Essay Questions

What is your most memorable childhood experience?When I was really young, I remember there was a giant snowstorm (from my tiny perspective) and dad took me and my little sister out to make a snowman. My sister and I gathered a bunch of snow. I remember dad ultimately making the base about as large as me, and then lifting the other portions atop. We fetched sticks, carrots, a scarf, and everything else to make the most impressive and gigantic looking snowman I had ever seen. I've never made a snowman since then, but no snowman could ever compare to that first, amazing one that my dad made. I swear- it could topple mountains.
What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why?I resemble my father the most. We're both awesomely nerdy people: he likes comic books, I like anime/cartoons, and we both love video games. We've sat down and played the Axis & Allies game for days, the board using up the game room indefinitely. We just share a lot of the same interests, and we both have the same sorts of friends. We're also both squeamish about blood. I don't know how he got through med school.
What character traits do you admire in an individual?Kindness above all, but I also value honesty and loyalty. As long as someone is nice, they're worth befriending, but loyalty and honesty are both important traits for making closer friends. Beyond that, I always respect intelligence and work ethic, but I don't judge people for the lack of either of those traits.
What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you?I was finishing my science fair project late into the night the day before, and I did the title at the last possible second. The repercussions of this were the worst possible title for my experiment that I could invent: The Penetration Capacity of Similar Balls of Different Compositions. Among the many flaws of this title was the fact that, when shortened, the name became even worse, as it was when it was presented to the judges (remove "similar"). I did, however, get a whole lot of plaudits from everyone else in my year... even a few teachers.
If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why?I would travel to Japan. Japanese culture is just a part of geek culture in America, so I'm naturally a bit more curious about something that I'm exposed to so often, albeit indirectly. A lot of Japanese culture just intrigues me in general, so I feel like I would enjoy visiting Japan just to experience it.
When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them?Kindness, but also a hard work ethic, discipline, patience, and a number of the virtues that I learned through all of my preparation for college. Although I couldn't teach it, I would like to be able to pass on intelligence as well.