College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010
Kristen T. Martinez
The applicants
Kristen was her high school valedictorian, as well as Band Captain, Executive Officer of the Marching Band, Principal Clarinetist of Wind Ensemble, Lead Alto Saxophone of Jazz Ensemble, President of National Honor Society, Vice President of Math Honor Society (Mu Alpha Theta), and Secretary of Science Honor Society. During this time, she also participated in an architectural internship and West Point’s Summer Leadership Seminar. In addition, she was a member of Hershey’s All-USA Honor Band, the All-County Honors Orchestra, the University of Miami’s Honor Band, and served as Student Ambassador for the Parent Teacher Student Association.
Stats
SAT: 1950 (650 Critical Reading, 690 Math, 610 Writing)
ACT: 29
High School GPA: 5.665 (out of 4.0)
High School: Miami Southridge Senior High, Miami, FL
Hometown: Miami, FL
Gender: Female
Race: Hispanic
Applied To
Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Northwestern University
Princeton University
Rice University
Rose-Hulman University
Stanford University
Tulane University
United States Military Academy
University of Pennsylvania
University of Michigan
University of Miami
University of Notre Dame
The University of Texas at Austin
University of South Florida
University of Washington in St. Louis
Yale University
Essay
Kristen submitted the following essay to the schools listed above.
Describe the world you come from, for example your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?
Every afternoon as I leave the school parking lot, I pop in my favorite CD by clarinetist, Benny Goodman. I listen to “Seven Come Eleven” and “Clarinenas”, which help relieve my stress. The music is upbeat. I tap my feet and I block out the world.
I was so excited when I received my first clarinet at the age of 11. I was familiar with music because I played piano, but I wanted to play the clarinet as well. Playing a woodwind instrument and interacting with other band students seemed thrilling. I wouldn’t even take my clarinet out of the case until a professional instructed me how to do so. I opened the case and stared at the black, shiny clarinet and was mesmerized. It was just too fragile and beautiful to touch until my band director showed me how to put it together the second week of school.
I continued my clarinet studies in high school because I enjoyed playing in an ensemble. In marching band camp most of the seniors were also in jazz band, which played gigs wherever they could find an audience. I became friends with them and we would all hang out after practice and listen to jazz music. It really sparked my interest because I wasn’t familiar with big band or swing music. That is where I first heard Benny Goodman.
Neither of my parents sing nor play an instrument so they don’t understand the origin of my musical talent. When I was three I began asking for a piano, but my parents thought it would be better if I waited until I was able to read music. Also, my Mother didn’t want me to learn to play through the Suzuki method; a method used to mimic sounds instead of reading music, and then have to relearn later through musical notation. My Mother wanted to wait and see if I was still as enthusiastic about playing piano and dedicated to music in a couple of months. When I was four, to appease me, my Grandmother gave me a keyboard and finally my parents provided piano lessons. I practiced those tedious, seemingly pointless exercises all week, but later I discovered their purpose.
I loved to practice. If I hit the wrong note, I started over again from the very beginning of the piece. I have come a long way. I now play clarinet solos composed by Mozart and Weber. I get out of the car and I run in my house after listening to Benny Goodman and pick up my clarinet to play. When I do my homework, Benny Goodman is often playing in the background. Even as I write this, Benny Goodman still plays in my head. Whether I’m playing or listening, studying or vacationing, music is an important part of my life.
See this page to find out where this student got in.