The Other Supplements That Got Me Into Yale: Major and Extracurriculars
Why CS?
It’s a dream come true for every Star Wars fan: humans soon may be able to use “the Force” … at least, a simulation of it.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I discovered a seemingly real-life manifestation of “the Force,” a spiritual power in the Star Wars universe that enables Jedi warriors to move objects with their mind. My brother had shown me a TED Talk of a technology called “Sixth Sense” recently deployed from the MIT Media Lab. With nothing more than a few fingertip sensors and a camera device integrated with a small projector, Sixth Sense users could take a photo of anything, physical or digital, and project it onto any surface. With a few finger movements in the air, for example, you could snapshot a physical news article and transfer it into a digital document, all while using the palm of your hand as your “screen.” Even though Sixth Sense didn’t materialize into a commercial product, it did expand my understanding of the possibilities with computer science. I soon began to ponder the interaction between our digital and physical worlds and realized the powerful role of technology in bringing them together. The liberating ability to transcend physical and digital barriers by transferring content across the metaphysical has fascinated me ever since and led me to seek an institution equally rooted in multifaceted approaches to real-life applications.
What has stood out to me about my ancillary passion for CS is how it runs parallel to my passion for music and linguistics. Just as music can help bridge ethnic and generational divides, CS can help bridge digital and physical divides. It’s the applicative nature of CS and the way it fits with my interest in cognitive musicology that I love. Ultimately, I want to be immersed in a community and curriculum centered around combining diverse ideas and disciplines. I believe I can thrive in a collegiate environment because my interest in CS is an interdisciplinary subject that would mesh well with my other passions. Code in itself is a language with its own syntax that would complement my major in linguistics, giving me an outlet (in the form of algorithms and computational models) for applying my ideas in cognitive musicology. Exploring my musical passions would help me acquire soft skills, like communication and coordination, critical to success in software development. Indeed, I look forward to combining principles from my seemingly disparate interests. How could computer science have optimized food processing in my pop-up restaurant? What can the dynamics of a symphony teach me about collaboration in programming software?
I’m excited that a collegiate education will empower me to answer these questions and integrate my passion for CS with my passion for music and linguistics. Immersed in an interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial culture, I look forward to working deep into the night alongside my peers in pursuit of the next novel idea. I know that a college education will help me develop not only as a lifelong learner, but also as a lifelong innovator … and maybe someday, even help me “become one with the Force.”
Extracurricular Essay #1: Pop-up Restaurant
Out of the Bloom was my fine-dining-inspired pop-up restaurant. While I dreamed of porcelain plates and chic decor amid seductive lighting, I ended up with a basement school cafeteria and 24 inexperienced high school students. Close enough.
Tasked with the challenge of serving three-course meals to 43 diners at once, I assembled my army of staff from the farthest reaches of my domain, privates hailing from the depths of first period Spanish to as far as fourth floor Physics! Bombarded with the onslaught of midnight group texts, they became my personal, unassailable army. Sculpted into experts, they were ready to put every Michelin-starred restaurant to shame.
Like a machine, they annihilated our enemies, delivering dishes and bussing tables faster than the best expediter could demand! After a long day’s campaign, we finally collected the $1,296.70 we’d obtained for our ally, a local food charity. Not only had our army reigned supreme, but we’d indirectly produced 4,000 meals for children in our county.
I believe too often, high schoolers don’t realize how much they’re capable of achieving. I was amazed to have helped this community morph into something akin to seasoned professionals, but more amazed our incredibly
diverse group could succeed as a cohesive unit. Mathletes bussing tables alongside artists? PC gamers serving boeuf bourguignon alongside soccer players?
The secret? Every single person had autonomy, and thus, passion. It was more than opening a restaurant — it was showing that we teenagers could accomplish something great, together.
Extracurricular Essay #2: Music
I’m proud to be musically insane.
I’m proud to be able to play the entire “Star Spangled Banner” with my tongue pointed out like a conducting baton. I’m proud to be able to draw the stupefied gazes of my fellow all-state musicians by using my violin like a miniature cello. I’m proud to be able to strike my toes against ivory piano keys to play a Mozart concerto.
Insanity isn’t necessarily a sin; in fact, it’s an asset. For me, insanity is a way to traverse boundaries and defy expectations. The greatest of geniuses were inherently outlandish — how else could Van Gogh have sparked the
Expressionist art movement, or Louis Armstrong have revolutionized the definition of jazz? I like to think there is a dash of such genius in my musical insanity. It’s my outlet for expression, whether it be in the form of a beautifully-executed Bach fugue in a concert or a spontaneous jazz rendition of Beethoven during a rehearsal.
Music is my playground, a place where I not only infuse desolation into an abridged blend of Vivaldi melodies, but also a place where I joyously embrace absurdity. In the ashes of Pachelbel’s monotonous Canon in D, I can lead a new symphony composed of violins being played upside-down and an orchestra freed of expectation. Others may shun me for not conforming to their world of cutthroat practice and competition. But I know what music means to me.
