Here’s how we make tamales in my family. First, imagine an assembly line. Now, imagine that the line is not a line at all but a criss-cross of paths weaving across a kitchen island in a house within an Arizona subdivision. Next, imagine that even the paths can change over time (depending upon which uncle is taking a break, which cousin is taking over, etc.) such that the assembly line metaphor itself dissolves and ceases to be useful at...

Numbers are everywhere. As a result of the modern process of teaching math, with its focus on the method rather than the uses, students can often have a disconnect between the beauty of nature, and the power of numbers. I'm not talking about the way the SAT has subjected students to "6 bushels of corn for 5 dollars each, 2 acres of land for 10 dollars, find the intersection" and similar trivialities that suck the magic out of numbers and mathematics. I became enthralled...

There is a surprising amount of technique required to properly strike a piece of wood with a plastic mallet whose end is surrounded in a tight ball of twine. In my percussion classes, I’ve only had the title of a "leader" since my senior year, but nonetheless, I've tried my best to positively affect the program despite lacking a formal mandate to do so. The main way I've done this is by tutoring people to play percussion, focusing on...

Hitting things in time. There's been a lurking version of percussion always in my life, whether it was when I was a toddler playing with a Fisher-Price plastic xylophone with tiny mallets, or when I didn't want to take piano lessons anymore and began bashing the keys of my Casio keyboard because there were too many notes-per-chord for my 3rd grader self to be pleased. Luckily, in 4th grade, my elementary school had a program entitled "Mallet Masters," which was...

To exist is to be vibration. At the base level of physics is the formula E=mc2, which expresses the equivalence of mass converted to energy, in the form of a wave. In this interpretation, one can see that everything we are, everything we ever do, and everything that has ever been can be seen as an intersection of waves, an ocean of sine and cosine rippling against the shore of infinity. Thus, when presented with this viewpoint, I cannot...

Have you ever bent your finger, watching your knuckle shift beneath the stretching skin on your hand? The millions of reactions, processes and collisions that from bending bending your finger are just like the knuckle, hiding underneath the surface. My interest in the Biological Sciences major, specifically with a concentration in genetics, stems from a desire to understand the core of human existence through investigation of the molecular biology within our bodies. I know that at Cornell I could be...

See no Evil. Hear no Evil. Do no Evil. Trapped up to his waist in ice, Dante's Satan with his warped wings pushes freezing gusts of air throughout the caverns of the ninth circle of hell. With him, the worst of all sinners are warped into fantastical shapes while encased in the frigid ice. They are the betrayers of love, the godly ideal of voluntary benefaction, and now must spend eternity without warmth or light. Nothing is felt; by being...

I get a lot of questions about why I want to major in Bisque -- a major offered, oddly, by the Linguistics department in conjunction with the Culinary Arts program. First, there's the coursework. Beyond the obvious, always-popular classes (BISQ 12155 Approaches to Broth; BISQ 23310 Coulis Theory; BISQ 25200 Problems with Crustaceans; BISQ 28000 Nautical Soups II: Melville to Conrad; and BISQ 26200 Mushrooms? Mushrooms. Mushrooms!), I am also interested in focusing on the lesser-known, mathematical coursework that UChicago is famous for, such as...

Have you ever bent your finger, watching your knuckle shift beneath the stretching skin on your hand? The millions of reactions, processes and collisions that culminate in you bending your finger are just hiding underneath the surface. My interest in Molecular Biology stems from a desire to understand the core of human existence through investigation of the molecular biology within our bodies. Applied Mathematics ties into this by creating ways to analyze and standardize the processes of life in a...

There is a beauty that comes from smiling into the hammered facets of a 55-gallon drum -- warped face and shining silver -- and hearing the brilliant sounds of former industrial storage containers. As a "cello" steel drum player in my school’s Steel Band, I did not play the fancy bright melodies of pop songs, nor the groovy bass lines that underlie them. Instead, I provided the rhythms and chords integral to the music. To be the leader of...

There is a surprising amount of technique required to properly strike a piece of wood with a mallet. In my percussion classes, I haven't had a "leader" position for long, but I've tried my best to positively affect the program despite the mandate by tutoring people to play percussion so that they get placed on better instruments next year in marching band. One of my best friends, Thomas, asked me to help him learn a solo last year, a moderate-difficulty...

The old woman across from me at the airport; she sits alone on the gray faux leather chair, and yet she still finds the strength to fly across the country for her goals.

Ōuchi Yoshitaka; When you sliced your stomach with the sword, did you feel guilt for the deaths of your courtiers? Shame in your position? Anger at those who led the coup? Cowardice in your actions?

MUSI 243, Timbral Studies- An exploration of sound, such as harmonics, envelopes and the physics of waves; both classical instruments and electronic programs will be used to portray the concepts.

An intimate knowledge of some embarrassing animes, an endearing obsession with the lucky cat image, and the ability to create pretty-good lemon bars (that fall apart if you don’t treat them with care.)

Like loops of pool noodles swirling around electrical wires in a swimming pool, anxiety has been surrounding me for as long as I can remember. When I'm having a panic attack, 100 Kilowatts (that's approximately 83,334 potato batteries) of power is firing through the water as the noodles pulse and burst under the stress, an array of neon foams shaking in unhappy waters. When this is happening, there is only so much I can process of my outside world; I am stripped...

Have you ever bent your finger, watching your knuckle shift beneath the stretching skin on your hand? The millions of reactions, processes, and collisions that culminate in you bending your finger are just like the knuckle, hiding beneath the surface. My interest in the Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology stems from a desire to understand the core of human existence through investigation of the molecular biology within our bodies. At Brown, there’s an abundance of opportunities...

I want to go to Brown and let it envelop my mind, saturating my consciousness like a shirt entering a bucket of colors, leaving a beautiful tie-dyed substrate. A central goal for my future is to receive a liberal arts education, where I can pursue many subjects on my own accord. The Brown Curriculum is perfect because in this regard since I can attend any class without being tied down to a set major map. My other goal for a...

A baby blue tempera sky paired with an over-easy egg yolk looms over beige, off-white and tan homes. Suburbia cooked at 105 degrees for decades results in delicious bourgeoisie casserole. Adjacent to my home is both an elementary school and a middle school, convenient for the child on the go. People grow apart. Friendships can only last so long before popularity, interests, and ideologies begin erecting walls between us. I am grateful for the neighborhood I was privileged enough to be...

Marching is intrinsically collaborative. A one-person marching band would consist of an exhausted player hobbling across a football field carrying a contraption reminiscent of the life-draining machine in The Princess Bride. Through every 4:30 am alarm, late night bus ride, and instrument sectional, discipline has been drilled into my head (and then run again twenty times to make sure we get the timing right).

I want to attend Carleton and let it envelop my mind, affecting my consciousness like a shirt entering a bucket of colors, leaving it a tie-dyed mess. From the reserved town setting of Northfield, to the top-notch undergraduate classes, there’s a sense of wonder in the idea of Carleton. There’s an image in my brain of me in the mycology club, exploring the forests on a chilly night, full of dark browns, muffled voices, smells of dirt. Additionally,...

I originally heard of Carleton from one of my acquaintances who, quite humbly, thinks of himself as a beacon of sanity and truth in the mists of a degrading culture. This lighthouse of logic presented me with an article from a far-right news site as “PROOF that these goddamn SJW’s r [sic] takin over!!!”, wherein Carleton was accused of being anti-christian, anti-liberty, and anti-god for its B.A. in Human Rights and Social Justice. Surprisingly, this irrefutable and entirely...

During my summer before senior year, I read the book “Man’s Search for Meaning”, as required by my Humanities class. This text impressed on me deeply, especially the passage detailing the ways to find meaning in life. One can achieve meaning by doing a deed, meeting someone, experiencing an event, or by acquiring a positive attitude against suffering. The first way truly resonates with me, and I feel a deep need to complete something great for the cause of...

Dartmouth perfectly fulfills my three main college goals. To start, under the D-plan system, I will be able to modify when and how I study at Dartmouth, satisfying my desire for flexibility and freedom. Also, Hanover is ideal because it allows me to live in a small-town environment rather than a large metropolitan city. Finally, the abundance of outdoor activities at Dartmouth will help me stay connected with nature.