<p>akash, were you like... serious</p>
<p>akash,dude.....Go see a good psychiatrist.PRONTO.</p>
<p>Hey guys, alright, enough already. Jeez.
Akash - Getting high SAT scores are not a passion for life. My guess is that you're probably an intellectual with a love of learning, or the competitive-ambitious type who's driven and has set goals for the future. Fair and fine, not everyone has to have a passion to <em>feed the starving masses</em> or <em>compose pieces like Motzart</em>. The point is you need to think about what your general passion is. Ask: what is my focus in life? what do I honestly love to do?
Where do you put it across? In your essay. Just think - they already know your SAT scores, as well as the high scores of millions of other people. The question is how are you going to stand out from the masses? Why are you, Akash, special/unique/the-kind-of-student-they'll-want-on-their-campus?
I realize this thread is about SAT scores for Internationals, so I don't want to intrude and turn it into a rant about essay writing. I am definitely not an expert, but I'm happy to help out where I can. If you're really stuck just mail me.</p>
<p>My passion, my goal to to become a surgeon. Yes. I know. I'm boring. But helping people from pain and death is kinda not my REAL reason that I want to be a surgeon. My real reasons are reallly really stupid like (ok dont laugh):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>getting those cool massive fruit baskets from patients who I saved from death... you know the big ones with massive pinapples and bananas and stuff.</p></li>
<li><p>Wearing those white coats that doctors wear. and wearing a stethescope around my neck (i got one for my birthday! hahaha) and so I can feel important.</p></li>
<li><p>Oh and I want to play soccer with little injured kids who I fixed. We would have so much fun :)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yeah. Heaps of people say that my reasons are not good enough to become a surgeon and I personally don't think it is either but they are the reasons WHY I want to be a surgeon.</p>
<p>Q: DO you think it'll be stupid if I write (in my essay) those reasons? Because they are my HONEST HONEST reasons.. But I don't think my HONEST reasons will impress adcoms. they might think Im a stupid..hillbilly..BUT I would LOVE to become a surgeon. My other passion is soccer. I love it also but not as much as wanting to be a surgeon.
So you reckon it'll be stupid to write about that? yES? no? yes?</p>
<p>I would say yes.First of all,you want have time to play soccer and really enjoy those fruit baskets,coz a surgeon's job is a 24 hour job.I should know,coz both my parents are surgeons.Secondly,how would u cope with some of ur patient dying,or more importantly,the daily sight of all that blood and stuff?
I suggest u look up some medical books.Then if u really feel upto it,go for it.
Being a surgeon requires a hell lot of study and a lot of stress,so unless u have slightly stonger reasons,reconsider this.</p>
<p>Kind of late to post this now, but what the... :D</p>
<p>Math 2C 800
Writing 780</p>
<p>nah i know about a surgeons job - my mum, dad, grampa are all surgeons. I dont mind blood, I don't mind study, i don't get stressed often. i like how it's not a constant 9am-5pm job.
I don't know - my parents always get fruit baskets and i've always envied them since I was a kid. That is my strongest reason. I know it sounds pathetic but that's the truth!
I can only see myself as a surgeon, not a lawyer, not a accountant, etc.. I think I would love to b a surgeon for the rest of my life.</p>
<p>Perfectdark9, how many did you get wrong and still get 800? great scores!</p>
<p>NoFX - are you asking if you should write about why you want to be a surgeon in your essay? You could write about your love for fruit baskets (and make it a funny piece) and explain how it's your symbol for healing others, and maybe highlight something special about why it's so important to you - what does it say about your personality... Or you could write about love of soccer, and how you'd want to share that with patients. Did you have an experience like this? Have you watched your dad or grandfather play soccer with a healed patient? Those could be really special and unique essays, and your personality would shine through if you, youself, understand WHY fruit baskets and soccer matches are important to you.
Think of it like this: half the task (and the hardest one) in writing an essay is realising WHO YOU ARE. How can you show someone else, when you yourself don't know the answer to this question? You can't.
I think you're on the right track. If it's something important to you, no matter how trivial, it can't be stupid - because that is who you are. But you need to spend more time figuring out what is so important about fruit baskets, for you. And why they are significant in your desired life as a surgeon. Is this something that has more to do with helping others, being grateful, being appreciated or thanked? Is it a cultural or traditional thing?
Think about it.
Oh, and forget about impressing adcoms through writing what you think they want to hear. Its a surefire way to mess your essay up. Believe it or not, but you hardly know who they are, so you'll never be able to guess what they want to hear. The essay is about you, not them. They want to know you - so just show them!</p>
<p>great advice gianievve!</p>
<p>agreed. i especially like the fruit-baskets-as-humorous-launchpad idea.</p>
<p>noFX - you need to dress up your somewhat superficial reasons with deeper significance and show that you, having been exposed fully to the demands and restrictions of a surgeon's life, are pretty darn sure that it's what you want to do. voice it personal and maintain polished rawness, if you know what i mean.</p>
<p>ilovemath, thanks
seeker, I agree with your advice, but what do you mean by:</p>
<p>
[quote]
maintain polished rawness
[/quote]
</p>
<p>thanks guys! Yeah gianievve, you know my thoughts! If I think really really deep about why I like fruitbaskets, and playing soccer with little girls and boys, it reflects back to my childhood time when I used to play with my dad and his patients. Even though I was little, I dunno, I was grateful for my dad for making them happy. I know that children don't usually think these kinda things when they play soccer and it sounds cheesy but I dunno..it's weird.
Ok Im not going to try to impress the adcoms. I'm going to show them what I'm like and if they don't like me..stuff them.lol
Thanks guys for widening out my thoughts!</p>
<p>'maintain polished rawness' = carefully crafting your essay so that it doesn't appear overedited or bombastic, but rather gritty and honest, and yet stays elegant and eloquent. (phew.) the same sort of idea as hair exhibiting 'studied messiness'. :)</p>
<p>Hey seeker, I like your language. :) How are you able to write so well? Don't tell me you're gifted or give that sort of going-around-the-issue reply because I know you must have done something. This goes to all of you here as well. You guys are really good writers; I was so amazed the first time I came on CC! Thanks in advance for your help!</p>
<p>seeker - brilliant analogy, and makes perfect sense
geniezclone - read your heart out!! that's the best advice I can give anyone</p>
<p>When I read my heart out, they come out babbled and they sound like little kid's language. lol they sound as unintellectual as my 8 year old sister.</p>
<p>NoFX, I found your chem SAT II score trend highly amusing. :) Good luck!</p>
<p>gianievve: Thanks for your advice. :)
NoFX: LoL... I can see now that you're born to write that fruit-basket essay...</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>LOL, you said you didn't speak good English, yet you got 740 in Verbal? I know some (if not lots) Americans -whose, consequently, first language is English- with sub 600 SAT Verbal score. I think you're just being insecure about yourself.</p>
<p>thanks geniezclone. all i can say is, as gianievve said, read yourself to bits. even in the short term, reading good writing/essays will help you improve your essays. so just make a conscious effort to read whenever you can.</p>