Once the lyrics started, my eyes had no chance of holding back the eager river of tears. B.o.B's song "Don't Let Me Fall" spoke to me deeply and immediately. It was the same morning I left the 2013 Mu Alpha Theta National Convention (the largest nationwide math competition), and upon the suggestion of my best friend Andrew, I listened to what he claimed would summarize our experience in a song. Every friend I made, every trophy I won, every...

"Name your favorite books, authors, films and/or artists" Music: Coldplay, The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Foster the People, Vacationer, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, alt-J Movies: Forrest Gump, V for Vendetta, It's a Wonderful Life, Elf, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Castaway Books: Brave New World, The Hunger Games series Painters: René Magritte

"What newspapers, magazines, and/or websites do you enjoy?" Websites: YouTube - for alternative news sources, comedic entertainment, academic studying, and of course publishing my piano covers Facebook - the social network that most genuinely connects me with my friends around the world Magazines: Nintendo Power, Nintendo Force - I've always been a huge fan of Nintendo's video games

I curiously watched his hands tap away at an endless repertoire of seemingly flawless piano melodies. "How do you learn all these songs, Jake?" I asked at a birthday party. My friend explained that once he deciphered the chord progression of a song, improvising it on the piano was a breeze. Intrigued by the idea, I went home with the pledge to try only reading chords off of Ultimate-Guitar.com when playing piano. The difference was immediate. With the ability...

Dear Future Roommate, On move-in day, you'll likely find that I arrived extra early just to claim the left-side bed and right half of the sink. Prepare for cologne bottle colonization on the bathroom counter as I admittedly am a fragrance freak. I like food stashes sealed, the A/C cool, and the floor dry (Violating any of these guidelines for extended periods of time may introduce an apocalypse that no amount of Febreze can mask). I might be a...

"What matters to you, and why?" "You see Nick, we're fortunate enough to have more money than time," my dad reasoned with me on the night of Black Friday 2013, as he decidedly drove past the winding line of campers outside Walmart. After a gratifying Thanksgiving dinner with relatives, my parents agreed our family would shop for bargains only if the wait was short. Initially disappointed about missing out, I took away something far greater than an unneeded 50%-off flat screen...