Kimen Field - The applicants

College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010

Kimen Field
The applicants

Kimen played on her high school’s volleyball and softball teams. She was a member of a philanthropic group and gave over 400 hours of community service. A lifetime Girl Scout, Kimen earned the Gold Award. She also worked each summer during high school and gained valuable experience working with technology.

Stats

SAT: 1530 (730 Critical Reading, 800 Math)

SAT Subject Test(s): 720 Math Level 2, 690 Chemistry

High School GPA: 4.20

High School: Irvine High School, Irvine, CA

Hometown: Irvine, CA

Gender: Female

Race: Caucasian

Applied To

California Polytechnic State University—San Luis Obispo

Rice University

Stanford University

University of California—Los Angeles

University of California—San Diego

Essay

Kimen used the following essay in her applications to Rice and Stanford.

How has the place in which you live influenced the person you are? Define “place” any way that you like … as a context, a country, a city, a community, a house, a point in time.

Each December a Christmas tree and Menorah share my family room and dreidels and Santa Clauses are juxtaposed on the coffee table. Each spring my family displays Easter decorations and prepares for the Seder. Such is the dichotomy of my family’s religion: a division that has caused me much confusion and inward contemplation over recent years. When I was younger, I attended Sunday school at a local synagogue, but it was a duty and never a pleasure. I did not enjoy my time there and thus lost interest in Jewish philosophy. My friends and my mom’s family exposed me to Christianity, yet its doctrines never captivated me. After long consideration of Judaism and Christianity I now realize that I am an atheist. I am also a secular humanist—a moral person trusting in human rights, education, and intelligence, not God, to propel us into the next millenium.

My family always promotes morality and integrity with a relative absence of spirituality, yet my mom occasionally remarks, “I have brought you up without religion, and I regret it.” My parents wish for me to be religious, and I can feel my mom encouraging Christianity while my dad insists on Judaism. When my dad discovered I had been exploring atheism, he brought me books about Judaism to let me “give it a shot,” but I do not think I ever could have. I lead a secular life and cannot find a reason to begin believing in an elusive God. Perhaps I am too scientific to comprehend the spiritual necessity of religion, but with billions believing, I understandably fear that I am missing out on a meaningful part of the human experience. While my family and childhood molded my theological beliefs, these same beliefs heavily impact and alter my family relationships. Hitler murdered my dad’s family because they were Jews, and when I see my grandmother, the lone survivor, I feel like a traitor; I am not continuing the faith that my family died to protect. Christmas is my favorite holiday, and although we celebrate on a secular level, I feel hypocritical celebrating it when I do not believe in the religion. However, if I share my true feelings I fear I will be excluded from the family traditions I cherish. Throwing away a family’s heritage might seem impossible, but with the candid words “I don’t believe in God” so much of my family life might disappear.

I have come to understand the hardships of being an atheist and staying true to that title. Before a volleyball match last season, my teammates wanted to have a group prayer, and I said I felt uncomfortable. The looks that flashed back at me made me want to run off the court, but I stayed strong, and was relieved that they accepted my choice and moved on. This small incident foreshadows my future as I deal with the alienation that this declaration undoubtedly entails.

My overall childhood lacked religious upbringing, and I have shed my religious façade. The familial tension that resulted has led me to a balance between my religious beliefs and my family traditions. Having conquered this “crisis” at a relatively young age, I realize that I am more confident, strong, and honest. I can defend my beliefs (or non-beliefs) and I have truly discovered my convictions about the enormous spiritual cloud that hangs over us. I have had intensely uncomfortable discussions with my family about religion, but I am confident that choosing to be sincere about my lack of faith is the right choice. Being true to myself has proven to be a challenge, but a rewarding one. As a member of a philosophical minority, I have felt the effects of discrimination, yet I know I will persevere and become a stronger person from my assertion.

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