Yale Application Essay, see prompt below

From the relentless fact-drilling operation widely known as the ‘Common Application,’ you may assume that I am heavily mathematically-inclined. You may assume that I excel most in activities that involve applying rigid logic or answering ‘yes-or-no’ questions. You may even assume that I am completely absorbed in equations and sciences and numbers and statistics and hard facts. However, in making these assumptions you would be seriously mistaken. Despite the Common Application’s ability to extract facts about my life, it is not able to tell you my true passion. I am naturally adept in math and science, but I am fiercely passionate about music.

Music is the one form of communication which knows no bounds. Every piece of music, each individual note uttered by an instrument’s strained voice, is derived from a feeling, whether conscious or tacit. In this sense, music is a reflection of our innermost joys, regrets and desires, giving us reckless insight into the very depths of the human soul, leading us just short of the secrets of our very existence. Thus, when I strum a chord on my guitar, or when I pound out a modified, yet equally ardent version of the Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ on my piano, I feel as if I am taking a trip into the unbridled expanse that unites all of humanity, which Carl Jung dubbed the ‘collective unconscious.’ Music allows us to connect with others despite the boundaries of time and space, and this intimacy is a huge part of my life.

On the other hand, through music I also connect more deeply with myself. The words and experiences of past artists teach me important lessons and, at the same time, allow me to learn on my own. When all else fails, Janis Joplin picks me up, the Velvet Underground brood with me in misery and the Doors fill me with anticipation. For me, life without music would be comparable to life without memory. Without Avril Lavigne’s ‘Happy Ending,’ I would not be able to remember the ambience of my first childhood kiss. Without Jack Johnson’s ‘Banana Pancakes,’ I would forget that Sunday afternoon some summers ago when my friends and I sat on the beach and listened to the sound of the crashing waves. Without Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Sweetness,’ I would lose the sensation of electricity in my nerves from right before I stepped onto the ice for my first Junior A hockey game. Music has become a necessity in my life and, for good or for bad, I have become somewhat dependent on it. As I journey through life I may one day lose my casual interest in math or sciences, but I will always feel a beat in the rhythm of my steps.