With Dartmouth regular decision applications due today, Common Application essays are still very much on the minds of future freshmen. For graduating seniors however, applications are nothing but a relic of the past. We asked four seniors to review their Dartmouth application essays, and the results were striking, poignant and sometimes hilarious. For many, re-reading applications was a reminder of both how much they had changed and the opportunities Dartmouth had allowed them to pursue through the years.
KAROLINA KRELINOVA ’14
When I got out of the shadow of the mountain and looked back, I saw a picture of one city divided only by river floating naturally under the bridges. I kept going up. The way was hard and steep, and sometimes I needed to get off the bike and catch a breath or take a picture with my camera, as I would be sorry to forget moments like these. The silent messages of the signs reading “Do not leave the road. Mine field!” made me realize how similar the road of one individual and the road of a country can be, to peace or to war.
In her Common Application essay, Krelinova narrates the experience of “hiking up the Cross,” or climbing up the tallest mountain in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Krelinova, originally from the Czech Republic, said that her essay attempts to consolidate her experiences living abroad in Bosnia and Herzegovina for two years as a student at the United World College in Mostar.
When Krelinova reaches the mountaintop and looks down at the city underneath, she contemplates the peaceful setting with the chilling knowledge that in Mostar, something as seemingly innocuous as a football match can bring a severe threat to the country’s security.
“When you’re living in a city like Mostar, you’re living in a town that is a visible reminder of the past conflict,” Krelinova said. “With destroyed buildings still in sight, people are naturally carrying with them pain and ugly memories.”
Since coming to Dartmouth, Krelinova has delved deeply into the academic studies of conflict and ethnicity. In this sense, her high school experiences in Bosnia and Herzegovina helped shape the direction she took at the College. Dartmouth has also helped Krelinova gain a stronger understanding of the harsh realities of the world.
“I was really idealistic, naive in a lot of ways, in high school,” she said. “I used to walk around telling people, ‘You know, just smile and everything’s going to be okay.’ I was living such a comfortable life that although I faced some obstacles, I was imagining that nobody’s obstacles are insuperable. Throughout my time at Dartmouth, I have gained much critical understanding of structural issues that are much deeper, more daunting and more serious than whatever I experienced before.”
Krelinova said that she valued meeting many people unlike herself at Dartmouth.
“I have learned that diversity means not just many different people being in the same place at the same time, but actively engaging with those people,” she said.
MINGYU KIM’14
Out of the subway, I walk towards Deok-su Palace. Crimson quilts of shadow are spreading. Roadside stalls stand close together as they start emanating bright lights one by one. Struck by such a brilliant display of life, I remind myself: although my daily struggle may involve grades or employment prospects, I must not forget that there is room to harbor personal conviction, room to furnish my parts — as always.
In his Common Application essay, Kim described his childhood self as a “coward who refused to let seawater come up to his waist, who feigned disinterest when all his friends ran off to have fun with bumper cars.” Upon reflection, Kim said that this reference to his former timidity explained to colleges his fears about coming to the United States for the first time. To convey this apprehension on paper, Kim employed a narrative structure in his essay, writing a short story about his experience observing fellow passengers on a train in his hometown of Seoul, South Korea.
While the train crosses the Han River, he spots a man in his 70s mumbling to himself and imagines that the sound is that of the “mixed feeling of regret and pride for having forsaken so much out of sense of duty for his family and country.” Kim assumes that because of the man’s age, he must have participated in the New Community Movement, a nationwide government initiative in the 1970s that sought to modernize the rural South Korean economy by emphasizing diligence, self-help and collaboration.
Kim said he described his observation of those around him to demonstrate his awareness of others to schools.
“I don’t have a personal connection with these passengers, but I can envision what their lives have been,” he added in the application.
After observing other passengers, Kim stares at himself in the train window and ruminates on the changes that have occurred in his life from childhood to high school. “I am not destined to be the someone I was or am right now,” he concludes. -“My history lies ahead.”
Kim said that his aspirations and future plans, of which his essay provides a glimpse, have become more concrete at Dartmouth. After graduating, Kim hopes to attend graduate school for architecture, aiming to someday create meaningful structures under the abiding principles of harmony and balance.
“Dartmouth gives us so many resources and opportunities to explore our interests over the four years,” Kim said. “If we’re serious about it, we should be able to find our passion during our time here.”
SANTIAGO GUERRERO’14
I started to write a novel of Diego´s story, how did he manage to enjoy his life despite of his circumstances and how he is now studying in one of the best colleges in the United States with the aim of going back to Ecuador and doing something for it. I realized that I found my passion again and I made it stronger, as now I use literature not only for social change, but for individual change as well. I think I can do great things with my writings. I think I could awake people to see what is happening now in my country. Always, when something affects me and I am starting to feel bad, I remember his words: “You have a life that a lot of us would have dreamed to have. Make the most of it.”
Guerrero wrote his Common Application essay on literature’s impact and potential to inspire social change. In it, he describes how he always enjoyed writing about the social problems plaguing Ecuador, his home country, ranging from the millions of migrants working in other nations to the countless poor children selling candy in Quito, the country’s capital.
“I found inspiration in the streets of Quito,” Guerrero writes. “I identified with the experiences of real people and exemplified their suffering through my writing so that it could be an incentive for the reader to do something about these problems.”
Guerrero then confesses in his essay that after starting to participate in literature contests and earn prizes, he became preoccupied with reputation and financial awards. Only after a high school classmate, Diego, recounted the tale of his family’s complete disintegration due to his father’s alcoholism and mother’s murder did Guerrero find his way back onto the correct path for writing. After putting his own troubles in perspective, Guerrero better appreciated writing’s power to raise social awareness and ability to earn him personal satisfaction.
“Diego was happy enough to keep smiling despite his dark past,” Guerrero writes. “He told me that the only wise thing to do when something bad happens is to simply go on, looking for hope in all situations and appreciating the marvelous little things in life.”
Coming to Dartmouth forced Guerrero to cut back on some of the writing he had done in high school, as the rigor of academics got in the way of his ability to write substantial literature. Though he is looking forward to graduating and moving on to a more relaxed life, Guerrero said that his time Dartmouth taught him a lot.
“I was really proud of my writing back then, but writing was also a very lonely endeavor,” he said. “So college has been a good break for me in a sense, helping me to meet new people, become more social and confident, step out of my comfort zone and so forth.”
When he applied to Dartmouth, Guerrero considered the College an excellent institution that housed accomplished peers and dedicated professors. While Dartmouth has lived up to his expectations, Guerrero has also found negative qualities that he never expected during his time as a high school student. Coming to Dartmouth showed Guerrero that for many, personal interests give way to the pressures of finding a high-paying job and living up to the stereotype of a successful Ivy League graduate.
“Dartmouth actually has a really materialistic scene,” Guerrero said. “People care a lot about getting comfortable, high-paying jobs and tend to forget their real passions.”
JOSEPH BONNELL-HALL’14
All of the canoes lined up to wait. Then one at a time, we made our entrance by pulling hard and quickly coming to a stop at land. The crowd at role call was enormous. Hundreds of spectators on shore, many people with cameras, and even a few Canadian News Stations all had their gaze on us. Paulie and Andy asked me if I wanted to introduce us when it was our turn. I was a little hesitant because there were so many people there, but then I realized that it was a great honor and wanted to do it. I stood up and told the crowd at the top of my voice, “We are the Macaw tribe!”
In his essay, Bonnell-Hall details his experiences accompanying the Macaw tribe on the Journey, an annual Native American cultural celebration in which many Pacific coastal tribes canoe to a host tribe’s location. In summer 2007, the final destination of the Journey lay north of Victoria, Canada.
“These are the most important parts of paddling — teamwork and giving your 100 percent,” Bonnell-Hall writes. “Even one person who is off rhythm or lagging behind can jeopardize everyone else.”
Tracing his perilous, exhilarating adventure down the Pacific coast, Bonnell-Hall explains that the tribe leaders designated him a head paddler for his hard work. Bonnell-Hall said his high school self harbored a strong desire to do good work for his tribe, Sandia and Isleta Pueblo, which he continues to participate in to this day.
During the course of his Dartmouth experience, Bonnell-Hall focused and clarified his high school goal of contributing to his tribe.
“I’ve always wanted to get into environmental studies to help my people,” he said. “Dartmouth helped me focus that, and now I plan to pursue water resource managing after graduation.”
Bonnell-Hall said his academic experience at Dartmouth has been extremely satisfying, in large part because the professors he has interacted with have understood and reinforced the goals he has held for a long time.
“I think highly of the professors I’ve had, not only in environmental studies but also in Native American studies,” he said. “My Dartmouth experience has so far reinforced my purpose and aspirations.”
Last term, Bonnell-Hall visited South Africa and studied the unique nara plant for his culminating experience in the environmental studies department. Entering surroundings he had never experienced before helped him gain further understanding of conservation and development, the topics he plans to pursue in the future.
