<p>I applied to Columbia RD. Based on this essay, what do you think my chances are? Thanks!</p>
<pre><code>My mother was a doctor; a lawyer; a teacher–anything but Mexican.
I could not express my love of my grandfather’s tamales, my passion for the Spanish language, or my eagerness for the La Posada celebration each year without attracting scathing mockery from my peers.
I created the most American mother I could envision, and thus I was reborn–this time, with rock ‘n’ roll in place of ranchera in my veins. In concealing my mother’s cultural identity, I became a persona muerta–a dead person, as my mother put it.
At Columbia, I would freely express my patrimonio–my heritage, which would be not only accepted but also embraced. I would join the Chicano Caucus and become a part of the Intercultural Resource Center, where I would attend fiestas, film festivals, and discussions. I would synthesize this cultural awareness with my passion for music. Through the Music Performance Program, I would fuse my love of violin with my cultural appreciation by participating in the orchestra, chamber groups, and world music ensembles. By exploring Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely in “The Lyric Essay,” I would analyze this unique literary structure. The Creative Writing Lecture Series and Nonfiction Dialogues would allow me to participate in discourse and further my knowledge of the art of writing.
Columbia is not merely a place of learning; it is an intellectual haven, enabling its students to expand their worldview and deepen their understanding of humanity.
On the steps of the Low Memorial Library, I would not obscure my identity as Mexican American. I would share my grandfather’s prized tamales with my peers; I would don my mother’s puebla on occasion; and I would be a persona viva–more alive than ever before.
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