College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010
Wendy Weinerman
The applicants
Wendy was active in her high school’s theater productions, thespian society, and choir. She also played tennis and was a member of the National Honor Society. Outside of school, she took choir and voice lessons, tutored middle school and high school students, worked at Baskin-Robbins during the year, and worked at an arts camp during the summer. She volunteered every other weekend, delivering food to senior citizens. Awards and honors included: National Merit Scholar, second place in her division at a district-wide vocal competition, and third place at a local community college’s high school math competition.
Stats
SAT: 1540 (800 Critical Reading, 740 Math)
High School GPA: 4.00
High School: West Linn High School, West Linn, OR
Hometown: West Linn, OR
Gender: Female
Race: Caucasian
Applied To
Whitman College (early decision)
Essay
Common Application: Topic of your choice.
Click. Click. The last two feet fall into position with 42 others, thus ending the procession of shoes and leaving only their echo to fill the ancient stone monastery. Slowly, even this remnant of sound departs the room and only an expectant silence is left. For a brief moment, there is no motion, no breath, no sound. Then, almost imperceptibly, twenty-two pairs of eyes rotate upwards, each following the arc of one hand in its purposeful rise. Suddenly an organ chord bursts through the silence. The single hand sweeps downwards, three rows of mouths open, and the concert begins.
Perhaps each of us hopes for a moment or two like this in our life. That special day, or hour, or minute where we can not only claim that we were a witness to magic but that we actually took part in creating it ourselves. Myself? I more than hope; I live for these moments, and in all fairness can probably claim more than my fair share. Why? Because I’m a performer. As many who have come before me, my love is in creation, my art in expression, my joy in the toil to achieve these goals. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not attempting to pretend I’d rather practice lines for 12 hours a day than perform the final play on stage. Honestly, no one in his or her right mind would. However, through the experiences in my life, I have come to appreciate that there’s a great deal more to learn and gain from process than from performance.
Magic actually comes in many forms, not just from the second or two of anticipation while waiting for a song to begin. Magic also is in looking back, in realizing how far I’ve come and what an immeasurable impact so many experiences have had in shaping who I am today.
When I first entered the Oregon Children’s Choir and Youth Chorale in the beginning of 4th grade I knew nothing of harmony, balance, blend, or intonation. However when I graduate in just a few short months I will honestly be able to claim that these words have gained a much deeper significance than simple musical terms.
Singing in choir taught me how to blend, both with the voices of singers from 1st through 12th grade and with people of all different ages and backgrounds. It’s proof that there are times in life when one must accept being purely background music for the good of the whole and times when it is best to run with the melody and count on others for support. It has shown me the two sides to every solo—the fear in carrying a song almost alone, and the pride of leading a choir through the highs and lows of the notes. To this group alone do I owe my deep belief that the emotion behind music and life is always more important than any amount of complexity or pretense within it.
Through my years of growth within the OCCYC, I have learned not just how to create harmony in music but how to overcome vast differences to create harmony in life. Truly, what could be more magical?
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