1) Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development:
Walking down the hall to my first class of the day, I feel like a zombie. I am running on six hours of sleep, and I didn't get a chance to make my coffee before school. It is 8 am...too early to be awake.
I turn the corner to the science wing, and I immediately perk up. Music fills my ears, blasting out from the classroom at the end of the hall. Whether it is Lynard Skynard, the Beatles, or Taylor Swift, it's always on full volume. Somehow, over the roar of the electric instruments, I can still hear Mr. Selly, standing in his usual place outside the door, calling out "How ya doin', bud!" and "There she is, my favorite student!" to every girl that walks by. The habitual smile grows on my face. Approaching his classroom, and I am welcomed with the same greeting before being offered soda and cookies.
This is not an unusual morning, and this is not unusual from his teaching style. Having been taught and advised by Mr. Fadden for two years now, I am all too familiar with his calm yet upbeat attitude, his whimsical yet intelligent stories, and his awe-inciting demonstrations. I must have seen his showing of spectrum-colored fire at least three times now, but this, along with the other demos, never ceases to amaze me.
I firmly believe that what the students gain from a class has everything to do with the teacher. Science has fascinated me from day one at my highschool. While I honestly do find much of the material quite interesting, I know that I also have been blessed with incredible, passionate teachers like Mr. Selly. Their daily animation and delight about the subjects they teach are truly contagious, and I have them to thank for my eagerness to learn. My early mornings may be dreary, but everyday I am revived through their fervor and fire (pun intended).
2) Letter to your Roommate:
Dear Roomie,
I first want to say how excited I am to meet you and room with you! Since we haven't had much time to chat, there are a few things to know about me. I have a deep love of three things: food, clothes, and Dave Matthews. About food, well, who doesn't love food? Crazy people. Simple as that. We shall always have food in the our dorm, if that wasn't a given already. I am a pretty healthy eater, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional Oreo...or three. Next on the list: clothes. I have a LOT of clothes, and my collection is ever expanding. It pains me to know that I can only pack about half of it all! I have a very eclectic style, always trying new trends and trying to start some as well. Of course, I am happy to share. I have a sister so I am already used to sharing everything with her. Recently I have also developed a knack for making my own clothes! A lot of it is trial and error, but I like being creative with it!
Finally, we come to Mr. Matthews, Dave, DMB, my all time favorite creator of melodies and lyrics. I know that there are some split feelings for him, as people tend to either love him or hate him in my experience. Hopefully you aren't on the opposing end. Don't get me wrong, I am not a crazed fanatic who cries at the mention of his name like a Justin Beiber groupee, but I you may find I have Dave's albums on shuffle quite a bit. Generally I listen to all kinds of music, though. Coldplay, Dispatch, Brad Paisely, the Beatles, the list goes on and on. There are very few genres, if any, that I dislike. What/who do you like to listen to? Speaking of music, I also play the guitar! I am not an amazing player, but I can eventually learn just about any song--with a fair amount of practice and frustration, naturally. I also love to shop, read, run, bake, and sleep when possible. What hobbies do you enjoy? Well hopefully I don't seem like a total stranger to you any more, and I can't wait to get to know you in return!
Meet you soon!
Meredith
For the third essay, "What matters to you most and why," I was thinking of writing about how important it is to not limit myself early on, to keep options open, etc. What do you think- yay or nay?
thanks so much, any comments/criticisms will be much appreciated!!
Walking down the hall to my first class of the day, I feel like a zombie. I am running on six hours of sleep, and I didn't get a chance to make my coffee before school. It is 8 am...too early to be awake.
I turn the corner to the science wing, and I immediately perk up. Music fills my ears, blasting out from the classroom at the end of the hall. Whether it is Lynard Skynard, the Beatles, or Taylor Swift, it's always on full volume. Somehow, over the roar of the electric instruments, I can still hear Mr. Selly, standing in his usual place outside the door, calling out "How ya doin', bud!" and "There she is, my favorite student!" to every girl that walks by. The habitual smile grows on my face. Approaching his classroom, and I am welcomed with the same greeting before being offered soda and cookies.
This is not an unusual morning, and this is not unusual from his teaching style. Having been taught and advised by Mr. Fadden for two years now, I am all too familiar with his calm yet upbeat attitude, his whimsical yet intelligent stories, and his awe-inciting demonstrations. I must have seen his showing of spectrum-colored fire at least three times now, but this, along with the other demos, never ceases to amaze me.
I firmly believe that what the students gain from a class has everything to do with the teacher. Science has fascinated me from day one at my highschool. While I honestly do find much of the material quite interesting, I know that I also have been blessed with incredible, passionate teachers like Mr. Selly. Their daily animation and delight about the subjects they teach are truly contagious, and I have them to thank for my eagerness to learn. My early mornings may be dreary, but everyday I am revived through their fervor and fire (pun intended).
2) Letter to your Roommate:
Dear Roomie,
I first want to say how excited I am to meet you and room with you! Since we haven't had much time to chat, there are a few things to know about me. I have a deep love of three things: food, clothes, and Dave Matthews. About food, well, who doesn't love food? Crazy people. Simple as that. We shall always have food in the our dorm, if that wasn't a given already. I am a pretty healthy eater, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional Oreo...or three. Next on the list: clothes. I have a LOT of clothes, and my collection is ever expanding. It pains me to know that I can only pack about half of it all! I have a very eclectic style, always trying new trends and trying to start some as well. Of course, I am happy to share. I have a sister so I am already used to sharing everything with her. Recently I have also developed a knack for making my own clothes! A lot of it is trial and error, but I like being creative with it!
Finally, we come to Mr. Matthews, Dave, DMB, my all time favorite creator of melodies and lyrics. I know that there are some split feelings for him, as people tend to either love him or hate him in my experience. Hopefully you aren't on the opposing end. Don't get me wrong, I am not a crazed fanatic who cries at the mention of his name like a Justin Beiber groupee, but I you may find I have Dave's albums on shuffle quite a bit. Generally I listen to all kinds of music, though. Coldplay, Dispatch, Brad Paisely, the Beatles, the list goes on and on. There are very few genres, if any, that I dislike. What/who do you like to listen to? Speaking of music, I also play the guitar! I am not an amazing player, but I can eventually learn just about any song--with a fair amount of practice and frustration, naturally. I also love to shop, read, run, bake, and sleep when possible. What hobbies do you enjoy? Well hopefully I don't seem like a total stranger to you any more, and I can't wait to get to know you in return!
Meet you soon!
Meredith
For the third essay, "What matters to you most and why," I was thinking of writing about how important it is to not limit myself early on, to keep options open, etc. What do you think- yay or nay?
thanks so much, any comments/criticisms will be much appreciated!!