Sample Application Essay for College Admissions

The sample application essay below was written by Felicity for personal essay option #4 of the pre-2013 Common Application: Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. With the current Common Application, the essay could work well for essay option #1  that asks students to share a story about something that is central to their identity. Note that Felicitys essay is from before the Common Application implemented the current 650-word length limit. Felicitys College Application Essay Porkopolis In the South, where I grew up, pork is a vegetable. Actually, it’s used as a â€Å"seasoning,† but so commonly that it’s almost impossible to find salad without bacon, greens without fatback, white beans free of pinkish shreds of ham. It was difficult for me, then, when I decided to become a vegetarian. The decision itself, made for the usual reasons of health, ethics and ecological conservation, was easy; putting it into practice, however, was another matter. At every restaurant, every school lunch, every church potluck, every family gathering, there was meat—in the entrà ©e, the sides, the condiments. I suspected even innocent-seeming pie crusts of secretly harboring lard. Eventually I worked out a system: I brought my own lunches to school, asked servers about the broth used in the soup of the day, avoided the usual suspects of beans and greens. This system worked well enough in public, but at home, I faced the challenge of respecting my parents and harmoniously sharing meals with them. They were excellent cooks, both of them, and I had always enjoyed the country-fried steaks, burgers and ribs they’d served to me for so many years—how could I now say â€Å"no† to those delicacies without angering or inconveniencing them, or, worse, hurting their feelings? I couldn’t. And so, I backslid. I’d manage to live a pure, meatless life for a few weeks, subsisting on pasta and salads. Then, Dad would grill an especially juicy teriyaki-marinated flank steak, look at me hopefully, and offer a slice—and I would accept. I’d mend my ways, steam rice and stir-fry snow peas with mushrooms . . . and crumble at the first whiff of the Thanksgiving turkey roasting in the oven and the proud smile on my mother’s face. My noble goals, it seemed, were doomed. But then, I found a role model, one who demonstrated to me that I could live without meat and still be a functioning member of society, eschew my parents’ pork chops and fried chicken without giving offense. I wish I could say that I was inspired by one of history’s great artists like Leonardo da Vinci, or a leader and inventor like Benjamin Franklin, but no. My inspiration was Lisa Simpson. Let me pause here to acknowledge how absurd it is to be inspired by an animated sitcom character, albeit one as smart and together as Lisa. Yet it was the very absurdity of feeling, somehow, moved by Lisa’s resolve and strength of character, her refusal to compromise her beliefs, that convinced me I could follow her example. In the pivotal episode, Lisa is tortured by visions of the lamb whose chops provide her family’s dinner. â€Å"Please, Lisa, don’t eat me!† the imaginary lamb implores her. She is moved by ethics, yet almost breaks her resolution when Homer prepares a pig roast and is hurt by his daughter’s refusal to partake. Like me, Lisa is torn between her convictions and her fear of disappointing her father (not to mention the undeniable deliciousness of pork). But she manages to explain her beliefs to Homer and show him that her rejection of meat is not a rejection of him—that she can share his table and his love while still living according to her principles. Again, I admit—as inspirations go, this one is a little ridiculous. No imaginary lamb-conscience spoke to me, and unlike Lisa, I was not able to celebrate my vegetarian lifestyle by triumphantly singing with Quickie-Mart manager Apu and guest stars Paul and Linda McCartney. But seeing the very obstacles that stymied me being overcome by a yellow-skinned, spiky-haired caricature was so silly that my difficulties, too, seemed silly. â€Å"Well heck,† I thought, â€Å"if Lisa Simpson—a cartoon character, for heaven’s sake— can stick to her guns, then so can I.† So I did. I told my parents that I had decided to really commit myself to vegetarianism, that this was not a passing phase, that I was not judging or seeking to convert them, but that this was simply something I had decided for myself. They agreed, perhaps a bit patronizingly, but as the months went on and I continued to forego the chicken in my fajitas and the sausage gravy on my biscuits, they became more supportive. We worked together on compromise. I took on a larger role in preparing the meals, and reminded them to please use vegetable stock in the potato soup and to reserve a separate pot of plain spaghetti sauce before adding the ground beef. When we attended a potluck, we made sure that one of the dishes we brought was a meatless entrà ©e, so that I would be guaranteed at least one edible dish at the pork-laden table. I did not tell my parents, or anyone else, that Lisa Simpson had helped me say no, forever, to eating meat. Doing so would cast the decision, one that many teenagers passionately make for a few months and then abandon, in the light of well-intentioned immaturity. But Lisa did help me live a more healthy, ethical, and ecologically sound life—to say no to pork, in all its guises. Critique of Felicitys College Admissions Essay Overall, Felicity has written an excellent essay for her Common Application. She does, however, take a few risks that could backfire. The comments below examine the essays many strengths as well as a few of the potential problems. The Essay Topic Felicity has certainly avoided some of the worst essay topics, but when students are asked to write about a fictional or historical figure for an application essay, admissions officers expect to find an essay on one of the likely suspects like Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, or Albert Einstein. For fiction and art, applicants tend to think big—a Jane Austen heroine, a Monet painting, a Rodin sculpture, a Beethoven symphony. So what are we to make of an essay that focuses on a seemingly trivial cartoon character like Lisa Simpson? Put yourself in the shoes of an admissions officer. Its tedious reading through thousands of college applications, so anything that jumps out as unusual can be a good thing. At the same time, the essay cant be so quirky or superficial that it fails to reveal the writers skills and character. Felicity takes a risk in her essay by focusing on a rather silly fictional role model. However, she handles her topic well. She acknowledges the strangeness of her focus, and at the same time, she produces an essay that really isnt about Lisa Simpson. The essay is about Felicity, and it succeeds in showing her depth of character, her inner conflicts, and her personal convictions. The Essay Title Titles can be difficult which is why many applicants skip them. Dont. A  good title  can grab your readers attention and make him or her eager to read your essay.   Porkopolis doesnt make clear what the essay is about,  but the strange title still manages to make us curious and pull us into the essay. In fact, the titles strength is also its weakness. What exactly does porkopolis mean? Will this essay be about pigs, or is it about a metropolis with too much pork-barrel spending? Also, the title doesnt tell us what character or work of art Felicity will be discussing. We want to read the essay to understand the title, but some readers might appreciate a little more information in the title. The Tone of Felicitys Essay Among the essential writing tips  for a winning essay is the inclusion of  a little humor to keep the essay fun and engaging. Felicity manages humor with wonderful effect. At no point is her essay shallow or flip, but her catalog of southern pork dishes and introduction of Lisa Simpson are likely to receive a chuckle from her reader. The essays humor, however, is balanced with a serious discussion of a challenge Felicity faced in her life. Despite the choice of Lisa Simpson as a role model, Felicity comes across as a thoughtful and caring person who struggles to mesh the needs of others with her own convictions. An Assessment of the Writing Felicitys essay is from before the current 650-word limit on Common Application essays. At about 850 words, the essay would need to lose 200 words to comply with the new guidelines. When it was written, however, Felicitys essay was a good length, particularly because theres no obvious fluff or digression. Also, Felicity is clearly a strong writer. The prose is graceful and fluid. The mastery of style and language marks Felicity as a writer who would be capable of performing well at the countrys  top colleges  and  universities. Felicity grabs our attention with her humorous first sentence, and the essay holds our interest throughout because of the shifts between the serious and the whimsical, the personal and the universal, the real and the fictional. The sentences mirror these shifts as Felicity moves between short and long phrases and simple and complex sentence structures. There are most likely strict grammarians who would object to Felicitys liberal use of the dash and her lack of the word and to introduce the final items in some of her lists. Also, someone might take issue with her use of conjunctions (and, yet, but) as transitional words at the beginnings of sentences. Most readers, however, will view Felicity as a dexterous, creative, and talented writer. Any breaking of the rules in her writing works to create a positive rhetorical effect. Final Thoughts on Felicitys Application Essay Like most good essays, Felicitys is not without risk. She could run up against an admissions officer who thinks the choice of Lisa Simpson trivializes the purpose of the personal essay. However, a careful reader will quickly recognize that Felicitys essay is  not trivial. Sure, Felicity may be grounded in popular culture, but she emerges from the essay as a writer who loves her family but is not afraid to stand up for her own convictions. She is caring and thoughtful, playful and serious, inward- and outward-looking. In short, she sounds like a great person to invite to join ones campus community.

Financial Article Review - 713 Words

Financial Article Review The topic of Taylors keynote speech is not an original one: he wants to know, share, and understand how the financial crisis in the first decade of the 21st century occurred. The method or approaching in tackling this issue is more original: he contends that some of the greatest factors influencing the onset of financial catastrophe is due to policies. At the heart of Taylors argument is the presence of policies that created a sort of breeding ground for such a crisis to occur. The time period of his focus are the years 2000 2008. Taylor refers to a loose-fitting monetary policy as one of the catalysts for the crisis. Throughout the speech, there are charts and graphs that reflect, analyze, or synthesize the text/speech, so as to avoid redundancy. He states that a loose-fitting monetary policy contributed to the historic drops in interest rates from 2001 2004, improving by 2006, but never reaching the heights seen in 2000. He contends that the choice to lower the interests rates wer e in response to counteracting the problem of deflation, from which Japan suffered in the 1990s. After spending some time deliberating upon the local reasons why the crisis occurred, he expands his search for the reasons of the financial crisis on a global scale. Taylor explains the logic behind how the investment choices of companies, markets, governments, and industries influence and connect with the policy-making that lead to the crisis. 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Alice Sebold free essay sample

Alice Sebold once said, â€Å"But it was later now, and I live in a world where the two truths coexist: where both hell and hope lie in the palm of my hands.† Hope is defined as a feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. While hell is being defined as a place or state of turmoil or destruction. These two words fit together in the adventures of Alice Sebold. Alice Sebold was born on September 6, 1963 in Madison, Wisconsin. She was raised by both academic parents; a father with a Spanish literature and a journalist mother. Her parents gave her the knowledge and confidence that she can become whatever her heart desired. In 1980, Sebold graduated from Great Valley High School and left home to start a new life as a student in Syracuse University. From there, her life went tumbling down. Alice Sebold is considered the one of the emotionally strong people in the world because she dealt with hard times like her and family not being close, her m other’s drinking problem and also her rape when she attended Syracuse University. During her path of recovery, she began writing novels which today are considered most popular novels to read. These novels were great inspiration to girls all around the world. Her memoir Lucky and novel, The Lovely Bones taught them the dangers of talking to strangers, and the understanding of death and heaven. Alice Sebold’s met on a blind date and actually hated each other. As time went by they eventually fell in love through her father’s dedicated pursuit. Her father had a Ph. D in Spanish literature from Princeton and began his first job at Duke University. Her father most of his time at Duke University which caused Sebold’s mother, Jane to become lonely and alienated with people. Soon after her mother used alcohol as her way of feeling less lonely, eventually Jane became a full- blown alcoholic. This is one of the many reasons why Alice Sebold is considered one the emotionally strong people in the world. In 1977, her father went away to Spain for months, leaving her mother extremely anxious and causing her and sister, Mary becoming caretakers of their mother. As time went on Mary gave up on her mother by becoming less compassionate and more embarrassed towards her mother’s drinking problem. Unlike Mary, Alice was the one to reconcile with her mother, meanin g she soothed her mother and belittled her sister. Since the day she belittled her sister, her family became distant towards each other. â€Å"I described myself as too loud, too fat, and too arty.† During Alice’s teenage years, her family was falling apart. She often argued with her parents about her mother’s drinking, her father not being around and Mary’s embarrassment of her parents (mainly her mother). â€Å"I wanted to be the moron of the family, because morons seemed to have more fun, more freedom, and more personality.† The constant bickering gave Alice Sebold the idea to move away after high school in 1980. In the fall, Alice attended Syracuse University leaving her family still arguing with each other. In all areas of life, Alice had to drive to make herself the way by following others guidance who have become the same in different attitudes of their lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. She was born this way because she was made that way! You find people you consider strong and that’s why many people consider Sebold the strongest of them all. Even though she didn’t admit that her family wasn’t like any other family. Deep inside, she couldn’t accept the fact that her mother was an alcoholic, her father not being around and her sister not caring about this family. There was only one way to avoid the stress and that was to move away from her family and start on her own so she can discover who she really is. After her freshman year of college at Syracuse University, her journey went plummeting down earth when she was attacked. During her semester at Syracuse, Sebold was raped in a tunnel . She tried to fight off her rapist, who constantly fought and beat her. Shewas brutally raped, forced to kiss the man who urinated on her and eventually left her to crawl away. She then reported her rape to police, later they told her she was lucky because a few month early before her rape, the rapist raped another girl but unfortunately she was killed and dismembered in the same tunnel. â€Å" I had changed. The world I lived in was not the world that my parent still occupied. In my world, I saw violence everywhere. It was not a song or a dream or a plot.† Staying strong, Alice Sebold stayed at Syracuse and continued her creative- writing program to help relieve the pain from her incident. She began letting her anguish out in her writing and wrote dark novels. She felt the affliction of trying to write a story that would strike all rape victims’ stories, that recent story became a novel. This novel soon be came popular and was names the book of the year award for adult fiction in 2003. That novel was The Lovely Bones. Her other novels were also relating to rape and murders because of these novels, her readers became more aware of their environment. Not everyone in this world seems to be who they are. Alice Sebold’s writing made us have this awful picture in her heads of innocent people getting raped and murdered and teaching us to be more cautious around people. And for that, she is the emotionally strong person in the world. For the those who wanted to know what happened to her rapist. A few months after the rape, she recognized her rapist while walking down a street. She brought her rapist to court and caught his conviction. Today her rapist is out of prison but Sebold says she has not kept track of where he is.

Tone and Theme in Hughes Poems free essay sample

Explains how Hughes `Ballad of the Landlord and Madam` and the `Rent Man` use similar voice, tone, and theme, to illuminate the African-American condition of the 1940s. This is an essay on two poems of the prolific African-American writer, Langston Hughes: Ballad of the Landlord and Madam and The Rent Man. It focuses on the fictional elements of voice, point of view, tone, and theme. The meaning is illustrated through examining the words of both poems. Langston Hughes uses a strikingly similar voice in Ballad of the Landlord and Madam and the Rent Man. The point of view of both poems is first person, which greatly increases the believability of both poems tone. The attitude is one of anger and despair, and its this attitude that conveys the meaning Hughes is trying to make. His meaning has to do with race and class issues. Hughes is illustrating the frustration of oppressed African Americans and the racial prejudice and social injustice they face. We will write a custom essay sample on Tone and Theme in Hughes Poems or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page