<p>thanks for the advice, unalove. i've read over some sample uchicago essays, and i'll admit that they are very tough. however, i enjoy writing and i'm hoping that i can manage to write some good essays. there are some personality quirks of mine that don't really show through my stats. i have a feeling that the uncommon app would be an appropriate way to communicate those.</p>
<p>and i won the peace essay this year. i did not win the national awards...but in case you want to double-check on the award, i think there's a list of state winners on the u.s. institute of peace website.</p>
<p>thank you for all your comments. are there any specific shortcomings with my stats that you think I could revise?</p>