How to Write a Perfect UC Essay for Every Prompt

How to Write a Perfect UC Essay for Every Prompt SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're applying to any University of California campus as an incoming freshman, then you have a special challenge ahead of you. Applicants need to answer four UC personal insight questions, chosen from a pool of eight unique prompts different from those on the Common App. But not to worry! This article is here to help. In this article, I'll dissectthe eight UC essay promptsin detail. What are they asking you for? What do they want to know about you? What do UC admissions officers really care about? How do you avoid boring or repulsing them with your essay? I'll breakdownall of these important questions for each prompt and discuss how to pick the four prompts that are perfect for you. I'll also give you examples of how to make sure your essay fully answers the question. Finally, I'll offer step-by-step instructions on how to come up with the best ideas for your UC personal statements. What Are the UC Personal Insight Questions? If you think about it, your college application is mostly made up of numbers: your GPA, your SAT scores, the number of AP classes you took, how many years you spent playing volleyball. These numbers only reveal so much. The job of admissions officers is to put together a class of interesting, compelling individuals- but a cut and dried achievement list makes it very hard to assess whether someone is interesting or compelling. This is where the personal insight questions come in. The UC application essays are your way to give colleges a sense of your personality, your perspective on the world, and some of the experiences that have made you into who you are. The idea is to share the kinds of things that don’t end up on your transcript. It's helpful to remember that you are not writing this for you. You're writing for an audience of people who do not know you, but are interested to learn about you. The essay is meant to be a revealing look inside your thoughts and feelings. These short essays- with a 350 word limit- are different from the essays you write in school, which tend to focus on analyzing someone else’s work. Really, the application essays are much closer to a short story. They rely heavily on narratives of events from your life, and on your descriptions of people, places, and feelings. If you’d like more background on college essays, check out our explainer for a very detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application. Now, let’s dive into the eight University of California essay questions. First I’ll compare and contrast these prompts. Then I’ll dig deep into each UC personal statement question individually, exploring what it’s really trying to find out and how you can give the admissions officers what they’re looking for. Once upon a time, there was a mouse who really, really wanted to get into your college. Comparing the UC Essay Prompts Before we can pull these prompts apart, let's first compare and contrast them with each other. Clearly, UC wants you to write four different essays, and they're asking you eight different questions. But what are the differences? And are there any similarities? The Actual UC Essay Prompts #1: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. #2: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. #3: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? #4: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. #5: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? #6: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. #7: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? #8: Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? How to Tell the UC Essay Prompts Apart To help tell the UC personal statement prompts apart, sort them into big-picture categories, so when you’re brainstorming ideas you can see where your event or life experience would fit: Topics 1 and 7 are about your engagement with the people, things, and ideas around you. Consider the impact of the outside world on you and how you handled that impact. Topics 2 and 6 are about your inner self, what defines you, and what makes you the person that you are. Consider your interior makeup, the characteristics of the inner you Topics 3, 4, 5, and 8 are about your achievements. Consider what you’ve accomplished in life and what you are proud of doing These very broad categories will help when you’re brainstorming ideas and life experiences to write about for your essay. Of course, it's true that many of the stories you think of can be shaped to fit each of these prompts. Still, think about what the experience most reveals about you. If it’s an experience that shows how you have handled the people and places around you, it’ll work better for questions in the first group. If it’s a description of how you express yourself, it’s a good match for questions in group two. If it’s an experience that tells how you acted or what you did, it’s probably a better fit for questions in group three. For more help, check out our article on coming up with great ideas for your essay topic. "And that's the last time I went to a psychic." Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: How Is This Guide Organized? We analyze all eight UC prompts in this guide, and for each one we give the following information: The prompt itself and any accompanying instructions What each part of the prompt is asking for Why UC is using this prompt and what they hope to learn from you All the key points you should cover in your response so you answer the complete prompt and give UC insight into who you are Dissecting Personal Insight Question 1 The Prompt and Its Instructions Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking a lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about your accomplishments and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? What’s the Question Asking? The prompt wants you to describe how you handled a specific kind of relationship with a group of people- a time when you took the reigns and the initiative. Your answer to this prompt will consist of two parts: Part 1: Explain the Dilemma Before you can tell your story of leading, brokering peace, or having a lasting impact on other people, you have to give your reader a frame of reference and a context for your actions. First, describe the group of people you interacted with. Who were and what was their relationship to you? How long were you in each others’ lives? Second, explain the issue you eventually solved. What was going on before you stepped in? What was the immediate problem? Were there potential long-term repercussions? "We couldn't decide between butter and cream cheese frosting in the final round of the baking competition!" Part 2: Describe Your Solution This is where your essay will have to explicitly talk about your own actions. Discuss what thought process led you to your course of action. Was it a last-ditch effort or a long-planned strategy? Did you think about what might happen if you didn’t step in? Did you have to choose between several courses of action? Explain how you took the bull by the horns. Did you step into the lead role willingly or were you pushed despite some doubts? Did you replace or supercede a more obvious leader? Describe your solution to the problem, or your contribution to resolving the ongoing issue. What did you do? How did you do it? Did your plan succeed immediately or did it take some time? Consider how this experience has shaped the person you have now become. Do you think back on this time fondly as being the origin of some personal quality or skill? Did it make you more likely to lead in other situations? What’s UC Hoping to Learn about You? College will be an environment unlike any of the ones you’ve found yourself in up to now. Sure, you will have a framework for your curriculum, and you will have advisers available to help- but for the most part, you will be on your own to deal with the situations that will inevitably arise when you mix with your diverse peers. UC wants to make sure: That you have the maturity to deal with groups of people That you can solve problems with your own ingenuity and resourcefulness That you don’t lose your head and panic at problems "And that's how I saved Christmas with a single crushed can!" How Can You Give Them What They Want? So how can you make sure those qualities come through in your essay? Pick Your Group The prompt very specifically wants you to talk about an interaction with a group of people. Let’s say a group has to be at least three people. Raise the Stakes Think of the way movies ratchet up the tension of the impending catastrophe before the hero swoops in and saves the day. Keeping an audience on tenterhooks is important- and makes the hero look awesome for the inevitable job well done. Similarly, in your essay the reader has to fundamentally understand exactly what you and the group you ended up leading were facing. Why was this an important problem to solve? Balance You vs. Them Personal statements need to showcase you above all things. Because this essay will necessarily have to spend some time on other people, you need to find a good proportion of them-time and me-time. In general, the first, setup, section of the essay should be shorter, since it will not be focused on what you were doing. The second section should take the rest of the space. So, in a 350 word essay, maybe 100-125 words go to setup, while 225-250 words to your leadership and solution. Find Your Arc Not only do you need to show how your leadership met the challenge you faced, but you also have to show how the experience changed you. In other words, the outcome was double-sided: you affected the world, and the world affected you right back. Make your arc as lovely and compelling as a rainbow. Dissecting Personal Insight Question 2 The Prompt and Its Instructions Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem? How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? What’s the Question Asking? This question is trying to probe the way you express yourself. Its broad description of â€Å"creativity† gives you the opportunity to make almost anything you make that didn’t exist before fit the topic. What this essay question is really asking you to do is to examine the role your brand of creativity plays in your sense of yourself. The essay will have three parts. Part 1: Define Your Creativity What exactly do you produce, make, craft, create, or generate? Of course, the most obvious answer would be a visual art, a performance art, or music. But in reality, there is creativity in all fields. Any time you come up with an idea, thought, concept, or theory that didn’t exist before, you are being creative. So, your job is to explain what you spend time creating. Part 2: Connect Your Creative Drive to Your Overall Self Why do you do what you do? Are you doing it for external reasons- to perform for others, to demonstrate your skill, to fulfill some need in the world? Or is your creativity private and for your own use- to unwind, to distract yourself from other parts of your life, to have personal satisfaction in learning a skill? Are you good at your creative thing or do you struggle with it? If you struggle with it, why is it important to you to keep doing it? Part 3: Connect Your Creative Drive With Your Future The most basic way to do this is if you envision yourself actually doing your creative pursuit professionally. But this doesn’t have to be the only way you draw this link. What have you learned from what you’ve made? How has it changed how you interact with other objects or with people? Does it change your appreciation for the work of others or motivate you to improve upon it? "As the sole living practitioner of the ancient art of rock bodybuilding..." What’s UC Hoping to Learn about You? Nothing characterizes higher education like the need for creative thinking, unorthodox ideas to old topics, and the ability to synthesize something new. That is what you are going to college to learn how to do better. This essay wants to know whether this mindset of out-of-the-box-ness is something you are already comfortable with. They want to see: That you have actually created something in your life or academic career That you consider this an important quality within yourself, and that you have cultivated your skills That you can see and have considered the impact of what you’ve done on yourself or on the world around you Think outside the box- unless there are donuts in the box. How Can You Give Them What They Want? How can you really show that you are committed to being a creative person? Be Specific and Descriptive It’s not enough to vaguely gesture at your creative field. Instead, give a detailed and lively description of a specific thing or idea that you have created. For example, I could describe a Turner painting as â€Å"a seascape† or I could call it â€Å"an attempt to capture the breathtaking power and violence of an ocean storm as it overwhelms a ship.† Which painting would you rather look at? Give a Sense of History The question wants a little narrative of your relationship to your creative outlet. How long have you been doing it? Did someone teach you or mentor you? Have you taught it to others? Where and when do you create? Hit a Snag and Find the Success Anything worth doing is worth doing despite setbacks, this question argues- and it wants you to narrate one such setback. So first, figure out something that interfered with your creative expression. A lack of skill, time, or resources? Too much or not enough ambition in a project? Then, make sure this story has a happy ending that shows you off as the solver of your own problems. What did you do to fix the situation? How did you do it? Show Insight Your essay should include some thoughtful consideration of how this creative pursuit has shaped you, your thoughts, your opinions, your relationships with others, your understanding of creativity in general, or your dreams about your future. (Notice I said â€Å"or† not â€Å"and†- 350 words is not enough to cover all of those things!) "And that's when I knew I was destined to become a master confectioner!" Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Dissecting Personal Insight Question 3 The Prompt and Its Instructions What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider: If there’s a talent or skill that you’re proud of, this is the time to share it. You don’t necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you? Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? What's the Question Asking? Basically, what’s being asked for here is a beaming rave. Whatever you write about, picture yourself talking about it with a glowing smile on your face. Part 1: Narrative The first part of the question really comes down to this: tell us a story about what's amazing about you. Have you done an outstanding thing? Do you have a mindblowing ability? Describe a place, a time, or a situation in which you were a star. A close reading of this first case of the prompt reveals that you don’t need to stress if you don’t have an obvious answer. Sure, if you’re playing first chair violin in the Symphony Orchestra, that qualifies as both a â€Å"talent† and an â€Å"accomplishment.† But the word "quality" really gives you the option of writing about any one of your most meaningful traits. And then, the words â€Å"contribution† and â€Å"experience† open up the range of possibilities that you could write about even further. A contribution could be anything from physically helping put something together, to providing moral or emotional support at a critical moment. But the key to the first part is the phrase â€Å"important to you.† Once again, what you write about is not as important as how you write about it. Being able to demonstrate the importance of the event that you’re describing reveals much more about you than the specific talent or characteristic ever could. Part 2: Insight and Personal Development The second part of the last essay asked you to look to the future. The second part of this essay wants you to look at the present instead. The general task is similar, however. Once again you're being asked to make connections- how do you fit this quality you have or this achievement you accomplished into the story of who you are? A close reading of the second part of this prompt lands on the word â€Å"proud.† This is a big clue that the revelation this essay is looking for should be a very positive one. In other words, this is probably not the time to write about getting arrested for vandalism, unless you can spin that experience into a story about how you been on the straight and narrow path ever since. Even if your vandalism was really, really, cool, don't write about it. What's UC Hoping to Learn About You? Admissions officers have a very straightforward interest in learning about your accomplishments. By the end of high school, many of the experiences that you are most proud of don’t tend to be the kind of things that end up on your resume. They want to know what makes you proud of yourself. It is something that relates to performance, to overcoming a difficult obstacle, to keeping a cool head in a crisis, to your ability to help others in need? At the same time, they are looking for a sense of maturity. In order to be proud of an accomplishment, it’s important to be able to understand your own values and ideals. This is your chance to show that you truly get the qualities and experiences that make you into a responsible and grown-up person, someone who will thrive in the independence of college life. In other words, while you might really be proud that you managed to tag 50 highway overpasses with graffiti, that’s probably not the achievement to brag about here. Unless you were hired to paint the overpasses. Then definitely brag about it. How Can You Give Them What They Want? The trick with this prompt is how to show a lot about yourself without listing accomplishments or devolving into cliche platitudes. Let's take it step by step. Step #1: Explain Your Field Make sure that somewhere in your narrative (preferably closer to the beginning) you let the reader know what makes your achievement an achievement. Not all interests are mainstream, so it helps your reader to understand what you’re facing if you give a quick sketch of, for example, why it’s challenging to build a battle bot that can defeat another fighting robot, or how the difficulties of extemporaneous debate compare with debating about a prepared topic. Keep in mind that for some things the explanation might be obvious. For example, do you really need to explain why finishing a marathon is a hard task? Step #2: Zoom in on a Specific Experience Think about your talent/quality/accomplishment in terms of experiences that showcase it. Conversely, think about your experiences in terms of the talent/quality/accomplishment they demonstrate. Since you're once again going to be limited to 350 words, you won’t be able to fit all the ways in which you exhibit your specific piece of awesomeness into this essay. This means that you’ll need to figure out how your ability can best be shown through one event when you displayed it. Or if you’re writing about an experience you had or a contribution you made, you’ll need to also point out what personality trait or characteristic it reveals. Step #3: Find a Conflict or a Transition The first question asked for a description, but this one wants a story- a narrative of how you do your special talent, or how you accomplished the thing you were so great at. The main thing about stories is that they have to have: A beginning: This is the setup, when you weren’t yet the star you are now. An obstacle or a transition: Sometimes a story has a conflict that needs to be resolved: something that stood in your way, a challenge that you had to figure out a way around, a block that you powered through. Other times, a story is about a change or a transformation: you used to believe/think/be one thing and now you are different/better. A resolution: When your full power/self-knowledge/ability/future goal is revealed. "And that's how I negotiated peace with the aliens of Tarkon V." Dissecting Personal Insight Question 4 The Prompt and Its Instructions Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that’s geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you - just to name a few. If you choose to write about educational barriers you’ve faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who are you today? What's the Question Asking? Cue the swelling music, because this essay is going to be all about your inspirational journey. You will either tell your story of overcoming adversity against all (or some) odds, or of pursuing the chance of a lifetime. If you write about triumphing over adversity, your essay will include: A description of the setback that befell you: The prompt wants to know what you consider a challenge in your school life- and definitely note that this challenge should have in some significant way impacted your academics rather than your life overall. The challenge can be a wide-reaching problem in your educational environment or something that happened specifically to you. The word â€Å"barrier† also shows that the challenge should be something that stood in your way: if only that thing weren’t there, then you’d be sure to succeed. An explanation of your success: Here, you’ll talk about what you did when faced with this challenge. Notice that the prompt asks you to describe the â€Å"work† you put in to overcome the problem- so this piece of the essay should focus on your actions, thoughts, ideas, and strategies. Although the essay doesn’t specify it, this section should also at some point turn reflexive. How are you defined by this thing that happened? You could discuss the emotional fallout of having dramatically succeeded, or how your maturity level, concrete skills, or understanding of the situation has increased, now that you have dealt with it personally. Or, you could talk about any beliefs or personal philosophy that you have had to reevaluate as a result of either the challenge itself, or of the way that you had to go about solving it. If you write about an educational opportunity, your essay will include: A short, clear description of exactly what you got the chance to do: In your own words, explain what the opportunity was, and why it’s special. Also explain why you specifically got the chance to do it. Was it the culmination of years of study? An academic contest prize? An unexpected encounter that led to you seizing an unlooked-for opportunity? How you made the best of it: It’s one thing to get the opportunity to do something amazing, but it’s another to really maximize what you get out of this chance for greatness. This is where you show just how much you understand the value of what you did, and how you’ve changed and grown as a result of it. Were you very challenged by this opportunity? Did your skills develop? Did you unearth talents you didn’t know you had? How does this impact your future academic ambitions or interests? Will you study this area further? Does this help you find your academic focus? "When I had a chance to go to Wizarding School..." What's UC Hoping to Learn About You? Of course, whatever you write about in this essay is probably already reflected on your resume or in your transcript in some small way. But UC wants to go deeper, to find out how seriously you take your academic career, and how thoughtfully you’ve approached either its ups or its downs. In college, there will be many amazing opportunities, but they aren’t necessarily simply there for the taking. Instead, you will be responsible for seizing whatever chances will further your studies, interests, or skills. Conversely, college will necessarily be more challenging, harder, and potentially much more full of academic obstacles than your academic experiences so far. UC wants to see that you are up to handling whatever setbacks may come your way with aplomb rather than panic. How Can You Give Them What They Want? Define the Problem/Opportunity Not every challenge is automatically obvious. Sure, everyone can understand the drawbacks of having to miss a significant amount of school due to illness, but what if the obstacle you tackled is something a little more obscure? Likewise, winning the chance travel to Italy to paint landscapes with a master is clearly rare and amazing, but some opportunities are more specialized and less obviously impressive. Make sure your essay explains everything the reader will need to know to understand what you were facing. Watch Your Tone An essay describing problems can easily slip into finger-pointing and self-pity. Make sure to avoid this by speaking positively or at least neutrally about what was wrong and what you faced. This goes double if you decide to explain who or what was at fault for creating this problem. Likewise, an essay describing amazing opportunities can quickly become an exercise in unpleasant bragging and self-centeredness. Make sure you stay grounded- rather than dwelling at length on your accomplishments, describe the specifics of what you learned and how. "But learning to be a wizard wasn't easy..." Dissecting Personal Insight Question 5 The Prompt and Its Instructions Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone? If you’re currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, â€Å"How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends, or with my family?† What's the Question Asking? It’s time to draw back the curtains and expand our field of vision, because this is going to be a two-part story of overcoming adversity against all (or some) odds. Part 1: Facing a Challenge The first part of this essay is about problem-solving. The prompt asks you to point at something that could have derailed you, if not for your strength and skill. Not only will you describe the challenge itself, but you’ll talk about what you did when faced with it. Part 2: Looking in the Mirror The second part of Topic B asks you to consider how this challenge has echoed through your life- and more specifically, how your education has been affected by what happened to you. What's UC Hoping to Learn About You? In life, dealing with setbacks, defeats, barriers, and conflicts is not a bug- it’s a feature. And colleges want to make sure that you can handle these upsetting events without losing your overall sense of self, without being totally demoralized, and without getting completely overwhelmed. In other words, they are looking for someone who is mature enough to do well on a college campus, where disappointing results and hard challenges will be par for the course. They are also looking for your creativity and problem-solving skills. Are you good at tackling something that needs to be fixed? Can you keep a cool head in a crisis? Do you look for solutions outside the box? These are all markers of a successful student, so it’s not surprising that admissions people want you to demonstrate these qualities. "I realized that if I wanted to become the Junior Champion Snake Shifter, I would have to do something drastic." How Can You Give Them What They Want? Let's explore the best ways to show off your problem-solving side. Show Your Work It’s one thing to be able to say what's wrong, but it’s another thing entirely to demonstrate how you figured out how to fix it. Even more than knowing that you were able to fix the problem, colleges want to see how you approached the situation. This is why your essay needs to explain your problem-solving methodology. Basically, we need to see you in action. What did you think would work? What did you think would not work? Did you compare this to other problems you have faced and pass? Did you do research? Describe your process. Make Sure That You Are the Hero This essay is supposed to demonstrate your resourcefulness and creativity. The last thing you want is for you to not actually be the person responsible for overcoming the obstacle. Make sure that your story is clear that without you and your special brand of XYZ, people would still be lamenting the issue today. Don't worry if the resource you used to affect a good fix was the knowledge and know-how that somebody else brought to the table. Just focus on explaining what made you think of this person as the one to go to, how you convinced them to participate, and how you explained to them how they would be helpful. This will shift the attention of the story back to you and your doings. Find the Suspenseful Moment The most exciting part of this essay should be watching you struggle to find a solution just in the nick of time. Think every movie clichà © ever about someone defusing a bomb - even if you know 100% that the guy is going to do it, the movie still ratchets up the tension to make it seem like, well, maybe... You want to do the same thing here. Bring excitement and a feeling of uncertainty to your description of your process to really pull the reader in and make them root for you to succeed. You're the superhero! Dissecting Personal Insight Question 6 The Prompt and Its Instructions Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider: Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can’t get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom - such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs - and what you have gained from your involvement. Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that? What's the Question Asking? This question is really asking for a glimpse of your imagined possibilities. For some students, this will be an extremely straightforward question. For example, say you’ve always loved science to the point that you’ve spent every summer taking biology and chemistry classes. You can just pick a few of the most gripping moments from these experiences and discuss the overall trajectory of your interests, and your essay will be a winner. But what if you have many academic interests? Or what if you only discovered your academic passion at the very end of high school? Let’s break down what the question is really asking into two parts. Part 1: Picking a Favorite At first glance, it sounds as if what you should write about is the class where you have gotten the best grades, or the class that easily fits into what you see as your future college major or maybe even your eventual career goal. There is nothing wrong with this kind of pick- especially if you really are someone who tends to excel in those classes that are right up your interest alley. But if we look closer, we see that there is nothing in the prompt that specifically demands that you write either about a particular class or an area of study where you perform well. Instead, you could take the phrase â€Å"academic subject† to mean a wide field of study and explore your fascination with the different types of learning to be found there. For example, if your chosen topic is the field of literature, you could discuss your experiences with different genres or with foreign writers. You could also write about a course or area of study that has significantly challenged you, and where you have not been as stellar a student as you want. This could be a way to focus on your personal growth as a result of struggling through a difficult class, or the way you’ve learned to handle or overcome your limitations. Part 2: Relevance The second part of this prompt, like the first, can also be taken in a literal and direct way. There is absolutely nothing wrong with explaining that because you love engineering and want to be an engineer you have pursued all your school’s STEM courses, are also involved in a robotics club, and have taught yourself to code in order to develop apps. On the other hand, you could focus on the more abstract, values-driven goals we just talked about. Then, the way you explain how your academics will help you can be rooted not in the content of what you studied, but in the life lessons you drew from it. In other words, for example, your theater class may not have created a desire to be an actor, but working on plays with your peers may have shown you how highly you value collaboration. And the experience of designing sets was an exercise in problem-solving and ingenuity. These lessons would be useful in any field you pursue and could easily be said to help you achieve your lifetime goals. My favorite subject is underwater basketweaving. What's UC Hoping to Learn About You? If you are on a direct path to a specific field of study or career pursuit, admissions officers definitely want to know that. Having driven, goal oriented, and passionate students is a huge plus for a university. So if this is you, be sure that your essay conveys not just your interest but also your deep and abiding love of the subject, and maybe even includes any related clubs, activities, and hobbies that you’ve done during high school. But of course, more traditionally, college is the place to find yourself and the things that you become passionate about. So if you’re not already committed to a specific course of study, don’t worry. Instead, you have to realize that in this essay, like in all the other essays, the how matters much more than the what. No matter where your eventual academic, career, or other pursuits may lie, every class that you have taken up to now has taught you something. You learned about things like work ethic, mastering a skill, practice, learning from a teacher, interacting with peers, dealing with setbacks, understanding your own learning style, and perseverance. In other words, the admissions office wants to make sure that no matter what you study you will draw meaningful conclusions from your experiences, whether those conclusions are about the content of what you learn or about a deeper understanding of yourself and others. They want to see that you’re not simply floating through life on the surface, but that you are absorbing the qualities, skills, and know-how you will need to succeed in the world- no matter what that success looks like. How Can You Give Them What They Want? Focus on a telling detail. Because personal statements are short, you simply won't have time to explain everything you have loved about a particular subject in enough detail to make it count. Instead, pick one event that crystallized your passion for a subject, or one telling moment that revealed what your working style will be, and go deep into a discussion of what it meant to you in the past and how it will affect your future. Don’t overreach. It’s fine to say that you have loved your German classes so much that you have begun exploring both modern and classic German-language writers, for example, but it’s a little too self-aggrandizing to claim that your 4 years of German have made you basically bilingual and ready to teach the language to others. Make sure that whatever class achievements you describe don’t come off as unnecessary bragging rather than simple pride. Don’t underreach. At the same time, make sure that you have actual accomplishments to describe in whatever subject you pick to write about. If your favorite class turned out to be the one you mostly skipped to hang out in the gym instead, this may not be the place to share that lifetime goal. After all, you always have to remember your audience. In this case, it's college admissions officers who want to find students who are eager to learn and be exposed to new thoughts and ideas. "This is how I realized my passion for horticulture." Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: Dissecting Personal Insight Question 7 The Prompt and Its Instructions What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place - like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community? Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? What's the Question Asking? This topic is trying to get at how you engage with your environment. It’s looking for several things: #1: Your Sense of Place and Connection Because the term â€Å"community† is so broad and ambiguous, this is a good essay for explaining where you feel a sense of belonging and rootedness. What or who constitutes your community? Is your connection to a place, to a group of people, or to an organization? What makes you identify as part of this community- cultural background, a sense of shared purpose, or some other quality? #2: Your Empathy and Ability to Look at the Big Picture Before you can solve a problem, you have to realize that the problem exists. Before you can make your community a better place, you have to find the things that can be ameliorated. No matter what your contribution ended up being, you first have to show how you saw where your skills, talent, intelligence, or hard work could do the most good. Did you put yourself in the shoes of the other people in your community? Understand some fundamental inner working of a system you could fix? Knowingly put yourself in the right place at the right time? #3: Your Problem Solving Skills How did you make the difference in your community? If you resolved a tangible issue, how did you come up with your solution? Did you examine several options or act from the gut? If you made your community better in a less direct way, how did you know where to apply yourself and how to have the most impact possible? "And that's how I saved the children of MiceTown." What's UC Hoping to Learn About You? Community is a very important thing to colleges. You'll be involved with and encounter lots of different communities in college, from the broader student body, to your extracurriculars and classes, to the community outside the University around you. UC wants to make sure that you can engage with the communities around you in a positive and meaningful way. How Can You Give Them What They Want? Make it personal. Before you can explain what you did in your community, you have to define and describe this community itself- and you can necessarily only do that by focusing on what it means to you. Don’t speak in generalities, but instead show the bonds between you and the group you are a part of through colorful, idiosyncratic language. Sure, they might be â€Å"my water polo team,† but maybe they are more specifically â€Å"the twelve people who have seen me at my most exhausted and my most exhilarated.† Feel all the feelings. This is a chance to move your readers. As you delve deep into what makes your community one of your emotional centers, and then as you describe how you were able to improve it in a meaningful and lasting way, you should keep the roller coaster of feelings front and center. Own how you felt at each step of the process: when you found your community, when you saw that you could make a difference, when you realized that your actions have resulted in a change for the better. Did you feel unprepared for the task you undertook? Nervous to potentially let down those around? Thrilled to get a chance to display a hidden or underused talent? "After brokering peace between the two rival cat clans of my neighborhood, I feel like I can do anything!" Dissecting Personal Insight Question 8 The Prompt and Its Instructions Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider: If there’s anything you want us to know about you, but didn’t find a question or place in the application to tell us, now’s your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better? From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don’t be afraid to brag a little. What's the Question Asking? If your particular experience doesn’t quite fit under the rubrics of the other essay topics, or if there is something the admissions officers need to understand about your background in order to consider your application in the right context, then this is the essay for you. Now, I’m going to say something a little counterintuitive here. The prompt for this essay clarifies that even if you don’t have a â€Å"unique† story to tell, you should still feel free to pick this topic. But, honestly, I think you should only choose this topic if you have an exceptional experience to share, and that any everyday challenges or successes of regular life could easily fit one of the other insight questions instead. What this means is that evaluating whether your experiences qualify for this essay is a matter of degrees. For example, did you manage to thrive academically despite being raised by a hard-working single parent? That’s a hardship that could easily be written about for Questions 1 or 5, depending on how you choose to frame what happened. Did you manage to earn a 3.7 GPA despite living in a succession of foster families only to age out of the system in the middle of your senior year of high school? That’s a narrative of overcoming hardship that easily belongs to Question 8. On the flip side, did you win a state-wide robotics competition? Well done, and feel free to tell your story under Question 4. Were you the youngest person to single-handedly win a season of BattleBots? Then feel free to write about it for Question 8. What's UC Hoping to Learn About You? This is pretty straightforward. They are trying to identify students that have unique and amazing stories to tell about who they are and where they come from. If you’re a student like this, then the admissions people want to know: What happened to you When and where it happened How you participated or were involved in the situation How it affected you as a person How it affected your schoolwork How the experience will be reflected in the point of view you bring to campus The reasons that the university wants this information are: It gives context to applications that otherwise might seem mediocre or even subpar It can help explain times in a transcript where grades significantly drop It creates them the opportunity to build a lot of diversity into the incoming class It’s a way of finding unique talents and abilities that otherwise wouldn’t show up on other application materials How Can You Give Them What They Want? Let's run through a few tricks for making sure your essay makes the most of your particular exceptionalism. Double-Check Your Uniqueness There are many experiences in all of our lives that make us feel elated, accomplished, and extremely competent, that are also near-universal. This essay isn’t trying to take the validity of your strong feelings away from you, but I think it would be best served by for stories that are on a different scale. Wondering whether what you went through counts? This might be a good time to run your idea by a parent, school counselor, or trusted teacher. Do they think your experience is widespread? Or do they agree that you truly lived a life less ordinary? Connect Outward The vast majority of your answer to the prompt should be telling your story and its impact on you and your life. But the essay should also point toward how your particular experiences set you apart from your peers. One of the reasons that the admissions office wants to find out which of the applicants has been through something unlike most other people is that they are hoping to increase the number of points of view in the student body. Think about, and include in your essay, how you will impact campus life. This can be very literal- if you are a jazz singer who has released several acclaimed albums, then maybe you will perform on campus. Or it can be much more oblique- if you are disabled, then you will be able to offer a perspective that differs from the able-bodied majority. Be Direct, Specific, and Honest Nothing will make your voice sound more appealing than writing without embellishment or verbal flourishes. This is the one case where what you’re telling is just as- if not more- important than how you’re telling it. So the best strategy is to be as straightforward in your writing as possible. This means using description to situate your reader in a place/time/experience that they would never get to see firsthand. You can do this by picking a specific moment during your accomplishment to narrate as a small short story, and not shying away from explaining your emotions throughout the experience. Your goal is to make the extraordinary into something at least somewhat relatable- and the way you do that is by making your writing down to earth. "Is it accurate to say that I saved the entire world?" "No." Writing Advice for Making Your UC Personal Statements Shine No matter what personal insight questions you end up choosing to write about, here are two tips for making your writing sparkle: #1: Be Detailed and Descriptive Have you ever heard the expression â€Å"show, don’t tell†? It’s usually given as creative writing advice, and it will be your best friend when you're writing college essays. It means that any time you want to describe a person or thing as having a particular quality, it’s better to illustrate with an example than to just use vague adjectives. If you stick to giving examples that paint a picture, your focus will also become narrower and more specific. You’ll end up focusing on details and concrete events, rather than not particularly telling generalizations. Let’s say, for instance, Adnan is writing about the house that he’s been helping his dad fix up. Which of these do you think gives the reader a better sense of place? Version 1 My family bought an old house that was kind of rundown. My dad likes fixing it up on the weekends and I like helping him. Now the house is much nicer than when we bought it and I can see all our hard work when I look at it. Version 2 My dad grinned when he saw my shocked face. Our â€Å"new† house looked like a completely rundown shed: peeling paint, rust-covered railings, shutters that looked like the crooked teeth of a jack-o-lantern. I was still staring at the spider web crack in one broken window when my dad handed me a pair of brand new work gloves and a paint scraper. â€Å"Today, let’s just do what we can with the front wall,† he said, and then I smiled too, knowing that many of my weekends would be spent here with him, working side by side. Both versions of this story focus on the fact that the house was dilapidated and that Adnan enjoyed helping his dad do repairs. But the second does this by: Painting a picture of what the house actually looked like by adding visual details ("peeling paint," "rust-covered railings," "broken window"), and through comparisons ("shutters like a jack-o-lantern," "spider web window crack") Showing emotions by describing facial expressions ("my dad grinned," "my shocked face," "I smiled") Using specific and descriptive action verbs ("grinned," "shocked," "staring," "handed") The essay would probably go on to describe one day of working with his dad, or a time when a repair went horribly awry. Adnan would make sure to keep adding sensory details (what things looked, sounded, smelled, tasted like), using active verbs, and illustrating feelings with spoken speech and facial expressions. If you're having trouble checking whether your description is detailed enough, read your work to someone else. Then, ask that person to describe the scene back to you. Are they able to conjure up a picture from your words? If not, you need to beef up your details. It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but it'll make a great college essay! #2: Show Your Feelings All good personal essays deal with emotions. And what marks great personal essays is the author’s willingness to really dig into negative feelings as well as positive ones. As you write your UC application essays, keep asking yourself questions and probing your memory. How did you feel before it happened? How did you expect to feel after, and then how did you actually feel after? How did the world that you are describing feel about what happened? How do you know how your world felt? Then write about your feelings using mostly emotion words ("I was thrilled/disappointed/proud/scared"), some comparisons ("I felt like I'd never run again/like I'd just bitten into a sour apple/like the world's greatest explorer"), and a few bits of direct speech ("'How are we going to get away with this?' my brother asked.") Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. There's "it was exciting." And then there's "I felt at once exhilarated and terrified, as if I had just jumped out of an airplane for the first time." What’s Next? This should give you a great starting point to attack the UC essay prompts and consider how you'll write your own effective UC personal statements. The hard part starts here- work hard, brainstorm broadly, and use all my suggestions above to craft a great UC application essay. Making your way through college applications? We have advice on how to find the right college for you, how to write about your extracurricular activities, and how to ask teachers for recommendations. Interested in taking the SAT one more time? Check out our highly detailed explainer on studying for the SAT to learn how to prepare best. Worried about how to pay for college after you get in? Read our description of how much college really costs, our comparison of subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and our lists of the top scholarships for high school seniors and juniors. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The significance of narrative perspective in Melvilles Benito Cereno and Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay Example

The significance of narrative perspective in Melvilles Benito Cereno and Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay Example The significance of narrative perspective in Melvilles Benito Cereno and Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Paper The significance of narrative perspective in Melvilles Benito Cereno and Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Paper Essay Topic: Benito Cereno Literature Herman Melvilles Benito Cereno and Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself are two very different texts, both dealing with aspects of slavery in the early 19th century. The first is a work of fiction, told from a third person perspective whereas the latter: an autobiography, following the authors life from childhood to his state of affairs at the time of writing. The narrative structures in both these novels are significant within their own texts but are also interesting to compare because of the way they both portray the theme of slavery. The narrative perspective of Benito Cereno is that of Captain Amasa Delano, of the Bachelors Delight. However, he is not the protagonist of the tale, but merely a naive spectator of the events that mainly concern the eponymous Benito Cereno. His naivety is parallel to that of the first time reader. There is a mystery on board the San Dominick, one that is both obvious and yet so well hidden that it is difficult to figure out. For first time readers, this mystery is so frustrating because it seems obvious that there is something gone amiss on board the San Dominick but Delano, dismisses them so as to throw off readers from probing the truth. When Delano boards the San Dominick to help the crew, he notices Don Benitos unfriendly indifference towards himself1 and his sour and gloomy disdain. This is a strange reaction to Delanos company, which should be greeted as a form of rescue. However, Delano attributes this indifference to the effects of sickness2 and dismisses it. As a consequence, readers of Benito Cereno assume Delanos excuse as their own and also dismiss such a trivial observation. But Delano is good at making these trivial observations but instead of connecting them and drawing a conclusion, he rejects them as soon as it is noted. In the same page as the previous observation, he also notices the intimacy of Cereno and Babo. His first impression of Babo is that he is less a servant than a devoted companion3 to Cereno, often holding out his arm or handing him a handkerchief to help his master. It is this impression that has really sheltered Delano from the truth, because his perspective of the important relationship of Cereno and Babo is the foundation of excuses for everything else that occurs on the ship. Delano is truly naive in that he cannot conceive any real evil to occur on the ship. Melville narrates the story from a third person perspective, therefore creating a distance from the narrative perspective of Delano, but often, the narration agrees with Delano. However, at times, the narration takes a step back from Delano and observes his point of view (which is at times, accurate) but dismisses his interpretation of the events. One scene where this occurs is when Babo shaves Cereno. Delano witnesses this scene and observes: Altogether the scene was somewhat peculiar, at least to Captain Delano, nor, as he saw the two thus postured, could he resist the vagary, that in the black he saw a headsman, and in the white, a man at the block. 4 The narrator, though separate from Delano, is sympathetic to his perspective. However, to understand the true point of view of the narrator, particularly in the above passage, is difficult. Here, Delano sees the scene for what it truly is menacing and threatening. The rebellion is essentially, revealed in this trivial description. There is then, a sense that Delano and the narrator counters each other in order to maintain a state of naivety for the readers. Usually, the narration seems to be aware of the suspicious nature of the San Dominick, which is apparent through the revealing description throughout the novel. But if Delano starts suspecting something suspicious, the narrator turns and attributes it to Delanos own perspective. So, in the above passage the scene according to the narrator is not strange, but Delano thinks that it is somewhat peculiar. Melville is being really smart here by never corroborating the narrator with Delanos perspective, which therefore throws readers off, making it difficult for readers to grasp what is happening until Melville finally reveals the twist. The point of Delano as narrative perspective is to relate to him. In an obvious way, readers relate to him insofar as his interpretation of the mystery and assume his judgments as our own. However, the narrator holds Delano up as a model of justice and legality5. His rescuing of the crew members at the end, the recapturing of the rebel slave and the court case at the end all contributes to this idea that Delano is the representative of an ideal American in the 18th-19th century. Indeed, his actions are what were required of an American citizen under the Fugitive Slave Act of 18506. His heroic act of recapturing the rebel slaves is legitimately supported by the law. The heroism of Delano is further supported by excusing his delay in reacting because had it been otherwise some of my interferences might have ended unhappily enough7. Thus, his naivety is justified because if he had realised sooner, Babo would have killed both captains instantly. Whilst this is undoubtedly true, it is still a lame excuse for the tedious amount of time it takes for him to realise. But this too, can be likened to the state of America at the time. Melvilles ambiguity in Benito Cereno is confusing especially to the topic of slavery. Whether it supports slavery or not is so difficult to comprehend. Delano is portrayed as a model for recapturing the slaves but the slaves are just revolting against the cruel system of slavery which gives them justification. The separation between Delano and the narrator is important because it gives room for this ambiguity and such as it is, never reveals what Melville truly believes. However, the point of pro- or anti-slavery is not an issue when analysing the significance of Delanos perspective and representation. If Delano is a representative of America, then it is because Delanos naivety mirrors that of America in the 18th-19th century. Americas incapability to recognise evil when it is displayed so obviously is similar to that of Delanos gullibility. However, Delanos slow process of realisation could be what Benito Cereno is trying to achieve Americas own realisation of the true evils of slavery. There is the sense that Melville is constantly trying to give us more hints, but with Delano dismissing the clues, it is very difficult for most first time readers to realise what is really happening until the end, when Melville chooses to reveal the twist. Therefore, most first time readers can be likened to Delano in that they too, are also tricked and are victims of Babos elaborate performance. Because there is a distance from the narration and the narrative perspective of Delano, there exists a different character in the form of the narration one of whom can be truly parallel to the second time reader. The second time reader can read the narration and understand why Delano can think the way he does about certain things but also have the insight of the actual occurrences on the ship. This is why Melvilles novel is such a hugely effective it is a text that needs to read twice so that readers can truly understand why it is that Cereno is the way that he is. On first reading, the narrative perspective of Delano seems to be guiding readers to a conclusion where Cereno has joined forces with the slaves of the San Dominick and is embarking on a villainous attempt to overthrow Delano. However, it is actually Cereno who is the victim, but this is not understood until reading the text again. The significance of Delanos perspective is then, integral to the mystery of the text. As a work of fiction, Benito Cereno was written in order to engender profit. This is a creative piece of writing by Melville in order to entertain the reader and to sell. This is unlike Narrative, as the novel is a way for Douglass to tell his own story and account of the true aspects of slavery as one of the first ex-slaves to write his own autobiography. However, that is not to say that Douglass text does not involve aspects of creativity and manufacture. Autobiographies are often victims of selective memory, or creative imagination in order to create more sympathy and a better reading experience for the reader. In order to write an autobiography, the author inadvertently exercises memory and shapes it in a specific way so that the history no longer is impartial or neutral, but one that is manipulated by the authors inspiration8. In Douglass case, this unintentional influence is littered throughout the text because the point of his novel is not to sell to make a profit, but to highlight the cruelty of slavery in hope that it will contribute to the abolitionist cause. For example, the scene in which Douglass witnesses his first introduction to the cruelty of slavery (i. e. Aunt Hesters whipping) is written with elaborate and particularly moving diction with the intention of creating an evocative scene: The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest9 the rhythmic flow of the sentence and the evocative language he uses is poignantly expressed and readers cant help but to feel outrage at the cruelty of the master. His rich use of language and his ability to articulate it is undeniable, but he humbles himself by stating: I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it10. This simple statement is both true but also a device of creativity. Because words cannot reveal the true extent of the horror, the profound emotions, associated with witnessing such a scene from a small age. Therefore, the imagination of the reader is intensified and is thus a clever writing technique that Douglass uses effectively. Even though Narrative is written in first person narrative, there is a difference between Douglass the protagonist and Douglass the narrator. Douglass as the narrator is reflecting on his life as it was and there are times when it is easy to see the difference between the naive protagonist and the experienced narrator. For example, when he recounts the songs of the slaves, he states: I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and apparently incoherent songs. I was myself within the circle; so that I neither saw nor heard as those without might see and hear. 11 Douglass as the protagonist often plays a slighter role at the beginning but his importance increases as he gradually becomes the Douglass who is writing the narrative. Therefore, though he does not at that point understand the songs because he is within the circle itself and observing it as young Douglass, he can, as Douglass the narrator, truly understand the meanings of those songs. This raises an interesting point of comparison between the two novels. The way in which Douglass approaches this particular point about the perception of slave songs is comparable to the way in which Melville, or actually, Delano, perceives Babos relationship to Cereno. In Benito Cereno, Delano sometimes sees affection12 in Babos face for Cereno. This resembles the misconception that many slave owners believed about the happiness of slaves. It was speciously believed that the singing of songs whilst working showed that they were content with their situation. Douglass, on the other hand, believes that it was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains13. Delanos erroneous belief of Babos servitude is one that is similar to that of the larger part of Americans on the whole. It is not that Delano is being consciously racist in thinking or believing this view, but it is the culture of America at that time to have this constitutional attitude towards slavery. Douglass, in writing his narrative, is trying to teach the public what hes learnt himself through his own experiences. There is always a sense of progress from the inexperienced Douglass to the Douglass who is writing the narrative. It is as if he is projecting himself to his early childhood and living his life once again. This device, helped by certain phrases (I have now reached the a period of my life when I can give dates14), provide the readers with a similar sense of projection as if the readers themselves are being transported back in time to witness his accounts first-hand. This is a powerful tool of sympathy, which Douglass employs with effectual success. Both Douglass and Melville employ the use of a naive character in terms of narrative perspective. This has the effect of distorting the events at the time of occurrence by relating their own limited judgments. However, their naivety slowly transforms into a realisation of their own faults. With Delano, his naivety is required to maintain the mystery on board the San Dominick but it also serves as a mirror of America. Delano, so gullible and naive to the evils of slavery, finally realises his faulty belief system and can act to rectify it. This is an easy conclusion to make but it is really confusing as the evils of slavery is actually caused by the slaves themselves in Benito Cereno, but that in turn is caused by the evils of slavery as an institution. Melvilles novel is a very difficult novel to conclude. Delano is doing a heroic act, according to America, in recapturing the slaves but he is essentially, depriving them of their freedom. But Delanos significance in his naivety is important; if Melville chose to narrate the story beginning with the mutiny on board the San Dominick, the story would not be as effective, the implications of the text would be overshadowed and overall, the reading experience the revelation and understanding would be non existent. Douglass story is like Melvilles insofar as his character cannot truly recognise the significance of certain events until he reflects on them at a much later date. Douglass character however, is perhaps not as frustrating as Delanos is because Douglass young self is an empathetic and understandable character. His character can recognise the evils of slavery, not because he is a part of it, but because it is also in his nature to understand the cruelty of the institution. Delanos character does not have this inherent understanding unlike Douglass, who realises it even as a naive character though he can only reflect and analyse it once he is out of the system himself. Perhaps it can be said that both authors novels serve a didactic purpose in trying to teach America the true nature of slavery by revealing the inhumane aspect of it and portraying its cruelty. However, Melvilles ambiguity is so difficult to understand, that maybe, its safer to say only Douglass story achieves this aim.

The best student cities in the world

The best student cities in the world Top 10 student cities It is very important for every entrant to observe the city while applying to the university. You should pay attention on its friendliness, arts and culture, nightlife, affordability, employment opportunities, and diversity. Think whether you could stay in this city after graduating for making your career. The student survey has shown that there are many other cities not including the most iconic ones, such as Paris or London, which suggest the perfect educational conditions and make the student life interesting and diverse. We decided to write a list of the best student cities in 2017, according to students’ opinion. Hope it will be interesting. Shanghai Shanghai is a megalopolis, which attracts the students from all over the world due to its culture, arts, friendliness and nightlife. It gives the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and experience such international influence. It is the largest city in China. However, it is very easy to get around it. You will definitely praise its local cuisine. Nottingham The student survey shows that Nottingham is considered to be a student-focused college-town, which attracts the youth with its nightlife, culture, green spaces, arts, and friendliness. It is also easy to get around it. Nottingham is high scored for inclusion and tolerance. Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe (Keihanshin) Here you can definitely experience a modern student lifestyle. This metropolitan area, called Keihanshin, consists of three cities – Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe, which together form one of the world`s largest economies. Students can enjoy the unbelievable combination of astonishing nature and urban life. Moreover, this megalopolis is rich in its traditions, history, and culture. Boston Boston is famous for its leading academic environment. Despite the fact that this is a medium-sized city it combines all aspects of the big city life. Students will be impressed with its attractive surroundings, culture, and arts. Boston has the strong ratings for its friendliness and ease of getting around. Brno Here you can easily become the part of the friendly student community. Brno delivers a great student experience, providing students with unforgettable nightlife, affordability, inclusivity, and tolerance. Students praise this Czech city for its astonishing attractiveness and friendly atmosphere. Ottawa Ottawa is famous for its student-centered environment with its rich bilingual and multicultural peculiarities. The capital of Canada stands out for its nightlife, tolerance, and friendliness. Ottawa offers its students the opportunities to gain experience in various scientific areas. Montreal Montreal is considered to be the cultural capital of Canada. This city is distinguished by its rich culture, diversity, arts, affordability, and friendliness. Students can enjoy the wide range of different activities. Its welcoming and multicultural environment makes Montreal particularly appealing to the youth. Seoul Seoul is the South Korean capital, which is famous for its convenience and safety. This city offers its students the diversity of opportunities and activities. The nightlife is particularly appealing. It boasts of its culture, arts, and ease of getting round. It is a perfect city not just for studies, but also for making a glittering career. Prague Prague is situated in the very heart of Europe and attracts students with its diversity beauty, historic architecture, low living costs, and nightlife. Here students always have plenty of things to do, see, drink, and eat. It is world-known for its affordability, rich culture and traditions. Taipei Taipei is a Taiwan`s capital, which provides students with convenient transports system and cheap food. Moreover, Taipei claims the highest student rating in the category for affordability which is very important for students. It also gets the high rating for friendliness. It is also important to take into account such cities as: Vienna – top for culture and arts Oslo – highest-rated for ease of getting around Canberra – the friendliest city according to student survey Riyadh – offers a lot of employment opportunities

Chicomoztoc, the Mythical Place of Aztec Origins

Chicomoztoc, the Mythical Place of Aztec Origins Chicomoztoc (â€Å"The Place of the Seven Caves† or â€Å"The Cave of the Seven Niches†) is the mythological cave of emergence for the Aztec/Mexica, the Toltecs, and other groups of  Central Mexico and northern Mesoamerica. It is frequently depicted in Central Mexican codices, maps, and other written documents known as lienzos, as a subterranean hall surrounded by seven chambers. In the surviving depictions of Chicomoztoc, each chamber is labeled with a pictograph that names and illustrates a different Nahua lineage that emerged from that particular place in the cave. As with other caves illustrated in Mesoamerican art, the cave has some animal-like characteristics, such as teeth or fangs and eyes. More intricate renderings show the cave as a lion-like monster out of whose gaping mouth the original people emerge. A Shared Pan-Mesoamerican Mythology Emergence from a cave is a common thread found throughout ancient Mesoamerica and among groups living in the area today. Forms of this myth can be found as far north as the American Southwest among cultural groups such as the Ancestral Puebloan or Anasazi people. They and their modern descendants built sacred rooms in their communities known as kivas, where the entrance to the sipapu, the Puebloan place of origin, was marked in the center of the floor. One famous example of a pre-Aztec emergence place is the human-made cave under the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan. This cave differs from the Aztec account of emergence because it has only four chambers. Another constructed Chicomoztoc-like emergence shrine is found at the site of Acatzingo Viejo, in the State of Puebla, central Mexico. It more closely parallels the Aztec account due to its having seven chambers carved into the walls of a circular rock outcropping. Unfortunately, a modern road was cut directly through this feature, destroying one of the caves. Mythical Reality Many other places have been proposed as possible Chicomoztoc shrines, among which is the site of La Quemada, in Northwest Mexico. Most experts believe that Chicomoztoc was not necessarily a specific, physical place but, like Aztalan, a widespread idea among many Mesoamerican people of a mythical cave as a  place of emergence for both humans and gods, from which each group materialized and identified itself within their own sacred landscape. Updated by  K. Kris Hirst Sources Aguilar, Manuel, Miguel Medina Jaen, Tim M. Tucker, and James E. Brady, 2005, Constructing Mythic Space: The Significance of a Chicomoztoc Complex at Acatzingo Viejo. In the Maw of the Earth Monster: Mesoamerican Ritual Cave Use, edited by James E. Brady and Keith M. Prufer, 69-87. University of Texas Press, Austin Boone, Elizabeth Hill, 1991, Migration Histories As Ritual Performance. In To Change Place: Aztec Ceremonial Landscapes, edited by David Carrasco, pp. 121-151. University of Colorado Press, Boulder Boone, Elizabeth Hill, 1997, Prominent Scenes and Pivotal Events in the Mexican Pictorial Histories. In Cà ³dices y Documentos sobre Mà ©xico: Segundo Simposio, edited by Salvador Rueda Smithers, Constanza Vega Sosa, and Rodrigo Martà ­nez Baracs, pp. 407-424. vol. I. Instituto Nacional de Antropologà ­a E Historia, Mexico, D.F. Boone, Elizabeth Hill, 2000, Stories in Red and Black: Pictorial Histories of the Aztecs and Mixtecs. University of Texas, Austin. Carrasco, David, and Scott Sessions, 2007, Cave, City, and Eagles Next: An Interpretative Journey Through the Mapa de Cuauhtinchan No. 2. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. Durn, Fray Diego, 1994, The Histories of The Indies of New Spain. Translated by Doris Heyden. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Hers, Marie-Areti, 2002, Chicomoztoc. A Myth Reviewed, in Arqueologà ­a Mexicana, vol 10, Num.56, pp: 88-89. Heyden, Doris, 1975, An Interpretation of the Cave Underneath the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico. American Antiquity 40:131-147. Heyden, Doris, 1981, The Eagle, The Cactus, The Rock: The Roots of Mexico-Tenochtitlans Foundation Myth and Symbol. BAR International Series No. 484. B.A.R., Oxford. Monaghan, John, 1994, The Covenants with Earth and Rain: Exchange, Sacrifice, and Revelation In Mixtec Sociality. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Taube, Karl A., 1986, The Teotihuacan Cave of Origin: The Iconography and Architecture of Emergence Mythology in Mesoamerica and the American Southwest. RES 12:51-82. Taube, Karl A., 1993, Aztec and Maya Myths. The Legendary Past. University of Texas Press, Austin. Weigland, Phil C., 2002, Creation Northern Style, in Arqueologà ­a Mexicana, vol 10, Num.56, pp: 86-87.

TOWS analysis of the case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

TOWS analysis of the - Case Study Example Medical therapy is a secondary stage in the prevention where there is improvement in the walking distance after the primary stage of prevention. The medical therapy is helpful to determine fats, cholesterol and carbohydrates in the body. Medical concern and consideration for those that have developed the disease also involve using antihypertensive, anti-cholesterol, and smoking cessation. This is regarded as the primary stage when the condition is noticed (Alonso, McManus & Fisher, 2011). Revascularization is a secondary preventive measure. The measure is carried out through stenting, angioplasty, surgery and atherectomy. Improvements that have been observed in the technique has resulted to the use of endovascular revascularization to an extensive range of patients over the previous decade for both serious symptoms and less severe indications. In the technique, there are clinical trials that have been performed with the aim of determining the best strategies for patients with the con dition (Uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org, 2015). Physical assessment is an important aspect in prevention of the infection and help recovery from the condition. Physical assessment is done in the tertiary stage after treatment where the patient is seen through the infection recovery. Physical assessment will be able to portray some of the desired features of recovery such as low fats that leads to reduction in fatness in an individual (Alonso, McManus & Fisher, 2011). Uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org,. (2015).  Final Recommendation Statement: Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and CVD in Adults: Risk Assessment with Ankle Brachial Index - US Preventive Services Task Force. Retrieved 28 May 2015, from

The Balkan States, 1876-1914 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Balkan States, 1876-1914 - Essay Example However as the event unfolded after 1908 as â€Å"in the ensuing Balkan Wars of 1912-13, Serbia obtained northern and central Macedonia, but Austria compelled it to yield Albanian lands that would have given it access to the sea. Serb animosity against the Habsburgs reached a climax on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip, setting off a series of diplomatic and military initiatives among the great powers that culminated in World War I.† (US Department of State). The rising tension between the two entities and the resulting conflict thus brought about the World War I. Further it was also a conflict of interest as both the countries tried to legitimize their powers in the region. Austria being the country largely responsible for weakening Turks claimed to have more territory under its control whereas Serbia refused to budge to the excessiveness of Austria thus both the countries were at odd during Balkan wars. It is largely being argued that the nationalism was one of the main thrust behind the first and the second Balkan War as Nationalism worked as a force to compel Europe to go far war. Tracing the history of the region, it would be evident that right from the Ottoman rule in the region to the last Balkan war of 1990s, Nationalism has emerged in the form of various sub-identities and sub-cultures which virtually divided the region and brought about the bitter consequences of the war. It is also believed that Nationalism emerged within the Balkan region mainly due to the conditions of the social structure within the region. The region was largely village based with strong differences between the rural and the urban areas. Further, with influx of Turks, most of the population of Serbia especially embraced Islam which gave the issue of nationalism a whole new face in the region. The historical roots of this

Writting paper- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Writting paper- - Essay Example The Signs and symptoms of the early stages of cervical cancer may be completely asymptomatic. Vaginal bleeding, contact bleeding or a vaginal mass may indicate the presence of malignancy. Also, moderate pain during sexual intercourse and vaginal discharge are symptoms of cervical cancer. In advanced disease, metastases may be present in the abdomen, lungs or elsewhere. Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer may include: loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, pelvic pain, back pain, leg pain, and single swollen leg, heavy bleeding from the vagina, leaking of urine from the vagina and bone fractures (Kumar et al. 2007). Numerous studies of the epidemiology of cervical cancer have shown strong associations with religious, marital and sexual patterns. Although it is well established that women with multiple partners and early ages at first intercourse are at high risk, less is known about how these factors interact or how risk is affected by specific sexual characteristics. Recent studies indicate that number of steady partners and frequent intercourse at early ages may further enhance risk, supporting hypotheses regarding a vulnerable period of the cervix and a need for repeated exposure to an infectious agent. It is now widely accepted that HPV is the major infectious etiological agent, but whether other infectious agents play supportive or interactive roles is unclear. Other speculative risk factors for cervical cancer include cigarette smoking, oral contraceptive usage and certain nutritional deficiencies, but again it is not clear whether these factors operate independently from HPV. Although cervical cancer incidence trends correlate with the population prevalence of various venereally transmitted agents, it is not certain how disease rates are affected by other potential risk factors which have changed during recent time (e.g., exposure to HPV, sexual behavior, cigarette smoking). In addition, a number of recent

Learning and teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Learning and teaching - Essay Example This program was inaugurated because a lot of employers were complaining about their employees basic literacy skills and thus they had to send their employees to gain the basic reading and writing skills (Barrs & Cork, 2001, pg 9). Literacy underlies every aspect of education, it helps to outperform grades, empower students, reshape their potentials and help them survive in this world. Within the literacy subject reading is a fundamental tool for progress and success. Gough and his colleagues introduced a ‘Simple View of Reading Model’ to enhance the reading capabilities within the students. According to them children can attain competence in reading when two main elements, i.e. reading words and listening comprehension are included in reading speech. If a child can decode the text fluently and can understand the spoken language easily then he will not face any difficulty with independent reading comprehension (O’Conner, 2007, pg. 12-13). Teachers should create reading development of children at the very basic level, i.e. the primary school level. Primary teachers should enhance the reading abilities within the young students by integrating reading, writing, speaking and listening skills (N amdi, 2009, pg 4). Hence, simple view reading is used especially in England primary schools and it is considered a mandatory approach I the teachings of reading (DFES, 2006). But when we apply SVR frames within the classroom environment then this model does not fit here. It not only neglects what the child knows about the language, spelling, and the basic process of making the sense of spoken and written language but it also makes learning to read in English particularly challenging. Due to this in 2009, United Nations Literacy Association currently started a research project, Building communities of readers. This project involves developing range of children’s reading and addressing those concerns that he simple view of reading

Chronic Illness Strikes Again Essay Example for Free

Chronic Illness Strikes Again Essay Throughout the ‘hard times’ of a person’s life, they may face their difficulties with an attitude of generosity and fortitude. When it comes to living in sickness, however, true human nature seems to reveal itself. When confined to the house, room, or bed with a chronic illness, one becomes weak. This weakness allows themselves to show the nature of humans, which is not the aforementioned strength, but selfishness as well as impatience. Chronic illnesses have an extreme effect on the mindset of an individual. Affected children and adolescents are subjected to developmental issues, worries of being socially unaccepted, and being uncertain of their future. Children have been observed to experience more stress and far more changes in personality and behavior. Their risk for psychological disorders significantly increases in the presence of a severe illness. The limits put on chronically ill children, usually by parents or doctors, destruct their concept of manners and ‘behaving’. This causes the child to be quick-tempered and prone to tantrums. Human selfishness is the underlying root of negative behavior changes due to sickness. Individuals with a chronic illness are viewed as a burden on society by the vast majority of our population. It is the healthy person’s own selfishness that causes the sick to be aware of everyone else’s ‘not my problem’ attitude. Sickness has a monumental impact on the person living in it and alters every aspect of their lif e. When a family member is suffering from a severe illness, the dynamic of their family will drastically change. Parents are primarily the caregivers to their children while they are sick. Their role is a challenging one, as they face a great tension between members of the family, high financial expenses, and difficulty communicating with their child. When the family views these stigmas as unmanageable, relationships weaken, and stress accumulates. The parent’s perception of their child’s uncontrollable selfish behavior causes them to believe there are disciplinary issues occurring. The common tendency for mothers who experience more elevated levels of stress due to their child’s illness is to view their behavior as deviant. A severely ill person will naturally have more difficulty suppressing their selfish desires, but this drives a wedge between them and their apathetic family members. Siblings of the sick become ‘forgotten’ by their parents and they too may lash out in attempts of receiving some attention. Elderly people are often diagnosed with chronic illnesses, making them even more aware of their numbered days. When most people hear the words ‘sick old people’ it can be quite obvious that they are the last thing anyone wants to be around. They are believed to be grouchy, rude, and miserable. And it is true, they are! Like many others that are chronically ill, older patients can try to put on the humble and serene faà §ade, but it won’t last very long. Nobody wants to be sick, and nobody wants to be in the presence of a sick person either. Why would anyone want that? People want to be able to make their own decisions without any restrictions. So, when chronic illness stands in the way of that ability, selfishness and impatience become very prominent. Okay I know this is where I am supposed to put my conclusion but it is very late and I really don’t feel like it so whoever is peer editing this if you wouldn’t mind putting down some things you feel as though I should include in this that would be GREAT thank you very much and I know my essay is a bit disorganized and my stance isn’t as clear as it could be but I will make it better it is just very late and my eyes are tired thanks so much. Ps also that’s not going to be my title lol I’m sorry I needed something to put there first thing that popped into my head alright bye

The method for carrying Essay Example for Free

The method for carrying Essay My aim is to investigate the mathematical propagation of bad tomatoes This is essentially an investigation of patterns derived from a simple set of rules for this propagation, in the manner of a simplified life genesis program. The rules are as followed: 1. The first hour, any one of the tomatoes (depending on the investigation) turns bad 2. From that hour on, any tomato touched by a bad tomato will turn bad itself, on an hourly basis. 3. Tomatoes are constrained within an nn grid, which restricts propagation of bad tomatoes. As visible from the rules, this allows for creation of simple models to show the propagation of bad tomatoes. From these, I hope to derive formulae, or sets of rules if formulae are not possible, to make logical predictions. We shall define the variables as will be used in the description of this investigation as follows: n The hour in which a tomato turns g The grid size (g2) x The number of turned tomatoes in each n h The number of hours taken for all tomatoes to go bad t Total number of turned tomatoes (equal to g2) Contents Item Page number Introduction 1 Contents 2 Mapping of tomatoes in the middle of a side 3 Tomatoes in the corner 7 Conclusion. This grid represents the propagation of bad tomatoes in an nxn square, covering grids up to size 2424. Some of the results for this data are plotted on the table below: While at first it seems the patterns in this table should be obvious, this is deceptive. Only by splitting the table into three regions do we see the separate patterns defining the table. These regions, as shown in the following table, allow patterns to emerge. These patterns do not, as you would expect, work down with different numbers in the same grids, but instead work across with the same number in different grids. In the first region (yellow), we see that, in every case, x is equal to n+n-1. The latter two regions (green and purple) are substantially harder, and require a sequential approach. Naturally, the first step in devising a formula, to take n and g and return x, is determining which region the number lies in. This is a simple matter of comparing g with n. Once we know the region, we can use a set op steps to calculate the number x. The method for carrying out this operation will be described shortly. The left grid shows an updated version of my results demonstrating the three regions yellow, green and purple, as well as some extra data formulated from the patterns observed. This is the first step in trying to formulate equations to work on all situations. Before moving on to the main essence of the project, finding a formula to derive x from n and g, we shall examine a few other formulae not directly related to this but still relevant to the investigation. Â  To find the total number of hours taken for all tomatoes to go bad within a grid, you use a formula depending on g. This formula also depends on whether g is odd or even: Â  If g is odd, then h=((g+1)/2)-1 If g is even then h=(g/2)+1 Â  In all square grid situations, t is always g2. The number of tomatoes to turn each hour in an infinite grid, starting on the side in the centre is equal to 2n-1. The total number of tomatoes that are bad after each hour is equal to n2. We shall briefly describe the patterns used to expand this table and in the following formulae: Yellow numbers always go up by 0 each grid size Green numbers go up by 1 Purple numbers go up by 3 Green/yellow boundaries go up by 1 Purple/green boundaries go up by 2 We now move on to analyse the main problem: the individual number of tomatoes to turn in each hour. This, as mentioned earlier, is a much more complicated program, and requires division of the grid into three regions. The following steps attempt to demonstrate how, and why, this is done. 1. The first step is to compare n with g, to work out which region the answer is likely to lie in. For this example we shall use two numbers, grid size 24 and tomato number 25. Compare n with g: If ng, x lies in the purple region If n=g, x lies in the green region If gn, x lies in green or yellow and further calculation is needed: If g is odd: if g= n-((g-1)/2) x is yellow, and if gn-((g-1)/2) then x is green If g is even: if g= n-(g/2) x is yellow, and if gn-(g/2) x is green We then move to region specific instructions: Yellow x =2n-1 Green x =g Purple. (Calculating purple numbers is substantially more complex) (Also note the existence of bln, a new variable we introduce here whose meaning will be explained later) Do n mod 3: N mod 3 = 0 then Bln = 2(n/3) N mod 3 = 1 then Bln = (2((n+2)/3))-1 N mod 3 = 2 then Bln = 2((n+1)/3) Do g bln Again, look at n mod 3: If 0, multiply last number by 3 and add 1 If 1, multiply last number by 3 and add 2 If 2, multiply last number by 3 and add 3 Therefore, by this process we can calculate any number from the grid size and the hour. For our example, g = 24 and n = 25, we would do the following: 1.n g, therefore x is purple 2. 25 mod 3 is 1, therefore bln = 2(27/3))-1 = 17 3. 24 17 is 7 4. 25 mod 3 is 1, therefore we: 5. Multiply 7 by 3 = 21 6. And add 2, giving 23 I have checked this with both an extended table of results (created using the patterns found earlier), and with a small excel macro designed to count the numbers of tomatoes turned each hour. Both yield the same result. Â  The left is the segment from my expanded table showing the result. The 23 in the middle of the table represents grid size 24 and hour 25 what my formula predicted. The left here is the automatic count from my macro. The data reads (for a 2424 table) hour,count (or n,x). This also agrees with my prediction. We shall here briefly explain how the purple formula works (formulas for both green and yellow are self-explanatory). I observed that the base line (the line marking the bottom of the purple section- representative of the number of tomatoes to turn bad in the final hour) of the purple section follows a three stage recurring pattern. Because we are working from the base line to reach our result, as the numbers go up by 3 each time, calculating the start point and value of the base line for each hour was essential. To work easily with a three -stage recurrence, we needed to work in base 3, the easiest implementation of which involves modulo arithmetic. By doing n mod 3, we work out which stage of the cycle represents the first grid size for tomatoes to turn in a particular hour. Once the cycle is split, we can show different formulae for each stage, derived from observance of the patterns.