At the beginning of senior year, I asked a friend if I had changed a lot since freshman year. I didn’t think so, but she said, “Yes, you’re a lot happier now.” I was taken aback at first—it certainly didn’t seem like I had changed much—but on second thought, I realized it was true. Not only was I happier, but I was almost a completely different person. Freshman-me was still searching for self-confidence and discovering...

I’ve always loved big cities for their languages. In New York City, every time I took to the streets, I kept my ears open for glimpses of the staccato sounds of Japanese; rolling Russian syllables; harsh, rapid-fire Mandarin and Cantonese; silky-smooth French; and more. This fascination with sounds led me to explore other aspects of languages, such as syntax. The idea that some languages, like Japanese and Korean, have subject-object-verb structures, as opposed to the subject-verb-object structure of English,...

There are three things that attract me to a college: global awareness, the ability to study languages and linguistics together, and research opportunities for undergraduate students. BU not only has all three of these things, but what it offers goes beyond my expectations. BU’s large percentage of international undergraduate students and encouragement to study abroad show how globally aware the school is. Furthermore, BU’s specialty community residences in languages contribute to this emphasis on global awareness. As someone...

Once upon a time, in a suburb far, far away, there lived a high school junior. Curled up on a couch, swathed in a thick blanket, she checked her email and stumbled across a treasure trove of college advertisements. Like most high schoolers, she was looking for colleges to apply to in the upcoming year, and soon found herself perusing websites in search for the perfect college. Enthralled by the nerdy and witty humor of the University of Chicago’s...

Music is my time machine. Certain songs bring back vivid memories from years ago (and I mean from when I was in elementary school, not just stuff from the beginning of high school). And whenever these songs come on the radio or I stumble upon them on Youtube for the billionth time, I turn into my parents and recite the forever-mocked line: “Back in my day...” Beethoven’s Wig 4 was my favorite CD growing up, beating close contenders like High...

Time of day Sunrise to sunset. I’m a night owl by nature--since I was a little kid, waking up was the hardest part of the day. My creative juices flow at night, and I’m the most productive in the wee hours of the morning when few are awake, and it’s nice to have some peace and quiet. And it’s very nice to see the sunrise, sunset, and the moon and stars glowing in the sky. Pok�...

I stepped out of the auditorium, squinting against the harsh sun, taking in the University of Pennsylvania. Majestic buildings were accented with green, and the campus was bustling. Despite the beautiful view, I could only think of the information session presenter’s bold statement on the final slide of her presentation, which proclaimed, “Penn: You can.” I return to these words every time I think of Penn and all it offers: the ability to take a second major in another...

I’ve always loved big cities for their languages. Every time I take to a city’s streets, I keep my ears peeled for glimpses of the staccato sounds of Japanese; rolling Russian syllables; harsh, rapid-fire Mandarin and Cantonese; silky-smooth French; and more. Washington D.C. is one of these cities that oozes internationality; as the epicenter of American politics, it only makes sense that many foreign dignitaries will visit and spread their language around the city. D.C. is...

I ran up the stairs, stumbling on too-shallow steps. My heavy backpack bounced up and down as I burst through the double doors and sprinted up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. Skidding around the corner, I sprinted down to the end of the hall to room 212. I grasped the cold metal of the door handle and yanked open the door, not expecting to find thirteen pairs of eyes staring at me, since I made sure to...

When I first stepped onto Columbia’s campus, I was captivated by the architecture. The grandiose Butler Library, with the names of great thinkers etched into its side, captured my attention from the very beginning. But as I learned more about the school through the information session and enthusiastic tour guide, I fell in love with Columbia’s commitment to an education that provides students with a broad understanding of global affairs. The core curriculum, the core of a Columbia...

Blinded by the spotlights on stage, I desperately tried to imagine the audience in their underwear, but the age-old trick failed. In sixth grade, I discovered acting wasn’t my forté, but I insisted on getting involved with theater. So I joined Cappies, which lets me see local high school theater performances in exchange for writing reviews. While I joined because I wanted to see more performances, I came to enjoy writing reviews, and it’s a bonus when sections...

I’ve always loved big cities for their languages. In New York City, every time I took to the streets, I kept my ears peeled for glimpses of the staccato sounds of Japanese; rolling Russian syllables; harsh, rapid-fire Mandarin and Cantonese; silky-smooth French; and more. My first symptom of language-love was my fascination with the sounds of languages; the Spanish rolled r enthralled me (although I still can’t pronounce it), and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), a standardized way...

The frigid air stung my lungs as I unfurled myself from the car; it was a cold, windy day, but the sight of Northwestern set against the backdrop of Lake Michigan was stunning, distracting me from the cold. A little more than two years later, when I visited a second time, despite my changing interests, my love for Northwestern stayed the same (and its campus was just as beautiful). Despite the chilly weather and gray skies, every Northwestern student had...

There are three ways I want to pursue my three academic interests (East Asian Languages, Linguistics, and Computer Science): taking classes, studying abroad, and doing an internship. USC gives me opportunities to do all of these, by combining some of the fields. I hope to pursue my interests in an East Asian Language (which one, I don’t know) and Linguistics with the combined major in Linguistics and East Asian Languages and Cultures, with classes combining the two, such as...

My long-sleeved shirt only made me sweat more as I frantically tried to light the Bunsen burner. It was five minutes into the Forensics Science Olympiad competition, and XXXX (my partner) and I were already behind. “Here, I can do it,” she offered. I flashed a grin and let her take over as I tried to work the microscope, to no avail. “Hey XXXX, can we switch real quick? I’m having trouble with the microscope.” “Sure, I’m having...

By far, my favorite online destination is a group chat on groupme.com. It’s fairly small, made up of around twenty-five other seniors, but it’s an incredibly diverse group. We’re from all over the US—different time zones, racial backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses—yet all of us are good friends. The diversity of the group chat gives me a variety of perspectives, allowing me to open my mind to other ideas. It helps that everyone, regardless of...

For some reason, some science problems give me a surprising sense of catharsis. My favorite type of these problems, without a doubt, is chemistry problems. There’s something relaxing and enjoyable about them, and I can just tune out the rest of the world and do chemistry problems. Perhaps this is part of the reason I enjoy chemistry and want to learn more. Or perhaps it’s the way chemistry is intricately interwoven in a web of other scientific fields...

An impact I would like to make in the world in improving interlanguage communication and improving the accessibility of information between languages. In other words, I’d like to improve translation technology. As (probably) the most widely used translation software, Google Translate doesn’t give good enough translations despite its speed. And despite all of the technological advancements in the past years, there still isn’t an accurate, easy to use, and fast translation software. I would like to make...

Blinded by the spotlights onstage, I desperately tried to imagine the audience in their underwear, but the age-old trick failed. In sixth grade, I discovered acting wasn’t my forté, but I insisted on getting involved with theater. So I joined Cappies, which allows me to see local high school theater performances in exchange for writing reviews. While I joined because I wanted to see more performances, I began to enjoy writing reviews, feeling a rush of pride when they...

I can’t sing the alphabet right. I can start it properly, with crisp pronunciation and each letter distinguishable, but once I reach LMNOP, these five letters slur together before I resume proper pronunciation. Coincidentally, this slurring creates the title of a book: Ella Minnow Pea. To many, there’s nothing particularly special about this book--it’s just a book. However, to me, it’s extraordinary because of the way the author manipulates English. In the universe of Ella Minnow...

What’s up with slang: Exploring the dynamics of Internet diction over time Learn about the evolution of internet diction over the years--from the start of the web to the modern day. We’ll explore the historical, political, and linguistic influences on slang, the Internet grammatical structure of English, and the effects of Internet diction and syntax on spoken English. Students are encouraged to get involved with social media for this course, especially with sites such as Tumblr and Twitter,...

To some, the name José María Heredia conjures images of nothing but comically cartoonish question marks. But to me, the name whisks me into the center of a tumultuous storm of a complex Spanish poem aptly named “En una tempestad (In a storm).” Heredia’s poem single-handedly demolished my ambivalence toward poetry and rebuilt them into an appreciation. Before reading “En una tempestad,” my only exposure to poetry was in English 10, where we analyzed three types of sonnets. Our...

I can’t sing the alphabet right. I can start it properly, with crisp pronunciation and each letter distinguishable, but once I reach LMNOP, these five letters slur together before I resume proper pronunciation. Coincidentally, this slurring creates the title of a book: Ella Minnow Pea. To many, there’s nothing particularly special about this book--it’s just a book. However, to me, it’s fascinating because of the way the author uses English. In the universe of Ella Minnow...

Music transcends the limitations of language--soulful lyrics, regardless of the the listener’s comprehension, cause eyes to well up with tears and goosebumps to stand out on human flesh. Regardless of intelligibility, a poppin’ beat can cause listeners to get down on the dance floor and work it. Words are unnecessary to whisk listeners into the depths of their memories, returning them to their childhoods. I fell in love with music in middle school, after my Spanish teacher exposed my...

My desk is, to put it simply, messy. A complete disaster zone. It’s not uncommon to see it covered in pens, pencils, and papers at any given moment during the school year, but without fail, it’s always messy whenever the Cappies season approaches. It was the messiest in early October of junior year, when I was given the intimidating task of picking shows our team could attend. There was only one major rule: at least three members had...

I ran up the stairs, pinwheeling my arms to keep myself from falling as I stumbled on too-shallow steps. My heavy backpack bounced up and down as I burst through the double doors and ran up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. In a near-comical fashion, I skidded around the corner, searching for room 212. There it was—at the end of the hall! I grasped the cold metal of the door handle and pulled open the door,...

It amazes me how a few simple, red Bic-pen strokes on paper can single-handedly demolish someone’s self esteem. Red numbers glared at me mockingly, and it seemed like out of the entire class, only my confidence was sucked away. My first AP Chemistry test also happened to be the first time I failed—literally and figuratively. This failure came at a time where perfection dictated my life. In tenth grade I was practically bipolar, with my performance in school...

If I told freshman-me that I’d become self-confident from taking classes that, combined, were a year of hours hunched over a keyboard, typing away, freshman-me would have laughed in my face and told me that my jokes were bad. Except this fantastical story, albeit a bit more complex than this sentence-long version, is true. I found self-confidence in computer science classes. Junior year was when I first started getting down and dirty in computer science and programming. Sure, I...