You have already told us about yourself in the Common Application, with its list of activities, Short Answer, and Personal Essay. In this required second essay, tell us something that you would like us to know about you that we might not get from the rest of your application - or something that you would like a chance to say more about. Please limit your essay to fewer than 500 words.
Unique, quirky, original; these are three of many euphemistic terms that put a positive spin on the word 'weird'. I have been called all three over the course of my seventeen years, by peers and adults alike. I can't blame those who have put these labels on me, though; by most people's standards, I am weird. I am too sarcastic, too blunt, too curious. I get overly excited about academics, and my eagerness to discuss outside of the classroom the topics learned in it has always earned me eye rolls and blank stares. I am the sole Hermione Granger in a sea of Fred and George Weasleys.
Not only am I different from my peers, the different facets of my personality often juxtapose each other. I am genuinely terrified of bumble bees and so jumpy that being hit with an unexpected raindrop has been known to illicit one of my screams, and yet I didn't hesitate for a second when offered the opportunity to go to Kenya, a country where Black Mambas and Scorpions are mere blips on one's radar. My first weekend in Africa, I avoided the confrontation of telling my new friends I didn't want to go to the local bar by faking sick, and yet I relish the opportunity to crush my opponents in heated academic debates. I can watch psychological thrillers without wincing, but still can't face Scooby Doo on Zombie Island. My television and music tastes are unorthodox, with Gossip Girl and the Jonas Brothers being as close to my heart as I Love Lucy and the Beatles. I have just as ardent a love for reading and manipulating language in my English Classes as I do for dissecting and making discoveries in my Science classes.
I am unique. I am quirky. I am original. I defy expectations, and I am proud of that.
