COLUMBIA
Please tell us what you found meaningful about one of the above mentioned books, publications or cultural events.
Gaudy, multi-colored signs. The sweet, enticing smell of frying churros. Soulful music from a Gospel choir praising their Lord. An ocean of bodies, city-dwellers and tourists alike, pressing against me. It might be called the Taste of Chicago, but the endless rush of details invigorates every one of my senses. I maneuver through the ebb and flow of the crowd until I find an empty spot on one of the grassy hills. I flop down onto the grass and finally dig into a vegan kabob I had picked up along the way. It really did taste like chicken; as a former meat-lover, I have the right to judge.
As I munch on my tasty treat, I admire my surroundings. Only in Chicago can you find such a diverse crowd. Families, college buddies, elderly couples; blacks, whites, Hispanics. It's as if God has plucked a character from every walk of life, mixed them all up in a salad bowl, and dropped them down into this festival. It would at least explain the lack of balance the crowd around the Budweiser booth seems to be experiencing. Nevertheless, the myriad of cultures makes me realize the powerful affect food has on us. Food is the magnet that unites people together. No matter your age, ethnicity, or opinion on the Cubs-White Sox rivalry, everyone has to eat. And when they do, they experience a unique communion found only in the sacred act of sharing a meal. So this festival of foods is not just a tourist attraction. It is a connection between cultures, a ribbon that ties every unique member of Chicago into a community.
Please tell us what academic class has been your favorite and why.
With a ragged book bursting with Post-it Notes in one of my sweaty palms, I settle into my seat at the Round Table. The other three students also sit; we each nervously glance at the others. "You may begin," says Ms. Smith from her desk. I take a deep breath and plunge into the depths of Prince Hamlet's unhinged mind. My fellow students soon follow. In our discussion, we examine interactions, soliloquies, anything that could possibly have acted as the source of Hamlet's madness. Finally, the teacher says, "Time's up." We walk back to our seats, faces clearly painted with relief, as the rest of the class applauds our passable performance.
From the beginning, AP English IV has been unique. Our first day ended with every student standing on their desk, Dead Poet's Society-esque, as our teacher showed us her acceptance of new ideas in old works. With little right or wrong answers, she rarely lectures. Instead, Ms. Smith raises open-ended questions and waits for our response, trusting four years of honors english to send us to the right answer. They usually do. Or, she groups us randomly and sends us to the Round Table to have a graded discussion on our current novel or play. These unconventional methods work because not only is my teacher phenomenal; my classmates are as well. After four years of weeding out the unacademic, the only students left in this singular AP class are the highest-achieving seniors of our school. We are united by our passion for reading between the lines and our endless drive to succeed. So naturally, every discussion engages the entire class, and together we delve into the fascinating inner workings of British literature.
both need to be cut down by a hundred characters or so, so cuts are good! :)
Criticism is much appreciated, thanks!!
Firstly, I'd just like to say that I love your essays! The only real comments I have are suggestions on how to cut them down.
Essay 1: You could cut out the sentence "It would at least explain the lack of balance..." & just start the next sentence with "The myriad.."
You could also change the phrase "every unique member of Chicago" into "every attendee" or something along those lines, since not everyone who attends the Taste is from Chicago
Essay 2: You could take out the tidbits about being nervous about discussing. There's nothing wrong with being nervous, but it would help bring down your number of characters. Also, I would take out the sentence "After four years of weeding out the unacademic, the only students left in this singular AP class are the highest-achieving seniors of our school." It's already obvious that the people in your class are the brightest seniors, so pointing it out kind of detracts from your essay.
I hope my comments helped!
If you get a chance, could you take a look at my Stanford supplement, thanks.
thanks for the cuts, really helped! REVISED:
Please tell us what you found meaningful about one of the above mentioned books, publications or cultural events.
Gaudy, multi-colored signs. The sweet, enticing smell of frying churros. Soulful music from a Gospel choir praising their Lord. An ocean of bodies, city-dwellers and tourists alike, pressing against me. It might be called the Taste of Chicago, but the endless rush of details invigorates every one of my senses. I maneuver through the ebb and flow of the crowd until I find an empty spot on one of the grassy hills. I flop down onto the grass and finally dig into a vegan kabob I had picked up along the way. It really did taste like chicken; as a former meat-lover, I have the right to judge.
As I munch on my tasty treat, I admire my surroundings. Only in Chicago can you find such a diverse crowd. Families, college buddies, elderly couples; blacks, whites, Hispanics. It's as if God has plucked a character from every walk of life, mixed them all up in a salad bowl, and dropped them down into this festival. The myriad of cultures makes me realize the powerful affect food has on us. Food is the magnet that unites people together. No matter your age, ethnicity, or opinion on the Cubs-White Sox rivalry, everyone has to eat. And when they do, they experience a unique communion found only in the sacred act of sharing a meal. So this festival of foods is not just a tourist attraction. It is a connection between cultures, a ribbon that ties every unique member of Chicago into a community.
Please tell us what academic class has been your favorite and why.
With a ragged book bursting with Post-it Notes in hand, I settle into my seat at the Round Table. The other three students also sit; we each nervously glance at the others. "You may begin," says Ms. Smith from her desk. I take a deep breath and plunge into the depths of Prince Hamlet's unhinged mind. My fellow students soon follow. Our discussion examines interactions, soliloquies, anything that could possibly have acted as the source of Hamlet's madness. Finally, the teacher says, "Time's up." We walk back to our seats, faces clearly painted with relief, as the rest of the class applauds our passable performance.
From the beginning, AP English IV has been unique. Our first day ended with every student standing on their desk, Dead Poet's Society-esque, as our teacher showed us her acceptance of new ideas in old works. With little right or wrong answers, she rarely lectures. Instead, Ms. Smith raises open-ended questions and waits for our response, trusting four years of honors english to send us to the right answer. They usually do. Or, she groups us randomly and sends us to the Round Table to have a graded discussion on our current novel or play. These unconventional methods work because not only is my teacher phenomenal; my classmates are as well. We are united by our passion for reading between the lines and our endless drive to succeed. So naturally, every discussion engages the entire class; together, we delve into the fascinating inner workings of British literature.
ill help you with yours when i finish the last two for columbia, im so last minute its not even funny...
