First Draft
1. Explain in detail why you wish to attend St. John’s College; please evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your formal education to date.
What do I really, really,
really want? I want to be with a wandering focus. To concentrate on what
intrigues me, but when it bores me I want to be free to explore tangents.
I want to live deliberately without obligation. I want direction and work,
but also the freedom to change directions and alter my work. I want to
observe the world, absorb the world and be the world. To see everything,
appreciate everything and bask in the commonality of all things. I want
love. I want freedom. I want intangible limitations. I want respect from
all who I know and veneration from no one. I want to get out of the rat
race. I want to live without goals and expectations from myself and others.
A way of life that at first glance seems primal, but upon further examination
becomes apparent that it has been chosen after much careful thought and
reflection. An uncluttered existence filled with peaceful hours, unfettered
silence and waves of contentment. I want to lose my ego and keep
my confidence. I want to see the earth with my eyes and the world with
my mind. I want to enjoy luxury without guilt and face minimalism with
contentment. I want to live without want.
I want an education that
helps me move towards this holistic approach of understand. When I was
younger I saw colleges and universities as places where Einsteins and Des
Cartes brushed elbows as they published new philosophies or split a few
atoms before lunch. A world where all time was spent in the amusing or
exciting state of productive leisure. Enjoying so much what others would
call ‘work’ and making advancements in humanity while hardly realizing
it. That’s where I wanted to go.
But I digress, along with
high school came guidance counselors and relatives demanding to know what
was to become of me after high school, or even after college. When given
the response of a shoulder shrug from an impressionable high school freshmen,
it was inevitable that words of advice and direction would suddenly erupt.
Tales of ‘where the money is’, what career would ‘be noblest’, or what
jobs will lead to ‘the good life.’ The image of post high school education
quickly changed from a learning utopia to a launch pad into the world of
capitalism. No longer were great minds enjoying their work in a heightened
awareness of productive leisure, now they were driven by deadlines, promotions,
prestige and the need to compete.
Learning is brushed aside
in the frenzied competition about grades and scores, both of which are
standardized, regulated and emphasized.. The greatest weakness of my formal
education has been it’s need to adhere to a strict curriculum. It seems
at every level some faculty member is reporting to another and teachers
feel their jobs are in jeopardy if they veer far off the path of the carefully
plotted academic schedule set forth by their superiors.. I’m not going
to claim that teachers don’t have a passion for their work, indeed I’d
be inclined to argue the opposite for the majority of instructors I’ve
had. However, the standard system of education isn’t conducive to passionate
learning and teaching. A teacher can have his/her job in the balance dependent
upon what percentage of his/her students know arbitrary facts or equations
presented to them on a standardized test. That alone is enough to make
a teacher of any subject divert from a particular area of study that is
of must use and interest to both the student and teacher, to one that must
be covered due to mandatory tests and set curriculums of which the teacher
has no control.
This managerial aspect
of formal education creates a dry, arid and tepid learning environment
that lacks any authentic enthusiasm. Of course, the society doesn’t supply
schools to its’ youth for their enjoyment and enlightenment. It’s there
to provide a stable ground so a democracy can function as well as promote
the state of the economy. Students are reduced to citizens and capitalists.
Teachers are reduced to drill sergeants. Learning is reduced to training.
Of course, the great counter-argument
to this constitutes the greatest strength of my formal education to date:
balance. Thanks to set curriculums and mandatory tests I now have basic
knowledge of every subject that a perceptive group of people have decided
is important to have basic knowledge of (preposition ending**). I’ve been
exposed to most major branches from which education stems. I know the roots.
Another strength of my
education is its introduction to rules and regulations As much as
I loathe bureaucracy, it is a big part of a democratic government and large
corporate operations. It benefits us all by preventing corruption from
unscrupulous individuals prepared to take advantage. In many ways
the education system prepares us for such red-tape. We must fill out special
forms whenever we have a request and have them sent to the correct administrators.
We deal with delays and people who seem to do everything in their power
to stop us with no apparent reason behind their actions other than ‘It’s
policy’. Reports, requests and dealing with authority is all part of the
governmental process that we must live under. While big bureaucratic workings
don’t make learning easier, they do require one to learn to adhere, comply
and understand the running of our nation and capitalistic America.
While I can appreciate
that we must learn to deal with administrative workings, it’s now time
for higher education. Education that prepares and assists in the development
of a persons abilities to understand, comprehend and function in their
world. A level of education that need not deal with basics anymore, but
rather, specializations, self-discovery and abstract ideas.
St. John’s philosophy
is congruent with the ideal I’ve envisioned for what education ought to
be. I don’t want to get caught up with my GPA. I don’t want to be concerned
about class rank. I want to focus on learning and my own enlightenment.
St. John’s teaching of allowing students to lead the way will allow me
to thrive.
What I like most about
St. John’s College is its philosophy of education in creating an environment
where students learning is authentic and undepartmentalized. Connections
between subjects and texts are made without restriction. My education,
to date, has not to any significant degree satisfied my intellectual curiosity.
It has not engaged me to the depth and extent that I desire. St. John’s
approach will help to quench my thirst for not only knowledge, but understanding.
St. John’s, more than any other school, will help me to get what I really,
really, really want.
2. Respond to both parts: (a) Describe your reading habits and your experience with books. (b) Choose some book that has been important in shaping your thoughts and discuss a single aspect of it (not the book as a whole) that is particularly significant to you.
I read sporadically. I
can go weeks with mere newspapers. Then there are weekends that I’ll read
five books in forty eight hours. I rarely check books out of the library.
Rather, I borrow them indefinitely from friends, or purchase them on impulse
at the book store that I so often peruse.
Since I entered high school
I find myself to be a fan of non-fiction works. I’m particularly entertained
by cleverly written essays and works by witty individuals in the scientific,
philosophical and religious realms. I enjoy authors who can get across
ideas in an entertaining fashion that reveals lots about both them and
their subject.
Though, I am flexible.
There is nothing quite like a well-written book of fiction that uses metaphors
and symbolic characters to get across a profound point in an indirect way.
One of my favorite pieces of fiction is “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand.
The book has several layers of meaning and varying metaphoric symbols.
What I enjoyed most, however, was the main character of Howard Roark. An
individual who came alive for me and whom I venerate for his standings.
Ayn Rand created the character of Roark as a non-conformist working in
the field of architecture. Roark created buildings that were designed to
be lived in and were the epitome of utilitarian offices and homes with
a unique visual beauty about them that was seen by the more traditional
community of architects as ugly, egotistical and different for the sake
of being different. Roark knew better. His designs were perfectly built
for the clients who ordered them and their lives would be easier within
them.
What separates Roark from
all other non-conformist characters in stories is that he feels no desire
to explain his work to anyone. He is not swayed from his position by anyone
and he is never venerated for his work. He doesn’t feel the need to take
credit for what he has done, the satisfaction of doing it and knowing,
in his own mind, that he did it was enough. Most certainly he will never
try to convince anyone that his work is either better or worse. He creates
and waits complacently for others to share in his genius. He had principles
about his work and absolutely refused to go against them at all, without
exception. He had priorities and lived for himself, not for his image,
I respect that immensely.
3. Select some experience from which you have derived exceptional benefit and describe it, explaining its value to you.
In December of 1999 I had
decided to start a business to make some extra money as my job as a marionette
artist at a local puppet theater wasn’t going to foot the insurance bill
of my newly acquired t-bird when the slow-puppeteering season set in in
January. I can type approximately 130 words-per-minute so I decided I’d
attempt a new idea. A website that slow-typing individuals could use to
submit picture files of hand-written papers and I would convert them to
electronic text format based on a per-page fee. So I spent a few sleepless
nights building a website, promoting it and beginning the business. It
was slow going to begin with. Orders came in on occasion, but then one
day I received an order that would change the course of my life for the
next six months to a year. A customer had submitted a hand-written paper
in Mandarin. There was no way I could type it in any language other than
English and have it be worth my while, but it got me to thinking about
a new business I could start: A translation company.
In January of 2000 I began
working. I spent a couple weeks of sleepless nights building a website,
promoting the business and lining up independently contracted translators.
The new business idea was simple. I find individuals who can translate
languages and put them in a database on my computer. Then I advertise on
my company website that I can translate a large number of languages (at
the peak my business could handle over 250 different language translations).
When an order came in I would receive several documents with instructions
on what language to translate it to. Then I would simply locate in my database
available translators and send it out to the appropriate one. Upon delivery
of the translated document to the client I would receive payment and give
a percentage of the sale to the translator who did the work.
This business thrived
for several months. I made a substantial income without doing much work
at all other than forwarding documents and processing payments. The income
paid for my car, gas, as well as any new toys I felt I needed and even
some left over for savings. Finally, however, translation software came
along. I began to lose business to software packages sold by various companies
that allowed my former clients to do their own, almost perfect, grammatically
correct, translations using software which they only had to pay a one time
fee for and could use as many times as they needed. In the summer of 2000
my company was not getting enough business to justify keeping the website
up and I unfortunately had to close it. Although it was a short-lived life
of only six months, this business was far from a failure.
This experience changed
my perceptions about things. It has made me realize that I do not need
to depend on others for money, whenever I need it alls I need is a clever
idea and a little luck. It’s changed my outlook on my college aspirations
as well. I don’t feel the need to go after a career-oriented major or field
of study because I already know how to make a living. With the knowledge
I gained through this experience I feel completely confident that wherever
I am I can always at least get by and I never have to feel tied down to
any one job or career because of fiscal issues. I’m freed of a burden.
It has allowed me to pursue college with an attitude focusing on an education
for me, not for my career.
4. If you wish, provide the Admissions Committee with any additional information that you think is relevant to our consideration of your application. You may wish to discuss your health or family situation, your special talents or hobbies, your religious life, your accomplishments, or your post-college plans.
My name is Michael W. Hills
the first. I’ve grown up in a not so big town just outside of everywhere,
across from what I’m told is the “second most-climbed mountain in the world“.
In this cul-de-sac of the universe I’ve managed to acquire some talents,
hobbies, mannerisms and some not-so-ordinary abilities that I’d like to
brag about for a moment.
I have an ability that
few humans possess. It’s an inborn talent, not something that can be easily
learned: Chin-balancing, I’ve been able to do it for as long as I can remember.
I’m sure you’ve seen this on television, at the circus or at any other
venue where people with freakishly odd talents congregate. I can balance
almost anything on my chin. So far I’ve done such things as ladders, kayaks,
chairs, flags, a large array of musical instruments and desks, but who
knows what the future holds for my chin.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “What a useless ability.”
Well, allow me to expand upon the subject. One day, in the spring of ‘99,
I was walking around a local amusement park with a friend. We were talking
and, in passing, I mentioned my ability to chin balance. She didn’t know
what I was talking about. There I was, talking to a good friend of mine
of at least three years, and she’d never witnessed this unique talent I
possess. I was shocked and determined to show off immediately. So I scoured
the grounds, found a folding chair, and proceeded to balance it upon my
face. My friend was thoroughly impressed as was a park manager who happened
to be walking by at the moment. The manager happened to be heading the
entertainment department and offered me a job on the spot. I spent the
rest of the summer doing stage shows with some other very talented individuals,
I enjoyed it immensely.
After the season at Whalom
Park ended I was hired by an associate I met through the entertainment
job. For the past two years I’ve been performing marionette shows at the
largest marionette theater in New England, Drawbridge Puppet Theater. I
learned the trade over a few months and have since become a dedicated artist
of puppetry.
I took up the guitar in
9th grade. Formal lessons were in the weekly schedule for a little over
a year, then I had enough under my belt to learn on my own. I joined a
band, played shows around the region for two years. We cut an album and
had some fun. I eventually left the band because they were going in a musical
direction that I wasn’t following. I wanted to explore the acoustic guitar
more than the electric. That wasn’t in the bands game plan, so I left.
They’re still thriving and playing as loud as ever. Through the years I’ve
also gained the ability to play the drums, piano, harmonica and trumpet.
Now, there are so many
other things I could talk about, but I wouldn't want to bore. So I’ll just
sum it all up. I can drive like an Indy racer, swim like an Olympian
and talk like a scientist. I’ve read War and Peace, run a mile in under
four and a half minutes, and once baked a two tier pastry. I banish away
peoples stress with my classical guitar pieces, save old ladies from the
perils of street-crossing, assist stray dogs, and maintain excellent dental
hygiene. I promote world peace during my free afternoons and always turn
off the lights when I leave the room. I eat dessert first, my tires are
rotated every three thousand miles and I once held my breath for six and
a half minutes.
Now see the final draft, and note the big and small changes...