<p>also, GRACIAS MI AMIGAS!</p>
<p>wow, everybody essays are amazing compared to mine. maybe thats why I didnt get into exeter. My hotchkiss one was the best, and I got WLed there.</p>
<p>This was one of my better ones, but its really short. Probably why I was rejected :(</p>
<p>A blur of colors streams past my eyes, bright greens, burnt oranges and reds, deep yellows. A symphony of crashing footfalls, kept in time by the erratic beating of my heart, plays around my ears and in my head. A tangled maze of outstretched roots captures my eyes, tempting me to conquer them. This is the beauty of running to me. The lines of concentration and the grim expression of determination on a runnerâs face as they push to the finish; the perfect form of a hurdler as she clears the jump and the surprise and elation on her face as she realizes what she has just accomplished. All these forms of running are remarkable to me. Whether it be cross country, sprinting or hurdling, they all inspire me to be better than I am, the person I hope to be but am not.</p>
<p>I really liked the description in yours, Hope! Were you accepted anywhere?</p>
<p>Bumpppppp!</p>
<p>Your essay is what i call as a concise writing. Its really good. I guess I didnt get accepted because my essays dont really convey me⊠I can write better ones, but they are so personal to be read by strangers like the adcomsâŠurgh :(</p>
<p>Phillips Andover Essay
Topic A
My true Identity?</p>
<pre><code>âDiscover your true self,â said Buddha, âthen you will reach enlightenmentâ. As a follower of the Zen Buddhism faith, it is one of my life goals to reach the âall knowing stageâ. Reading over Buddhaâs quotes and teachings had me wondering why I was not yet enlightened. I thought I knew everything about myself, therefore knowing my true self. However, after I spent a month at a Zen Center, I realized I had no idea who I truly am.
During the summer of 2009, my mom sent me to a Zen Center for a month. My time there changed my whole perspective on life through house chores and meditation. Every day for three hours I did simple chores such as cleaning kitchens, bathrooms, and washing dishes. I had never imagined myself enjoying housework. I always thought them to be tedious, but they gave me a sense of peace. Every evening we would also do an hour of meditation. It was wonderful to just sit there and cut off all thought and listen to nature. Sometimes guest speakers would come, and give lectures on life and philosophy. Those were always thought provoking and made me question many things I thought I knew about life. The house chores, the meditation activities, and the lectures gave me a sense of inner peace and a lot of time for self reflection.
During the hours I spent in self reflection, I realized a harsh truth. I had no clue who I was. I had been so involved in school, activities and friends that I had never taken time to realize who I really am. I let my activities and my social life control my thoughts and actions .They made me believe those two things were all there is to life. I had become so void and thoughtless because I failed to ask myself the most important question of all; who am I?
Although I still have no clue who I truly am, I am happy. I realize my name, my activities, friends, and family cannot really define who I am; only I can discover my true self. There have been a few bumps on the road in my life, and there is bound to be more. However I am young and healthy, which means there is no limit to what I can still achieve. I am looking forward to embarking on the journey to discover my true identity throughout my future.
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<p>Good one jyun! No wonder you got in!</p>
<p>haha gracias i found my other essay- i sent two by mistake⊠lol</p>
<p>Phillips Andover Essay
Topic C</p>
<p>Father First, Politician Second</p>
<pre><code>In the year 2060, I will be seventy-four years old and, hopefully, still alive. I know as I grow older my thoughts and opinions will change, but my goals wonât. If I were to write an autobiography it would be titled, Father First, Politician Second. My goals are to be a good father first and a great politician second.
My mother is the most important person to me. The bond I share with her is unbreakable. My mother was studying to become a surgeon when she conceived me. She decided to give up her studies so she can care for me. Even when we filed for bankruptcy my mother sold her jewelry so I could have lunch money. My mom always made sure I was well taken care of, even if it meant sacrificing her own needs or goals. That is why when I grow up and have my own family, I plan on loving and caring for my children just as much as my mother did for me. I believe if you decide to have children, then your first and most important job is being a good parent.
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<p>My country is also very important to me. I considered the USA the beacon of hope in this dark world. Our country is a democracy, which means theoretically every single citizen is just as important as another citizen, whether black or white or poor or rich. Unfortunately, in the past decade due to a recession and two wars our country has slowly been crippled. Most of the politicians nowadays seem to just argue with each other and never get much done. I hope that within the next thirty years I can become a politician and actually make a difference. I hope to get more done than just argue with other politicians and try to attract attention for myself. My goals as a politician are to stop needless spending and protect the environment. The United States spends excessive amounts of money on weapons, which can be used to improve roads and our educational system. Our planet and resources are also our home. If we plunder and destroy our own home, where will our children live, in the ruins? </p>
<pre><code>If I am still alive in 2060, I hope I am a happy old man who spoils his grandchildren. After I die, I hoped to be remembered as a loving father who raised his children into proper adults and as a politician who helped protect America and kept it running.
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<p>jyun, your essays are really well-written. especially your second one-- it was just sincere and straightforward and good job! :)</p>
<p>Hey guys, apparently the essay I posted was actually the rough draft, because I was looking through my docs and found one a little longer and different. xD Lo siento! And now that I look back on this essay, I think it was kinda preachy. D:</p>
<p>I was born to a city paved with wildflowers, and then left as soon as I came. I like to think that that glimpse --of dotted honey along the roads, scraggly purple beside decades old wood doors, dandelion seeds drifting past a crib by a window-- maybe, maybe that was how I started seeing beauty.</p>
<p>That is what I scrabble to do.</p>
<p>I met a man in Beijing last year. He was â, wore simple clothes, and strung along a couple kids. After giving a balloon I had to the ----year-old, I sat down to talk to him. It began as a friendly chat, in the variety of Âare you enjoying Beijing yes I am thank you what about you etc. But I was curiousÂyou didnÂt often see foreigners around here. </p>
<p>IÂm here for my children, he said with an accent. We moved from â. </p>
<p>Oh, I said. </p>
<p>Perhaps that was incentive to go on, because he then continued to talk about his old home.</p>
<p>We had a gardenÂwe planted strawberries there, he said quietly. My wifeÂher eyes are â, you know, very unusualÂloved them. But then our neighbor was bombed and we had to stop. </p>
<p>The way he said thatÂas if talking about the weatherÂshook me. I mean, you read something about the Middle East in the news and feel bad, but itÂs still so far away. Listening to the manÂwho I never exchanged names with but met several times with to talk by the community swingset where his kids playedÂwas always a strange and unsettling experience. He would give long, rambling speeches on peace and war, heavy topics to talk to a stranger about. And I could only listen and understand and open my eyes. </p>
<p>Have a candy, he said one day, holding out a yellow piece. </p>
<p>I was hesitant to take itÂstranger danger and all thatÂbut then he shook his head and said, </p>
<p>Please. ItÂs polite where I come from.</p>
<p>His kids ran over to get some too, and at that moment he smiled. And that was when I realized, watching him fold candy into his childrens palms, that still, even in struggle, you could find beauty.</p>
<p>There was beauty everywhere, and at least in the details. You-- I, weÂcould change things like this. And that too was beautiful. </p>
<p>(When youâre fourteen you really canÂt say anything wise. But you are always trying to reach the beauty like the kind you found in the summer, met in the sad portrait of the man, and do something with itÂstarting from the little steps. You play the same measure over and over again not for getting it right but for hearing the beauty in it so that other people can hear it too, and teach children English to listen to them saying Âtiger sheep lion tiger sheep lion with rouged, dimpled faces, roaring and laughing. </p>
<p>Because honestly, honestly: sometimes seeing others smile is even better than smiling yourself.)</p>
<p>Hereâs one of my essays:
It was the summer of 2009 when I first heard about baby P. I was researching heartbreaking child abuse cases and various images appeared on the screen. The one that stood out to me above all others was of a small boy perhaps a year old; he had deep indigo eyes revealing hidden suffering and pain- much of which he had no idea of the reason behind. He had fair hair cut off an inch above his eye and his mouth was open, enough to see two small teeth on his lower jaw. His sweater coincidentally was a darker shade of his eyes and he stood gazing into the camera. The picture caused tears to brim around my eyes and I attempted to uncover the identity of this little boy and what his story was.
He was Peter Conelly- nicknamed Baby P at the time of his death at age 1. He was a victim of child abuse in Britain and had suffered up to 50 injuries in an 8 month period. His mother along with her boyfriend and his brother had been convicted of causing and allowing the death of Peter. The public was devastated as well as shocked because the child protection services and other agencies had failed to protect Baby P even after a magnitude of injuries had surfaced and had been brought to their attention. The mother had already been arrested twice. Yet, the abuse continued and tragically ended on August 3rd, 2007.
I pondered at what this worldÂs true self was. It had allowed for innocent lives to be snatched away. It contained monsters disguised as humans for no human would commit such an inhumane act-would he? To throw in the hands of evil, innocence-innocence that cannot even fend for itself. The answer that I would choose is no, but humans do perform acts corroborating the incivility beneath the exterior of our Âcivilizations.ÂHowever the important question was what I could do? I could not bring to end these acts nor could I take away all the suffering for those who had fallen prey of these merciless predators. Nevertheless, I was anxious to do something-anything. I started involving myself in different organizations, keeping myself agile to anything in my own community, and donating all that I could to this cause. This experience not only introduced me to a cause that I would feel so strongly about, but it also taught me that making small changes can up to a large number. Similarly, Mother Teresa said, ÂIf you canÂt feed a hundred people, just feed one. I may not make a difference in a hundred childrenÂs lives, but I may be able to make a difference in oneÂs. </p>
<p>it was an experience essay⊠i decided to stretch it a bit⊠but then again that was still an experienceâŠ</p>
<p>good stuff tuesdayss:)</p>
<p>this is humbling. . .
I thought I was a decent writer!</p>
<p>i am on the waitlist, so I will wait to post mine as not to give away my identity</p>
<p>you probably are⊠all our writing styles ar different canât judge. No matter what happens, I would never blame it on my writing⊠cuz there is no right or wrong there. unless you write about pieâŠor moster trucks ⊠or somthing instead of the topic given.</p>
<p>Might as well. Iâm sure you can guess where this is from and what the question is, but letâs not say it outright, shall we?</p>
<hr>
<pre><code> My favorite song is âAnything But Fineâ by Zox. It was released in 2006 by SideOneDummy Records. It is a mellow song describing the emotions one feels when giving up on a relationship thatâs not working out. The song is directed from the singer to the girl he likes.
The lyrics of the song convey the emotions of desperation, indecisiveness, and hiding oneâs true feelings. I get the sense that the relationship the song describes is ending soon, as it constantly refers to various time limits (âtomorrow I will disappearâ, âyou canât keep me aliveâ), adding to the sense of desperation that resides throughout the song. This desperation also becomes apparent with the chorus â âTell me Iâm yours/Tell me youâre mine/Tell me Iâm anything but fine/Tell me a story/Tell me the time/Tell me a lieâ â the constant refrain of him asking her to tell him anything, including a lie, puts forth the sense that he wants to hear and see as much of her as possible before the relationship ends. However, it does not make me as a listener feel desperate, only sad. The song also occasionally contradicts itself, possibly a metaphor for the singerâs inner conflict and indecisiveness (âleave me aloneâ as opposed to âtell me Iâm yours/Tell me youâre mineâ). The song also describes the singer wanting to hide this inner conflict (and perhaps vulnerability) and only put forth the part of him he wants her to see (âsong with all the right wordsâ, âtape with all the right noiseâ). The singer describes his actions as being more measured and less emotive than he wants from her (âYou said that words could only get you so far/But Iâve got sentences that cover up all my scarsâ). I feel this shows that he knows he is hiding his flaws, but he also knows that they will be exposed eventually (âin the end I might forget what they areâ in reference to the sentences).
The sound of the song is slow paced â the tune reminds me of lullabies I heard as a child - until the crescendo at the end, with most of the melody coming from the electric guitar, bass, and violin. The melody of the electric guitar is repetitive but soothing, reminding me of long road trips Iâve taken with my family. The violin adds tension with its sporadic use during the verses, but building up into each refrain of the chorus, where it is the most prominent instrument. Near the end, drums are added into the song, the guitar becomes more prominent, and the lyrics are sung with more authority. The increased power and action at this point feels almost like waking up from a dream â serenity is ending and reality is setting in.
I like this song because the melody is soothing and the lyrics inspire me â sometimes I like to think of stories that go along to songs I like, and this has given me dozens of ideas. For instance, I sometimes feel as if the song is directed towards a blind person both literally and figuratively - the girl he is singing to may be blind to the whole world, or just the singerâs feelings. I think of this because all the things he wishes he could do for her that you can see (âif I could make you a mapâ, âif I could paint you a pictureâ) are all spoken of as if only he knows about them, while the things you can hear are spoken more as if they are mutually understood, albeit they may not be requited (âMaybe youâre right and weâve got nothing to sayâ). I also like the melody of the song and its use of the violin â itâs rare in rock/pop, and thatâs a shame considering the beautiful quality it adds to songs such as this. And while the lyrics donât convey hope, I feel the music adds that element to the piece. The final notes of the song sound very much like the introduction, and this gives me the sense that even if he is returning to reality or life without her, itâs okay because he still has the memories of her. I like how the events play out in the song, too â it didnât end like a fairytale, but it didnât end with a fight, either. It shows that sometimes relationships just donât work out and you grow apart. It gives me hope by making me think that even if this relationship doesnât work out for the singer, heâll go through another which might. It also makes me excited, because it shows that while not all life experiences are pleasant, you can make something beautiful (such as this song) out of anything (such as an ending relationship) â which makes me eager to see what I can make out of lifeâs experiences, both good and bad.
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<p>whoah, peddie. your essay made me sad D: really strong topic and great essay. gracias tambien!</p>
<p>and amen to what peddie said, cantaloupe!</p>
<p>Ooh, listened to the song, koni. The intro is so cool 8) Niiiiice essay too.</p>
<p>Also, I sort of guessed for what school this was for, bwuahahaha. Congrats for getting into it! ;D</p>
<p>Thanks! Yeah, ZOX is my favorite band. If you liked that one youâll probably like âEventuallyâ or âI Am Only Waitingâ (this song makes me cry every time). They have an awesome rock cover of Canon in D, as well (thatâs the song that got me to start listening to them).</p>
<p>ehh this was groton. not the best⊠i got waitlisted. </p>
<p>A meaningful life is a simple recipe. ItÂs like making sugar cookies; not many ingredients are required, but in the end, the result is heartwarming. You canÂt help feel blissful and warm inside, as if youÂve turned into the cookie yourself. The key ingredients are only happiness, trying your best Âeven if you fail, goodwill, and belief in yourself. Although not a key ingredient, I believe that sharing is very important. ItÂs the extra sugar sprinkled on top, adding just a little more sweetness in life.<br>
Without happiness, itÂs impossible just to lead a life at all. When happiness disappears, hope is lost. When are happy though, youÂre able to spread that happiness, brightening other peoples days. I know that whenever IÂm upset, my parents or a friend will always be there, trying to cheer me up and make me feel better. To live a meaningful life, you must be selfless at times, and think of others. By trying to make them feel better, youÂre showing support and putting them first. Happiness makes life worthwhile, for you and other people.
Often, when I was younger, adults would always tell me, ÂTry, try again! whenever I made a mistake. IÂve learned so much since then; I now know that mistakes are inevitable. IÂve also learned in order to do your best, you must try your best at whatever you may do, even if you donÂt succeed. Life is only lived once, and I find I must make the best of it. Years from now I donÂt want to look back on my life and be regretful, telling myself, ÂIf only I tried harderÂ
 or ÂI wish I didnÂt make that decisionÂ
 like my parents have said numerous times. In order to find your true potential, you have to show what youÂre made of.
Without goodwill, where would we be in the world? Goodwill, like sharing, is what makes us whole. It drives us to become better people, because it can result in amazing things. A donation to Oxfam (a confederation of different organizations hoping to make a change) can give someone hope. The other day while on the internet, I came across this proverb, ÂKindness is language which the blind can see, and the deaf can hear. After reading it, I thought about how true it was. Goodwill comes in many different forms, and nothing matters more than kindness. ItÂs what heals us all.
Someday, I hope to master this recipe. Although simple, in the worst of times, it can be a strenuous dream in the far off distance. For now, I will try to gather the ingredients and prepare myself, readying myself to share this recipe with people in the future.</p>