comprised my favorite course reading. The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath were the books I enjoyed the most. Despite their differences, both are tales of tragedy but also of hope. The American dream juxtaposed with the harsh realities of life sets up the wonderful story and exhilarating themes. These elements made the book enjoyable and allowed me to connect with the works. I believe in the existence of hope in the face of adversity and these books best exemplify this. Although they're also cautionary tales of the cruelty and power of greed, the also show the power of hope and the true capability of greatness of man. I connected with these books and their themes and thus they are the ones I found most enjoyable.
3. List the books read for pleasure that you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
a. The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. This quote has proven to be true in some many situations and nowhere is this more true than in literature. In 1984 and Things Fall Apart, the ability to abuse is best shown. I found these books the most enjoyable independent reading since they provided me with a unique perspective to things generally considered. Things such as security and civilization are considered to be necessary and proper but the discussion of what if one were to abuse these powers is rarely illustrated. These books gave me a different and unique perspective from the mainstream ideas and allowed to me understand the duality of any situation. There is always some other perspective or some unforeseen consequence and these books allowed me to improve myself since now I understand the value of different perspectives and discourse amongst them.
4. List the print or electronic publications you read regularly. (150 words or less)
a. The sun has not caught me sleeping and the house is dark. The house is quiet and the bus has not yet arrived. During these moments, I take the time to read to obtain information about the world. Several publications I read include The Week, The New York Times, Wired, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Cracked. All of these articles allow me to fully understand the events occurring in the world and keep me informed about the current state of things. I use a wide range of magazines to ensure I get as many perspectives as possible and to keep myself entertained. All of these different publications allow me to fully understand a situation, synthesize my thoughts/perspectives, and see all sides of an event before passing personal judgment upon it.
5. List the films, concerts, shows, exhibits, lectures and other entertainments you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
a. The lights dim and the television screen fills the room with light. Shocked faces and bemused expressions fill the room. Everyone looks at themselves and then looks at me. Everyone cannot understand what is going on. This situation presents itself to me every time I chose a movie to show to my friends. The two films I found to be the most enjoyable are Lagaan, Apocalypse Now, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Although others may not enjoy these movies, I find them to be my favorites. They present their story, make you think, and help you appreciate the different ways of thinking out there. They allow me to experience the journeys of different kinds of humans and understand their stories of others They provide me an escape from my life; an escape to a world where anything is possible.
6. Please tell us what you found meaningful about one of the above mentioned books, publications or cultural events. (300 words or less)
a. A green chair placed beside a black bookcase. The fan blowing cool air and cup placed beside me. As I read through the Great Gatsby, I ask myself why do I do the things I do? As the pages flip through my fingers and the clocks hands move along at their steady pace, the answer to this questions becomes more clear. I saw the book as almost an extension of my one life and the book acts as a guide for me to better my one life. Like Gatsby, I grew up with lots of ambition but in unlucky circumstances. Ever since then, my family has tried to improve our conditions with the same level of desire that Gatsby wanted to fulfill his desires. I to have a grand vision for my life but the book addresses a problem that I too face. I look back at my childhood and try to see how I can correct all the mistakes I made and alleviate all I had to go through. But, as the book shows, lingering on to ones past can destroy the fruits of labor and the great things a person posses in the present. I read the book and It has fundamentally transformed. I have controlled my urge and fanciful wish of changing my past since I understand what effect living on the past can have on a person. The work shows me that dreaming and hoping are good things but there is a limit to hope. My future has been fundamentally changed as a result of the work and I now believe that I can solve my dilemmas in a way Gatsby never could.
7. Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why. (300 words or less)
a. A spew of papers clutter the area, an old lamp stands guarding the mess. Pencils cover the scattered debris and a computer lays open. Notebooks lay astray and pictures cover the walls. As the last days of the summer rolled by, fear overcomes me. I nervously sat here, thinking of something I had no knowledge of, college, something that I never thought about and no one in my family knew anything about. I think of where I want to go and one of the biggest aspects for deciding which college is the best is the location. Columbia University in the City of New York, a Mecca for scholars but a gateway to the world. I find the location of New York to be one of the best things about the university since it offers me opportunities I could have only previously dreamed off. The diversity, the intellectuals, and the opportunities, both academic and economic, are all factors that pull me towards the university. Its location allows me to truly experiment with and get different perspectives upon my chosen academic field and allows me to understand the real world applications and effects of my work. This appeals to me since the opportunities allowed for by the university allow me to understand my field and truly experience all it has to offer. New, unique and comprehensive experiences are available to me in Columbia. With Columbia, the world becomes my campus since the diversity and the opportunities are limitless. It's the only place where I am not afraid to rise.
