<p>I’m attending Chicago, sorry if I was unclear.</p>
<p>Yo silver, I’m at Chicago right now, but i’m applying to transfer to Columbia. If I were in your position, I think I’d go Barnard because of the location. Morningside Heights absolutely demolishes Hyde Park. (I think everyone at this school will admit that the time will come when you just HAVE to get outta Hyde Park.) Plus, if you really like Columbia, you’ll probably have a better chance transfering from Barnard than from someplace else. All in all, I think you’d like Barnard better, but what do I know; you know yourself better than anyone.</p>
<p>OMG prc618!! I need to talk to you right now!!! Wow… I need your UoC student perspective, and it’s really interesting you say this.
I have to say my heart IS at Barnard/Columbia/NYC.
Have you got aim?</p>
<p>Essentially I think I have to look at it like this, even in a metaphorical sense.
Looking at the bigger picture, and looking at what I want out of my undergrad experience… </p>
<p>Yesterday, Chicago sent me a nice cardboard box (lol) with the Chicago Life guide and the Course catalogue and acceptance package. In the broader sense, Chicago is a good, prestigious name, with stellar academics, and excellent job prospects, and you feel as though you’re set for your future.
Barnard, also sent me something yesterday. They sent me a tiny little hand-written postcard, saying hello and that they hope I go there. In the larger sense, Barnard is going to have a more supportive, intimate, caring atmosphere… they say it has a ‘motherly’ feel to it. So I feel as though that one postcard summed up what Barnard is, and the beautiful cardboard box from Chicago sums up what Chicago is… for me…
I personally do thrive in a rigorous academic atmosphere and love intellectual challenges, and that is why I chose to apply to Chicago, and I was accepted. And I do love independence. But having said that, I love Barnard’s intimacy and support network…
As you can see, I’m still torn…
And I’ve now decided that visiting is not feasible. Mom checked out the flights and it’s just too tight to leave S’pore on Thursday and try get back by Sunday. Plus it’s very expensive and may not even help… instead just confuse me more.
And I want to visit both Barnard and Chicago, or neither.
I have a question: Can I place the deposits for both schools? Then once my IBs finish at the end of May, I can go visit both more relaxed and then make a decision, and withdraw from one school (I know I won’t get the deposit back)</p>
<p>hello waryap…im from msia too…kl too as a matter of fact. not an asean scholar though. s’pore a-levels is just to hard for me . LOL. didja get into chicago? are u attending? msian…so hard to find on these boards.</p>
<p>and why’s brine so hostile towards silver? i’ve been reading these boards for ages but only just got an account. am i missing something?</p>
<p>i don’t know lefay…he is just like that lol.
umm yep… what are you gonna do about ur dilemma…?
i’m back where i started again… i have no idea what to do</p>
<p>Thanks, ohio_mom! The traditions were the reason I fell in love with Chicago in the first place. The walk underneath the gargoyled arch at orientation, the Scholarly Yells at sports games, Kuviasungnerk (sp?)… I was so set on attending Chicago if I got in. Now I got into Stanford, which I’d been looking at for a long time but gave up hope after my midyear exams, and I’m confused. I think I’ll be attending Stanford though because I get atrocious colds and flus, even in Kuwait’s pathetic excuse for winters. I don’t think I’d be able to handle the winter well after 18 years in a desert. Thanks though and I hope your S or D, if he/she applied this year, is happy with his or her choices!</p>
<p>prc618 - I really need to hear your story… why are you transferring to Columbia? and why are you not happy at Chicago… Need to talk to you.
And I NNEEED to talk to students at Chicago… who love it</p>
<p>go to barnard, the guys will be hotter at CU. trust me, you won’t like chicago guys. btw, i decided on chicago over stanford (tentatively, until i visit 4/14)</p>
<p>If you’re the type to decide your college based on someone’s supposed “hotness,” all I can say is, god help you.</p>
<p>not me, sarahbara: but it seems to be a principal criterion for ms. wavez.</p>
<p>hahahahahahaha!!! lol… principal criterion? no. a factor when it comes to a huge dilemma like this? yes.</p>
<p>i talked to my admissions officer at chicago yesternight… and i really want to go to chicago too now.
it looks like i’ve just go to keep thinking about it, ask questions and see what’s the most fit for me… cus right now i KNOW that i’ll be very happy at both places. i mean i’m still a teeny weeny bit anxious bout u of c’s social life, but that’s just like how i’m still a teeny weeny bit anxious about the prospects of going to a girls’ college like barnard.</p>
<p>still torn :s</p>
<p>Ok, if the ONLY REASON I PERSONALLY want to go to Chicago is the following… do you think that’s enough of a reason to go to Chicago?</p>
<p>Ok, so the ONLY REASON FOR ME to want to go to U of Chicago is that it excites me… it really does. The thought of learning in an environment like that… everything I said in my Chicago essays… Those are the reasons why I’d go to Chicago.
And when I graduate from Chicago, I’ll be like WOWWW that was sooo worth it.
And this is the image I have in my mind… my brain just doubling in size at Chicago… and that thought… it really excites me - and this is the geek inside of me.
And I’ll feel like I’ve really made a huge accomplishment when I graduate… I’ll just be so proud of myself for going through that.
So, for ME, this is one of the few reasons why I’d choose Chicago over Barnard… Otherwise Barnard is rather undefeatable.</p>
<p>Actually if any of you want to read my Chicago essays to see if it’d actually be a place for me… please pm me. I hope pheonix and other UoC students see this post.</p>
<p>I’m just gonna forget the reasons why ANYONE ELSE wants me to go there… cus it’s all about prestige/name etc… which quite frankly doesn’t concern me so much.</p>
<ol>
<li> How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some particularity your own wishes and how they relate to Chicago.</li>
</ol>
<p>The intrinsic drive, energy and passion that seem to encompass every aspect of the University of Chicago experience is what attracts me the most to it. I want to be completely immersed in an environment where learning is celebrated, where every question is valid, and where creative thinking is encouraged. I can picture myself discussing whether or not Hamlet achieves heroic stature, or debating Maos purpose in launching the Cultural Revolution, or speculating on Picasso and his women till all hours of the night. I thrive on discussion, on challenges, and I enjoy engaging in debates, articulating my ideas, learning about new perspectives; at Chicago, I believe that all of this and more will be part of my every day life. </p>
<p>I perceive that a Chicago education will help me to think independently on a higher level and develop my abilities as a fluent and cogent writer. I am committed to stretch myself intellectually, and explore new fields and foster interests beyond what I know already. Having always had the passion to learn, Chicago, where there is ultimate dedication to the pursuit of ideas, is the perfect place for my mind and soul to be enriched and engrossed in a wealth of resources. </p>
<p>I have been fortunate enough to discover my passions and strengths during my four years of high school. My interests in Art, English and History have been confirmed as I study these three subjects at the IB Higher level. Chicagos reputable English department will provide a firm base in preparation for the future; a major in English, with a minor in Art History or Philosophy allows my career path to be left wide open. Graduating from Chicago will cater to all my present inclinations: advertising, journalism, teaching English and working as curator of an art gallery or museum. </p>
<p>The courses offered by the Art History department particularly appeal to me, and the abundance of art galleries and renowned museums in the city of Chicago will give me the opportunity to immerse myself in intensive first-hand research and study. I strive to be the best in my chosen field, and I believe Chicagos academic environment will prepare me for that. Furthermore, Chicagos Common Core will broaden my knowledge in all areas of academia, allowing me to study outside of my major. In particular, the Civilization course will help me to develop my interest in history and satisfy my curiosity in anthropology. </p>
<p>Apart from the academics, I am attracted to Chicagos expansive range of extracurricular activities that would enable me to further my current interests and pursue new ones. At Chicago, I am looking forward to continuing community service and I am very keen on being part of the Neighborhood School Program, as it would give me hands on experience in teaching. I would also like to continue pursuing dance, and being part of one of Chicagos newspapers or publications.</p>
<p>At Chicago, I look forward to being part of an interesting, diverse, intellectual community. I flourish on responsibility, leadership and independence, and I am confident that Chicago will help me nurture these qualities whilst preparing for life beyond university. </p>
<hr>
<ol>
<li> Tell us about a few of your favourite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, magazines, or newspapers. Feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed or add a category of your own.</li>
</ol>
<p>One of my favourite books is Milan Kunderas The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I love this book because it is a novel of ideas. The novel deals with both an action-filled love story dashed with politics whilst simultaneously revealing philosophical ideas, and it is this combination which makes it so fascinating as it catches my interest on both levels - the shallow and the deep. From the first time I read this novel, I like the fact that each part is different from the others. The story is about the same people but in each part it is told from different perspectives, and it picks up from various time periods, which I found initially unsettling, but the satisfaction of piecing all the parts together to eventually complete the picture is always worth the effort. </p>
<p>I particularly enjoyed this novel so much because it really makes you think about the ideas that are discussed in the novel, like the connection between the body and soul, lightness versus weight and what all of this really means. I was also introduced to Nietzsches idea of Eternal Return and as a Catholic, I immediately started thinking about whether life really does lose its meaning if there is Eternal Return. Human life is transient, and because it is only momentary, nothing remains; however, with Eternal Return events recur ad infinitum times. The paradox is that if there is Eternal Return, it puts pressure on life, making it heavy, but at the same time life is meaningless and light because it is transient. The title of the novel and its abstract opening raised many questions and I was intrigued to make my own evaluation and judgment to the meaning of the unbearable lightness of being, and the fundamental questions of lightness versus weight and Eternal Return. </p>
<p>The idea of Eternal Return is not a simple one; it is difficult to grasp and conceptualize; however, reading this book has unleashed my curiosity about many aspects of philosophy and set me to explore such abstract concepts and discover different ideas and ways of thinking. In the light of this interest, I wonder if it is better to concentrate on things that are ephemeral like physical beauty or those things that are permanent and eternal like death and life hereafter. These two contrasting ways of life are a significant source of conflict between heavy and light characters in the novel. </p>
<p>Another interesting aspect of this novel is the different levels of kitsch and how it operates. Kitsch, being the ignorance of reality, superficiality and shallowness, it was interesting to see how Kundera captured this in many parts of the novel. The Soviet propaganda the glorification of the Red Army, emphasizes how kitsch turns even the worst situation into a good one. Also, there are certain characters in the novel that are an embodiment of kitsch, while others completely shun it. Having discussed kitsch in Theory of Knowledge classes, it is really interesting to see how, on a literary level, kitsch is symbolized in this novel and how it causes dramatic tension between certain characters.</p>
<p>Most of all I love this novel because it got me thinking. I like the fact that the narrator has multiple roles in telling the story, interpreting and making judgments about the characters as well as talking about philosophical ideas and history. Milan Kunderas book is a truly challenging and intellectually stimulating masterpiece.</p>
<hr>
<p>Essay Option 1 - Mustard</p>
<p>For me, the act of buying a jar of mustard a foot and a half tall represents greed, laziness, absurdity or a strong desire to economize. </p>
<p>I picture a gluttonous woman, over-sized, with a cushiony backside, grabbing three of these ridiculously big jars of mustard. These jars tower over her; it is an armful even for someone so big. This woman adores her mustard. She enjoys spreading it over her sandwiches and hotdogs. She likes to have a dash of mustard in her salad dressing. She even devours it for breakfast, a generous spread on her toast toast à la mustard. It is essential for her meats and sweets. She is obsessed with the idea of big; she needs it big and not only does she buy just one jar a foot and a half tall, but three. </p>
<p>The next buyer detests shopping. A single man, in his late-20s, with a high-flying job. This is the first time in weeks he has visited a supermarket of any kind. He chose to come to a warehouse store to literally stock up. A passer-by would have thought the worlds biggest natural disaster was about to hit them. His shopping trolley is overflowing with anything and everything that is super-sized. Ironically, this man barely eats at home the last time he prepared a meal was over a year ago. He occasionally entertains his big shot guests; however, mustard usually doesnt make an appearance on the menu. He just needs his essentials, and since he is too lazy to shop on a regular basis, he thought why not buy everything big so that I never have to go grocery shopping He thinks hell never run out of supplies, or at least he hopes he doesnt. </p>
<p>Then, the awkward-looking boy who had been lurking in the mustard aisle, saw the trendy young man, dressed very smartly, pick up that extra huge jar of mustard. The boy is there just to buy some gum and lollies but he thinks why not a huge jar of mustard? Hes not seen anything like it it looks awesome and he wants to get it. He doesnt even think twice he just goes for it! He doesnt crave it, he doesnt need it, but he just wants to buy it. Buying it will satisfy his impulsive urge. Once he gets to the cashier, he proudly presents the jar of mustard. On his way out, he thinks what a fun trip he had and says to himself, Im going to use this mustard to squirt the kids! This boys use of the mustard turns out to be a weapon a mustard firing machine gun!</p>
<p>The last person of the day to make a purchase is a little old woman, modestly dressed, very pleasant looking. Her motto in life is economize. The previous big jar of mustard lasted her for at least two and a half years, and after a while it started to taste funny. She had also forgotten to put it back in the fridge on a number of occasions, leaving the jar out in the heat for a couple of days each time. She now has no recollection of how she had to throw away her previous bottle (even with half of the mustard still left inside). None of this really matters. All she wants to do is economize!</p>
<p>Personally, I would never buy this jar of mustard. It is symbolic of our greed, our absurd tendencies, our impulsive desires. Everyone in the economically advanced countries will have encountered individuals who display such traits. In a consumer-driven world, materialism seems to rule our lives. I am not going to attempt to counter consumerism, but simply highlight the misconception of big being of more value, the paradox of saving money actually wasting money, and the weird reasons (or lack of reasons) as to why people buy things.</p>
<p>The woman who economizes does not realize that there is a downside to her motto. We are technically the most rational consumers. We are so driven by consumerism, by the notion of value-for-money and bargains, we attempt to gain maximum satisfaction for our money. Unfortunately, we have become so rational and so predictable that we end up being irrational. In her attempts to economize, the old woman ends up wasting the mustard. Sale shoppers are of the illusion that they are saving money because of their bargain buys; however, they end up buying things they dont really need. Bargain buys and impulse buys are just other excuses to waste. </p>
<p>A friend of my parents is the most flamboyant shopper I have ever met. I can pinpoint two negative traits in him he is an impulsive, excess shopper. He buys twenty shirts at a time ten smart, ten casual. As he accompanies his friend to buy shoes, he is the one who walks out with two pairs. Not only does he shop excessively and impulsively, but also he is drawn to the luxury brands. He spends freely, and he admits that it is a very expensive addiction he says that he owns about two hundred shirts, many of which are still in their packaging, and some he is not even aware of. </p>
<p>I see a fault in this way of life. There should be more to life than conforming to that super-huge jar of mustard. It is important for each of us to realize what the real value of life is. The society that many of us have been brought up in, measures success or happiness in life by affluence. Our human value system seems to be determined by the amount of money we have, or the car we drive, or the mp3 player we listen to. As much as this way of life is comfortable and full of luxuries, it is shallow. </p>
<p>The super-sized jar of mustard is wasteful and unnecessary. It can make us happy because we think we have made a good deal, or we think we will waste less mustard, or we think we are being efficient, and overall we think we are satisfying ourselves. However, a small jar of mustard can be used wisely. It can be savored, appreciated and truly enjoyed to the very last bit. </p>
<p>I have learned to be content without a super-huge jar of mustard. Just recently, I experienced a huge disappointment, and realized that things dont always fall into place like the way Id hoped. As a means of alleviating my sadness and emptiness, I thought getting the ever so hip and trendy iPod would make me happy. The perfect, pristine white music player that fits up to ten thousand songs lured me. However, I learned yet again, that my intangible desires like happiness cannot be fulfilled by huge jars of mustard. What brings me true happiness is making Sam the rider (the boy at Riding for the Disabled I used to work with) laugh, putting a smile on a strangers face after giving away my Burger King discount coupons, getting the unconditional love from my dogs and hearing a thank you after helping my friend with a math problem. </p>
<p>I am neither an altruist nor a saint I just simply believe that the value of life cannot be quantified by money or materials. Moreover, in a materialistic environment, the things that matter and the things one treasures should not come from conspicuous consumptions, but rather from family, friends, emotions, art, socially valuable contributions and the simpler things in life.</p>
<p>Wow silver, your responses to those questions were LONG</p>
<p>mine were short, 2 paragraphs for the favorites and I think one for the school</p>
<p>/agrees with otto</p>
<p>my responses to the short ones were 4-500 words (which I thought was too long) and the long one (I did on MLK) was about 1100 i think, which I thought was way too long, but didnt have enough time to winnow it down well before teh deadline.</p>
<p>well whatever fits.</p>
<p>Also contributing to the shortness was the fact that I was quite sick and had to drag myself out of bed on the EA deadline to write those two.</p>
<p>Wow, your mustard essay is wonderful. I bet they had a blast reading it!</p>
<p>Geez, my essays were boring, uncreative. But I still got in, so who cares!!! My short answer essays were what the name implies - short 
Two small paragraphs, I think.</p>
<p>I got in UChicago with Essay Option 4. The topic is this:
In a book entitled The Minds I, by Douglas Hofstadter, philosopher Daniel C. Dennett posed the following problem:
Suppose you are an astronaut stranded on Mars whose spaceship has broken down beyond repair. In your disabled craft
there is a Teleclone Mark IV teleporter that can swiftly and painlessly dismantle your body, producing a
molecule-by-molecule blueprint to be beamed to Earth. There, a Teleclone receiver stocked with the requisite atoms will
produce, from the beamed instructions, youcomplete with all your memories, thoughts, feelings, and opinions. If you
activate the Teleclone Mark IV, which astronaut are youthe one dismantled on Mars or the one produced from a
blueprint on Earth? Suppose further that an improved Teleclone Mark V is developed that can obtain its blueprint without
destroying the original. Are you then two astronauts at once? If not, which one are you?
To celebrate twenty years of uncommon essay questions, we brought back this favorite from 1984.</p>
<p>And this is what I wrote:</p>
<p>While analyzing this question, I came up with the following analogy. Suppose you are in a cabin on a ship that either
moves with constant velocity or does not move at all. The cabin that you are in does not have any windows, so you
cannot see if the ship is moving. Then, according to the Einsteins principle of relativity, you are unable to determine
whether the boat is moving or not no matter what kind of physical experiment you carry out in the cabin. This is
because you are in the reference frame of the ship, and you cannot look at it from any other reference frame, being
locked in the cabin. Similarly, if you are clone, you are in the reference frame of the clone, and you cannot identify
yourself with anybody else but yourself. Only a third person can distinguish between the clone and the original
astronaut. One might ask: What if you know exactly that you are the clone, and you do not need anybody to tell
you? I believe that there is a difference between know and feel, and your knowledge of the fact of cloning
would not prevent you from feeling the same person. You would think: I am still a human being, despite the fact of
my cloning, with all the consequences. Moreover, I am the same individual as I have been before because I feel,
think and behave in the same way as I did before. To the people around you, however, the knowledge of the fact
of cloning would make all the difference in perceiving you. In my opinion, if they know that you are a clone, they
would never identify you with the astronaut they used to know.
In both cases with the astronaut, people know who the original person is and what happened to him. The trouble
begins, I guess, when the replica does not agree with being considered a replica. It is more likely to happen in the
case of Teleclone Mark IV, because the clone believes that he is unique, just as any other human being on the Earth.
If I went through this teleporter, I would say that I am the astronaut. My argument would be that there is no other
person like me in the whole universe, I am unique. With Teleclone Mark V, there are two distinct human beings, but
each of them would still feel original. The clone would not do things that are not inherent to him on purpose, just to
be different from his counterpart. The situation becomes more complicated, and society now has to deal with a
major paradox two people claiming to be the same individual. Of course, the fact that one of the twins (though
they are not twins twins have differences, and these two guys do not) is on Mars, and the other one is on the Earth
will help distinguish between the two; but each of them would think he is the astronaut. If I were cloned this way,
the me on Mars would feel himself, and the me on the Earth would feel the same way. Both of them are right,
since neither one can feel or think of himself being two people at once, or not being himself at all. If I were either one
of them, I would behave naturally and just be myself, no matter what other people say. The question whether I am
the astronaut or the clone, therefore, cannot be answered by any of the two mes. Asking a third person would not
help much: even if this person knows exactly which one is which, his decision about who is the original person would
be unjust toward the other person. People cloned this way lose their personality and are not unique anymore from a
third-person point of view, although they will always be unique to themselves…
This brings me to another, somewhat similar question: in a fictional situation, where two astronauts on a broken ship
can only survive if combined into one person, who would this person be: one of the astronauts let us say the one
possessing stronger personality, or a plain combination of the two, or probably another, completely different, human
being?</p>