College Essay # 158

158. Reflect on these words of Dorothy Day: "No one has the right to sit down and feel hopeless. There's too much work to do." What is "the work to be done" for your generation, and what impact does this have on your future as a leader? Write a creative, reflective, or provocative essay. (University of Notre Dame)

Woodrow Wilson once said, “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and to impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

I completely agree with this quote. Looking around at the different adults I come into contact with on a daily basis, I feel like the generation older than mine are only merely living to make a living. Many of those whom I know, don’t seem to be the least bit bothered about saving the environment, enriching the lives of those less fortunate, and don’t seem that concerned about sharing the knowledge they acquired with the rest of the world. Many teachers leave the school I attend, because the salary isn’t enough to sustain their family and themselves. Though I agree that low income is a valid reason to leave everything behind and go somewhere more prosperous, where does the idea of sharing visions, sharing knowledge, and helping the world gain a “finer spirit of hope and achievement come in?” Some students in my grade have had new advisors every single year. With people changing all the time, these students have no hope of connecting with teachers and having a trusting relationship, because there is no time to build one.

I agree with Dorothy Day when she says, “there is too much work to be done,” but I feel like there is numerous things that need working on. Our generation has been more aware of the global environmental crisis because we’ve been growing up with the knowledge that we’re destroying our earth. Yet, there seem to be no one taking much action upon this dilemma in our generation. People seem to be learning about it through one ear, and then throwing it out another ear. It’s ridiculous. They show that they seem to care, but they actually don’t. Many of my peers seem concerned about the poor and their living conditions, but they walk away when a beggar comes asking them for money or food. They show they care, but they actually don’t. There are many external things our generation can work on, but the biggest things we really need to work on are things within ourselves.

We need to build integrity, compassion, and determination to make a difference. My generation keeps talking about the things we’ll do and the ideas we’ll contribute to the world and to society, but when it comes time to taking action, nothing is done. We need to work on the idea of doing things rather than just saying them. We all know that there is “work to be done” but even with this concept, no one is willing to take the step forward to actually make a change. But when someone else starts it, they’re willing to join. I feel my generation is a coward, because they are afraid of taking that first step. They are willing to let someone else do it, and then say that they were part of the “planning process.” Is there integrity in that? Are people compassionate about the poor and about saving the environment? Are they really determined to really make a difference? No, not at all.

College Essay # 238

238. If your entire memory were wiped out except for one experience, what would you choose to remember?

In 2002, my family and I took a vacation to the island of Kasamui in Thailand. From what I can remember, it was a beautiful place with a lot of sandy beaches and clear, blue waters. There were many things to go and see. We could go to the crocodile farm, we could go and see the Scorpion Queen, we could go and see old statues of mermaids, we could go and visit rocks shaped as different animals, and we could go Go-Karting. My sister and I were really excited to go and visit all the different places, and we couldn’t wait for the day to start. Usually, my family would go on the travel tours with tour guides, but this year my parents decided to do something different. They decided to rent a car and go driving around the island and exploring things themselves. My father booked a car for four; he asked it not to be too big, but not too small either. My sister and I went to sleep excited. But who knew what was in store for us the next day.

We awoke early only to find that our car was a little red jeep where two people could fit easily in the front seats but the people sitting at the back would probably lose their legs due to numbness. The back was extremely small and my legs weren’t fitting in properly. My dad had let the reception know that my parents have little kids, but we weren’t THAT little. Not even a baby would be able to fit in that back seat. My dad ordered another car, but the receptionist told him that this was the only one they had. There was nothing left. He asked my sister and I what we wanted to do, and being the oldest, I told him that we didn’t have any problem; that we’d manage. But we couldn’t manage. My sister and I had to take turns putting our legs over the other person to let it stretch a bit. My parents kept asking whether we were okay, and I kept saying it was fine. There were too many things to see to be worried about how much space we were getting; I was sure we could manage. And manage we did.

We manage to see the Scorpion Queen’s show, we managed to go and see the crocodiles at the crocodile farm, we ate at a seaside restaurants, my sister and I modeled with mermaid statues (which I still have the pictures of) and we managed to see the animal shaped rocks up close. It was a worthwhile trip. I even fell and bum-slid down the stairs in the crocodile farm after watching a man stick is head in the crocodile. I was also able to feed a baby tiger milk. But even with all this, we managed to get lost on our way back to the resort. I was a kid, I was tired, and I was squished in the back of a red jeep. Life couldn’t have gotten worse, even though we had a great adventure. I was a kid, I whined, I only enjoyed things until I was tired. And I was tired. And we had to get lost. That was just the fate of it all. I started becoming cranky and my dad was getting annoyed because I was whining. But what could I do as well. I was a kid. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t understand how we could get lost. We were on an island. We could only go around in circles so we should have eventually landed up in the hotel in one round, but no. It took us around five or six hours to find our way back. It was nightfall by then.

I was hungry. But when we reached back to the safe haven, the only thing I could think of was getting out of that car. The car stopped, and I jumped out. I landed on the ground, knees first. Though I scraped my knees, I had never been that happy in my life before. I ran to the reception, got the keys, went up to the room, and dived in bed. By the time my parents were up, I was apparently fast asleep.

College Essay # 96

96. Look through old family photos and pull out a few that remind you of important times or significant moments. (Remember that the impact of a moment is what makes it significant. A hike through the woods can sometimes be more significant than a birthday.) Choose one of these "Kodak Moments" to describe and explain its significance to you. Speak about the photograph and your feelings about what you see in it.

When I was a kid, my mother told me, that I was very interested in using the phone. She told me that whenever the phone would ring, I would be the first one to rush to pick up the phone. Though I couldn’t utter words more than a “ga ga” or something of that sort, I was always keen. The people on the other end would laugh knowing that it was me. My mother would rush after me and yell at me, laughing, telling me not to do that next time. I looked at her in amazement and repeated the same thing over and over again. I just wouldn’t listen. I had a thing for talking to people and letting them know that it was me they were talking to. Slowly, after I started talking in words instead of gibberish, my mother taught me how to say hello and how to talk to people. She would teach me, I would repeat after her, but then I’d forget. After a couple of times of being unable to say anything on the phone, she started sitting next to me and guiding me on the phone. Though it was a petty thing to feel happy for, I would love having my mom sit next to me and tell me what to say. For that time being, I would feel like her. I would feel like my mother; sophisticated, cultured, and purely just amazing. It was the best feeling you could possibly ever have, because she was my mother, the greatest.

This picture symbolizes many things. It symbolizes the innocence of a child, it symbolizes the idea of exploring things on your own, but the thing that stands out to me the most in this picture, is my love for my mother. I would always look forward to someone calling only because I loved having my mom sit next to me and play some sort of puppet show. But I loved that my mother was there to guide me, even in something as minimal as talking on the phone. But I’ve always looked forward to my mother’s advice. Of course, there have been some mother-daughter conflicts, but this picture always reminds me of how much I looked forward to my mother’s advice, and how much I appreciated her. This picture reminds me of how great my mother is and how much she means to me. This picture shows me that I should never take her for granted and that I should always value her … just in case I wasn’t able to see that myself. Even though this picture is of a little Spreeha, it tells me and now even you, the relationship my mother and I have.

College Essay # 95 - Notre Dame

95. Select a technological innovation of this century and discuss its effects on your family, local community or nation. (Notre Dame)

I see the sleek rectangle lying on my table. I can feel the coldness the metal radiates. I can see the applications springing in my face telling me, “Use it. Use it. Use it.” I can see the silver cover sparkling at my direction telling me, “I was totally worth it.” Then she receives a call. She’s in use for hours at a time talking about the latest gossip, the latest trends, and whose friends with whom. This happens everyday and at least a couple of times daily. Yes, my friends, this is the Iphone.

Recently, my sister acquired the Iphone. She was ecstatic. She went and bought the cover, she got the phone unlocked, and then she started downloading different Apps … everyday. She had around ten-downloaded daily. With my sister’s newfound possession, I was the only one in my family who didn’t have the Iphone. My parents bought one for themselves last year and my sister got one just recently. I watch them use it. I feel jealous at times. I do have the I-touch but there’s no gadget that can be as great as the Iphone, well at least not in my mind anyways. Though I feel jealous, I feel freer than the rest of my family. They seem to be completely bogged down with this new innovation. But who can blame them? There are so many new things that keep coming up that you can’t resist yourself. You need to keep updating the software in order to get the new apps. Without the new apps you feel behind than the rest of the world. Without being part of the rest of the world, you don’t feel part of the world. Though this logic may be stupid and nonsensical, I think that people are more engrossed in technology because they don’t want to feel left out.

So, if I have to name one technological innovation that has affected my family, I would definitely say that it would be the Iphone. I only say this because there have been many times when we’ve held a conversation as a family; one person is always on their Iphone. I know that it’s a great technology to keep up with the things happening in the world, but it doesn’t mean that you have to be on it ALL the time … I literally mean 24/7. I am one that doesn’t appreciate it when people are distracted when holding a conversation with me. I don’t want people to fidget when they are talking to me. There are times when you should just let go of the innovations, and just talk, in an old fashioned manner

College Essay # 180

180. If you could ban anything in the world, what would it be and why?

Returning home to Kathmandu after spending a few months in school, I’ve noticed many changes in the city. Some were good changes and some were bad. But there was one thing that really caught my attention. While driving down the streets of Kathmandu, I’ve really noticed an increase in number of “holy images.” I’ve noticed many posters stuck on building walls next to sidewalks. Though many Nepalese are religious and pious, I thought it was a bit peculiar to have such a poster hanging close to a filthy, smelly sidewalk. I noticed this not in one place, but many places. The unusual thing was that, the posters were put in places where a lot of people pass by on a daily basis. I asked my parents why this was so, and they explained that people started putting pictures of our Hindu deities in order to stop people from urinating on the streets and throwing garbage near the sidewalks. Like I told you, Nepalese are very religious people. If garbage was thrown near God, or someone urinated near God, it was considered a sin and would not be accepted or tolerated.

Though this was a very clever idea to stop trash from being thrown on the streets and from people urinating wherever they feel like, it saddens me that we have to use the idea of religion and God to stop man from committing horrible crimes like these. Don’t humans have common sense? Don’t they know that doing these things helps no one? They only harm the environment and make people uncomfortable … especially with the smell. So if I had to choose something to ban in the world, it would be a race between throwing garbage on the streets and urinating everywhere. But I feel that it is more important to look at the environmental aspect than something that merely disturbs us. I’m not saying that urinating on the streets should be allowed, I’m just saying that throwing garbage on the streets is a much more serious crime.

The garbage left on the streets will not be picked up for many days, even weeks. The smell disturbs passer bys and is just not something that anyone needs to smell. I don’t think anyone has committed such a crime to deserve smelling rotten garbage. But health concerns are involved as well. Bacteria accumulate and diseases can easily be spread. Many can get sick and those in contact will be affected as well. Banning garbage does harm to no one anyone and should not be tolerated; instead it should be banned.

College Essay # 215

215. A disappointment you've experienced.

Living in a country filled with poverty, my family and I have come across a lot of little kids begging on the streets. They either try to sell us some postcards or they just plainly beg for money. Most of the time we’ve been really conformed to turn the other way, but there are times when you give in and try to help the other person out. We’ve been taught that giving money to little kids only gives him or her another reason to go buy drugs and get high. Many times, we’ve seen kids holding old, dirty plastic bags sniffing the contents within. Though, we don’t know exactly what is in those plastic bags, we can pretty much guess. Today, however, was different.

A little girl approached my mother, my sister, and I with a pile of postcards. We instantly knew what she wanted. She was wearing an old, almost yellowed salwar kameez and I instantly felt she was different from the rest of the kids down the infamous area, Thamel, where all the kids huddled together and sniffed plastic bags. She did not look rowdy nor did she insist that we buy something. She merely asked us whether we wanted to buy her postcards. When my mother asked how much she replied, “ten rupees.” While contemplating on whether the money should be given to her or not, a group of guys walked past us. But the problem was, they didn’t JUST walk past us. The guy in the middle extended his arm and slapped the girl hard on the head. I looked at him, bewildered, while he just walked away, as though it was something that he did on a regular basis … hit poor, underprivileged children. Still shocked, I watched my mother take out a ten-rupee note and hand it to that girl. I watched the exchange. But before the girl took the money, she wiped her tear stricken face. We walked away. My sister and I turned around to look and see what that girl was going to do. I was expecting her to stare at the newfound money that she got, but instead, I saw that little girl, not older than six years old, against a wall, covering her face and crying. Everyone walked past as though nothing was wrong.

I felt guilty. I wanted to do something, but what could we possibly do? We tried out best to help her out. There are always things in the news, which inform us that foreigners come into third world countries and help out the poor. They build orphanages, they open NGOs … they try their best to reduce poverty as much as they can. The disappointment I face is that these foreigners try their best to rid poverty in others’ countries but the people of Nepal don’t seem to care about anything. They complain about the kids sniffing drugs, they complain about the homeless lying on the foot wide sidewalk giving them no space to walk and they complain about being followed by beggars asking for money. I am disappointed that people of this country complain about endless things but don’t have the heart and to reach out and do something.

College Essay # 120

120. Tell about the most unforgettable experience you've ever had.

In the summer of 2005, my family had decided that we needed to experience everything American. We had already been in the country for around a year and a half, and we hadn’t really gone to see many places that categorized America as everyone sees it. So, we headed from our little home in Syracuse (in upstate New York) and made our way down to Iowa first. My parents were able to convince my aunt and uncle to join us on the family trip. They agreed, and we were on our way to make a trip across the country. The thought of that familial love is all a bit overwhelming now if I think about it. But I’ve got to say, the whole trip blew my mind away. We visited the Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Hoover Dam, the Las Vegas Strip (and enjoyed every minute of that 116 degree Fahrenheit heat), and so on and so forth. Though we did a lot of adventure-y type things like hiking and rafting and rock climbing, it was a great trip. Being a kid, I would always ask the person in the driver’s seat to honk the horn because it seemed like no one in America ever honked the horn. Maybe they did, but I had never heard it until I reached Vegas. It was amazing to see the vastness of the rocks, to feel the rush of the Colorado River, the excitement when you feel your fishing line tugging at you, and even to feel like you were going to faint in the excruciating heat.

But there was one thing that I will always remember and something that I will always keep close to my heart. Being the oldest in my family, my father had always pushed me to do sports and become strong. When I was younger, he put me in karate, in swimming, in soccer, and even in tennis. I was that son that he never had. But at heart, I was still a girl. Certain things scared me and certain things that boys did didn’t entertain me. Some times I wanted to just play with Barbie dolls and braid my hair.

We reached the Grand Canyon pretty far in our journey cross-country. We spent a couple of day looking at different places in the canyon. I remember seeing a huge boulder balancing on a sharp point on a 30 foot tall triangular rock, I remember seeing the haziness deep in the canyons, and then I remember seeing a huge face of what looked like a mountain … and it was completely open. That mountain-side-thing was called the Window. It was obvious of course. It looked like a window, a more oval window, but definitely a window. My father called me over and asked me to look at the top right hand corner of that “window.” I didn’t understand what he was telling me to look at until I really saw what he wanted me to do. I saw many people climbing up to that corner and going somewhere where a person from below couldn’t see. You “turned” some sort of corner and you disappeared … poof. First I thought it was some place where you bungee jump from or something, but I realized that it was a place where people take pictures. A tiny, slab of rock about the size of your torso where people take pictures. What kind of adventure is that? I didn’t understand why people wanted to risk their lives to take a stupid picture with something called the “Window.” It was pathetic and lame, or so I thought. My dad asked me to come and join him to take a picture. I protested a couple of times but my dad insisted. He told me that it would be the most unforgettable experience I would ever have. When I climbed up to that top right hand corner and put my right foot out on that slab, I realized that it WAS the most unforgettable experience.

My dad asked me to face him and smile. I did, but I sat there for a couple of minutes and I took that moment in. I remember seeing everything, I felt like I was watching the sky and earth meet. I could see so far out. I remember feeling insignificant and I remember feeling like everything in the world, all my problems were so small compared to what the eye can see. I remember promising myself never to back down from something that challenges you, because in the end, you will realize that you are much stronger than you think (corny as it is :p).

College Essay # 183

183. Do you think that you have the qualifications of a good parent? Discuss.

A couple of months ago, I saw one of my old elementary school friend’s pictures on Facebook. Her stomach was huge. First I though that she had just gotten really fat, but when I looked closer, I could see that she was a pregnant woman awaiting her child’s birth. Yes, many of you must be shocked. She is a 16-year-old girl and she is pregnant. No, her boyfriend who impregnated her hasn’t left her, and yes she HAS a job and she IS attending school. Many of you may look at her with disgust, and many of you may judge her, but who are we really to judge her? In fact, I’m very proud to say that I have a friend who is that strong and who is able to get through life with her head held high. I’m sure like many young teenage mothers, she never planned on becoming pregnant and having a child, but there is nothing she can do about it now. She is pregnant, and she does have a child to take care of.

I recently discovered that she has delivered her baby, and she’s very happy and content. Whilst talking to her, I asked her how the new mother thing was working out for her. She explained that she was tired all the time and her baby daughter was always keeping her awake with her screaming and crying, but all in all, she explained that she was extremely happy. I asked her about school and about work, and she told me that everything was good. She said even with everything going on, her grades were good and she wasn’t failing anything, and her work was work, she was doing the job and was getting paid; there was nothing more to that. I looked at her and thought to myself. She definitely DOES have the qualifications of a good parent. Though her circumstance has brought her to this point, she has everything a child needs from his or her parent. She is organized, she is practical, she knows she needs to take care of her family, she is able to support her daughter and make sure she is able to finish school and get an even better job. She knows that her daughter means the world to her and she needs to protect her. She values everything is has and doesn’t neglect her daughter for a second. While she was talking to me, her daughter was screaming and the minute she uttered a noise, my friend would run to her and calm her down. Though, it took some time, she would wait until her daughter was calm and got what she wanted. This happed around 10 times in a 15-minute conversation. Hats off to her, she definitely has what it takes. 

Whereas for me, I don’t think that I have the qualifications of being a good parent. I only think about the goals in my life. I haven’t had to think about anyone else’s ever. I am not patient with kids, and I don’t like it when they scream and yell. I get myself into drama from time to time. I’m unable to really handle my emotions at all times. I need to be grounded and need to get back to reality. I dream too much. I worry about only my grades and the things happening in my life. Sometimes I forget to take a step back and think about my loved ones. I’m too engrossed in my own life. Though I’m the more responsible one among my friends, I often forget where I’ve kept things. I get stressed very quickly and that makes me jumpy, agitated, and angry with those who cross my path. I am not ready to have a child, and if I was, I would definitely not be able to handle myself, let alone a child. 

Parents are those who think about their kids first. Parents are those that try to teach their kids good values and good etiquette and are grounded. Parents are those that don’t show their stresses to their kids and try to handle things without letting the kid know that there is a problem. Parents are those that love their children unconditionally and hold nothing against them. Parents are those that take care of their children but are able to take care of themselves as well. Parents are those that know their responsibilities and try their level best to fulfill them. Parents are those who are practical and think about reality rather than dreaming. Most of all, parents are those that think about others and are less concerned about their lives.

I seem to be the complete opposite of those things. I would be unable to raise a child at this age, I don’t know how my friend is doing it, but she is doing it. I am not set to be a good parent as of right now … and I don’t think I will be for a while.

College Essay # 133

French novelist Anatole France wrote: "An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." What don't you know? (Brown) .

1.     I don’t know what is going to be going on in my life in the next 10 years.

2.     I don’t know why my Ipod battery keeps dying so fast on me.

3.     I don’t know why something bad always happens when everything seems to be going in the right direction.

4.     I don’t know why people backstab behind my back and then come and apologize as though they didn’t think it would hurt me.

5.     I don’t know why bad things happen to good people.

6.     I don’t know why the sky is blue.

7.     I don’t know why people that our family knows seems to be dying left and right.

8.     I don’t know why grandfather seems so upset these days.

9.     I don’t know how my neighbors can spend such a long time decorating their pagoda.

10.   I don’t know why women can’t accept their aging gracefully and instead use “Gold Radiance” or “Total Repair 7” to cover up their age.

11.   I don’t know why people can’t accept themselves the way they are.

12.   I don’t know why Woodstock doesn’t just take everyone down to Delhi on Going Down Day by train.

13.   I don’t know why it’s unusually cold in Nepal this year (I do have a hunch though).

14.   I don’t know why I feel like there’s no privacy anywhere you go in the world.

15.   I don’t know how some people don’t feel cold while I’m freezing my butt off.

16.   I don’t know how it is so easy for people to say they will do something when the next person tells them not to do that exact same thing.

17.   I don’t know how people find reading and writing boring.

18.   I don’t know what makes gold so much more attractive than silver.

19.   I don’t know why people design clothes for fashion shows; it doesn’t seem like people wear those kinds of clothing on a daily basis and isn’t the point of making clothes to sell it?

20.   I don’t know why my sister needs SO MANY pairs of shoes when she already has like 20 pairs.

21.   I don’t know how people can eat so much and then puke it all out. It’s just disgusting.

22.   I don’t know why people get depressed. Life is too short and there are too many things in the world that can make people happy.

23.   I don’t know why in many countries, having a mental disorder is worse than committing a crime.

24.   I don’t know whether I’m going to end up with a zero for my first semester grade in English, because I was unable to keep up with my blogs for a week.

25.   I don’t know when my family and I are going to move into our new house.

26.   I don’t know whether I’m ever going to see snow in Nepal.

27.   I don’t know why clouds weren’t something we could just sit on and float around. I only wish.

28.   I don’t know what I’m going to eat for lunch today.

29.   I don’t know how I’m going to do in school this semester.

30.   I don’t know whether I want to go to school this semester. Home is so relaxing.

College Essay # 235

235. What is something that used to worry you but no longer does?

1.     Whether I’ll be able to catch up with my blogs for this month.

2.     Whether I’ll get into the college of my choice.

3.     Whether I’ll get into college.

4.     Whether I have the capacity to become a doctor.

5.     Whether the world will end in 2012. (this is joke by the way.)

6.     Whether I’ll be able to find a JSB dress or not.

7.     Whether Charles and Keith has my shoe size for those shoes I like.

8.     Whether I’ll get sick during the holidays again.

9.     Whether I’ll be able to read at least 5 books during this holiday.

10.   Whether I’ll pass the SAT or not. Or whether I’ll get a really good score.

11.   Whether my nail polish will be smudged while writing this blog.

12.   Whether my parents will get me the birthday gift I want.

13.   Whether I’ll die of exhaustion during the first basketball practice of the season.

14.   Whether I’ll pass my playing check for band as I haven’t practiced at all.

15.   Whether the AP Chemistry exam is going to eat me up alive.

16.   Whether the construction going on in the other house is ever going to end.

17.   Whether my grandmother is ever going to stop lying so that she can eat food.

18.   Whether my relatives (besides) my parents attend my graduation.

19.   Whether I’m going to be in touch with my best friends after graduation.

20.   Whether I’ll be able to adjust to college and the people there.

21.   Whether teachers will write me a good recommendation.

22.   Whether the winter is going to be really bad in Mussoorie.

23.   Whether I have enough warm clothes for the winter.

24.   Whether this blog sounds really boring.

25.   Whether I’m going to get chicken pox when I’m older.

26.   Whether I drink enough milk.

27.   Whether my nose will ever stop running.

28.   Whether my room will be warm when I return to school.

29.   Whether I’ll be able to bear some of the girls when I go back to school.

30.   Whether the word whether has started to sound weird. 

College Essay # 86 - Bates College

86. How would you describe yourself as a human being? What quality do you like best in yourself and what do you like least? What quality would you most like to see flourish and which would you like to see wither?" (Bates College)

Scientifically, a human being is an organism of the highest intelligence in the world that we know today. Human beings evolved from cave men and are known also as Homo sapiens. Human beings are mammals and can either be herbivores or omnivores; although, there are some who are just carnivores and eat no such thing as vegetables. Human beings have created buildings, roads, money, law, taxes and so on. But human beings are also filled with compassion, anger, hatred, jealousy, friendliness, vengeance, and love. So, if I were to describe myself as a human being, I would describe myself as just that … human.

I feel compassion towards others, I feel jealous when my sister gets better grades than me, I love my family and friends, I get annoyed at my grandmother when she asks too many questions, I have new ideas and new perspectives, I am determined, I dream a lot, and think about what’s in front of me, and so on. We all have traits and characteristics that we identify with more than another, but at the end of the day, we’re all in one way or another the same thing … and in this case, we’re all human. But with all these characteristics, I think that the quality I like in myself the best is my willingness to see the best in others. I can trust people easily, but when someone crosses my bad side, it is difficult to trust them again. But nevertheless, there hasn’t been many occasions where my trust has been broken, therefore I can safely say that I like that I see the better side in others before anything else. This allows me to befriend strangers and get to know them better and have a long lasting friendship. The quality, however, that pesters me at times is that when I get mad at someone for something they do, then I seem to hold a grudge for a very long time. It takes a lot of time for people to convince me that they will not do certain things gain. The quality that I would like to see flourish in myself is the trait of determination. I know I’m determined, but I know that if I try a bit harder then I will go farther than where I’ve already reached. But the characteristic that I think I want withered away forever at the least is the characteristic of anger. I am quite short tempered, and I want to be able to keep my cool with others around me. 

College Essay # 70 - Rampo College

70.  React to a crisis or critical moment in your life at which time thinking as usual was no longer possible. Such a situation may have occurred after the death of a loved one, a drastic move from one part of the country to another, or during a public catastrophe. Do not feel limited by these examples. Describe the event and tell us how it changed your thought process. (Ramapo College)

Towards the end of my sophomore year, one of my closest friends entered my room and fell on the floor crying hysterically. I was working on my English project deep in thought when I saw her collapse on the floor. I quickly rushed to the other end of my room and asked her what was wrong. For around 10 minutes she wouldn’t talk. I asked her multiple times what was wrong and she wouldn’t say anything. I hugged her and she buried her face deep in my hair and continued to cry. I asked her one last time and she answered, “I tried to kill myself.” I looked at her astonished and I asker her why and what reason she had to do that. She said nothing and continued to cry. I didn’t know what to do. I had never been in such a situation before and I was helpless. I saw my friend, a strong, bubbly happy-go-lucky girl crying on my floor after a suicide attempt. Even if I wanted to do something, I couldn’t, I didn’t know how to help her. I called my roommate and my other close friend and we tried to talk to her. She wouldn’t say anything. We asked her how she tried to kill herself, and she explained. I looked around at my other two friends and they looked as helpless as I was. We didn’t know what to do. We talked to her and she wouldn’t say anything. I was like talking to a wall. But I understood her pain. She was ashamed, and she was helpless, she didn’t know what to say and what do to. While my friend and I tried to talk to her, my roommate called one of the dorm parents on duty and explained everything to her. She was astonished as I was and we rushed her to the hospital. The dorm parent wouldn’t allow us to go, but we told her that we would be there for her.

When we reached back to dorms, many of the girls in our grade approached us and asked us what was wrong. Some just wanted to know the latest gossip, while others were deeply concerned. The three of us didn’t know what to say and what to do and we just waved it off as not a big deal and carried on our way back to discuss a few things. We felt it was inevitable that people would find out what the actual reason she went to the hospital was, but we knew that it was our duty to tell everyone that nothing was wrong. This is when we had to think differently than usual. We knew we couldn’t just tell everyone that nothing was wrong; people weren’t that gullible, they would soon catch on. Instead, we had to tell people another story. Everyone would ask, and everyone would wonder. It was our duty to protect her.

The next day is school, the teachers had announced that something was wrong with our friend and she was taken to the hospital late last night. Though my friends and I felt that explaining our friend’s situation to our grade was not necessary, it was something that was already done. We had to face the storm now. We had to tell people when they asked what was wrong. But this story didn’t last for long, sooner or later people found out what had happened. She was back to school by then but was put into the Health Center. We had to talk to her now. We had to approach her differently, or so we thought. We thought we needed to be gentle and kind but we soon saw that she was our old friend again. She knew that what she had done was stupid and that she couldn’t take it back, but she was okay. She was strong again and she knew that people would talk. She knew that she had to face them some time.

This experience, but especially my friend, taught me that sometimes you need to change your thinking and the way you react to things to those that hold less meaning to you than those that you care about. But the ones that you love and care about and know well enough, you can be the same around them, no matter what the situation is. The phrase “thinking as usual” is put for those that you know inside out … and most people don’t change the usual because you don’t need to with those that love you. 

College Essay # 56

56. Discuss how your travel experiences have affected you as a student and a citizen of the world.

When I was little, my family and I would take my holidays to different places. My father would try to give us the best holiday we could imagine, and every time he would try to out do himself. He was telling us a story of when we went to Malaysia. My sister and I were very little; I was six and she was four. But my dad decided that we should still stay in a very good hotel. So, we went and we stayed at Shangri-la in Malaysia. It was a beautiful resort with palm trees and sandy beaches. Our room was right on the beach and we had a hammock where my other would stay the whole day. He told us that my sister and I would play on the beach and make sandcastles and go in the ocean and were pushed around by the waves. He told us that we enjoyed everything except the food. There would always be a huge buffet set for breakfast with all kinds of things from scallops to chicken to cakes to ice cream …for breakfast. He told us that the only thing that my sister and I would eat was Chocos, chocolate cereal. Thinking about that just makes me laugh. We went to a five star hotel near the beach and the only thing we ate was cereal. That was the most pathetic thing I’ve heard in my life. I wish I could do that again, and not be such a loser. But you have to cut us some slack, we were 6 and 4, what do you expect. 

After this experience though, we started to eat different things, and look around and take in the culture of the different places we went to. I got out of my comfort zone, and started accepting things the way they were. I started to realize that everything wasn’t the way that I was used to. I started to understand that the best way to enjoy things is by showing people that you accept them and by getting to know them. The best way is to understand what other people are made of and then learn to befriend them and the culture and tradition that comes along with them.

These travel experiences allow me to adjust to different cultures without having a problem. I know different places and the way people act. The traditions and cultures they come from allow me to understand how to behave with certain groups of people. I’ve learned that you can’t treat everyone the same way because everyone is different with every group of people. My travel experiences have also showed me that you can learn a lot from different people. Having always studied in an international school, I’ve been able to adapt to different situations with different people from different places. Studying in many different places all over the world has also allowed me to open up to differences in environment and I’ve been able to help all communities I’ve been part of in ways appropriate to the setting. 

College Essay # 21 - Middle East Technical University

21. If you had the gift of telepathy, the ability to read other people’s minds, would you use this gift or not? Explain. (Middle East Technical University/93)

The idea of reading people’s mind seems intriguing but I wouldn’t say that I would use the gift. I wouldn’t want anyone to read my mind and my thoughts because there are a lot of private thoughts that go on up there that we share with no one. Being vulnerable to that, means we feel afraid of sharing our thoughts and thinking things because we’re afraid someone will hear them. We’re afraid that someone will hear it and tell someone else, who will tell someone else. And then we’re all exposed. I wouldn’t want anyone to read my mind, while I’m sleeping, during a game, when I brush my teeth or anything.

I don’t think the gift of telepathy does more good than bad. Yes, we may be able to save a person from being killed because we can read the killer’s mind, yes we may be able to stop someone from killing themselves, but how far doe this power go till? Is it only the people that you know, is it only within a certain distance, is it only used for good? There are so many things that people think about ALL the time, your head would always be filled with someone’s thoughts. It’s the same thing as when Bruce from Bruce Almighty becomes God. All those emails he got, he couldn’t handle them and he can everything everyone wanted. It seems cool having a gift like that, but after a while, it becomes too overwhelming for anyone to handle, and you would just get sick of it.

It would also not be right for people to invade the privacy of others thoughts. There are many things that make you curious and intrigue you but you should not know about. Others’ thoughts are one of them.

College Essay # 45 - Carleton College

45. Ask and answer the one important question which you wish we had asked. (Carleton College)

How important are parents?

They say that as children grow older and start maturing, they start putting more importance to their peers and friends than to their own parents. I don’t believe that such a thing is true in my life, but I do believe that it’s true to many. Take my sister for example; she’s completely different than I am. She seems to value and give importance to friends more than her own parents, whereas I feel like I do the opposite. Yes, it’s undeniable that I’ve not listened to my parents on many occasions, I’ve disobeyed them and sometimes even did things purposefully just because they told me not to do it. But that’s just the thing. That’s just the part about growing up. You become a rebel for a while, but even in those times, I have never given more importance to my friends than my parents.

When my parents come home from work, I always get really excited. Call me a kid, but I don’t get to see them in school and I don’t get to see them at home during the day because they are at work. When my parents come home I always run upstairs ready to ask them how their day was and start talking about the most random things. My sister on the other hand, she walks up the stairs slowly, sits and stairs at us for sometime and then goes on facebook on her phone and starts chatting with her friends. My parents keep thinking that she’s playing games on her phone, but actually she’s not listening to anything anyone is saying except her friends. But I don’t blame her either, that’s just the way she is when she’s growing up. She’s giving more importance to those that can relate to her more, but I don’t think that she’s really forgotten to value her parents.

Many people, even within my own friend circle forget to value their parents from time to time. I do that as well being a child whose trying to experience life without someone telling her his or her experiences. But even then, I know how important my parents are. I know how much they spend to send us to school. But they never complain once, they always support us no matter what we do (right or wrong), they teach us to be the best people we can be, they come and wake us up in the morning just for us to tell them to go away, they fulfill our every demand, they yell when we’re wrong, they hug us when we do the right thing, and most of all they were the ones who brought us into this earth. Without them, we’re nothing.  

College Essay # 36 - New College Of University of South Florida

36. Select any issue that is of importance to you and discuss your views. (New College of University of South Florida)

I recently discovered the picture of Libyan leader Gadaffi when he was killed. Though I knew of his death, I did not know the state in which he was killed. I hadn’t read the news, instead just heard from my fellow peers that he was killed. But when I saw the picture of Gaddafi helpless on the ground, it got me thinking. How important is revenge, and how can be discriminate revenge with justice?

Gaddafi was a man who was brutal to his whole nation. He primarily pledged by taking on the role of a leader to protect his people and to protect his country from harm. He was meant to lead his nation to flourish and bring prosperity and peace among all. Instead, he went against his vows and did the unthinkable. He started harming his nation and his own people.  People protested against him after the Middle East witnessed the rebellion in Egypt, but that didn’t stop Gaddafi, nor did it seem to scare him. He continued on his twisted way of killing his own people. He didn’t blink and eye and he didn’t care about anyone and anything but his own vision. He could easily be one of the candidates for the 21^st century Adolf Hitler. He may not win, but he definitely is part of the pageant. But then, the French and the British and the United Nations stepped in. But why, was it to do justice to those people that Gaddafi had killed or was it revenge?

I don’t think that it was exactly revenge in this case, but more doing justice, but what about the things that go on in common human lives daily? Many claim to be doing justice to someone by harming others but where do you draw the fine line between revenge and justice? Though they are different concepts as a whole, I believe that they go hand in hand. For many, getting someone back for something they did brings joy into others’ lives. That’s a twisted thought. Yes, we’re all human and I’m not saying that I haven’t tried to take revenge on anyone. That’s a different case, but what about when someone claims to be doing justice and instead has a motive only filled with the words revenge? How can we discriminate between the two? How can we tell someone who is planning to do “justice” to stop because the only thing filled in their minds is revenge? Do bad people get to be harmed? Do good people get to harm the bad? Don’t the good just stoop to their level? There are so many things that can be said and not said, but this is one thing that I feel very unclearly about. I can’t seem to draw the line … maybe it’s strange to some, but I just can’t find the difference sometimes. Can you?

College Essay # 23 - Stanford

23.  If you were to write a book, on what theme or subject matter would it be based, and why? (Stanford/93)

There are two types of people in the world: those who are happy and those who aren’t. There are those who are rich and those who are poor. But I’ve noticed that usually those who have less money are the ones who are more content with their lives. Yes, you may be thinking that my statement is nothing more than a cliché, but I truly believe so. Therefore, if I had to write a book on anything that I wanted, I would definitely try to write about a day in the life of a poor and happy person. Writing that sentence, right now sounds weird even to me, but I want to show people that we take things for granted and we should try and learn from these types of people, not those that you see on television.

I would live like the people I am going to write about. I would live in a very minimal way, I would allow myself to access only the amount of money that a certain family earns and try to live like them. I would go and live where they live, I would eat what they eat, clothe myself the way they do, and act the way they do. Just because people are poor doesn’t mean they don’t have a life. Yes, their social gatherings may be minimal compared to the elites in Manhattan, but they too meet and greet their friends and family and neighbors. I feel that it is important to learn things from different people; it shapes you into a good and well-rounded human being. I feel that being a well-rounded individual is about learning about things and experiencing things that different groups of people do rather than being good at sports and music and studies. Those things seem so materialistic in comparison to what you can learn from others. And what better way to do that than to live life like those you’re have encounters with, let it be daily or occasional. It is important to learn from others and learn what you have and what you don’t compared to those around you. They don’t just say “When in Rome, live like the Romans” for no reason you know.

I feel that it is important to write a book about how you can gain happiness with minimal materialistic things. In this day and age, we focus too much on our own lives and too little on what we impact. We feel that the only way that we can be happy is through money. We feel that the only reason we work is to gain money and become wealthy, while in fact, the reason why you should be going to work is to expand your knowledge by taking what you learn and applying it to the real world. If you look at the world and everything around you, money has little space in the circle of important. You don’t need money to make you happy; you just need money to fulfill your wants. Anyone can be happy without tons of money, but no one sees that these days. 

College Essay #8 - Stanford

8. What single adjective do you think would be most frequently used to describe you by those who know you best? Briefly explain. (Stanford)

Before the last chemistry test of the year, I opened my locker only to find that my chemistry notebook was missing. I looked around for it everywhere. I looked in the lost and found, in other people’s locker, in my room, in my dorm, above and under the locker banks, but it was nowhere to be found. I was stressing out about this point in time. I was not doing amazingly well in Chemistry and my notes were my life in that class. I had everything written down. What the teacher said … actually everything the teacher said, pretty much word for word (what? I learn better when everything is written down), what I thought I needed to work on, the practice problems, everything. I needed that book. Even with it I wasn’t able to get a decent grade, how could I possibly pass without that book. If you’re thinking, “why didn’t she just read the textbook?” Well I can’t read the 100 pages of the textbook one-day before the test, now can I? I approached my best friends and told them that I lost my chemistry notebook. I explained that I had it in my locker the day before and it was no longer there. They looked at each other and started laughing. Perplexed by this, I asked them what was so funny. They explained that it was bound to happen someday. Apparently, someone must have stolen my notebook out of my locker to use it. Apparently, I had everything written down and it was a good thing for those that weren’t that great of a note taker. Taken aback by this, I went on to find my book elsewhere. I was not ready to believe that someone stole my notebook to use it to study for his or her test. That was just plain and simple inhumane. I gave up after an hour and went on reading that 100 pages of text in the book.

I opened my locker after the worst of the chemistry-test-storm had passed, only to find that my book was placed back into my locker. I was shocked. That was not a coincidence, and my friends were right. When it came time to telling them that I had my notebook had been returned, my friends told me that I was an organized individual and people knew that and must have taken the unlocked locker to their advantage.

Those who know me best would say I’m a bundle of adjectives, but the word that describes me the best would definitely have to be: organized. I’m a person who has to have everything in order to do something. Whether it is before taking a test, in my room, my cupboard, or my toiletries, I need everything in place otherwise I feel something will go astray. I think that I need to be organized because I need to take control. Being organized means that you know where everything is, which means that you can gain access to those things easily. For example, sometimes when my cupboard gets too messy, I take everything out and color code it. I need to know where everything is and have to have it in a place where I can gain quick access. I try to make these minor things in my life very simple, so I don’t have to waste time dealing with these types of things.

College Essay # 7 - New York University

7.  It has been said [by Andy Warhol] that “in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.” Describe your fifteen minutes. (New York University)

The famous fifteen minutes of fame. When I was little, I would always fantasize about being famous. Whenever someone asked me what I wanted to become when I was older, I always answered like this: “I want to become a doctor slash swimmer slash tennis player slash famous person.” My elders would look at me for a while and laugh at my answer.  I never understood why until later.  My peers would always ask me how I would be able to pull such a thing off.  They were as naive as I was, if not more. But I have to say; it was a rather foolish dream. I believe that Andy Warhol is right; everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes in the future. But the way you become famous can be either in a very elegant way or successful way like singing in a talent show and someone discovering your raw talent, or it can be in the way that I became famous … but clearly only for fifteen minutes.

I was a passionate swimmer when I was younger. My father had put me in the pull when I was able to walk. He taught me everything, and when he couldn’t because of his work, he made sure I was learning swimming at school. My afterschool activity was just that … swimming. Three times a week afterschool from the final bell of the day to around 5:30 in the evening. That doesn’t seem like much to us now, but I was 7 at that time. Our swim coaches had prepared us year around for the American International School of Dhaka’s Annual Swim Meet. It was fast approaching and we were practicing till the sun went down and all of us kids were as excited as the coaches. But when the day finally arrived, it wasn’t something that I had exactly planned out in my head.

I was getting ready for my 100 m freestyle dash. My parents were there giving me a pep talk, my coach was telling me to be calm and get prepared; the only thing I was doing was holding on to my swimming cap thinking that it would fall off from my seemingly expanding head. I don’t know why my head felt like that, but I thought that my head was going to blow off any second. As I got older, I realized that that was the thing that indicated that I was nervous. Strange, I know. 

The commentator called for all the swimmers to get ready. I was shaking and my head was pounding. I had worked so hard for this. The last thing I remember before reaching the finish line was the whistle blowing. After I finished the race, my coach told me that my swimming cap had fallen off. She was pointing at something that was 5 ft away from me but instead I thought that she was pointing all the way down to the other end of the pool. So, I swam slowly and steadily (I was tired) only to find out that it wasn’t there. When I got to the other end of the pool, one of the referees told me that the race was over. As if I didn’t know that. Embarrassed, I told her that I was looking for my swimming cap. She said it was nowhere to be seen on this side. So, in front of everyone, I returned back to base like a lonesome solider. I couldn’t find the cap anywhere. I told my coach I wasn’t able to find it. She looked at me, strangely, and told me that it was right there. I was looking where she was pointing, and I just couldn’t see what she was seeing. We were there for what felt like an hour, until one of my teammates came into the water and took the cap out. It was within reaching distance. The cap was just covered by the swimming lines. What an embarrassment.

For the rest of the races to go that day, everyone was teasing me and told me to keep my cap close to me otherwise, someone else would have to jump into the pool. For the rest of the day, I was known famously as the girl who continued swimming even after the race was finished. Technically, that wasn’t the case, but who cared about that as long as they got a good laugh out of it. That was my fifteen minutes of fame and maybe one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.