The pitch-black alley reeked of filth, sweat, and pee. Curiously, I watched my father as he handed a sweater to the homeless man near my house. Once we hurried back to the car, I began mentally questioning why my dad helped him. I had always been told that helping others is good, but I wondered if it truly is moral—would giving Homeless Man a sweater actually help or would it foster laziness? Growing up in a household with two...

The word "creativity" used to confuse me. It was a familiar yet distant construct that I could never quite put my finger on. It wasn't until I composed my own song in Mr. S's accordion class that I figured out what it is. After I had achieved the "mastery" level of playing, Mr. S asked me to create my own song. At an utter loss for ideas and inspiration, I "frankensteined" a bunch of old songs together and showed it...

“It’s impractical! It’s for boring old people!” I’ve heard these things about philosophy my whole life. Naturally, my inquisitive nature urged me to see how terrible philosophy is; I looked for a book by Plato—the only philosopher I knew—and selected the one with the unpronounceable title: The Euthyphro. Only…in reading it, I loved it. The way Socrates dismantled concepts to show how little we understand whetted my appetite for more. I soon became obsessed...

Music has always been a big hobby of mine. Whether it was being a member in Mr. S’s accordion class or the bass clarinetist in Ms. K’s middle school concert band, I cherished playing music with my friends. To my sadness, upon entering my high school’s marching band, I learned that it had concluded a season full of problems. At every practice and competition, I noted the toll that the low scores of the previous year and...

I come from a long lineage of field-laborers and farm hands. My grandparents from my mother’s side were once braceros and my father’s parents (and him for a brief period) worked in the fields of Mexico. This is a community that I was born into and hold deeply to my heart. During the winter break of my eighth-grade year, my father took me on a trip to visit my family in Las Parritas, a small pueblo in Sinaloa. ...

Reading Percy Jackson my freshman year hooked me on Greek mythology. In studying Greek mythology, however, I became far more interested in questions like: “why am I learning about mythology today?” That wonder grew into a fascination with mythology’s role in the foundation of democracy and western values, and that soon developed into a deep curiosity with democracy’s successes, failures, and changes. Yale’s Directed Studies program would be the perfect opportunity, if I were lucky enough to...

“It’s impractical! It’s for boring old people!” I’ve heard these things about philosophy my whole life. Naturally, my inquisitive nature urged me to see how terrible philosophy is; I looked for a book by Plato—the only philosopher I knew—and selected the one with the unpronounceable title: The Euthyphro. Only…in reading it, I loved it. The way Socrates dismantled concepts to show how little we understand whetted my appetite for more. I soon became obsessed...

I come from a long lineage of field-laborers and farm hands. My grandparents from my mother’s side were once braceros and my father’s parents (and him for a brief period) worked in the fields of Mexico. This is a community that I was born into and hold deeply to my heart. During the winter break of my eighth-grade year, my father took me on a trip to visit my family in Las Parritas, a small pueblo in Sinaloa. ...

I was never the biggest fan of math. It was always that subject I dreaded. My outlook on math changed, however, when one of my friends dragged me to a Math Club meeting with him. Immediately, the way Mr. D and Mr. H expressed their passion for math drew me in. Their style of teaching was different than any other teacher I’ve ever had—they tied mathematics into real-life and used fun examples to explain complex ideas. I soon...

“It’s impractical! It’s for boring old people!” I’ve heard these things about philosophy my whole life. Naturally, my inquisitive nature urged me to see how terrible philosophy is; I looked for a book by Plato—the only philosopher I knew—and selected the one with the unpronounceable title: The Euthyphro. Only...in reading it, I loved it. The way Socrates dismantled concepts to show how little we understand whetted my appetite for more. I soon became obsessed...

I’m very attracted to Dartmouth’s beautiful scenery. As somebody who intends on studying philosophy, the great outdoors offered by Dartmouth would be the perfect place—if I were lucky enough to be accepted of course—to philosophize and be free from the hustle and bustle of busy city life. I’ve lived in the suburbs/city my whole life, so I want to experience a different type of lifestyle. Along with Dartmouth’s nature, I’m very excited...