Short College Essay :)

In 250 words or less, please tell us about your chosen field of study for college/university. Why have you chosen this field? If you are undecided, please discuss a few of the fields of study are you are considering and why.

          As a child, I was very indecisive concerning what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I considered a myriad of careers, from being a teacher to entering the fashion industry.  Of the many professions that I had contemplated, I knew that I did not want to go into the medical field.  A girl who spent most of her childhood playing dress up and fantasizing about becoming a Disney princess, I knew that I wanted my future occupation to be something glamorous.  Nonetheless, this all changed on September 14, 2005, when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease.  Forced to spend the majority of my seventh grade year in the hospital, my life was anything but enchanting.  Despite cancer being the most challenging thing I’ve ever dealt with, much good came out of my struggle with it.  I learned to take any negative situation that I am placed in and make it into something positive.  I therefore discovered that just as my doctor had helped me to be cured of cancer, I want to spend my life helping others.  I am now positive that I want to study medicine and become a neonatologist in the future.  The main reason that I had once considered becoming a teacher was that I love children.  As a neonatologist, I will be able to care for young lives.  I can give them a second chance at life, just as I received.

~Kellie

UC Application :D

This is my UC essay for the second prompt. I was procrastinating till the last day to write it, so it probably doesn't sound great, but hope you guys enjoy it!

             Crying is an embarrassment, and it is worse when it happens in public. As a teenager with the habit of tearing up in difficult situations, I hated challenging myself or facing anything that people would consider abnormal. One of the problems was my English accent, which was a natural result of being an immigrant. Even though it was nothing to be ashamed of, it made me very self-conscious. As a result, my greatest fear became public speaking.

             Throughout four years of high school, I attempted to overcome this fear. Joining a Speech-and-Debate team was one of the choices, but the motivation eventually wore away and brought me back to the usual routine, avoiding challenges and ignoring chances of self-improvement. However, last summer, I impulsively chose to attend Mastering Leadership program sponsored by National Student Leadership Conference. Main reason, unfortunately, was because it was a one-week program; I did not expect more than tedious lectures and activities that would somehow make me feel accomplished.

                           Such assumption proved to be false, for it was far more demanding. Out of all the activities, self-assessment called “FEAR” made me feel uneasy the most. It was a time for attendees to share their fears within assigned groups. Clearly, the first word came into my mind was public speaking. The group advisor asked me to stand in front of the group members to demonstrate that it is really irrational to be afraid of talking in front of a crowd. Even though his idea was logical, I could not stand the pressure and broke into tears.

                           The experience was horrifying. It was extremely embarrassing to cry in front of people, especially when they were almost strangers. Even the advisor was confused and apologized for pushing me too hard; but I knew it was me who was too weak to bear the challenge. On the last day of the conference, the guest speaker Mr. Martin told us to discuss the changes brought upon us as a result of attending this event. People stood up and talked about themselves, sometimes crying, as well as the fears they have overcame. I was one of them, casually presenting myself to 83 conference attendees.

             After the program, I was not fearful of people anymore. I promised myself that I will not forget the challenges that I faced during the leadership camp, and that I will always attempt to stride out of the comfort zone. The program taught me that I could become a powerful leader as long as I remember how to welcome and face obstacles. Today, I still struggle, but I can proudly announce myself as an ambitious, but prudent, risk-taker.

-Chloe

An Interesting Prompt

What do you find intellectually engaging? Thats what Stanford University wants to know in one of there three short essay response questions.

·         Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging.

 Here's mine

When we think of gravity, we imagine the constraints and limitation that it holds on us. I know I have had my fair share of aches and pains from this undeniable force. As a soccer goalie, I would meet the hard ground in a cloud of dust for every giant leap across the goal. Gravity does have its benefits though, as Mr. Lawrence Su helped me realize.

 One day in class, whilst feeling my weekly soccer bruises, my Physics teacher embarked on another of his tangents. But to these words I listened intently because of their atypical perception of gravity, not as an oppressor, but as a unifier. Mr. Su explained that, due to Isaac Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation, every single thing, even a meek student, has a gravitational force that pulls on every object around. As a corny joke, he made the assertion that, because of this basic law of physics, everyone else in the world was “physically” attracted to him. From this gag, I acquired the idea that there is, in scientific fact, a connection between all things even though it may not be visible.

 By comprehending one of the most essential aspects of physics, I was able to truly value gravity as a benevolent, natural force that brings all people together, voluntary or involuntary. Perhaps Newton’s law doesn’t exist to restrain our abilities but rather to provide a bridge among individuals when there is no other and that is what I find intellectually engaging.

-Jake

College Essays

The essay I submitted responds to the prompt for the University of Oregon Honors College.

During the fall 2008 election, Clark Honors College graduate Steve Novick lost a primary election for the U.S. Senate to Jeff Merkley. Why should anyone run for public office?

            One of the main components of the Democratic Republic the U.S. chooses as our form of government includes the election of public officials to make decisions for voters. However, the reasons why most prospective public officials run for office are usually not reasons why people should run for public office. The enticing perks of positions of public office, such as the power an individual in public office holds as well as monetary incentives, often attract people with less than honorable motivations into public office.

            People in positions of public office have many responsibilities, for example as civil servants they perform a service for the voters. People with innovative ideas of government should run for office because their ideas may be well liked by the public as well as more effective. Many people are dissatisfied with the welfare system as it is because they feel there is no incentive for people on welfare to support their own households. If a new mind were to come up with a new system to assist people on welfare that still encouraged them to find the means of supporting themselves, that person should have every opportunity to put this idea to practice. In more unfortunate areas there are problems that most people who are elected to political positions would have trouble identifying and thinking of a solution for the issue. Poorer areas may have trouble with convincing their youth to finish their schooling. Most people elected to office are educated and may not sympathize with young people who have difficulties with getting to school safely or do not have parents with college degrees. This should serve as an incentive for someone who has experienced some of theses same difficulties to run for public office.

            While there are many reasons why a person should run for office, unfortunately many of these reasons are often not the real motivations of those who run for office. Considering the immense power brought on by an election to public office, it is not surprising that corruption might eventually occur. At times the party supporting a candidate will have specific goals that the candidate is expected to help the party accomplish. Such a situation blurs the candidate’s vision and focus on assisting the community he is supposed to be representing. Greed also distracts some candidates from their real purpose in office. In my own hometown a councilman has recently been convicted of grand theft. This is an especially gregarious situation because politicians such as the one in my town are not overly concerned with using the assets of the government to assist the people in it.

            In truth, public office is somewhat of a paradox, in that some individuals who run for office do so for the wrong reasons. The question of public office hinges on the motivation of the person running, however, the people with the right motivations will clearly beneficial to the community they are serving.

-Jasmine M.

This week in class we discussed the importance of tone in a text.  Tone is an author's feelings toward his or her material and audience.  Tone is found in all pieces, including poems, novels, and movies, and greatly affects a literary work's meaning.  For example, William Wordsworth's poem, "The World is too Much with Us," contains a tone that is both scornful, as he castigates society for being so preoccupied with material wealth that we overlook what truly matters, such as the beauty of nature, and sarcastic, as he goes on to explain that he'd "rather be a pagan suckled in a creed outworn."  By this he means that he would much prefer to be raised in a time characterized by old-fashioned values because then he would at least have the chance to appreciate nature. On Friday, we discovered the true impact that tone has on a literary piece when we acted out the well-known story, Little Red Riding Hood.  Each person was given an adjective to use to act out their part.  This activity showed how a different tone can completely change the meaning of a story.  Tone is extremely significant to our writing, so it is crucial that we continue to develop our voice as we write our college application essays.

~Kellie

This week in class, everyone had to write a read and write a reading response to the poem “To Be of Use”, by Marge Piercy. The poem delves into the value and pertinence of work in people’s lives, and comments on how people strive and earnestly desire for “work that is real”, something that helps give meaning and purpose to what people do. Piercy writes on the exemplary qualities of hardworking people who work with determination, purpose, and focus to do everything asked for them and how valuable they are to her sight. Furthermore, Piercy comments on work itself at the end of the poem, rounding off her literary composition by emphasizing the desirable, necessary aspect of finding meaningful work and how people cry for things to do that turn out to be real and that contain substance. I found Piercy’s comments to be interesting and accurate; as a student and from personal experience, you can always see your peers wondering why they have to do “busy work” from certain teachers without it really teaching them anything valuable. Also, though no student really touches upon it, the work one does, the attitude by which one does it, and the effort one shows towards it defines who they are. Work isn’t merely reflective of one’s persona; it in itself is a part of someone. People as humans are so constantly deluged with work from teachers, bosses, parents, etc. that the work that we carry out comes to define and build up the worker’s persona himself, while concomitantly reflecting to others in society how one carries about his business. Work is thus an important component of life; not only because some type of task needs to be carried out, but because every single person in the world secretly wants purposeful work that can help define themselves, that can introspectively help to reveal their own persona, attitude, and perseverance with anything in life. Work thus functions to define people, and is a revealing entity that satiates people. Hopefully this profound depiction of the value of worth can be infused into the attitudes and mindsets of all seniors at Osos, that everyone will be able to shake off the seemingly inevitable disease by remembering, appreciating, and embracing the true value of work.

-Conrad

On Friday, we took notes on different eras of literature. To begin with, my favorite time period would definitely be Transcendentalism. It was a radical period when many writers started stressing on individual instincts rather than the doctrines based on religion. I remember reading a passage from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, which only confused me. Nonetheless, its concept of individualism was easy to relate to real life, especially as an American resident. Also, I realized that after every period, the following era would somehow contract the one before, which was an interesting fact that stood out to me. For example, there would be realism after romanticism and literature of the absurd after lost generation. The trend seems to result from the fact that for every genre of literature, there would be one opposing the view presented in it, which will eventually lead to an another era. I wonder how the people of later generations would define the present day literature.

-Chloe

The Current Struggle

              A common predicament that most high school seniors encounter is the constant challenge to define oneself. I know I've experienced this with my own college application essays, specifically the main UC essay prompt which requires the applicant to " describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations". At first glance, it seems a broad subject to write about. But it is not the difficulty of the demand that keeps future college students up at night. The great challenge lies in the person. That is, when addressing this prompt, the student cannot just answer it  like they have with every other academic essay they've written. This prompt asks a person to not only find something that makes them special and significant, but also to describe it in a way that only that person can. But nobody said applying to college was easy. So here's one of the many example, provided by Mrs. Elliott, which may enable all of us to truly define ourselves in a unique way. Good Luck!

 

Where I’m From

I am from the X variable on a calculator,

From Kirkland and Poppy seed muffin.

I am from the antique furniture.

(Smelling like lemon Pledge)

I am from the red roses,

 The upside down tomato plant,

That grows even in its topsy-turvy world.

I am from gringo tacos and numerous dimples,

From both Morrison and Sanchez.

I am from the forgetful and the easily pleased.

From ¡Cállate! and treat people as you would like to be treated.

I am from the dinner makers, from welcoming strangers.

I am from Redlands Community Hospital and Scottish,

From tamales and chicken potpies.

From the dirt mound called Jacob’s folly and a broken wrist,

The sister that came to the rescue,

And the biggest Trout being caught by a 2 foot Barbie pole.

I am from the single brown bear among polar bears,

The nifty bamboo fly-fishing pole,

The old frame of a kind ancestor.

Analysis of Alice Chapters 1-6

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland holds many allusions and archetypes that serve as puns on serious topics, which contribute to Alice's journey. To start with the beginning of the book Alice encounters the Rabbit. While the Rabbit is a seemingly random animal his wristwatch and coat give him an air of nobility and authority. The superiority of the Rabbit is made clear later on in the novel when Alice is stuck in his house. Death is also referenced as when Alice is falling in the rabbit hole she places an object she had been looking at back on a shelf for fear of killing someone and when she is first trying to go through the tiny door she comments that her head "would be of very little use without her shoulders." This is also foreshadowing when the queen tries to have Alice beheaded. The placement of the object back on the shelf also puts a limitation on Wonderland as despite all of the astonishing things that Alice sees later on death is still possible. Alice also fits the archetypal hero as she starts the novel as very innocent and makes foolish blunders, which endear her to the reader, however, Carol is emphasizing the possible dangers of growing up. Alice's growth and shrinking due to the food and drink she consumes is also reminiscent of the changes the body endures on the way to maturity.

Later when Alice is on the shore of the tears she shed while gargantuan the animals assembled to hear the Mouse's story is also reminiscent of a plebeian assembly and the Caucus Race is another pun on political election. As every one of the animals goes in a different direction without knowing what to aim for and each wins although, Alice representing the common man is left without any prize since the thimble she receives belonged to her before the race even though the animals make a big show of bestowing her with this great honor.

When Alice moves on from the Caterpillar to the Duchess' house she encounters more references to coming of age. The disagreeable baby that transforms into a pig represents becoming an unpleasant adult, which Alice later plays on by thinking "of other children that would make good pigs. Alice also comes up with good arguments against the Duchess. Earlier in the book she was bewildered by the nonsense of Wonderland, however, in the scene where she argues that the world spinning any faster would not make any difference she is amazingly composed.
-Jasmine