Thursday, August 13, 2020
What Are Some Dos And Donts For The Admissions Essay?
What Are Some Do's And Don'ts For The Admissions Essay? Alfred Prufrockâ and learned ancient history from the ancients themselves, we pursued an underlying philosophical thread, examining our readings through the lens of courage. I still have the battered schedule, which I kept in my pocket. Almost every morning I visited the campus bookstore. I bought a copy of James Joyceâs Dubliners, which I managed to snag some downtime to read. At some point, after reading it, I felt like Sophie as I wondered about my beliefs and values and about the world. In my St. Johnâs story, we are not only discovering adventure, but we are uncovering meanings, dimensions, countless wonders, questions, and even some answers. The night is young, the tea is still warm, the interest is fresh. Later that night, we will still be there, night old, tea cold, but the interest will never fade. The night is loudest when at its quietest, and as I lay there, closing the last page of the book, I will fall asleep knowing tomorrow is a new day, a new adventure. I dove into Aristotle and Thucydides while my dog investigated the nearby smells. Every evening, I ticked off the days on the calendar, counting down to the day I would fly from Michigan to Santa Fe. Not more than two years later my literature teacher gave me as an extra reading the book Sophieâs World by Jostein Gaarder. The book accomplished its objective and, with ease and short chapters of many philosophers, introduced me to the world of the big questions and the pursuit of truth. Everyone in the classes spoke, not to the professor for the sake of a grade, but to each other for the sake of the exercise. On a Saturday halfway into my first semester at Smith, my friend and I went in search of a study room. We visited three academic buildings that afternoon. Trying to single out any one appealing aspect of St. Johnâs is, for me, like trying to pick a favorite piece in a jigsaw puzzle. Some pieces might be more aesthetically pleasing than others, but none of them can compare to the whole picture. However, the classes were the part of the Summer Academy that stuck with me the most. While the authorâs words may be constant, the reader is the true variable. When you have more than one reader together, you have each dimension they bring to the book . I canât say that any one of these factors stands out as a single attraction of St. Johnâs. Rather, itâs the combination of them all that makes St. Johnâs such a uniquely appealing college. Almost without exception, every room we peeked into was packed with those little chairs that Will Ferrell squeezes himself into in Elf, the ones with the little writing shelf attached. On a philosophical basis, I chafe against the competitive, individualistic approach to learning that these desks represent. On a physical basis, at six-foot-two, I can barely fit behind them. St. Johnâs college not only interests me, but draws me in very strongly because it combines in the most natural way, the study of politics and philosophy. Although there are no majors or concentrations in St. Johnâs, I feel that the Great Books curriculum was created to perfectly suit my interestsâ"approaching the social sciences with a philosophical lens. When a book is read, a bond forms between author and reader. The author speaks, and the reader listens as they weave together the holes the author leaves them to fill. I took far too many photographs of the displays in the New Mexico History Museum, and I brought home a beautiful little red rock from the hike we took nearby. I recall my afternoon arrival at St. Johnâs in a blur of adobe buildings, warm placita bricks, and inviting, clean sheets. The next morning, when I woke up, I walked out onto the balcony of the second floor of the Murchison dormitory. I sat down at the plastic picnic table and breathed in the crisp morning air. I watched the sienna hills tinged with gold in the east as the sun slowly revealed itself. I was never able to portray the view quite as I saw it. Once Iâd calmed down a little, I decided to prioritize the readings required for the class. I downloaded the rest of the course selections and printed them out. In the weeks leading up to my departure, I trekked to the nearby field with my dog and my books, and I sat at the picnic table overlooking the woods.
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