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Growing up with stereotypes -- common app essay


college123 3 / 4  
Sep 17, 2012   #1
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

Final tossup. Last round of the tournament. Up against the strongest team in the state. Tied. Have to get this question. Five thousand dollars and winning Quiz Bowl on TV on the line. "Name the poem..." Oh, a literature question! Teammates don't seem happy. We don't have a literature person on our team. "...that contains the line 'Rage, rage against the dying...'" *Buzz*. My signal lights up. My teammates sigh in despair. Why is the science guy buzzing on a literature question? Nevertheless, I proceed. "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." Infinitely long pause... "Correct! Hume-Fogg wins!"

Has your personality ever been decided for you? Not because of who you are, but because of how others expect you to be? Has your life ever been guided by stereotypes or biases? As an Indian American, others always expect me to live my life guided by traditional Indian standards. Throughout elementary school, I had been reared as a test taking machine, able to answer questions at a glance, getting perfect scores on standardized tests. I was looked upon as a prodigy. But is it worth it? Must my passion for the humanities always be looked upon with confusion?

Even in middle school, I began experiencing types of situations that would plague me for years. People beseeched me for help on math and science homework, but refused my help on English or history homework. They all expected me to be the typical Indian kid, learning calculus years ahead, and ignoring all aspects of the humanities. I was an oddity to them. Despite this negativity, the humanities remained a passion. Whenever my parents took me anywhere, rather than pouring over a math textbook, I would furtively steal glances at my current favorite fiction, tucked into the outer pocket of my backpack.

In addition to my love for English literature, it is with my classical studies that I truly identify. During lunch I can often be seen in a corner eagerly translating The Aeneid or taking delight in the beauty of Catullus' poetry. Within these works, I often find elements of my life. Aeneas's struggle to find a sense of identity and acceptance by others is truly relatable. Just as he eventually kills Turnus and founds Rome by holding true to his piety, I am confident that I will similarly achieve my goals as I hold true to my passions.

My appreciation for the humanities extends beyond school. Quiz Bowl is my primary extracurricular activity, and I am expected to understand the basic tenets of literature and history. Rather than being treated with perplexed looks, I am congratulated when I am able to immediately discern the author of a work given only its protagonist. Although my primary role on the team is that of "science guy," I still get that characteristic adrenaline rush when I answer a literature question, thinking back to those car rides and lunch times spent going against the expectations set out for me and continuing to shape my own interests.


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