Advice for future applicants to Amherst: essays

Colleges and Universities A-Z Amherst College
1

<p>Just a peace of advice from an admit. My scores were rather low for amherst but I got in with a 2150 and 3.9uw probably because of my essay. Adcoms there love deep philosophical essays about meaning of life especially if you are able to relate it to yourself. This is what i wrote</p>

<p>“When we fear pluralism as the enemy, succumb to the allure of a seeming emotional
unity or seek to enforce a meretricious purity of culture over rationalism and diversity.
we turn cruel, whether or not we are conscious of it.”</p>

<ul>
<li>Anthony W. Marx
We all aspire, seldom looking back and trying not to stop. We stumble, but go onforward. We fall and break our bones, but this does not bother us. We bump into otherpeople, try to overcome them, push them and step on their throats when they fall. Weease our strife for success by getting rid of extra ballast. We close our eyes on everything,sacrifice a lot, with pain in our hearts make decisions that we wouldn’t rather make. As a
result we reach the finish line, and, desperately tired, hit the ground. And right at that moment, when we stop aspiring, having seemingly reached our goal, the finish line moves forward and those whom we have overtaken and left behind run over us without noticing. Every time when the sole of the runner comes hi contact with our backs, we realize how painful it is. We remember that time when we left him behind, dipping his face into dirt. It is not in our power to get up now, while others, who were behind overcome us mercilessly. And right at that moment when we finally find the strength to
get up and keep running, we ask ourselves: “Why?” We realize that we have to walk calmly, measuredly, stopping to look and helping those unfortunate who have begun to question the meaningfulness of the race and are ready to withdraw. We stop dropping the ballast, which, only recently, seemed extraneous and unnecessary. Now we understand that we will not be able to come back for it; it is left behind for someone else to pick it
up.</li>
</ul>

<p>Not long ago before I got into a car accident and nearly lost my life, I was still a part of the group that is running for the finish line. Everything changed. Now I walk slowly, enjoying every step, seeking out pleasure not at the end of the race, but where I am right now. We shouldn’t live up to our prospective, we shouldn’t remain at the very beginning of the race and we shouldn’t run alone. Now I walk avoid and step over the rocks, on which I would have stumbled while running. Instead of getting rid of the ballast
and freeing myself of everything “extraneous,” I try to explore new fields, find new companions. The more I find, the more exciting it would be to finish the race, because around me will be others, with whom I will be able to share the joy of victory. These people started to appear in my life, just like I started appearing in theirs. Not everyone understands that the key to success is not pushing others; it is joining them to form a life chain. Soon enough we will all realize this and will step by step overcome the notion that life is a race…</p>

2

<p>Wonderful! But I think that the adcoms really like essays that reveal who you really are - yours did. The topic doesn't matter - D will be a soph and she wrote about her love of roller coasters. She received an Early Write and when Dr. Marx called to talk to her, he referred to her love of roller coasters, so the essays really do matter.</p>

3

<p>"When we fear pluralism as the enemy, succumb to the allure of a seeming emotional
unity or seek to enforce a meretricious purity of culture over rationalism and diversity.
we turn cruel, whether or not we are conscious of it."</p>

<p>I don't quiet get what this topic is about? And wow do you relate the topic to what you wrote?</p>

4

<p>Well the amherst supplement had like 5 quotes from Amherst graduates and you were supposed to write an essay. Mine was really terrible; I would post it, but I don't have the whole quote that I was writing to. Does anyone have the full quote from Roy Edward Disney?</p>

5

<p>“I’m not a machine. I feel and believe. I have opinions. Some of them are interesting. I could, if you’d let me, talk and talk....”</p>

<p>:)</p>

6

<p>Ok here is the crappy essay I scrapped together unwillingly. I guess I am lucky to be going to Amherst, because this was the worst essay I wrote in the admissions process by far.</p>

<p>"My favorite part about school is the information between the lines of the textbook. It has been my experience that teachers tend to know much more about their subjects than what is covered in class. Couple this discovery with my desire to learn beyond the material, and you have yourself a perfect match. Roy Edward Disney said “I could, if you’d let me, talk and talk...” and, while that may also apply to me, more importantly when given the opportunity I can “listen and listen….” See, these discussions are the best kind because of the passion involved. It is my firm belief that a 300-page operating manual can be the subject of a fascinating conversation if those involved are truly passionate, because that passion infects the air like some sort of virus, and instead of directions for using lets say a computer, the participants are awed by images of the end result of that computer, of it being used to discover a cure for cancer or, perhaps with the help of SETI, aliens in outer space. We all have passion about something, for what is living if not seeking out that passion. The trick is to discover the passions of our peers, with the aim of making them our own. I am passionate about computers, but I was not born with that passion: it was created in me during those early Reader Rabbit sessions.
I have experienced this transfer of enthusiasm. It always starts with a taste of the subject matter, the hook, the interesting fact or compelling story. When you learn about Henry VIII, the first thing that catches your attention is his marital record, his many wives. This intrigue, at least in my case, begs for more investigation and soon you stumble across the Anglican split of the Church. If that still keeps your attention then you are motivated to find similar actions across history. The escalation continues, but it is your own motivation that drives you. The gift of education is that first exposure that set in motion the cascade of events. The process is driven by passion, by intellectual curiosity. Without that, perhaps we would indeed be only machines."</p>

7

<p>I really like it! It sounds so genuine. Thanks for posting.</p>

8

<p>anyone answers my questions, please!!! I really can't get that topic!!!</p>

9

<p>I think it's just saying when we fear or discourage diversity, we turn into nasty people whether we know it or not. The original quote is of course much more articulate.</p>

10

<p>I turned the "machine" one into an essay about how humans are slowly merging with computers, and how once we do, we'll become the ultimate life-form and dominate over all other forms of existence.</p>

11

<p>I, for one, welcome our humachine overlords.</p>

12

<p>The quote describes the dangers of pluralism and doing "what everyone else is doing". In my essay I argue about the same thing that if we run the race with everyone we fail</p>

13

<p>Isn't pluralism a good thing?</p>

14

<p>not when you follow the crowd</p>

15

<p>pluralism does not mean following the crowd. The quote is praising diversity and warning about the dangers of not having diversity.</p>

<p>"When we fear pluralism as the enemy"</p>

<p>This part means 'when we view pluralism as if it is a negative force,'</p>

<p>"Succumb to the allure of a seeming emotial unity"</p>

<p>'give in and try to view ourselves as completely the same'</p>

<p>"or seek to enforce a meretricious purity of culture over rationalism and diversity"</p>

<p>'or try to maintain a false purity of culture instead of our true diversity'</p>

<p>"we turn cruel, whether or not we are conscious of it"</p>

<p>'this part is pretty clear'</p>

<p>Put it all together for my paraphrasing and you get:</p>

<p>When we view pluralism as if it is a negative force, give in and try to view ourselves as completely the same, or try to maintain a false purity of culture instead of our true diversity, "we turn cruel, whether or not we are conscious of it."</p>

<p>At least thats what i think.</p>

16

<p>firus - whoo-hoo! Dr. Marx talks about diversity every chance he gets, and it is a mission with him to make Amherst more diverse, and give the students the opportunity to be more empathetic and understanding to those who can't afford to go out to dinner, or buy new clothes. He firmly believes that by giving a leg up to those who are bright, have potential, but didn't have the opportunities that others had, we lift ourselves up. If you have never heard him speak, when you do, you will be in for a treat. He is motivational, funny, holds your interest, and brilliant.</p>

17

<p>I went to the Amherst one-day open house (I wanted to go for the overnight, but was unavailable :( ) and heard him speak for a little bit, mainly introducing himself and the school. He was definitely a talented and engaging speaker - I was very entertained. I really want to be in his Freshman Seminar! (or Sarat's)</p>

18

<p>I have the same credentials as you do , 2150 and 3.94 UW, but is an admit
because of my essay(or so I believe). My essay is highly, highly personal so I'm afraid I won't be able to post it here, but I definitely agree that the essay is a huge piece in the admissions process. :D</p>

19

<p>You say got in with a 2150 3.9 uw like that's something horrible, haha.</p>

20

<p>Discuss a topic to which you are committed? Describe your experiences & why you are committed to this issue.

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