This is my first draft for the Short Answer of the Common Application. All sorts of criticism are welcome :)
When I think about a European Youth Parliament session the first thing that pops in my mind is a group of 250 teenagers, all in a circle, singing "Here we go with the Big Fat Pony". And as ridiculous as it all may sound, Teambuilding was always one of the moments I enjoyed most about the EYP structure : the games, the challenge and the lack of restriction that made for a true personality revelation. On the other hand, EYP is more than that; going from a roll in the mud, to the suit-up general assemblies, it is a way of understanding Europe and its political structure beyond the geographical or cultural borders. It is adapting, sleeping in cheap hostels and discovering that despite our diversities we are all in the very end, teenagers struggling towards a better future and the European Youth Parliament is our common beginning.
I don't know a lot about European Youth Parliament but it sounds like is a powerful group activity for highschool students, similar to the League of Nations experience I had. Aside from having to get dressed up in suits, it was exciting to go to the UN and have real debates (in our make believe roles.) Did you have any of that besides singing songs, rolling in the mud, cheap hostels and games?
Your last sentence is excellent! Was the common beginning feeling that all your EYP mates shared the same desire for a better future? Frankly, it would help to get a sense of this from your first sentence. Was the singing the most memorable part of your EYP experience? If it was teambuilding, do you have another example? What was the "true personality revelation" you had?
the games, the challenge and the lack of restriction that made for a true personality revelation.
Very cool sentence here. Let's change lack to absence, though.
Below, I'll add 2 commas and a sentence adjustment!!!! :-)
It is adapting, sleeping in cheap hostels, and discovering that despite our diversities we are all, in the very end, teenagers struggling towards a better future. The European Youth Parliament is our common beginning.
This is high quality stuff...
Thank you very much to both of you for the help and the support :) Since the Short Answer is but the beginning, I needed an encouraging start.
On the other hand, I would like to know your opinion on whether to add some sentences or not.
For the instance, should I include examples of 'the personality revelation", it is just that I cannot think of something that would actually fit the idea that I have given in this sentence. It would just seem redundant to me and loose the meaning that i have tried to convey.
And to the last sentence, should I also include "possibility to develop and defend new ideas", or is it OK already the way I have phrase it?
In the overall, a session's pinnacle is the General Assembly, where you protect through speeches and general debate the proposed solution over a certain issue. Yet, the Teambuilding procedure holds and essential role in developing a true team spirit, discussing ideas critically and come up with creative ideas.
Finally, I have tried to give a more specific and personal idea of the European Youth parliament, something not found on Wikipedia. Plus the Common Application answer should be less than 150 words, that is why I did not include many details.
Hope you got my point :)
PS. The European Youth Parliament is a little bit similar to the League of Nations and the Model United Nations, nevertheless it has a stricter procedure and you represent Committees of the actual European Parliament, instead of individual countries.
European Youth Parliament - Georgetown Short Essay
This is my short answer to Georgetown's prompt :
In the space available discuss the significance to you of the of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved.
All criticism is welcome!
Last week, during Herman Van Rompuy's visit on a diplomatic mission to Tirana, I felt very proud of myself when I found out that I could list list all his functions as President of the Council, describe his recent duties within the European Union and even spell his name correctly. Nevertheless, all this information and knowledge that I have gained about Henry Van Rompuy does not derive from my passion for politics, neither from my desire to learn more about that institution to which my country aspires for more than a decade. No, it is but the result of my two year involvement with the European Youth Parliament in Albania and abroad.
Yet, when I think about the European Youth Parliament in itself, the first thing that comes to my mind is not European Politics : it is a group of 250 teenagers, all in a circle, singing "Here we go with the big fat pony, early in the morning". And as ridiculous as it all may sound, one of the most important moments of a EYP session is those two days spent on Teambuilding, where the games, the challenge and the absence of inhibitions change the way you think about friendship and make for a true personality revelation.
And at the same time, EYP is more than just games. It is first and foremost learning about the structure and diversity of the European Union beyond its cultural or legal borders. It is adapting, sleeping in cheap hostels, discussing all night long and defending your ideals in Churches and Parliaments as old as Europe itself. And going from that initial roll in the mud to the suit-up General Assemblies, it is accepting the differences that separates us all and understanding at the same time that, despite our diversities, we are all struggling teenagers building our way into a common future.
