College Essay # 17 - Kalamazoo College/93

17. If you could spend a year with any real or fictional person in the past, present, or future, whom would you choose? Why? (Kalamazoo College/93)


This year in English 11, I read Ken Kesey's masterpiece: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This book talked about society's main goal, conformity. McMurphy, an "admission" (Kesey), tried to change the ways of the mental asylum and tried to show the patients that they could do anything as long as they put their mind to it. If I could spend a year with any person, I would spend my year with the character for Ken Kesey's novel, McMurphy.

This might be a peculiar thing to state, but when I first read this question, I knew this was exactly who I wanted to spend my year with. But not in the real world that we know today. I would want to spend a year with McMurphy during the 1950's. The society in which we live in today tries to do everything in its power to conform us and make us into "business men in black suits and a briefcase" walking on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1950's New York. We go to school to learn what everyone wants us to learn. Teachers teach, not to allow us to think for ourselves but to let us believe that we're thinking for ourselves. We go to college because it is expected that students who go to an elite school such as Woodstock are meant to go to college. We dress the way the media says is correct. We talk with an "accent" because if we don't we're looked down upon. We'll be said to have a "local" accent. I don't really know what that means, but that's reality. Everything we do is already predetermined. Everyone, like the Big Nurse in Cuckoo's Nest, already know what the outcome of our actions are going to be. It just shows that there isn't anyone who is different, let alone unique.

If I spent a year with McMurphy, I would understand the way that society started conforming people. The suburban homes, the mundane jobs, and oppression of women would be all clear to me. I want to spend a year with McMurphy because he was one of those people who tried to change the idea of conformity into nothing but a hushed whisper to the mouths of those who want to feed on others despair and hopelessness. I want to spend a year with the rabbit between the rabbit and the wolf. I would learn lots of things. I would learn how people react to those that try to change the status quo, I would learn how society worked, and I would learn how difficulty it was to stand up for your rights. No matter how much we think we know it, we don't know anything about gaining an identity compared to those who lived before us.

I would take all that I learned and bring it into the real world. And maybe try to eliminate "conformity" from our vocabulary, and allow people to be the way they want to be, not the way others want them to be.

College Essay # 123 - University of Chicago

123. How do you feel about Wednesday? (University of Chicago)

The loud bell ringing in the microphone at 7 in the morning wakes me up a little annoyed. I sit up in my bed slowly rubbing my eyes to a dark, gloomy Wednesday morning. I get out of my bed, stub my toe on my desk, take my towel and head to the shower. I walk into the bathroom and notice that all the bathrooms are taken. Damn. I have to wait another 15 minutes before I can head to the shower myself. I stand there looking at my face and see how exhausted I still am from the Monday basketball tryouts. Finally, someone comes out and I sprint into the shower. I turn on the shower and expecting hot water, I scream. The water coming out of the shower head is freezing cold. It's practically as though I'm showering in ice. I take a shower as fast as I can and get out to feel the cold air outside my room. I get ready in a hurry as it is almost 7:50. I run down to the dining hall, only to see that breakfast has closed and all that remains is greasy, green trays filled with oil and the orange counter tops. Disappointedly, I walk up to school slowly. I reach only to be 15 minutes late to assembly. I don't know how my clock was off. I didn't even realize why people were walking so fast up the hill. I guess I'm just some lost soul in my own world. The day goes by in a blur and the 3:45 bell rings and I feel the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Final day to show the coaches what I've got. Final day of basketball tryouts. I walk in the locker room to hear the buzz of the excited girls ready to begin. No one feels the soreness experience from the last tryout, except me. I change and walk into the huge court. I put a smile on my face and look at the coaches. Apparently, effort counts a whole lot. Sometimes it seems like more than the skills you have. I guess it was my negative attitude, but I ended up stumbling over the cones, travelled while doing my lap ups, and managed doing ups-and-downs on a free throw. Could my day get any worse. Just when I thought I was getting the "hang" of things, our coach blows the whistle and it's time to hit the locker rooms. I walk in slowly to realize that everyone has left. I walk down alone in the cold, dark winter evening. This Wednesday has been the worst of my life, and I'm not even going to make the time.

I wake up screaming to the 7 o'clock morning bell ringing in the microphone and to a bright and sunny winter morning.

College Essay # 14 - University of Pittsburgh

14. If you could be a "fly on the wall" to observe any situation - historical, personal, or otherwise - describe what you would choose to observe and why. What would you hope to learn and how would it benefit you? (University of Pittsburgh/94)


Dr. Spreeha Thapa (PhD). That sounds a bit scary to me from time to time. I know tha I want to become a doctor. That is what I had wanted since the time I was a child. The idea of helping people, the idea of bettering their lives, and the idea of cutting people open (not in a sedistic way) and seeing how the human body works always fasinated me. But some times I wonder whether I actually want to spent a really really long time of my life studying to be something I truly want to be. When I was small, people would ask me what I wanted to be and the only reply I would give was "I want to be a doctory slash swimmer slash tennis player slash a person who makes a lot of money." Many of you are probably laughing at my innocence. But sometimes I want to be that innocent and not have a clue about how difficult all of this would be. I want to just believe that I can do anything with the click of my fingers. But obviously I have grown up and I know the hardships that come with such a profession. So, if I was a "fly on the wall" I would want to be in a operating theater observing a neurosurgeon at work.

Although this may seem like a mundane thing to many, it is something that may just shape my life into something different than I expect. I want to watch what it is like being at work. I want to know whether I would be fascinated watching someone at work the way I want to be. This experience will truly decide whether I want to spend this long in the field or not. I probably do. I know that now. But I want to be a 100% sure of this. I don't want to have any regrets the minute I get into a medical school and decide that I wnat to do something else. This experience will be gratifying. I will also be able to witness my true determination to be the best I can be. A neurosurgeon. I know, a long way to go. I wonder if it is worth it. Some times I think yes and others times not so much. Being a "fly on the wall" will allow me to believe that I can do anything with the click of my fingers, or hope so anyways.

College Essay # 149 - William and Mary

149. Once you have completed your education, would you return to your hometown to begin your adult life? Why or why not? (William and Mary)


I watched my father struggle to find a job that would make a difference in the coutry after returning back home to Nepal. He worked in a bank for a while and then he decided that he wanted to start his own company. In 2008, he opened his own company: Solar Solutions. He is now the managing director of a company which sells and installs solar systems in homes, hotels, and office buildings which allows people to be energy independent. But this is not how he started out. He went to AIT in Thailand returned home to Nepal and worked with hydroelectric power companies. Then he joined the United Nations and worked in Bangladesh, Dhaka for around 6 to 7 years. He then returned to school and went to Maxwell University in Syracuse, New York to gain a master's degree in public administration. Then he returned to Nepal to start this. Although my father had returned to Nepal twice to start and continue his adult life ... twice ... I wouldn't want to go back to Nepal to start my adult life. My father may have, my mother may have, and my whole family may have, but times have changed, and that is not the path I want to follow. But he came back to the place he calls home a number of times, and that is what I plan to do as well. After all, your home is your home.

I want to become a doctor, and many of you may think that "doctor's can get a job anywhere" so why does it matter where you start your adult life. But it matters to me. Even being a doctor, I will struggle if I go back to Nepal. Not to deal with my proffession but to deal with the constant turmoil Nepal is facing. Before going to my country, I will want to live a more sustainable life where I don't have to worry about anything but my job and how I can enhance my life with this kind of experience. I don't want to have to worry about all the problems and all the bandhs, strikes which close the city down, while I'm just starting my job. I will be excited, I will be passionate about what I do. I want to focus on that and nothing else.

But just because I won't start my adult life there doesn't mean that I won't live there for a while and help my people. Although I'm not a patriotic person I still want to help those that are from the same place that I am. Just like my father, I will want to come back again and again to make a difference in my home country. I haven't lived in Nepal long enough to love, cherish, and admire it but I do have some sort of love-hate relationship with the country. I hate that everything seems to be crumbling down but I love the beauty and the culture that comes with it. I will definitely not start my adult life there, but I will be sure to include some aspect of my home in my adult life. I can't possibly abandon the place that defines my culture and heritage.

College Essay # 139 - University of Chicago

139. Spanish poet Antonio Machado wrote, "Between living and dreaming there is a third thing. Guess it." Give us your guess. (University of Chicago)

Living. This seems like a really bold prediction to me. I feel many of us are too preoccupied about everything in our life that we forget the main reason we are alive: to live. We're all either too preoccupied with the grades we get, what we need to finish on our to-do list, what clothes we're going to wear, what care we're going to drive, what job we're going to get, how much money we're going to earn, and the list goes on and on and on. It just never seems to end. Ask yourselves: when was the one day I actually LIVED my life? Was it when I was high on cocaine, was it when I was working till midnight grading papers, was it partying from 10 in the morning to 9 at night and then getting caught because I came back drunk, or was it calling women objects for cleaning, cooking, and for sex to bring your male ego higher than it already is? I am no one to say what living is. Everyone has their own way of living; some may be "responsible" in the way they live, and others might be "reckless." But it doesn't matter, everyone lives.

Dreaming. Isn't this all the things we're afraid of doing, or all the things we are insecure about? Do we actually gain anything from this? Some may say fear and others may say inspiration. I don't agree. They are just imaginations. Nothing real. Maybe you're sitting here shocked at my statement. But talk to me when dreams have been completely ripped apart and examined piece by piece. Don't tell me that it already has. Interpretdreams.com doesn't count because even psychologists haven't figured it out completely.

Between living and dreaming comes experiencing. We forget this word. We forget this idea. We forget this memory. We are either too worried about the outcome of things in our life and we're too worried about what our dreams mean and how it is going to affect us, that we forget to experience the pure joy of the combination of living and dreaming. Dreaming may set a goal, and living may be an accomplishment, but when do you have time to experience anything when you're too preoccupied about your achievements or too paranoid about your dreams?

Living and dreaming is ever present, "guess the third thing." For me experiencing is between living and dreaming. Everyone one has their own in-between. Guess yours.

College Essay # 165 - University of Virginia

165. What confuses you most in life, and why? (University of Virginia)

Popularity. What does that mean? Does that mean gossiping and spreading rumors about people, does it mean excluding other people, does it mean being a bully, or does it mean being liked by everyone? But all these things, do they even matter in the end? Does it even matter when you reach your final destination? Do you want to look back at your life and say "I was popular when I was in high school." Does that define you as a person? If you were still that person who gossips, who excludes others, who bullies others, and who is mean towards others, then it does matter whether you were "popular in high school." It shows that you haven't changed a single bit and you're still the same old person. You haven't grown up.

I see many of my friends trying to reach to the top of that "social ladder" you call popularity in high school. I see girls putting tons of foundation to make themselves look whiter and whiter each day. I see girls wearing low necked shirts trying to reveal their cleavage thinking that it would seduce someone. I see people in my grade bullying those who are "lower" than them. I see people trying to out do one another. I understand the idea of evolution and I understand the idea of the "survival of the fittest." What I don't understand is: people trying to hurt their friends and fellow classmates to be the "best", people trying to manipulate others into being their friend, drifters who drift from a group of people who are popular one week to the group of people who are popular the next week. This idea of popularity, doesn't mean a thing to me. I don't care for it.

High school is a time of finding yourself so that you won't get lost in the big, bad world. High school is a time to shape yourself and be the person you want to be for the rest of your life. High school is a time to learn new habits and get rid of old ones. It is a time for change

Though I don't follow most of the things I say, and am probably a hypocrite, I want to be all these things. Though I don't care for popularity, I care for being the right kind of person. One who helps, cares, and means the best for themselves and others. I challenge all of you to try and do the same.

College Essay # 163 - University of Virginia

163. What is your favortite word, and why? (University of Virginia)

Innovation.

I thought I was going to spell that word wrong for the millionth time. When I was in 4th grade, my best friend and I were in an "advanced spelling group." This just meant that we were willing to do the homework sheets that our teacher used to give us and we liked spelling words. We used to learn hard words and it made me feel really smart. Cocky, but true. But  no matter what I tried, I could never ever spell the word innovation. I would always put a single "n" and spell it like this: inovation. I was so adamant about the fact that I was spelling it right, I wouldn't even consider spelling it with two "n"s. My teacher would make me spell it over and over again,  thinking that I would understand it. I did know the spelling but I just wouldn't spell it correctly. I didn't want to. For a while, my teacher thought that there was something wrong with me, but all that it was, was that I didn't understand why and didn't want to give up my belief system and spell it the way it was "meant" to be spelt.

This word is my favorite word because I feel like this is one of those words that define me. Not because of the meaning behind the word, but because of the experiences I have had with it. When I look at myself today, I want to be that little 9 year old girl who stuck to her belief system. These days I feel like the product of the "Combine". They tell me that I need to do 5 extracuriculars and I try to do it. They tell me that my clothes are too short and too revealing, so I cover it up. They tell me to come for an open gym practice before basketball tryouts, and I go and bust my ass off. They tell me I have a math test tomorrow and I study for it. I don't understand. That 4th grade girl shows me that she believes what she believes. She shows me that just because something is set in the world and society we live in today, doesn't mean that we can't question it.

Innovation, my favorite word. Innovation: the little girl challenge the world. Innovation: the word that strikes a lighbulb in my head and wants me to change to the person who sticks by her belief.

Innovation: everything we live for.

College Essay # 90

90. Describe a humorous experience you have had.

My friends and I somehow manage to get caught up in some of the craziest situations when with each other. But the problem is that, there just isn't enough of them. Yes, we have our shares of laughter and joy, but nothing compares to this moment that I experience with one of my closest friends last winter. Sometimes when I get bored or feel upset, I play this memory in my head over and over again. It manages to always cheer me up in an instant.

It was last winter, when my friends and I were preparing for our history exam. I think it was around two in the morning and all of us were dead tired. We were excited that the semester was coming to an end, but we were just so stressed about this history exam. We couldn't be happy but we couldn't be distracted either. It was a real dilemma. So at around 3 o'clock in the morning, we decided to take a break. I said that I was hungry and asked my friends whether they had any food. They looked around at each other and said that they did but the problem was that the only food they had was cooking items. I had an idea ... for as long as I could remember, my friend was trying to break out of the dorm for the hell of it ... just to see if it actually works. Midlands, the name of the dormitory I live in, is exactly like a prison. Long corridors, bright lights, and 20 ft high fences surrounding the proximity (little bit of exaggeration, but it's true). I asked her wheter she wanted to try picking the lock on the kitchen so we could cook and leave immediately. She agreed, though reluctantly. The only problem, we didn't have a bobby pin. So I went hunting ... and finally after 10 minutes of sheer torture, I found one. At last!!

So she tried to open the kitchen and my other friend and I stood guard in case anyone came along and asked us what we were doing. Thankfully, everyone was sound asleep during this hour. After 10 minutes, I heard the "click" and the "clack". I was so thankful at that point. None of you realize how much I was starving then. So in a haste, we cooked Ramen noodles and Maggi, and locked up the kitchen. After finishing the delicious meal, I was prepared to go to bed. After all, a days hard work deserves some sort of reward. But then, just when I was about to leave, but roommate enters the room and tells us that she thought she smelt gas. I looked wide-eyed at my other two partners in crime. We quickly rushed to the door of the kitchen, and what do you know, the gas smell leaked all the way outside, through the walls to the bathroom next door. I started panicking. After all it was my idea.

At first we decided that it would be easier to pick the lock again and air the kitchen out, but picking the lock with shaking hands took longer than we expected. So, instead, we rushed to our dormparent and told her that the kitchen was smelling of gas. She got up immediately and ran down to the kitchen with her keys. She was baffled by such an event, and she started pinpointing who she thought could be the culprit. What she didn't realize was that we were standing right in front of her. Guiltly, I turned around and walked away from the big chaos happening in the lounge.

She started checking the kitchen's gas cylinder every 2 seconds before closing up the kitchen for the night. In the beginning, we all felt guilty for what we had done, but didn't have the courage to own up. Even though we wouldn't have gotten into trouble, it was still embarassing that we weren't able to cover our tracks. But after a week, it slowly started to die down and we started making fun of her paranoia, though we were the cause for that. To this day, I still see her checking the kitchen's gas cylinder in a paranoid manner. It is quite a funny site. But I am thankful to her as well as my roommate, if they weren't there, I don't know where any of the girls in Midlands would be right now.

College Essay # 32 - Amherst

32. Sartre said, "Hell is other people," while Streisand sang, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world." With whom do you agree? (Amherst)


People who need people are definitely not the luckiest people in the world, in fact, they are helpless, insecure, and simply blinded by some sort of faith. Let me ask all of you a question. Throughout your life, how many people have actually stuck with you till the end? Predictable answer. Many of you will say, my parents, or my friends. But have they really stuck with you? I mean, don't tell me that there has never been an instant in your life when your parents were mad at you for something stupid you did, or a friend got mad at you because you didn't meet her for lunch? If you are still sitting here and nodded your head arrogantly at this blog, then hats off to you. But for all those that I know, no one has felt alone at one point or another.

People who need people are the luckiest people in the world. What a load of crap. Everyone knows, whether they admit it or not, that no one will stick with you till the end. It is your life, and no one else gives a shit. Your parents may care until a certain point, maybe until you're "old" enough to make your own decisions and then take advice from them, but soon they'll stop caring about YOUR life. Eventually they'll just want to have fun and enjoy the time they have left. I mean, middle life crisis, what were you thinking? Your friends will stop caring about you too. They need to care about themselves first. They need to look after themselves before looking after someone else. Haven't you heard the phrase "the survival of the fittest"? Where do you think that came from. Even evolution can show us that "hell is other people" because in the end the strong only survive.

There is a different between having friends and NEEDING them. I am sure that friends are there to make your day enjoyable, but not really there for you to need them. Needing someone, anyone, just hurts you in the end. You believe that they won't let you down ... and BAMMMMM ... they let you down. I don't want to sound pessimistic and emo-ish, which I probably already sound, but relying on people just makes you weaker. In the end everyone is going to leave you in some way or another. Someone may leave you while having lunch, your closest friends may betray you, and the rest of the world will probably stop caring about you. Stop worrying about who's going to watch you graduate, or who's going to watch you get married, or have your first baby, or become a doctor, or blah, blah, blah. And the list goes on.

There will always be people near you, but learn to be happy on your own, and try to be lucky for yourself. Learn to be independent, and learn to not NEED people. Because "hell is other people" (Sartre).

College Essay # 143 - University of Pennsylvania

143. First experiences can be defining. Cite a first experience that you have had and explain its impact on  you. (University of Pennsylvania)

Walking up the "high school ramp" was a terrifying experience, but one that I would think about all summer. The long walk to the main building seemed so frightening and seemed far fetched, that it would give me goose bumps thinking about it. The last year of middle school was a piece of cake. I enjoyed every minute of it. Though there were ups and downs, I still looked forward to the rest of my days with my friends. Thinking about leaving the safe haven, made me sad as well though. Some of my old roommates were leaving which was upsetting but there were new friends to make as well. But at the end of the day, I was most scared of facing the teachers who I heard would pile you on with work and wouldn't care about how many tests you had. They would still want their work to get done.

I entered my first English class, excited to be in highschool and be an "adult". Or that's what I thought anyways. I sat there feeling all mature and high headed and tried to learn everything my english teacher said. She talked a lot, but I felt like I was learning more than ever. My old English teacher in grade 8 wouldn't challenge us enough, and it wasn't hard to get A's in her class. My new english teacher however, seemed so enthusiastic and engaged in learning. In one week, my book was filled with notes. But the end of the week soon approached, and we were handed an assignment. She explained that our we needed to write a summary on something we had recently read during the week. As we had discussed how to write a summary during that week, I felt pretty confident. I guess my ego was high as well because I thought the summary would be a piece of cake. I finished earlier than most people during the following weekend. I read it and re-read it and thought I had perfected it. I turned it in and anticipated my first grade of my high school career. I hadn't clarified it with my English teacher and just handed it in on Tuesday morning. I had enough time to go to her and check it over, but I thought that I was amazing at writing and just handed it in, confidently.

It was last period of Friday, and I was excited about getting my piece of writing back. I was jumping from my seat when she was handing back my essay. When she called my name, I immediately got up and practically snatched it from her. But the minute I laid my eyes on that big red mark on the top of the page, my face dropped and tears welled up in my eyes. I looked at the C close and  hard and I couldn't believe my eyes. Most people around me got better grades than me. I don't mean to compare, but I had worked hard on that assignment.

I ran down to dorms that day after school and I promised myself that I would work hard and check my work with others. More than that, I promised myself not to be over confident and finally understood that the expectations set in high school are much greater than those set in middle school. From then on, I tried my hardest to get my work checked by my teachers or peers. I wouldn't always succeed, and to this day, I don't always succeed, but I try. Not only to get higher grades and be the best I can be, but also to learn. At the end of the day, what counts is how much we learned, not what our grades are. With true learning, comes high grades. Or so I believe.

College Essay # 50 - Univesity of California

50. Tell us about yourself. - University of California

Spontaneous when interested
Patient
Reasonable
Enthusiastic
Excited
Honest about who I am
Argumentive at times

2 weekends ago, I went to a college fair in Delhi. Your chaperones asked us to go around and state one thing we learned at the end of the second college fair. Someone stood up and said "Don't be humble when writing your college essay." Our school's college counsellor nodded in agreement. Although the statement above are just comprised in a short list, these are the most important characteristics I have as a person, I feel.

I just want to note a significant experience which happened this weekend. This characteristic shapes me into the person I feel I am today. I  think it's worth noting down.

I consider myself to be a very forgiving person. I try and try with those that pinch at my every nerve. I know that if I say something back, I'm just stooping down to their level. There are a few people who have fallen out of my list to be friends with. I tried during the beginning of the semester and start fresh with everyone. I was close to them, or so I thought. It was just some kind of superficial friendship I had. I have tried being friends with these people time and time again, but it just didn't happen. And I just gave up. One of my other friends, kept telling me that they were bad company, and this and that. I defended them, and I told him that they were good people and you had to get past their "strong face" in order to be friends with them. But in the end, he was right. They turned out to be the opposite of those I defended. They would just backstab me, and I learned not to care. Hats off to them, I learned something from you guys. I tried being patient, and for a while it worked, until I snapped on Friday night. One of these girls had asked my roommate for pasta, which she kindly handed over. After pouring it in the saucer, she talked to her friend next to her and said, "I'm going to give this back to Sandy*, she is in someone's room and she can go and put it in her own room." I tried to control, but it got the best of me, I turned around and said, "You can go put it in my room," and very rudely I might add. I try and be patient, and give everyone a chance but this just ends up going against me. I don't know why.

NOTE: * name changed

College Essay # 57

57. Describe a personal habit that defines you as a person.

During the beginning of the semester, one of my dorm neighbors came into my room and was shocked at how neat and tidy it was ... well my side anyways. She asked me "How do you manage to keep your room so neat all the time?" I answered, "I can't study in a messy area." Shocked by this answer she said, "My mom would love to have you as her daughter," walked off, and left my apparently tidy room.

My friends think that I'm the neat one and someone even said that among the two of my closest friends I am the "hard working one, the intelligent one" (Jyotika). I doubt I'm the intelligent one as we all have things that we're good at, but I can say that I'm the more hardworking one from the two of them. Not trying to sound egoistic here. But honestly, the only way I can be "the hardworking one" is if I'm living in a neat and tidy environment. Yes being a teenager, I am messy at times. But when it comes down to sitting and studying, I will spend more time cleaning up than studying if I had to.

On thursday night, I came back from the first of the fall concerts at around 8:30 pm. I saw that my room wasn't tidy enough and spent around half an hour cleaning and stayed awake till midnight finishing my synthesis oral presentation outline. Only if I had just started working the minute I had reached dorms, I would have gotten an extra half an hours sleep and would not have been as cranky. But honestly, though this may sound weird, I don't regret that half an hour of "OCD cleaning attacks," as my roommate calls it. I wouldn't have been focused and I would have felt disgusting sitting in a "pig's stye" (mom) and working on a major assignment.

I feel like I am a much more logical person than creative. I need my things to be orderly and disciplined. I guess my parents had always taught me to keep my room and surroundings clean. Even though there are workers helping us out at my house, back in Nepal, my parents still make me clean my room on my own and makes me make my bed as well. Though I procrastinate cleaning at times, I know that it will eventually have to be done. Similar to Ms. E feeling giddy and happy inside after eating a bowl of ice cream on stage during assemblies, I feel the same way after sitting in a nice clean room and focusing on my work.

Though strange to many, this habit defines me as the hardworker that I strive to be. 

College Essay # 55

55. Discuss an important personal relationship you have had and explain how it has changed your life.

Yesterday, while writing my previous blog, one of my friends said that "In the end, nothing matters." I gave him a puzzled look and asked him what was wrong. He was the loud, slighly obnoxious, happy-go-lucky kind of guy that brightened my day everytime I saw him. Just to let you know, I am more or so the opposite of that. We make this great team and he is like my best friend. I tell him all my worries, all my queries, and everything else under the sun. Though I'm quite vague and "secretive" these days, he is the one person who I share everything with, and I care about him deeply. When I heard him say this, I was awe-stricken. He just wasn't that person I knew. We had a long discussion on the things that we need to work on as individuals and as people of society. I told him in the end the only thing that mattered was that we tried. Although it is easier said than done, we all need to understand the idea that we can't have everything we want in the world. I want to tell him that, but sometimes, he's just a bit too stubborn. Now, that I can relate with. The question then arose in my head. What do we really deserve?

Do we deserve happiness if we hurt others, do we deserve fame if we act egocentric already, do we deserve money when we return a hateful glance to the beggar the on the street with his amputated hand out? The idea of what we need and what we want, is a common knowledge among all. But what about how much we deserve?

All these questions bottled up inside, I am able to explore it with my friend. Being friends, we have our ups and downs and we do have disagreements. But when it comes to questions about "life" or whatever else you call such a thing, both of us are able to talk and just express how we feel. This is how I am still sane living in a prison. There are so many things that go in my head and without this friendship I would be lost most of the time. When someone gives his or her opinion, my mind races and races until I find the perfect answer. Even in simple things like an opinion for that matter, I just want to know how I feel about a certain something. Let it be the use of toilet paper, how selective colleges are, or whether prostitution should be legalized or not.

This friendship allows me to be myself in a society where people just want to eat you up alive and change you into those monsters that all look alike. This friendship allows me to believe that one person can make a difference and that one heart with you is like a million faces smiling towards you. This friendship gives me support and strength, allows me to believe that everything will eventually settle down, and allows me to believe that my worries and queries aren't stupid and some made up logic in some fairytale world.

This is the one friendship among many that I will never want to lose.

College Essay # 154 - Nothwestern

154. Anatole France said, "If 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." On what subject do you disagree with most people, and why? (Northwestern)


Somewhere during the year of 2008, I heard that a new book The Secret came out. The name sounded appealing and quite cool. One of my favorite books growing up with The Secret Garden, so I thought it would be quite interesting to read it. I called my mom up at home and asked her if she heard anything interesting about the book. She was surprised that I had even heard of that book and had an hour long conversation with me about what the book was about and how great it was, before she had even read it. Naive as I am, I believe every word my mom said, preaching it to my friends the next day in school.

When I go home, my mom had actually read the book. If she made it her holy book then, she was going to be crucified on a cross for that book. She talked to me about the principle of "asking the universe for the things you want" and how you would eventually receive it. So does it really make sense that if you ask for money from the universe, if you really want it, it will come to you. And apparently, if you don't get it, then you don't seem to want it bad enough. Writing this now, it seems like a load of bull, but then, I was amazed that such a thing could be possible.

In 6th grade, I was associated with a website called Teens Read Too (www.teensreadtoo.com) through my LA teacher back in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. So I decided that it would be a good book to read and review about. So I sat down, on one winter afternoon, to read this really cool book. Well, the cover looked cool anyways. As they say, never judge a book by its cover. Anyways, after finishing that book, I felt like I had wasted a lifetime. I approached my mom after she got back from work, and asked her how she could believe in such a thing. She said, "My darling, it's faith." I looked at her, with a confused look, and turned the other way and walked back to my logical lifestyle.

I believe that people created faith, not only of religion, but of any sort, to blame something when they don't have anything else to blame. Mostly, because they don't want to blame themselves. The Secret reminded me of how I loved the way I thought at times, whether it sounded cocky or not. I believed in science and logic only. Sure, I had faith, but if I had to choose to make a decision, I would almost always choose logic. When I found out the movie had come out, I called my mom again, and she said that she had already watched it. I was awe-stricken. Being blinded by something else to believe in, my mom didn't even consider the idea that the author could have just written nonsense to make money. Though I am critiquing the book, I am critiquing die hard fans of The Secret for not having a mind of their own and doubting things when things need to be doubted.

I honestly don't believe in things that just come to you if you ask for it. Why haven't I gotten a 4.3 GPA currently. I've asked for it. Don't give me that "bullshit" about me not wanting it bad enough. Only I know how much I want that. No one, not even fate, can decide that for me.

As my English teacher said a couple of days ago "Sometimes you need to question those who you ARE afraid of questioning." Is that the pursuit of happiness?

Number of words: 615

College # 82 - College of Notre Dame of Maryland

82. Select two people who have been role models in your life and describe why. (College of Notre Dame of Maryland)

My parents count as one of these role models. As I sit here and I write this, I wonder which one of my parents have had a greater impact on my life, but I cannot decide. The uniqueness that both carry are so tremendous that it overwhelms me. Both have taught me to be independent and taught be to me a good person at heart. Though it's hard for me to follow such statements at times, I look at the two of them together, and some how, everything seems to fit in place. During my psychology class today, my teacher explained that as children come out of their "childhood" and enter their adolescent years, friends and peers start becoming more important than friends. In my case, it is the complete opposite. When I was younger I would always want to be around my friends, but as I've grown older, I've realized how important my parents are to me, and how much it affects me if something happens to them. My parents have always, from the very beginning of time, been there as pillars of support for me. But now, they are slowly letting go and allowing me to make my own decisions. And honestly, that scares me to death. I don't want them to let go of that control. Sure at times, I may feel them getting on my nerves, but I feel like I'm still too young to say what is right from wrong. My mom has always said "be independent enough to kick your husband out of your house whenever you want" while my dad stares and my mom after she states this and says "be who you want to be and make yourself proud." My mom, being the feminist she is, always reminds me that I can be anyone I want to be as long as I am independent. Without such independence, I will be no one, and no one acknowledge my presence. While my dad explains that there are two types of people in the world "those who lack the ability to strive for perfection, and those that do." Together, this perfect couple, are one of my two most important role models. Their love and affection for the things they do, their charasma, and their individual talents, make me want to be the two of them combined.

My other role model is one of my closest friends. We don't always meet eye to eye, but I love her to death. Having a rough childhood and trying to fit in two different worlds without being extremes in both, she shows me the amount of strength an individual encompasses. She is loud, boisterous, and has a happy-go-lucky personality, but understands that the only way to make tough times fly, is by looking for the next best thing. Her optimism, the love and care she gives, the way she tries to be the best person she can be, makes me want to be her at times. There are times that I watch her work her ways, and it amazes me every time. It never fails to leave me wondering "How can this girl be so happy when the rest of the world around her isn't?" Watching her, that is exactly what I strive for. She makes me believe that I can fly, she makes me believe that I can be a better person than those that talk about me behind my back when I want to go and strangle them, and she makes me believe in a true friendship.

These two examples showcase just the type of person I want to be. Though I am none of those things, I try in my everyday, to gain those characteristics, and be a hell of a person. I'm sorry if I can't meet all your expectations.

Number of words: 635

College Essay # 13 - University of Pennsylvania

13. You've just written a 300-page autobiography. Send us page 217. (University of Pennsylvania)

And there it was ... the beauty.

Nothing could possible compare to what lay infront of me, in the sand and under the sun and immense heat. It still amuses me that the only thing that remained the same of the 7 wonders of the world, from my childhood, was the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Although I visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Taj Mahal in India, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, the Collosium in Rome, and the list goes on and on.

My memory of my maternal grandfather's story of his visit to the Great Pyramids were one that always made my imagination run wild as a child. There were many fictatious characters, but that was what made the story more interesting. It was a starry night when he reached Cairo, Egypt, and he was mesmerized by the beauty that he could see from the plane. The "smell of the beauty of the Egyptians", he would say, was the only thing that made my mind go crazy. I wanted to see whether the people still dressed in those toga-looking outfits, I wanted to see whether the women were as beautiful as they were portrayed in the books, but most of all, I wanted to see those magnificent Great Pyramids when I grew up. Touching the stones that told thousands of years of history, experiencing the rides of the camels as though he was a prince, and drinking the Egyptian alcohol which the nobility drank, made the deserts, the Pyramids, and Egypt itself seem like a dream. I promised him that I would walk on that sand, I would touch those stones, I would ride those camels, and most of all, I promised him that I would make the most of my travels around the world, especially the one where I visited Egypt.

Standing and gazing at that enormous structure infront of me, made me feel so small. It wasn't even the size that got to me at the end. The thousands of years of history that encompassed those walls made me feel like such a small part of the world in which I live in today. I had just landed a job at a hospital and wanted to work full-time for a bit. I had performed a few brain surgeries and my collegues knew that I took my job very seriously. Some used to, and still do, tease me about the fact that I work too much. But it has paid of in the end. How else would I have managed to make my trip around the world, and have done things that I would have never imagined? This was when I began to take life as it comes. Throughout my life, I was always preoccupied of trying to be the best I could possibly be, academically, that I forgot to be a good person. The pyramids reminded me of how small I really am, and made me realize that it's better to be a good person at heart, than in status, or fame, or money.

... and that is how my life changed from that, to what it is now: this moment ...

Number of Words: 528

College Essay # 18 - Kalamazoo

18. What invention would the world be better off without, and why? (Kalamazoo)

Honestly, this question really strikes many ideas in my mind. It's difficult to decide which invention created has the biggest negative impact on the world and humans today. There are things like nuclear power which is bad because it kills many people, there are things like war that also kill many people, but the question finally comes down to what causes all this. And the answer is simple, it is hatred. It is hatred that causes people to want to hurt people, it is hatred that causes people to start wars, and it is hatred that causes people to create nuclear weapons.

In a small world called high school, people bully, people say mean things, and people hate, and let me tell you something, they hate a lot. I know that it's unrealistic to state that the invention that shouldn't have been created was hatred, but honestly, no one really created it. It just happened. It was a feeling that developed over time just the way the world developed. I understand that we can't live in a Utopian society where everything is sunshine and rainbows, but I don't understand why we can't try.

Torture comes from the idea of hatred. As hatred can't be an invention really, forms of torture is an invention. This world would be able to save so many lives if torture was avoided. The idea that people would want to harm someone intentionally is no way to live life. Some even make a career out of that. It is not necessary. If torturing others is a form of gaining happiness for some, there should be other things the individual could to go gain happiness.

The world would be happier and there would be less sadness and despair people would have to go through. Wars and other mass destructive events could possibly be avoided. Many create such events to gain revenge from those that have tortured family members, friends, or themselves. Many different things that harm lots of people could be avoided.

Number of Words: 335

Colelge Essay # 43 - University of Puget Sound

43. Explain how your experiences a teenager significantly differ from those of your friends. Include comparisons. (University of Puget Sound)

Last Friday night, someone asked me, "Have you watched "The Social Network," about facebook?" I shook my head and said "No, why does everything revolve around facebook these days." The answer I got was a puzzled look. So I decided to sit down and watch the movie. Honestly, I thought it was going to be much better than it actually was. When it first came out, everyone praised it as though it was some kind of holy book - I didn't understand why. The movie is practically just about some angry guy who lost his girlfriend because he was acting like an "asshole" (The Social Network). To take revenge he went and created a website which would compare girls to make himself feel better. In the end, he stole someone's idea and then betrayed his friend. Honestly, that is exactly what the modern day Facebook is to me, cruelty and lack of expression.

I see my friends always on Facebook during school, during classes, during lunch, during study hall, and before they go to bed. It seems like all their life revolves around is Facebook, Facebook, and Facebook. Get over it. When I first got my account I was excited as everyone else. I will agree, that it is a great place to meet friends that you haven't seen in forever and get to know about their lives. But there is a limit to how much you can spend staring at one computer screen and chat and send a wall post and look at peoples' pictures. I asked someone a couple of years ago "Don't you get bored on Facebook from time to time?" The person's answer goes like this, and mind you, this is exactly what she said "Yeah, of course I do. But when I get bored, I just stalk people and read the conversations they have with other people on their wall." I was awe-stricken. I honestly, was ashamed to call her my friend. The way I see it, people obsess over facebook like their life depends on it. I really don't understand why this is or what caused people to suddenly turn into Facebook Zombies, but it really pisses me off. One of my biggest pet peeves, is when I'm talking to someone and they are on the computer, and I ask them what they're doing and he or she answers "Oh, nothing, just checking my facebook."

I don't understand what is so great about it. There are some people who take pictures and post them up immediately after he or she has taken it. They don't even consult the person before putting the picture up. I mean, hello, its the internet, NOTHING gets deleted. IT'S PERMANENT. If I'm ever tagged like that, I just take my tag off. But that doesn't mean that the picture still isn't up there. People are mean to others of facebook. They write mean things on the wall, the tag mean pictures of others, they make "bitchy" comments and they take away their own creativity. I mean, whatever happened to writing emails in this day and age? When I ask someone what email address should I send this email in, they just reply "Oh, Facebook me." I don't want to facebook you. I want to write you a nice, normal email, on a regular email address.

People have become ADDICTED to Facebook, that I honestly feel that it's time for some people in 11th grade to get some help, either by therapy or some sort of medication. I see my friends, on facebook, never working, and then eventually complaining about being on academic probation. No one told you to go on Facebook. It's your own fault.

At the end of last semester, duringe exam time, one of my friends asked me "Can you be a good friend and change the password to my Facebook account?" I said sure, why not? If it was going to help the person, then I was willing to do it. Two days later, someone tells me that the person was on Facebook already. When I asked the person how he or she did it, he or she just answered simply "I went on my email and said forgot password and then logged in. By the way, the password you put was quite simple to guess." I then asked "Why did you go on Facebook when you asked me to be a good friend and help you study?" The person answered "I was bored."

You can guess what happened.

Number of words: 753

College Essay # 46 - Carleton University

46. If you had a day to spend as you wish, how you would use your time? (Carleton University)

During both summer and winter holidays, I promise myself that I would be productive everyday and do something useful and meaningful with my time. But usually that never works out, because I get too lazy. I want to change and I want to be different. So if I was given a day I could spend as I chose, I would probably make that day one of the most productive that I could possibly make it. Being a junior in high school, work takes up most of your time. Most of my peers would probably want to laze around and watch TV and go on and chat with friends on facebook. I would do the complete opposite.

I would start my morning off bright and early. An early start to your day makes you feel more refreshed by the end. I wouldn't have to worry about trying to fall asleep. The minute I would hit my pillow by the end of the day, I would be asleep in an istant. I would wake up bright and early, and go on a 3 km jog around my neighborhood. There is a hill near my house with a temple on top. I would probably convince my mother to go because I would be too scared to go out in Nepal by myself. She would probably join me as she would be able to take time out of her busy schedule and do some pooja. I would then return and take a shower and join my extended family for a proper breakfast. At my house, my grandparents eat first, then my parents, and then my sister and I. So instead of doing that, I would wake my sister up and call her down for breakfast. I would then go out with my friends and do some charity work for a couple of hours, and then come home for lunch. Feeling good and refreshed after the morning jog and helping people around the community, I would get my books out and start working.

My tutor would probably be over then so that I can get help and get some of my questions answered. After he/she left, I would work on my SAT preparation. After working for a couple of hours and revising what I learned during the last semester, I would get on the computer and write my english blog, the same way I am doing now.

After my parents got back from work, I would probably go out and have dinner somewhere and visit my maternal grandmother. I would come back and have a restful night's sleep and hopefully try to do the same things the next day.

Number of Words: 444

College Essay # 12 - Yale and University of Chicago

12. Tell us about the neighborhood that you grew up in and how it helped shape you into the kind of person you are today. (Yale and University of Chicago)

 When I was between the ages of 5 to 10, I knew my father as the "man who worked in the United Nations." I didn't know what he did, I didn't know what his aim was ... all I knew was that he was a man who worked with villagers and a man who traveled a lot. I was 5 when I moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh. I spend four years there, studying for kindergarten to third grade. I did my pre-school in Kathmandu, Nepal, in a school called Mickey's International if any of you were wondering. Funny name, I know. But after the four years that my family and I spent in Bangladesh, were the end of seven years my father spent there. After realizing that he wanted to go back to school, he gave my mom a decision as to whether she wanted to bring the family and herself to the United States with him. My dad was not going to give the opportunity of studying in Maxwell, at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, New York. According to my dad, it was an extremely good school which was part of a good, well known university.

So, we moved to Syracuse, New York until my father finished college. That was two years. My sister and I went to school and my mom went to college as well. She said, "why not?" My parents then decided that should make the most of our time in the States and travel the country. So, we moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where my dad's younger brother lived. My sister and I went to school there, and my parents explored. I would call that stay, perhaps, an extended holiday.

As the conditions of Nepal were not so habitable for students, my father decided that my sister and I apply to Woodstock. Though reluctant at first, we agreed. And here we are ... still, after 5 years. I am quite surprised. I've moved around so much, I thought I wasn't going to be in this school more than two or three years.


I've lived in many different types of neighborhoods. I've lived in a Muslim community, I've lived near the south of a city where African Americans live, I've lived in a quite suburban neighborhood, and I've lived in a constricted, enclosed neighborhood called Woodstock. I used to think moving around all the time was a bad thing. But I've come to realize that the amount of traveling that I've done, though not much, has shaped me into a culturally educated person. I know enough things about different environments to fit in without any problems. I feel that I can be respectful to many cultures and many traditions. I understand the complexity that comes with a Muslim community, but I also understand the freedom that comes with an environment in the United States. But most of all, I know how to make the most of the fruitfulness that comes with both.


Number of Words: 494

College Essay # 33 - University of Oregon

33. If you could hold a conversation with someone (living or deceased) you consider significant, whom would you talk to and what would you talk about? Describe your conversation. (University of Oregon)

It was 2006 during an exuberant summer’s day in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I clearly remember the blue skies, the smell of the barbeque grill, the freshness of the sprinklers my sister and I were running around, and the taste of my mother’s homemade pizza. Little was I to know that the exciting day was going to end with me going to bed without saying giving my parents a hug, a kiss, and repeating a farewell for the night to my parents.

From my early childhood, my mother and my grandfather (her father) were extremely close. They talked about everything and anything, and to this day, I cannot remember at time that the room was silent when the two of them were talking. My grandfather was extremely dear to my mother. More than being a father towards her, he was a kind, light-hearted friend, who would tell the truth and who would make the most of his life.

When I was living in Bangladesh, we used to visit Nepal for every festival, every vacation, but it had to be fate that my family had to hear about my grandfather’s death without being able to see him for 3 years. We were in the United States for 3 years, since 2004, and our family had not met any of our relatives in Nepal for those 3 years. Hearing about his death was the most devastating time in my life.

My mother, my aunt, and my sister had gone out for a walk after the barbeque and I was back at home helping my father and my uncle clean up after the “party.” I clearly remember my father’s youngest brother calling him up from Ohio to give him the news he received from Nepal. I could sense my father’s sadness immediately. He started acting peculiar and asked me if I wanted to go on a drive. It was around 11 that night, and it was way past my bedtime. I was surprised at that suggestion, but I took the opportunity to have a “night out” so to speak. We went on a long drive and didn’t come back home until midnight. I remember seeing tears fall out of my father’s eyes for the first time in my life. I knew something was wrong, and I felt like the world was collapsing around me.

When I got home, my father told me to go to bed. I told my sister to go to sleep and that everything was okay, and then crept outside my room and sat inside the bathroom while my dad broke the news to my mother. After she heard, she calmly told my dad a dream she had the previous night. She told him that in her dream, she saw him going on his morning walks, but instead, it was nighttime instead of early morning. She explained that he was walking and suddenly walked into a hole on the road, and his heart fell out.

I screamed from the bathroom and my dad came running to me. He caught me and told me that I shouldn’t be listening. I cried to my room and my dad comforted me to sleep. I wish I would have had that conversation with my mom while she was explaining her dream. I would have asked her so many things. How she felt when she woke up, whether he spoke to her in her dream, what she would have said to him if she saw him for the last time, etc. Knowing my mother, she would have answered that question, calmly and truthfully. That dreadful day would have been a lot better if those questions would have been answered.      

Number of words: 613

College Essay # 124 - Wake Forest

124. What outrages you? (Wake Forest)

Humans, including me, can endure only so much. I like experiencing different kinds of things and I always try for the new. But there are just somethings in the world that I just can't bare, which pick at my nerves like crows feeding, and sometimes ... I just want to get the hell away from everything.

I feel outraged when people tell me to spotting cracking my knuckles after I've cracked them. There's no point in telling me to stop after I've already done something. If I haven't listened to you once, I'm probably not going to listen to you again.

I feel outraged when people tell me that they know me better than I know myself. Have you lived my life for the 16 years 8 months and 4 days that I have?

I feel outraged when I take personality tests which tell me that I'm a push over and that I should take more control of my life. I feel outraged when I say its a load of "bullshit" but I end up thinking that it's true anyways.

I feel outraged when someone comes up to your group of friends and starts talking about themselves and how their day went as if we asked her.

I feel outraged when people stand at the top of the stairs having a conversation including ten people and blocks more than half of the passage to go either up or down the stairs. Seriously, get a room, and a life.

I feel outraged when people interrupt me while I'm doing my work and I don't know how to politely tell them to "shut up."

I feel outraged when a student in AP Chemistry asks for extra credit when they already got a 92% on their test. Hello?!?! Do you not see that there are other people struggling to even get half your grade. You don't have to rub it in my face.

I feel outraged when people come in my room while I'm sleeping and say "Sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping" and then enter the room again. Did you not see my lying there, trying to get a goodnight's sleep, without you barging in my room every 5 minutes?

I feel outraged when I feel like I've lost something, then go look for it to find out that it was 10 ft from where I was looking.

I feel outraged when my parents tell me that I need to eat the "dorm food otherwise I'm going to get sick" (mom), without realizing that I eventually get sick because of the food anyways.

I feel outraged when teachers say they understand that we have a lot of work and then pile on an essay and a test one to 2 tests and a quiz.

I feel outraged when a teacher just mumbles some really important fact about their class and when you ask them what they said, he or she would answer "Weren't you paying attention?" and then give me a 3 for effort grade.

I feel outraged when people insult me about my pimples and then ask me whether I feel offended or not. Honestly, I really don't care about what you think about me.

Though this whole thing probably sounds pessimisstic and shows that I'm a person who hates life and all the "fruitfulness" that comes with it, I feel outraged when someone says "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade" ... what if I want to have a lemon fight? Just stop telling me how to live my life. I'm the conductor of my own train.

College Essay # 28 - Standford

28. Attach a small photograph of something important to you and explain its significance. (Stanford)

How much do I really know?

Everyday I go to school and everyday I try to learn something new, something interesting…something that will make me jump on my feet and shout “Eureka!” The ocean and the sky seem endless but seem to almost meet somewhere way out there. But I know that when I reach that end point in the picture it will always lead to another seemingly distant endpoint. This picture signifies my goal in life. I’m here at school searching for that the moment of Eureka, that moment of satisfaction when I know that I’ve learned a significant amount in my life. The journey of knowledge takes us far beyond anything so vast in our life. It is one thing I cherish and it is one thing that I know will take me far. The determination and strive I have to take me to the end of this picture where the clouds in the sky seemingly meet the blue green ocean is tremendous. The determination I have to reach the greatest knowledge that I can acquire is more than the world of knowledge out there. This picture makes me want to jump out of my chair while writing this blog and scream “Eureka” because this picture made me realize that the knowledge I can acquire in one possible lifetime is only a small fraction of the knowledge really out there, and it makes me want to strive for the perfect knowledge. High school is just the beginning of the journey to my learning capacity and it saddens me that it will have to come to an end sooner or later. So in order for me to make the best of my time with all the information out there for me to soak in, I have realized that I need to work hard and play hard. I guess that it’s a really commonly used phrase which I don’t really follow, but after seeing this photo, it made me think of all the things that are out there for me, and for the rest of the world. So why not go out there and swim in that huge, mesmerizing ocean and gaze at the bright, blue sky?  

Number of words: 361

College Visit - Delhi, Nov. 4-5, 2011

College Visit - Delhi, Nov. 4-5, 2011

1. How important are personal essays and teacher recommendations in the admissions process? What do you look for in a personal essay?
2. How can I improve my chances if my GPA and/or SAT scores are not perfect?
3. What services or financial aid does your school offer international students?
4. What do you personally love best out the university?

University of South Pacific, Fiji:

1. This university does not look for teacher recommendations nor does it look for personal essays.
2. If your GPA and/or SAT scores are not perfect, one would have to work towards more extracurricular and leadership roles. But for those who feel like they can’t score well on their SATs don’t have to worry because SAT scores are not required and the minimum GPA requirement is 2.5.
3. He didn’t talk much about scholarships but did state that students with GPAs greater than 2.5 are automatically enrolled for some financial aid.
4. The representative said that he loved the fact that all other students were extremely engaged in learning about the culture of the school and their surroundings. The students were keen and there were around 200 students who are learning the traditional dance of Fiji.

Susquehanna University, Pennsylvania   

1. Personal essays and teacher recommendations are extremely important in the admissions process at Susquehanna University. If one’s GPA is below than the minimum requirement then teacher recommendations, preferably two, are stronger and looked at more carefully. Personal essays should have connections to real life situations and the outcome and what you learned from the experience. The representative also stated that it should be around 250 words MAXIMUM because she is the one who has to sit there and read them.
2. This university looks at the whole picture. So in order to “make up” for bad grades or SAT scores, one would have to have good leadership skills, frequent involvement in extracurricular activities and show interest in what one does. One would also have to have a couple of good recommendation letters from his or her teachers.
3. At Susquehanna more scholarships are given as merit based scholarships rather than need based. But grants are given to students who need them and the school helps them get jobs in campus part time to pay through schooling. This applies to both international and national students. 
4. She stated that the love people have for studying different things at once and wanting to learn more and more makes her want to stay at Susquehanna more. She also stated that the interaction between students and teachers are something that she loves best about the university.

Ohio State University

1. Personal essays and teacher recommendations are not needed in the admissions process of this university.
2. GPA and SAT scores are accounted for in the admissions process but are relatively the same as many universities in North America. Students need to score around an 1100 – 1300 range focusing in on Math and Critical Reading. But if these scores are not high, Ohio State looks at teacher recommendations, involvement in extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and so on.
3. This university offers scholarship based on merit.
4. The representative stated that although Ohio State is a great university academically it is also one of the places you wouldn’t want to leave because of the amazing friends you find in both your classmates and in your professors.

University of Brunei Darussalam

1. Personal essays and teacher recommendations are not required but interviews with the admissions council are highly important.
2. SAT scores are not required and if student GPAs are not good and don’t quite meet the requirement then the interview is what they look at.
3. There are multiple scholarships which international students can apply for. These are called Graduate Research Scholarships, Brunei Government Scholarships, and ASEAN Scholarships.
4.  The representatives stated that they enjoyed the location of their university and the residences in which students lived in the most. They also enjoyed how amicable diverse groups of people could be towards each other.

University College Cork

1. Personal essays and teacher recommendations are not required for this university.
2. SAT scores are not required in the admissions process either. GPAs are not considered either.
3. International students are not legible to apply for financial aid or scholarships.
4. The representative loved the generosity of the students at his university as many are always eager to go out and do community service and help people. 

College Essay # 6 - Simmons

If you were to look back on your high school career, what advice would you give to someone beginning your high school career. (Simmons)

During the end of my sophmore year at high school, I was stuck in something like a quicksand. I was already in trouble with the administration about certain things that pertained over the course of the weekend after our quarter break. This in itself was a very patrionizing experience but the more towards the end of the semester I got, the worse my problems began. My friends had lost money right after getting their pocket money and I was accused of stealing that money. I understand people had the right to suggest that I was the one who stol the money as I was the one saw their door open and told someone to call my friends back into dorms. Apparently, I had said I wanted to check to see whether my notebook was in their room rather than I wanted to go check to see whether my Romeo and Juliet novel was in their (which was the one I was looking for). The point of this is not the fact that I was accused to stealing money, it was the idea of how I got there.

When I was a new student at Woodstock, during fall of 2007, I was not liked by many in the beginning. As I had come back to Asia after living in the United States for more than 3 years, people teased and taunted me about my accent and about the way I pronounced things, which I clearly didn't think I had a problem with. People called me American instead of Nepalese and told me that I didn't understand my culture and that " [I] should just go back to America." I didn't quite understand why people were on me about this but I just let it go, and didn't let it affect me. Then people started calling me "cocky." Before Woodstock, I didn't even know what that word meant. I told someone my honest opinion about the way she looked, and clearly she didn't like it. So after that day, I was labeled as the cocky "American" girl who doesn't know anything about her Nepali culture and has a bizzare accent.

I was so preoccupied with the idea that I needed to fit in and I needed to be like everyone else. That was where I went wrong. The taunting and teasing that I got during middle school, although mild, affected me in my high school life. I felt it to be a new experience where I could meet new people and be a new self where people would accept me. But instead of people liking me more, the friends that I had started betraying me and talking behind my back like there was no tomorrow. They would always have something to talk about. There was one girl who would call me "lunjamunda" in her language everything I walked past her. To this day, I don't know what that means, and I've become the person who doesn't care what she's called anymore. I'm assuming it must be something like a "slut" or a "bitch". I was sick of people treating me differently and I was sick of being the nice, "pushover" Spreeha and wanted to be liked by people. So, I started becoming like everyone else but didn't stop at that. I lied to my best friends, I talked about people just like everyone else, and I told stories. I changed into something completely different and couldn't even see myself in the mirror. I was mean to people and people realized that I was just fake.

At the end of last semester, I apologized to one girl who I never really got along with. We talked about a lot of things and she shared something personal about herself to me. We were going great and I was enjoying her company and I was happy that things had slowly started changing. I felt that she could potentially be a good friend but I never gave her a chance. She was sweet and empathetic. But after people accused me of stealing she told one of my other friends "I knew she was faking it all along anyways." I was hurt by that but I didn't blame her for it and I knew where she was coming from. It got to a point where my best friends went and sat in a room with people who we don't get along with, to gossip about me. The way I tried to fit in, led me to be worse than the rest and gave people the chance to attack me when they could.

The lesson learnt here is that it's always best to be true to yourself. There is no need to be anyone but yourself. There will always be temptations and there will always be drama, but to show that you're stronger and wiser than the rest, you have to stay true to who you are and stay true to who you want to be. Don't give people the oppurtunity to doubt you. Build  your character, your emotions, and your actions that will shape you into one of the top most people among your friends, your family, and your society.

Number of Words: 836

NOTE: Sorry that this is extremely long Mr. Plonka.

College Essay #106

Of everything in the world what would you like to be doing right now? Where would you like to be the most? Who would you prefer to be with at this moment?


There are many things in the world that I would like to be doing right now, but if I had to name on this off the top of my head I would probably want to be at the peak of Mount Everest, all the way at 8848 meters. I would just want to watch and witnesses first hand the vastness of the world in its true beauty. Yes, of course, even though Mount Everest is the tallest point in the world, it definitely does not mean that we can see everything that the world is but we can definitely see the beauty that it encompasses. People in this modern world are too engrossed in their own life that they do not have time to appreciate what created them and what is around them. For this reason, I feel that being at the top of the world will truly show me that I am one spec of dust compared to what the world is. I want to realize how insignificant I am to the whole world and start learning about what it truly means to care about things, because no matter how much we try as people, many will never realize the true meaning of giving, but rather will understand the meaning of praise for giving and generosity. I would just want to be sitting and watching the things that happen naturally and value and welcome all things natural, all things real. Honestly speaking, I would like to be alone at the top of the mountain, without people, without noise, but rather, just with silence. Silence is the best company during happy times, during sad, and during unnerving times. It makes the best friend. Though this may sound like something a depressed person would say, it’s really not. Silence brings peace and calmness to many lives. Being submerged by silence, it allows one to join hands with nature to give and take the beauty that makes us the people of today.

Number of words: 330

College Essay # 127 - Barnard

Describe a daily routine or tradition of yours that may seem ordinary to others but holds special meaning for you. Why is this practice significant to you? (Barnard)

Walking sleepy eyed into the bathroom and standing in front of the mirror with my frizzy hair all over place scares me sometimes but gives me a new kind of hope for the upcoming moments ready to be experienced. I take my bright orange Colgate toothbrush steady in my hand and use the other to put on the roaring red Maxfresh toothpaste. The brightness of the toothpaste scares me wide awake. I put it in my mouth and instantaneously I reach the moment of excitement just as my mouth starts to salivate with freshness. I brush fifty times on one side and then fifty on the other. I pause…take the cold water in my hand, and rinse my mouth. The coolness of it all makes me feel overwhelmed by the little things I miss daily with the ridiculous, insignificant problems of my life. I brush the front teeth until the gleaming whiteness shines others to look the other way. It makes me happy and makes me feel one step ahead in my day. I take that newness felt by that water and inundate my face with the idea of a new beginning to my day. I reach over and wipe my face with the fluffy, softness which makes me mellow and calm. It allows me to reach the trance of meditation and makes me feel whole, new, and clean once again for the beginning of the journey everyone one calls a day. Walking back to my room, I think of all the challenges I might face in the seconds ahead of me, I think of all the goals that I have set for myself and think of how hard I really am to push myself forward to reach them. The idea of washing up in the morning may seem really mundane to many, but it brings a sense of a new beginning and a sense of appreciation that one has yet another day to prove yourself to be the person you are set out to be.

Number of words: 336

College Essay # 126 - Tufts

Are we alone? (Tufts)

This question always surprises me: are we alone? Why does it matter if we are? Why is it that we always need to be around people? If this question means are there any extraterrestrial beings that we have no idea about or if it means are there 6 other people who look very similar to you in the world, then the answer is no one knows, but they think they do.  The world in which we live in today is too vast and too complicated to ask such questions and expect to find the answers to. These types of questions are never condemned but never are they given accolades to either. People ask quesions like are we alone or is there a heaven or hell or what is the purpose of life? But what is the point in asking all these questions? Isn't the purpose of life, just living it? And even so, what is the definition of "living life to the fullest?" Isn't it just one of those quotations which everyone says but are too afriad to define it themselves? Many say that living life to the fullest is just the idea of doing extreme sports, or partying all night, or being promiscuous but can't living life to the fullest be sitting in silence the way Quakers do or being by yourself? No one uses these examples to define life to fullest. In this way, yes we all are alone. We say things but are too afriad to define it ourselves. We may always be around people and may always have friends but that doesn't mean that we aren't alone. If we don't try to be ourselves and if we don't accept us the way we are, then yes, we will always be alone. Are we alone now? Of course we are becuase this day and age condemns us to be ourselves but allows us to be everyone we're not. Let it be asking questions about life, asking questions about religion, and saying things like "live life to the fullest", we are alone until we face ourselves in the mirror and accept who each one of us are as individuals.

Number of words: 361

College Essay # 39 Santa Clara University

Tell us about the most embarrassing moment in your life. (Santa Clara University)

In the year 2001, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the summer weather was one of the hottest I had ever experienced. Being the hottest day I’ve experienced, it had to be fate that the air conditioner in the room which my sister and I shared was broken. I had been concerned about the length of my sister's hair for the past week and I was contemplating on asking her whether I should give her a hair cut or not. I was afraid of her answer. Finally, building up the courage, I approached her and asked her “Hey, would you like a makeover?” and of course, her being three years old, she nodded her head agreeing merrily. Who knew that it was doomed to be a disaster? Both my parents were out that day and our worker had to keep a close eye on us. Afraid that she would tell my parents, I took my sister to the walk-in closet between our room and the bathroom, and told her to sit back and relax. I told her she need not to be afraid and she trusted my blindly. I cut her hair layer by layer, gleaming to myself at what a wonderful job I was doing. After I was done, she asked me “Does it look pretty?” and all I could do was scream. It was in my best intentions to cut her hair short so that she wouldn’t feel so hot in the summer but all I ended up doing was making her hair short, choppy with a really crooked fringe. I was afraid my mom would see so I told my crying sister to wear a hat. She was so embarrassed that she did as I said. My parents came after a while and my sister was still wearing the red baseball hat that I provided for her. My mom asked my sister why she was wearing a hat inside and my sister’s answer was “WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” My mom looked at me and I gave her my guilty, puppy dog face. She gave me a time out and told me to sit in the corner of my room. I watched my mom tend to my sister’s hair crisis, which I of course, instilled. I watched my mom look through my sister’s hair as though she was looking for gold and couldn’t help wondering where I went wrong. After all, I tried to help, but I guess it wasn’t needed. Watching my sister cry while my mom helplessly cut her luscious locks off, was THE most embarrassing day in my life. Never will I try to make anyone look pretty again.   

Number of words: 438