<p>Hey guys!!!
i'm planning to write my college essay over the summer, but i need some advices!!
i want to avoid being cliche.....
i tried writing one about "my twin and I" (cuz i have a twin)..but it was hard to write a good one...the only thing i could point out was how we are still different individual...
so right now i'm planning to write about MATH. how i struggled thru and find confidence again.
any suggestions? anything i need to beware of?</p>
<p>THX.</p>
<p>the logical and step-by-step process overcame teh struggle?!</p>
<p>Make it accessible that someone who's not into math will like the 'idea' of your essay. Sure, you can get into the details. Just make sure that someone who doesn't pursue math as a hobby can understand and enjoy your essay for its writing.</p>
<p>start with a long equation....
then metaphorically expain(ad. offs LOVE comparisons from what i have heard) how it relates to you and your life</p>
<p>thx~
but i'm actually nt a math genius haha, i suck at math....
but i wanna write about my improvement and how i never give up!
is that okay?</p>
<p>by the by, do i write my essay in present tense as writting a story? or past tense to describe? kk thx.</p>
<p>i personally dont like the way you approach it. If you cant make it really interesting or special, i would suggest you to change a topic.</p>
<p>ya...i'm trying to make it interesting, but i don't know how :(
i wanna emphasize on how i never give up...how i gain confidence...how i overcome the struggles...any more comments?</p>
<p>lol...you don't have to be a math genius to come up with an equation
infact, i have an even better idea for you---pun your way through...that would be interesting...
like use infinite effort to describe your never giving up
and stuff like that...</p>
<p>or you should really just change the topic like nomoredream said</p>
<p>oh lol. that's sorta cool, making some connection with real maths with my math struggle :P
i know this isn't a great great topic, but i can't come up with a better one lol.
i wrote one about sth else,,but it ended up cliche lol
anyways :)
thx for ur suggestions. more will be better <3</p>
<p>Are you truly passionate about math?
by how you described the whole topic it seems as though you are kinda grasping...um. it seems more like a story of something you overcame but never really realized anything. I would go more along the route of an event or something that changed the way you think. Maybe I am just misunderstanding what you are aiming at. sorry if that is the case.
but i would really suggest sitting down with a pen and paper and writing bullet points about everything that means something to you or things you love to do.
I am tying in my love for unicycling into one of my essays. The admissions officers want to know who you are as a person. they want to know quirks and weird tid bits of info.
thats my opinion at least. good luck</p>
<p>That's good advice, but if I had written bullet points about what meant something to me, I never would have come up with my topic. You should talk about something meaningful, but sometimes it doesn't show up in a list, because when you make a list, you're thinking of things that you think will fit, rather than finding something that you don't think would fit, and it can be interesting when you find out that it does. For example, I never thought of my desk as important to me, but that was what my essay was about!</p>
<p>I've always wanted to see an essay/article on two subjects:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Why can't I divide by zero? Why can I only "get as close to zero as I want ... and then get even closer, but I can't actually get to zero." Why is this undefined in math? It's like a black hole that we put a fence around and say, "You can't go there.... and don't ask why. It's 'undefined.'" Could you tweak any axioms that allowed division by zero and then let that lead to a whole new field of mathematics? Maybe an "intuitive calculus" rather than our current "propositional calculus."</p></li>
<li><p>And related to that: Look at this problem (any like it which allow teachers to have fun at your expense): </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Let a=b+1, </p>
<p>So a-b=1. So we can multiply both sides of a=b+1 by (a-b):
(a-b)a=(a-b)(b+1)
or
a2-ab=ab+a-b2-b (a2 means "a squared")</p>
<p>Subtract a from both sides:
a2-ab-a=ab+a-a-b2-b</p>
<p>+a-a is 0, so
a2-ab-a=ab-b2-b, or factoring,
a(a-b-1)=b(a-b-1)</p>
<p>Dividing both sides by (a-b-1), you get
a=b
which contradicts the original assumption a=b+1.</p>
<p>This where the teacher laughs and says, "but when you divide by (a-b-1), you are dividing by zero and you can't do that." Now, the teacher thinks that's the end of it, but there are larger questions here. All of our symbol manipulations have been "legal." Are you saying we must now KNOW IN ADVANCE the value of the symbols when we are solving an equation before we know if we're really allowed to apply the transformations? Geez, that opens up a whole new area of discussion: Not only must we not go beyond the fence, but now we might not KNOW that we're over the fence.</p>
<p>Could be some interesting discussion, and this whole idea of conceiving a whole new mathematical structure could give some important insights into how your mind works at a much deeper level that just "who you are."</p>
<p>Could be risky, though.</p>
<p>I'm not suggesting that you use THOSE ideas above, just saying that a math essay COULD give insight into you as a person.</p>
<p>digmedia: you can't divide by a-b-1 because that equals zero. The teacher is correct.</p>
<p>Just start writing. then if it isn't what you want start over. Its an ongoing process. I came up with my personal essay topic by chance. Actually....after like a week of brewing things over in my mind I told my mom about something that had happened to me at work during a lunch break at the supermarket across the street (a funny story). and she suggested i write about that.
I ended up using the story of what happened and tied it into how it kind of embodies me or my personality. expressed my love for unicycling and quirky tid bits about me that the admissions officers wont see anywhere else.</p>
<p>dchow -</p>
<p>Of course the teacher is correct, but the point is to imagine a world where division by zero is allowed... where could that lead? How would our structures be "warped?" How would that even be represented?</p>
<p>Square Root of Three</p>
<p>Im sure that I will always be
A lonely number like root three</p>
<p>The three is all thats good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine</p>
<p>For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic</p>
<p>I know Ill never see the sun,
as 1.7321
Such is my reality,
a sad irrationality</p>
<p>When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three</p>
<p>As quietly co-waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer</p>
<p>We break free from our mortal bonds
With the wave of magic wands</p>
<p>Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed
- Dave Feinberg</p>
<p>GO KUMAR!!!! GO AZN POWER!!! XD</p>
<p>Oh my. That is sooo cheesy. Wow. I'm leaving. Good night.</p>
<p>hehehe.
anyway thank u guys a lot :D
sigh* i guess some of u are right!
Im not THAT passionate about math....
but it was meaningful for me when i went through the big struggle..
i'l lkeep thinking about it.
thanks :)</p>