A. How did you first learn about Barnard College and what factors have influenced your decision to apply? Why do you think the College would be a good match for you?
I heard about Barnard College through my younger sister. She goes to an all-girls public school and in her school, the classes are named after different colleges; her class was named "Barnard." The name caught my attention, so I started doing my research. The fact that it focusses on women's development really caught my attention, as in my culture, there is barely any focus on women. As a woman, I want to bring out my inner strengths and strategies and Barnard seems to be the best choice for me. I attended Barnard's open house and came to realize how diverse the college is and how each, and everyone portrays their unique personalities in very different ways. Barnard will make me feel special as a woman and increase my confidence and capabilities, so that achieving my goals in life becomes easier for me in Barnard's comfortable environment.
B. Pick one woman in history or fiction to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. What would you talk about?
Benazir Bhutto, a politician, served as the eleventh prime minister in Pakistan. She was assassinated on December 27, 2007 during her campaign to become the president in the elections of 2008. If I were to have a conversation with her for an hour, the first thing I would ask her would be about her struggles; how, as a woman, she struggled to get to her position. She was the first female to ever hold such a high position in Pakistan's government. I would ask her about the approaches she took to achieve her position and how hard it was for her to accomplish her goals. She wanted to become the president, but unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to. Benazir Bhutto serves as an enduring role model for me. Her story teaches me not to consider my gender as something that would stop me from achieving my goals. If she could do it, I can too. It would be a great honor to converse with such a unique and strong person who inspires me not to give up and continue dreaming big.
C. Alumna and writer Anna Quindlen says that she "majored in unafraid" at Barnard. Tell us about a time when you majored in unafraid.
Creative writing has always acted as an enemy to me. I have barely written any creative writing piece or taken it into thought. During the summer, I partook in a program, at Long Island University, which provided students with two classes; photography and creative writing. Finding out that I had to take creative writing made me want to drop out, but I decided to accept it as a challenge. As the writing assignments approached, in the beginning, I didn't write so well. As time passed by, my creative writing skills enhanced, and I actually started to write skillfully. This was the time I majored in unafraid and took a chance that I never wanted to. I wrote a vignette titled "Rockefeller Center - the usual experience" and got "perfection" as a reply from my instructor. After that, I began to realize that creative writing was not as bad as I thought it would be. It brought a different skill out of me that I would never have grasped if I didn't major in unafraid
