<ol>
<li>Dream career, if money were irrelevant?
Con artist of great justice, propaganda distributor, professional motivator.</li>
<li>Intended major/academic interests?
Psychology, maybe sociology.</li>
<li>Favorite book/author(s)/movies?
Chekhov stories, Orson Scott Card’s short stories, Harry Potter (of course), Eavan Boland and Cecilia Woloch (poets). I like crime drama movies in general.</li>
<li>Nerdiness on a scale of 1-10?
9 usually, 8 when things fly over my head.</li>
<li>Guilty pleasure?
Top 40 music, rap is a constant torture though.</li>
<li>Favorite music genre?
Electronica, folk, but I’ll listen to anything that’s not rap and isn’t too loud.</li>
<li>Greatest accomplishment?
Making people smile on a daily basis, I hope.</li>
<li>Greatest failure?
Not taking even close to all the chances thrown at me in life.</li>
<li>Favorite nonacademic past time?
Writing, watching sitcoms, sitting still.</li>
<li>How high is Stanford ranked on your list? Be honest.
Pragmatic No.1, but I know UChicago is a better fit.</li>
</ol>
<p>ugh, I don’t get all this about Harry Potter. I have read them, and in my opinion, the books are terrible. let me explain myself though.</p>
<p>first of all. magic. wizards. witches. not exactly creative.
character development. very little. I felt no emotional connection to any character. Harry is a stagnant character. he supposedly gets through life through his friends, luck, and bravery. I don’t get it. how am I supposed to like him?
plot. nothing special. fairly predictable endings to each book.
style. absolutely banal. there are thousands of writers that can write better than rowling.
setting. not bad, pretty interesting. still, nothing special compared to all those amazing sci-fi/fantasy writers out there.</p>
<p>overall, nothing about the book appeals to me. it’s not particularly imaginative (but it’s also not believable at all). it’s not particularly good writing. the characters aren’t particularly interesting. the plot is mediocre.
yet it happens to have ridiculous levels of popularity. I know not everyone has to agree about subjective things, but is there something I’m missing?</p>
<p>@zephyr,
If you look at the plot and the setting only in the context of “magic. wizards. witches” then of course it is not creative. But to go into it a little deeper, particularly within this genre and sub-genre, the books are pretty unique. The setting of the “HP world” is within the actual world and instead of creating a whole “new world” like Tolkien, Brooks, Jordan etc. she(JKR) has placed her characters within the real world and has added another dimension to this very world. That is the creativity and the uniqueness of JKR’s writing. It has created its own sub-genre.
But, I can understand what you feel when you say “is there something I’m missing?”…I had the exact same response after reading “the old man and the sea” …I mean BORING…the old man is following the fish…so??..move along…hehehe…
So its about your own preferences…I like HP…not as much as LoTR…but I can see why its popular…Its about your own interests…</p>
<p>Well, I tend to think that most culture phenomenons become as such due to a simple reason: the masses enjoy simplicity, as we’ve witnessed with HP and Twilight. That’s why people who usually “never” read read those two series avidly. They’re garbage lit (I enjoy them anyways). Twilight more so than HP, but by a narrow margin. It’s so easy to get lost in another fantasy world that doesn’t require thinking and understanding words longer than seven characters, as with Tolkien and the like.</p>
<ol>
<li>Dream career, if money were irrelevant? Animator/Character Developer at Pixar</li>
<li>Intended major/academic interests? Biomechanics, Behavioral Economics, Neuroscience</li>
<li>Favorite book/author(s)/movies? Kurt Vonnegut, 1984, The Story of Ferdinand, Calvin and Hobbes (A cartoon, I know, but still a favorite), David Halberstam, Orwell, Joyce, Wedding Crashers.</li>
<li>Nerdiness on a scale of 1-10? 4, I’m really not that nerdy. Probably a 6 if I quit baseball.</li>
<li>Guilty pleasure? Just sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. I feel so unproductive, but sometimes it’s just so relaxing!</li>
<li>Favorite music genre? Everything but country.</li>
<li>Greatest accomplishment? When I was ten I climbed the highest tree at the park.</li>
<li>Greatest failure? Losing anything and everything. I once lost my gym lock three days in a row. It was pretty embarrassing to go in and buy a new one three times. </li>
<li>Favorite nonacademic past time? Backyard wiffle ball.<br></li>
<li>How high is Stanford ranked on your list? Be honest. #1 by a mile.</li>
</ol>
<p>I read all the time, but I still like Harry Potter. It’s not the greatest literature ever written, but it’s a really good story and when I was ten it had me eagerly anticipating my letter from Hogwarts. This is coming from a person who loves comics and cartoons and wants to make children’s movies for a living, so take it with a grain of salt I guess. </p>
<p>P.S. The prose in Harry Potter is 10000x better than it is in Twilight. My sister made me read the first chapter of Twilight and I almost gagged.</p>
<ol>
<li>Dream career, if money were irrelevant? Neurologist</li>
<li>Intended major/academic interests? BME or related field</li>
<li>Favorite book/author(s)/movies? Movies: Pride and Prejudice, Donnie Darko, just got a good laugh from You Don’t Mess with the Zohan(like 15 mins ago) </li>
<li>Nerdiness on a scale of 1-10? outside 1, inside 7</li>
<li>Guilty pleasure? CC, and being a girl</li>
<li>Favorite music genre? Alternative: Radiohead, maybe Neutral Milk Hotel, The Appleseed Cast, Something Corporate/Andrew McMahon</li>
<li>Greatest accomplishment? I am happy with everything I have done academically…so I guess not failing. </li>
<li>Greatest failure? my SAT math score haha </li>
<li>Favorite nonacademic past time? water skiing/shopping</li>
<li>How high is Stanford ranked on your list? Be honest. 1 if money didnt matter. 2 if it did(full tuition to Vandy MIGHT win).</li>
</ol>
<p>ooh you and i would get along quite well 
(the girl I like has these qualities too)</p>
<p>uh oh haha</p>
<p>Haha, we got an internet love affair starting lol. :D</p>
<p>nah, I’m asking my girl out as soon as all her apps are in :D</p>
<p>HAHA i love that you’d wait for her to finish her apps.
i just got a very big kick out of that.</p>
<p>how awkz!!
love it though</p>
<p>What is your:
- surgeon for doctors w/o borders
- biology/biological sciences
- the godfather - mario puzo
- 5
- women
- alternative hip-hop / classic rock
- publication in major medical journal
- ah, you don’t want to know
- sleep
- #1</p>
<ol>
<li>Dream career, if money were irrelevant? architectural concept designer (they design roller coasters!! and other rides)</li>
<li>Intended major/academic interests? premed maybe or pschology</li>
<li>Favorite book/author(s)/movies? Movies: Kite Runner</li>
<li>Nerdiness on a scale of 1-10? 2, im the most social smart person at my school haha </li>
<li>Guilty pleasure? CC, i cant believe it</li>
<li>Favorite music genre? R&B</li>
<li>Greatest accomplishment? being a vegetarian for the length of time i was dared to do </li>
<li>Greatest failure? Math Level 2 score ahh</li>
<li>Favorite nonacademic past time? bowling!</li>
<li>How high is Stanford ranked on your list? 2, behind columbia and infront of chicago.</li>
</ol>
<p>i just love how the messages are unaligned, lol
yeah, ask her out, maybe with flowers, prom etc.</p>
<p>I love how you’re telling us how you plan to woo her and win her affections, ■■■■■. Don’t go with roses; be unique! and do NOT do the typical Asian thing and try to win her over by being like, “You know, I’m going to Stanford in the fall~~~~~~~”</p>
<p>Bahaha, I kid.</p>
<p>“Watering hole” is such the perfect term for us.</p>
<p>@michelle “You know, I’m going to Stanford in the fal…” Lmao!!! Omg, I’m literally cracking up haha. Lol.</p>
<p>ha I’m on a “break” until apps are done with…christmas break-ish.</p>
<p>actually I was going to compose a short nocturne for her, and name it in her honor
but I like the stanford one :P</p>
<p>oh dang. okay, you definitely get props on that one ^^^</p>