Biology Notes
Chi Zhang—“Simple Sentences”
If you give me an inch, I’ll convert it to centimeters, feet, and fathoms. I’m a lover of laughter, a purveyor of puns, and an ally of academia. I look up to everything and down at nothing. My life is a tangled web of emotions, experiences, and externalities, a smorgasbord for the senses. I’m a quantitative sculpture: My height is five feet nine inches; my weight is 145 pounds; my shoe size is ten. I’m a qualitative figurine: my eyes are brown and oval; my hair is black and wavy; my body proportion is an affront to the golden ratio. I live forward but perceive the world in hindsight. I’m a natural lefty but write with my right hand. I fall prey to the passions and whims that define humanity but practice moderation. I’m Chinese by birth but American by choice. I’m a paradox, an enigmatic trope for all things ideal and inane.
Fishing in an algae-infested lake is my hobby; Rubik’s Cubing is my lifestyle; memorizing the periodic table of elements is my goal; making the most of every opportunity is my purpose. I’m a pundit of trivial matters, a master baker of Sara Lee homemade cakes, and a symphonic partner to my violin. Knowledge is my true love, envy my ultimate bane, and break-dancing my primary obsession. I’m a one-time columnist for the school newspaper, a two-time Knowledge Bowl grand champion, a three-time gold medalist in the National Latin Exam, and a four-time junior middle-weight champion in finger jousting. Psychology explains my behaviors, biology determines my physical characteristics, and culture molds my social consciousness. I’m a student by day and sitcom aficionado by night. I live by the law of eccentricity (the one governing uniqueness, not
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50 Successful Harvard Application Essays planetary orbits). I have sold my soul to comedy and have learned to leave my inhibitions at home. I know where Waldo is. Always.
I’m averse to grammatical
If you give me an inch, I’ll convert it to centimeters, feet, and fathoms. I’m a lover of laughter, a purveyor of puns, and an ally of academia. I look up to everything and down at nothing. My life is a tangled web of emotions, experiences, and externalities, a smorgasbord for the senses. I’m a quantitative sculpture: My height is five feet nine inches; my weight is 145 pounds; my shoe size is ten. I’m a qualitative figurine: my eyes are brown and oval; my hair is black and wavy; my body proportion is an affront to the golden ratio. I live forward but perceive the world in hindsight. I’m a natural lefty but write with my right hand. I fall prey to the passions and whims that define humanity but practice moderation. I’m Chinese by birth but American by choice. I’m a paradox, an enigmatic trope for all things ideal and inane.
Fishing in an algae-infested lake is my hobby; Rubik’s Cubing is my lifestyle; memorizing the periodic table of elements is my goal; making the most of every opportunity is my purpose. I’m a pundit of trivial matters, a master baker of Sara Lee homemade cakes, and a symphonic partner to my violin. Knowledge is my true love, envy my ultimate bane, and break-dancing my primary obsession. I’m a one-time columnist for the school newspaper, a two-time Knowledge Bowl grand champion, a three-time gold medalist in the National Latin Exam, and a four-time junior middle-weight champion in finger jousting. Psychology explains my behaviors, biology determines my physical characteristics, and culture molds my social consciousness. I’m a student by day and sitcom aficionado by night. I live by the law of eccentricity (the one governing uniqueness, not
61
053-43858_ch01_3P.indd 61
5/11/10 6:48 AM
50 Successful Harvard Application Essays planetary orbits). I have sold my soul to comedy and have learned to leave my inhibitions at home. I know where Waldo is. Always.
I’m averse to grammatical