Marriages According To Jane Austen - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 738 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/05/29 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Pride and Prejudice Essay Did you like this example? It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife, is a claim made by Jane Austen among the topic of marriage. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen explores the differences between many types of marriages presented in the book. Throughout the nivel Austen presents the different kinds of marriages through social commentary in the book that characterizes them, and shows the effects of each of them on their community. Throughout the book the different kinds of marriages that take place have different effects on society around them. One of the marriages that take place in the book is between Mr. Collins and Charlotte. With Charlotte being the eldest of the Lucas children at 27 years old, she ends up with Collins not out of love but the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune. She believes out of wisdom that it is best for her to take what she can right now knowing good enough that it might be her last chance. This is seen as the most prudential marriage in the novel, but as different from Elizabeths view, marriage was seen more of a business for her. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Marriages According To Jane Austen" essay for you Create order This adds to the novel social commentary because it enforces Mrs. Bennets idea of needing to be married. Charlotte also knew that Mr. Collins had already proposed to Elizabeth before hand, but even knowing that she still precedes to accepting Mr. Collins proposal. Although being rejected from Elizabeth multiple times, Collins continuous pursuit of marrying and sharing his fortune with another person as an outcome of is arrogance and failure to see it. This marriage shows a more stereotypical marriage at the time. Another marriage that is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum is the one between Lydia and Mr. Wickham. The marriage between these two is of social acceptance. Both married based superficial things that eventually faded away due to time His affections for her soon sunk into indifference; hers lasted a little longer. Lydia enjoyed hearing others called Mrs. Wickham, and holding herself to a high standard compared to her other sisters. Compared similar to Mr and Mrs . Bennet, both seen to be married for the clout instead of the senamenal aspect. Both relationships not only end up being negative but because both relationships were self centered. The marriages in the book show the reader the effect on the social community around them, and why their marriages didnt work. Even through a majority of relationships went healthy overall, one relationship that was a thoughtful and meaningful was between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. In the beggangin Elizabeth look at Darcy as arrogant and to good for anyone there as he says She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me. At the beginning of their relationship both found each other very stubborn, but eventually attracting them together. Their relationship is very layered and throughout the book they start to impact those around them. Although Darcy was denied his first proposal to Elizabeth he kept pushing her and showed a higher love for her then did Collins. Mr. Darcy did not only pursue Lizzy after being denied he feel more and more in love with her party being attracted how intelligent and her high standards. This builds a stronger and longer lasting relationship because their relationship disregards money and focus more on each other. Their effect on society is of a great one because they dont only break the stereotype of what it was like back then, but they made it socially right to date out of your economic class but to actually marry for love. Out of all the marriages, Mr. Darcys complex relationship with Elizabeth ended up being the longest and most enjoyable. All in all in the course of the book many different kinds of marriages took place. Auston characterizes these marriages and shows the effect they have on their community. Through the course of the book we get to further understand the socially constructed and accepted rules that were explored and they ways they affected the relationships themselves. In the end though, the most in depth and loving relationship endured the most cruelty from society and ended up lasting the longest. No money nor power nor position can fill the gap of love, because for as long as we live, we will seek for our emotional gratification.

What Makes an Effective Writer and Learner - 810 Words

This essay will describe and analyse my prior experiences during the course, related with what I have learnt about myself as a writer and learner. The thoughts I had before the beginning of the course where different from what they are now, but the important issue is to explain how they evolve throughout the last three months. Throughout the four assignments done in the course, I identified fundamental requirements I need to do an effective writing and an effective learning. Firstly, I have identified the ideal environment I need for doing my essays. Secondly, I discovered that day and night affect tremendously the quality of my works and why it’s easier to me to learn in the mornings. Finally, I have identified the best way for me to†¦show more content†¦ Clark D, â€Å"developing the ability to concentrate, maintaining motivation and exercising will power and self-discipline are all factors in getting work done. Despite all efforts, however, a ‘writing blockà ¢â‚¬â„¢ may occur, and at such a time, knowledge of the creative process may help you to explore the meaning of the block and lead to its release† (1998, p. 128). The activities that take place during the daytime make me to lose concentration thinking on what was happening outside my room. Is simple, when people are around me I prefer to socialize and have fun, but when I could actually focus on my goals through a more rational manner I always felt more comfortable doing my essays. This has happen all the time in my life. It has been a constant in my life that during morning classes my brain is more capable to retain information and I realized that until now after my university experience. Now that I have the difference of nine a.m. and three p.m. classes, I could feel a better attitude of my brain to accept new information in earlier classes. The best example to illustrate this is the grade I have in microeconomic related to my grades in Academic English Skills class. Microeconomics is the earliest class I have on the term, at nine a.m., and my current grade is an A, while the latest class I have is Academic English Skills, at one p.m., and my grade is right now less than a B. The analysis that came out from this experience is that, since before university, all theShow MoreRelatedThe Stages And Principles Of Writing1483 Words   |  6 Pagesand that is why it is a complex activity. The principal goal of the process approach is to assist learners following these procedures and build their own writing structure in order to create a piece of work. The teacher’s role is more like a supporter or facilitator: giving students’ time to generate ideas and feedback on the work of what they write in their drafts. Instead of teaching the writing skills, guiding them step by step till the students can learn the whole process. 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The Indigo Spell Chapter Fourteen Free Essays

SUNDAY ROLLED AROUND, and the day started off quietly. We were nearing the point when Veronica might strike again, and my stomach was in knots over what her next step would be . . We will write a custom essay sample on The Indigo Spell Chapter Fourteen or any similar topic only for you Order Now . and how stuck we were on how to stop her. Then I received help from an unexpected source when my phone rang with an unknown number on the display. Normally, I wouldn’t answer something like that, but my life was hardly normal these days. Besides, it was a Los Angeles area code. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Hi! Is this Taylor?† It took me a moment to remember my secret identity. I did not, however, recall giving my actual number to any of the girls we’d warned about Veronica. â€Å"Yes,† I said warily. â€Å"This is Alicia, from Old World Bed-and-Breakfast.† â€Å"Hi,† I said, still puzzled as to why and how she’d be calling me. Her voice was as cheery and bright as when we’d met her. â€Å"I wanted to know if you’d thought any more about getting a room for your anniversary.† â€Å"Oh, well . . . that. We’re still deciding. But, uh, probably we’re going to go with something closer to the coast. You know, romantic beach walks and all that.† â€Å"I can totally understand,† she said, though she sounded disappointed at the loss of a sale. â€Å"If you change your mind, just let me know. We’re running a special this month, so you could get the Bunny Suite at a really good price. I remember you saying it reminded you of your pet rabbit. What was his name?† â€Å"Hopper,† I said flatly. â€Å"Hopper! That’s right. Such a sweet name.† â€Å"Yeah, awesome.† I tried to think of a polite way to phrase my next question but simply chose directness. â€Å"Look, Alicia, how did you get this number?† â€Å"Oh, Jet gave it to me.† â€Å"He did?† â€Å"Yup.† She’d apparently gotten over her disappointment and now sounded bright and chirpy again. â€Å"He filled out an info card while you guys were here and put down your number.† I nearly groaned. Typical. â€Å"Good to know,† I said. I wondered how often Adrian gave my number out. â€Å"Thanks for following up.† â€Å"Happy to. Oh!† She giggled. â€Å"I nearly forgot. Your friend is back.† I froze. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Veronica. She checked back in yesterday.† My first reaction was excitement. My second one was panic. â€Å"Did you tell her we were asking about her?† â€Å"Oh, no. I remembered you saying you wanted to surprise her.† I nearly sank in relief. â€Å"Thank you. We, uh, wouldn’t to ruin that. We’ll have to stop by and visit – but don’t tell her.† â€Å"You can count on me!† We disconnected, and I stared at the phone. Veronica was back. Just when we thought we’d lost all leads on her. I immediately called Ms. Terwilliger but was sent to voice mail. I left a message and then followed up with a text, saying I had urgent news. My phone rang again, just as I was about to call Adrian. I almost hoped Alicia had more to tell me, but then I saw that it was Stanton’s number. After first taking a deep breath, I tried to answer in as calm a way as possible. â€Å"Miss Sage,† she said. â€Å"I received your message yesterday.† â€Å"Yes, ma’am. Thank you for calling me back.† I’d called her yesterday, just before meeting up with Adrian. Ms. Terwilliger’s magical training had taken priority at the time, but I hadn’t forgotten my deal with Marcus. â€Å"I have a, um, favor to ask,† I continued. Stanton, who was rarely surprised, was clearly surprised now. â€Å"You’re certainly entitled to ask . . . but you’re just not usually the type who does.† â€Å"I know, and I feel bad. So, if you have to say no, I understand.† In truth, if she said no, I would have a number of problems on my hands, but it was best not to sound too eager. â€Å"Well, I’ve been thinking about how I have to spend Christmas here – with the Moroi. And I definitely understand that, ma’am. It’s part of the mission, but . . . well, I’d be lying if I said that didn’t bother me. So, I was wondering if there’s any way at all I’d be allowed to go to one of the big holiday services. It would make me feel . . . oh, I don’t know. More connected. Purified, even. I’m just always surrounded by them here, by that taint, you know? I feel like I can’t even breathe half the time. That probably sounds ridiculous.† I cut my rambling off. When Marcus had first suggested taking advantage of knowing someone in St. Louis, I’d immediately thought of Ian. Then I realized that wasn’t enough. Alchemists on assignment couldn’t just ask for casual time off to visit friends. Time off for something more spiritual and group-oriented – say, the Alchemists’ annual holiday services – was a different matter. Lots of Alchemists were given clearance to travel and attend those services. They were tied to our faith and group unity. In fact, Ian had even brought it up at the wedding in the hopes of luring me to visit him. Little had he known his trick would pay off. Kind of. â€Å"It doesn’t sound that ridiculous,† Stanton said. That was promising, and I tried to unclench my fist and relax. â€Å"I was thinking maybe I could go before we’re out for winter break,† I added. â€Å"Jill can stay within the confines of the school, so there shouldn’t be too much risk. And Eddie and Angeline are always with her. I could just hop over to St. Louis for a quick weekend trip.† â€Å"St. Louis?† I could almost see her frown through the phone. â€Å"There are services in Phoenix as well. That would be much closer.† â€Å"I know, ma’am. It’s just. . . .† I hoped being genuinely nervous would help me sound convincing. â€Å"I, uh, was hoping I could also see Ian again.† â€Å"Ah. I see.† There was a long pause. â€Å"I find that more surprising than you wanting to attend services. From what I saw at the wedding, you didn’t seem to be that charmed by Mr. Jansen.† So. I’d been right that Stanton had noticed his crush on me. However, she’d also noticed I didn’t return his affection. She was observant, even to little details, which brought Marcus’s warnings back to me, about how the Alchemists paid attention to everything we did. I started to understand his fears and why he pulled his recruits out of the Alchemists so quickly Was I already attracting attention? Were all the little things I did – even asking for this – slowly building a case against me? Again, I hoped my anxiety simply made me sound like a flustered, love-struck girl, one Stanton would feel sorry for and shake her head over. St. Louis wasn’t that much farther away by plane, and the end result was the same. â€Å"Well, that was business, ma’am. I didn’t want to get distracted from our goal.† â€Å"Of course.† Her next pause was only a few seconds long, but it felt like an hour. â€Å"Well, I see no reason why you can’t go. You’ve done an admirable job in your work, and – from a personal point of view – I can understand why you’d want to be with familiar faces again. You’ve spent more time with the Moroi than many Alchemists ever will in their lives, and you didn’t hesitate when that Ivashkov pushed himself onto you at the wedding.† I didn’t really hesitate when he pushed himself onto me at the sorority, either. Or did I push myself on him? â€Å"Thank you, ma’am.† She authorized me to go next weekend and said I could use Alchemist funds to book my travel arrangements. When we got off the phone, I contemplated calling Ian but then decided on a more impersonal approach. I jotted out a quick email telling him that I’d be in town and that I hoped we could meet up. After a few moments of thought, I then texted Marcus: Arrangements made. Lunchtime came around, and Eddie texted to ask if I could meet Jill and him in my dorm’s cafeteria. I headed downstairs at the appropriate time and found a glum Eddie sitting by himself at a table. I wondered where Angeline was and noted he hadn’t mentioned her in his text. Rather than bring that up, I focused on who he had mentioned. â€Å"Where’s Jill?† He nodded toward the opposite side of the cafeteria. I followed his gaze and saw Jill standing near a table, laughing and talking. She held a tray and looked as though she’d been stopped on her way back from the food line. Micah and some other guys were at the table, and I was happy to see he did indeed seem comfortable with being her friend again. â€Å"That’s nice,† I said, turning back to my own food. â€Å"I’m glad she’s getting along with everyone.† Eddie stared at me in amazement. â€Å"Don’t you see what’s going on?† I’d been about to bite into an apple and stopped. I hated these kinds of loaded questions. They meant I’d missed out on some social subtlety – something that wasn’t my strong suit. Glancing back at Jill, I tried to make my best guess. â€Å"Is Micah trying to get back together with her?† â€Å"Of course not,† said Eddie, like I should’ve known. â€Å"He’s going out with Claire Cipriano now.† â€Å"Sorry. I can’t keep track of everyone’s dating lives. I’ll add it to my to-do list after, you know, busting Alchemist conspiracies and finding out whether the Warriors are after Jill.† Eddie’s gaze was locked on Jill, and he nodded, making me think he hadn’t actually heard a word I’d said. â€Å"Travis and Juan want to ask her out.† â€Å"So? She learned her lesson about human and vampire dating.† I wished I had. â€Å"She’ll tell them no.† â€Å"They still shouldn’t be bothering her,† he growled. Jill didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by their attention. In fact, I liked seeing her bright and smiling for a change. Confidence suited her and emphasized her royal status, and she clearly was enjoying whatever banter was going on. One thing I’d learned in my social education was that flirting wasn’t the same thing as going out with someone. My friend Julia was an expert at the difference. If it made Jill happy, I certainly had no problems with it. Honestly, it looked like the person who was most bothered by Jill’s suitors was Eddie. He theoretically had the excuse of wanting to protect her, but this seemed pretty personal. I decided to bring him back to his own romantic life, the one he should actually be concerned about. â€Å"Where’s Angeline?† Jill began walking toward us. Looking relieved, Eddie turned back to me. â€Å"Well, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about.† Whenever anyone wanted to talk to me, it meant something weird was about to happen. Actual emergency issues were never given an introduction. They were just delivered immediately. This premeditated stuff was a wild card. â€Å"What’s going on?† I asked once Jill sat down. â€Å"With Angeline?† She exchanged a knowing glance with Eddie. â€Å"We think Angeline’s up to something,† she said. A moment later, she clarified, â€Å"Something bad.† Not this again. I turned to Eddie. â€Å"Is she still being distant?† â€Å"Yeah. She had lunch with us yesterday.† He frowned. â€Å"But she was acting weird. She wouldn’t explain why she’s been so busy.† Jill concurred. â€Å"She actually got really upset the more we kept questioning her. It was strange. I think she’s in some kind of trouble.† I leaned back in my chair. â€Å"The kind of trouble Angeline gets into is usually spontaneous and unexpected. You’re talking like she’s masterminding something in secret. That’s not her style. At worst, she’s harboring an illicit wardrobe.† Eddie looked like he wanted to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. â€Å"True.† Jill apparently wasn’t convinced. â€Å"You have to talk to her. Find out what’s going on.† â€Å"Can’t you talk to her?† I asked, looking between their faces. â€Å"You live with her.† â€Å"We tried,† protested Jill. â€Å"I told you. She just got mad the more we talked.† â€Å"Well, I can understand that,† I snapped. â€Å"Look, I’m sorry something weird is going on with her. And I don’t want her in trouble, believe me. But there’s only so much hand-holding I can do with her. I fixed her math problem. My job is to make sure she stays in school and doesn’t blow your cover. Everything else is extraneous, and I just don’t have time for that. And if she wouldn’t talk to you, why on earth do you think she’d talk to me?† I’d spoken a bit more harshly than I intended. I really did care about them all. I also didn’t want trouble in the group. Nonetheless, it was always a little frustrating when they came to me with dramas like this, as though I were their mother. They were some of the smartest, most competent people I knew. They didn’t need me, and Angeline was no criminal genius. Figuring out her motives couldn’t be that difficult. Neither one of them had an immediate response for me. â€Å"You just always seem to get through to people,† Jill said at last. â€Å"You’re good at communication.† That certainly wasn’t a compliment I heard very often. â€Å"I don’t do anything special. I’m just persistent. Keep trying, and maybe you’ll get through.† Seeing Jill start to protest, I added, â€Å"Please. Don’t ask me to do this right now. You both know I’ve got a lot going on.† I gave each of them a meaningful look. Both knew about Marcus, and Jill also knew about Ms. Terwilliger’s sister. After a few moments, that knowledge set in, and they both looked a little embarrassed. Eddie gave Jill a gentle nudge. â€Å"She’s right. We should keep working on Angeline ourselves.† â€Å"Okay,† said Jill. My relief was short-lived. â€Å"We’ll try a little more. Then, if it still doesn’t work, Sydney can step in.† I groaned. When I parted ways from them later, I couldn’t help but think again about Marcus’s comments in San Bernardino about how Alchemists got caught up in menial tasks. I tried to reassure myself that Jill and Eddie would take care of this on their own, meaning I wouldn’t actually have to intervene. Presuming, of course, Angeline really wasn’t planning something catastrophic. Unfortunately, those doubts were soon shaken when I got on the shuttle that would take me to main campus. On weekends, there was only one bus that looped between all buildings, and this one had just picked up at the boys’ dorm. I found Trey sitting in it, staring out the window with a happy expression. When he saw me, his smile vanished. â€Å"Hey,† I said, taking a seat beside him. He actually looked nervous. â€Å"Off to study?† â€Å"Meeting with Angeline, actually.† There was no escaping her today, but at least if she was working on math, it seemed unlikely she’d be staging a coup or committing arson. His troubled expression concerned me, though. â€Å"She . . . she didn’t hit you again?† I didn’t see any noticeable marks, but with her, you could never tell. â€Å"Huh? No, no. Not recently.† He hesitated before speaking again. â€Å"Melbourne, how long are you going to need me to do this?† â€Å"I don’t know.† Mostly I’d been focusing on getting her through the present, not the future. One thing at a time. â€Å"She’ll have her final coming up before break. If she passes, then I guess you’re home free. Unless you want to keep up with it after break – I mean, provided she doesn’t wear you out.† This startled him a lot more than I would have expected. â€Å"Okay. Good to know.† He looked so forlorn when he left to go to the library that I wondered if those chemistry answers had really been worth it. I liked Trey. I’d never thought inflicting Angeline on him would so radically alter his life. I guessed that was just the kind of effect she had on the world. I watched him walk away for a few more seconds and then turned toward the science building. One of the teachers, Ms. Whittaker, was an amateur botanist who was always happy to supply Ms. Terwilliger with various plants and herbs. She thought Ms. Terwilliger used them for home craft projects, like potpourri and candles, and I frequently had to pick up the latest supplies. When I walked into her classroom today, Ms. Whittaker was grading exams at her desk. â€Å"Hi, Sydney,† she said, barely looking up. â€Å"I set it all over there, on the far counter.† â€Å"Thanks, ma’am.† I walked over and was surprised to practically find a spice cabinet. Ms. Terwilliger had requested all sorts of leaves, stems, and clippings. It was the most I’d ever had to pick up for her. â€Å"She sure had a big order this time,† Ms. Whittaker remarked, as though sensing my thoughts. â€Å"Is she really using garlic in potpourri?† â€Å"Oh, that’s for some, um, cooking she’s doing. You know, holidays and all.† She nodded and returned to her work. One thing that often helped in Alchemist affairs (and witch ones) was that people rarely expected supernatural reasons for weird behaviors and phenomena. I almost considered visiting Trey and Angeline at the library, just to assess her behavior myself, but decided it’d be better to not get involved. Eddie and Jill would handle it. With nothing else to do, I dared to hope I might actually just be able to stay inside and read today. But, when I returned to my dorm, I was greeted with the astonishing sight of Marcus sitting outside on a bench, playing an acoustic guitar. A group of four girls stood around, listening in awe. I walked up to the circle, my arms crossed over my chest. â€Å"Really?† I asked. Marcus glanced up and shot me a grin. One of the girls actually cooed. â€Å"Hey, Sydney.† Four sets of eyes turned to me, displaying a mix of both disbelief and jealousy. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"You’re the last person I expected to see here.† â€Å"I never do what’s predictable.† He tossed his hair back and started to put his guitar back in its case. â€Å"Sorry, girls. Sydney and I have to talk.† I got more of those stares, which kind of annoyed me. Was it really that unbelievable that a good-looking guy would want to talk to me? His followers dispersed reluctantly, and Marcus and I strolled around the grounds. â€Å"Aren’t you supposed to be in hiding?† I asked. â€Å"Not panhandling with your guitar?† â€Å"I never asked them for money. Besides, I’m incognito today.† He tapped his cheek, and I noticed the tattoo was barely noticeable. â€Å"Are you wearing makeup?† I asked. â€Å"Don’t judge,† he said. â€Å"It lets me move around more freely. Sabrina helped color match me.† We came to a halt in a relatively private copse of trees. â€Å"So why are you here? Why didn’t you call or text?† â€Å"Because I have a delivery.† He reached into his shirt pocket and handed me a folded piece of paper that looked like it had traveled around the world before reaching me. When I opened it and managed to smooth it out, I saw several painstakingly drawn diagrams. I jerked my gaze back to him. â€Å"Wade’s floor plans.† â€Å"As promised.† A little of that self-satisfaction faded, and he actually looked impressed. â€Å"You’ve really got a way to get to St. Louis?† â€Å"Sanctioned and everything,† I said. â€Å"I mean, aside from the part where I break into their servers. But I’ve got a few ideas on how to pull that off.† He laughed. â€Å"Of course you do. I won’t bother asking. Every girl’s got her secrets. Maybe someday you’ll share yours.† From the tone of his voice, he might have been talking about non-professional secrets. â€Å"Once this is all over.† â€Å"Is it ever over?† I asked. I meant it as a joke, but it came out sounding a bit more melancholy than I would’ve liked. He gave me a long, level look. â€Å"No, not really. But getting the tattoo sealed in Mexico is kind of fun. I hope you’ll go with us. At the very least, we can take in some beaches and margaritas while undoing insidious magic. Do you own a bikini?† â€Å"No. And I don’t drink.† â€Å"Well, maybe one of these days we could go out for coffee. I know you drink that.† â€Å"I’m pretty busy,† I said, thinking of everything weighing on me. â€Å"And you know, I also haven’t decided if I’m going to do the first phase of tattoo breaking.† â€Å"You should, Sydney.† He was all business again and tapped my cheek. â€Å"If nothing else, do that. Don’t let them have any more control over you than they have to. I know you think we’re a little out there, but this is one thing we’re absolutely serious about.† â€Å"Hi, Sydney.† I glanced over and saw my friend Julia Cavendish carrying a huge stack of books. A couple seconds later, Marcus looked up at her too. Her eyes went wide, and she stumbled and dropped everything she was carrying. She flushed. â€Å"Oh, God. I’m such an idiot.† I started to help her, but Marcus was by her side in a flash, his movie star grin firmly in place. â€Å"Happens to the best of us. I’m Dave.† â€Å"J-Julia,† she said. In all the time I’d known her, I’d never seen her flustered around a guy. She usually ate them for breakfast. â€Å"There we are.† He handed her the books, all neatly stacked. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you so much. You didn’t have to do that. I mean, it was my own fault. I’m not usually that clumsy. And I’m sure you’re busy. You must have lots to do. Obviously.† I’d also never heard Julia ramble. Marcus patted her on the back, and I thought she might pass out. â€Å"Always happy to help a beautiful damsel in distress.† He nodded in my direction. â€Å"I’ve got to go. Sydney, I’ll be in touch.† I nodded back. As soon as he walked away, Julia dropped the books again and hurried over to me. â€Å"Sydney, you have to tell me who that is.† â€Å"He already did. Dave.† â€Å"Yes, but who is he?† She gripped my arm and seemed on the verge of shaking answers out of me. â€Å"Just a guy I know.† I thought about it more. â€Å"A friend, I guess.† Her breath caught. â€Å"You guys aren’t – I mean – â€Å" â€Å"What? No! Why would you think that?† â€Å"Well, he’s gorgeous,† she said, as though that were enough to make us soul mates. â€Å"Don’t you want to just rip his clothes off?† â€Å"Whoa, no way.† â€Å"Really?† She scrutinized me, like I might be joking. â€Å"Not even a little?† â€Å"Nope.† She stepped back and started picking up her books. â€Å"Jeez, Syd. I don’t know what to think of you sometimes. I mean, I’m glad he’s available – he is available, right? – but I’d be all over that if I were you.† Jill’s words came back to me, about how he was human and had â€Å"that rebel Alchemist† thing going for him. Maybe I should start considering him or another ex-Alchemist as a romantic option. Having someone who wasn’t a forbidden vampire in my life would make things a lot easier. I tried to dredge up the same reaction other girls had around Marcus, but nothing happened. No matter how hard I tried, I just didn’t have that same attraction. His hair was too blond, I decided. And his eyes needed a little more green. â€Å"Sorry,† I told Julia. â€Å"Just not feeling it.† â€Å"If you say so. I still think you’re crazy. That’s the kind of guy you’d follow to hell and back.† All romantic musings disappeared, and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as we slowly headed back toward the dorm. Hell was a good analogy for what I would be walking into. â€Å"You actually might be closer to the truth on that than you realize.† She brightened. â€Å"See? I knew you couldn’t resist.† How to cite The Indigo Spell Chapter Fourteen, Essay examples

Kathy free essay sample

Whenshe smiled at me I felt my muscles begin to relax, and I let out a sigh as Ismiled back. Kathy was one of the first waitresses I met when I started workingat Luigis, a small Italian restaurant. What was supposed to be a summer jobturned into two of the most valuable years of my life. Walking intoLuigis that first night, I was thrust into the real world. I didnt know anyone,and my co-workers gave me no special treatment when they saw I was a shy15-year-old. My managers did not help me, they just told me what to do and I didit. Allison, these customers are impatient. You need to clear thattable faster, set it up, and dont forget the menus this time. Those ordersare still clear in my mind from that first night as a busgirl. I stumbled aroundthe restaurant and dropped some dishes within my first few hours. We will write a custom essay sample on Kathy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I wasfrustrated and tense until I saw Kathy. Kathys warm expressioninstantly put me at ease. She smiled and shook my hand without hesitation.So youre Allison. Thats a pretty name. If you need anything, just askme, she offered. Eventually the night slowed. The last customersfinished their meals, and I started cleaning. My legs hurt and my head was stillspinning when Kathy quietly approached. You were fantastic,Allison. I know it is so hard at first, but youll get used to it. Youllsee, she reassured me. I smiled and nodded. Suddenly, she hugged me. I hadjust met my new best friend, and as odd as it seems, she is a 55-year-oldwoman. Kathy is more than just a friend, though. She is my second mom.Kathy embodies everything that I want to be. She is kind and gentle, and, at thesame time, strong and wise. Kathy works two waitressing jobs. She servesothers all day long, but at the end of every night, she never fails to offer ahelping hand to those who are cleaning. Kathy is the best listener I know, andshe doesnt leave until she has helped solve your problem. During thepast two years I have worked with Kathy, I have grown into a young woman. Thattime has been filled with heartbreaks and many fights with friends. The instant Ifeel tears coming, I drive down to Luigis to see Kathy. She sits me down at abooth and we talk. I just dont understand why he doesnt like me;why cant he just give me a chance? I spill all my feelings onto the table.Kathy takes my hand, reassures me that there will be other boys, and holds meuntil I stop crying. Kathy shares in my happiness as well. She loveshearing about school, and over spaghetti and meatballs we chat about where I willgo to college, how much money she made in tips that night, and how my friends aredoing. The 38-year difference in our age does not come between the giggles andsympathetic hugs. I dont know if I would have gotten through that first summerwithout Kathy, nor do I know if I would be the young woman I am today withouther. Kathy will always be my friend, my mentor, and my second mom.

Sticks And Stones free essay sample

Words can cause pain. Two of the main reasons people are bullied are because of appearance and social status. Bullies pick on people they think dont fit in, usually because of how they look, how they act, their race, religion, or sexual preference. There are three main types of bullying such as physical bullying, verbal bullying and cyber bullying.Bullying does not just effect children but dulls as well, bullying is a serious problem that needs to be prevented because of the negative effects it has mentally and physically on both the victim and the one doing the bullying and with the right education people can prevent bullying from happening. Solutions to bullying include gathering people together to talk about this serious issue and educating them as to how this is negatively affecting our schools, community, and workplace. Of the three main types of bullying which include physical, verbal and cyber bulling, physical bullying is said to be the worst of type, physical violence twine two people for example; hitting, pushing kicking, tripping, slapping, spitting. We will write a custom essay sample on Sticks And Stones or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Middle school is said to be the age that bullying is the most common, this is the age where young people want more to fit in with their peers, making some students more likely to bully or condone bullying to fit in, when those who dont fit in stand out more as victims. (falsifications. Erg) The victim is almost always weaker than the bully researchers have found that depressed individuals hold negative views of themselves, the world, and the future. The negative expectations characterize hopelessness and can tem from stressful events that have occurred (Spillages Swear 64). These negative views of themselves can easily make them weaker and viewed as a target. Some signs that a student may be a victim of physical bullying are bruises, cuts, unexplained injuries, skipping certain classes or events, withdrawing from others, displaying low self esteem etc. Aggression can be often be mistaken for (physical) bullying, bullying may be considered a subset of aggression, characterized by what is sometimes referred to as Double IR (imbalance of power, intentional acts, and repeated ever time). The bully is usually more powerful than the victim and commits aggressive behaviors i (Orphans Horns 14) It is easy to mix up the two terms bullying vs.. Aggressive behavior but they do have two different meanings.An example in the Harry potter Books, written by Rolling, there is a villainous character named Dorado Mallory who engages in aggressive behaviors directed at Harry Potter. These behaviors are considered aggressive behavior though, not bullying because both of the student have similar levels of power. If Dorado chose someone with less power and not able o fight back or defend themselves then that indeed would be considered bullying, because of the imbalance of the skill sets between the two. The next form of bullying is cyber bullying, The National Crime Prevention Council describes cyber bullying as when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. Cyber bullying is getting more and more popular as technology takes over our society. Almost all children/adults eve some form of technology that allows them to be a victim, or a bully.Hiding behind a computer screen is easy and things can be said without automatic consequences. Cyber bullying is said to not just be a onetime event, there are usually a few encounters that escalate. In this type of bullying there isnt usually just one bully and one victim, the roles tend to switch. Cyber bullying does have consequences and when caught; the national crime prevention council explains the punishment may rise to the level of a misdemeanors cyber harassment charg e, or if the child is young enough may result in the charge of juvenile delinquency. Most of the time the cyber bullying does not go that far, although parents often try and pursue criminal charges, it typically can result in a child losing their ISP or IM accounts as a terms of service violation. In some cases, if hacking or password and identity theft is involved, can be a serious criminal matter under state and federal law. The third form and the most hard to detect is verbal bullying, this type of bullying can be any kind of name calling, gossiping, spoken abuse, this type f bullying occurs when someone uses language to gain power over their peers.This is the type of bullying that may be commonly mixed up with teasing. Teasing is dynamic social interactions comprised of a set of verbal and or non verbal behaviors that occur among peers and is humorous and playful on one level but may be annoying to the target child on another level. Some amounts of teasing are normal but when teasing becomes (verbal) bullying, it becomes repetitive or when there is intent to hur t another emotionally/psychologically . Verbal bullying is the toughest type of bulling to identify such the attacks are not physical and it causes emotional and psychological damage to the victim. This form of bullying is also more prevalent among female bullies, whereas male bullies tend to take the physical form. Besides the difference of the types of bullying there are gender differences in bullying. In general, boys are more likely to engage in physical bullying than girls however, gender differences in verbal bullying are less consistent girls are often cited as using more relational aggression(e. G. Threatening to withdraw from a relationship) than boys (Spillages Swear 16). Girls use rebel bullying as well as social exclusion techniques to dominate others and show their superiority and power. However, there are boys that use verbal techniques for domination they also use words when they want to avoid physically bullying someone else (falsifications. Org). Over all girls tend to be move verbal and base their arguments based on body image. When boys on the other hand have more of a physical intimidation, boys will engage in bullying with other boys and girls when usually girls will only bully other girls typically.Both genders and the way they bully, is equally harmful in their own says. When a bullying situation takes place the victim suffers short and long term effects. Mark Demoded wrote an article describing some short term effects, he included anger, depression, anxiety of settings in which the bullying may occur, greater incidence of illness and lower grades than non bullied peers. When Demoded took a survey on bullying experiences, he found that, of the people attempted suicide secondary to having been bullied, whereas he said only 3% of participants who were not bullied attempted suicide. Bullying is not just a short term event bullying carries on into adult hood The long ERM effects that Demoded listed are reduced occupational opportunities, difficulty trusting people, increased tendency to want to be alone, self esteem problems etc. These short term and long term effects have mental and physical effects on the victims that last long term and seriously affect each person that was bullied. With the right amount of counseling or coping these effects can sometimes be undone but it takes a lot of mind set and confidence building.When one thinks of bullying one tends to think mainly of the effects it has on the victim but the bully him or herself does suffer some short and long ERM effects as well, bullying is violence, and it often leads to more violent behavior as the bully grows up. Its estimated that 1 out of 4 elementary- school bullies will have a criminal record by the time they are 30. (falsifications. Org) Some teen bullies end up being rejected by their peers and lose friendships as they grow older. Bullies may also fail in school and not have the career or relationship success that other people enjoy. Outbuilding. Gob states that, people who do bully others are more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as life goes on, get into sights, vandalize property, drop out of school, engage in early sexual activity, have criminal convictions and traffic citation as adults, and be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or children as adults, which brings up the topic of the bullying cycle. The bullying cycle is a vicious cycle where everyone involved is typically hurt in some form.The bullying cycle consists of three parts the first being the person who bullies, the next the victim who gets bullied and last, the larger group that allows the bullying to continue which is usually the peer group. This cycle keeps on going because people let it. In order to stop this cycle says the bullied person needs to stand up for him or herself and report to authority fi gures that the bullying is going on. Bullying is not just something that happens in schools it happens in the work place as well.Most adults who are bullies were most likely bullies as children, and the cycle is continuing through their life still. Teresa Daniel the author of the book Stop Bullying at Work describes work place bullying as, a global concept that incorporates harassment, intimidation, and aggressive or onetime violent behaviors. Its said the bullying behaviors are repeated and attempted by one person to torment, wear down, and frustrate or get a reaction from another. It is treatment which persistently provokes, pressures, frightens and intimidates or otherwise discomforts another person while in the work place. Daniel 6) Daniels took a survey and found that in the recent U. S. Workplace bullying survey which asked why bullying happens, respondents reported the following, fifty six percent of bullying in the work place happens because of some aspects of the personality, twenty percent aid it was the bullys because of the targets personality, while only fourteen percent suggested it was due to systemic issues that are a result of the organizational work environment (31 There are many different types of bullying from physical, cyber, and verbal, to work place bullying.Bullying is an action that affects people of all ages and has short term effects along with some severe long term mental and social effects. Bullying does not only affect the victim but the one bullying as well. There needs to be something done about this awful action. Where do we go from here? Many bullying victims are reluctant to talk about their experiences, making it even harder to help them. Try to notice the symptoms of a victim such as low self esteems, low confidence, physical marks o n the body, etc.The first step in treating the situation is identifying the problem. You need to take an active part, you then need to report the bullying behaviors, show support to the victims and show them that someone out there does care about them. Also, if you can possibly step into the situation stick up for the victim, if you are a teacher you need to make the kids in your classroom aware of the problem. Make some classroom rules against bullying, open up a discussion, let children know if there is a problem you are there to help.Being a teacher you have the responsibility to make sure the kids know what behaviors are acceptable and set consent nuances for when these parameters are ignored. For adult bullying and bullying in the work place, employers also need to be there to set guidelines. Bullying is a serious topic and is not something to be taken lightly. Overall, we can conclude bullying does not just affect children but adults as well, bullying is a serious problem that needs to be prevented because of the active effects it has mentally and physically o n both the victim and the one doing the bullying.

Anglo-Saxon and Viking Queens of England

Anglo-Saxon and Viking Queens of England Either Aethelstan or his grandfather, Alfred the Great, is usually considered the first king of England, rather than of one part of England.   Alfred the Great adopted the title of king of the Anglo-Saxons, and Aethelstan, king of the English. The powers and roles of queens – the wives of monarchs – evolved considerably through this period.   Some werent even named in contemporary records. I’ve arranged these queens (and consorts who were not queens) according to their husbands for clarity. Alfred The Great (r. 871-899) He was the son of Aethelwulf, king of Wessex, and Osburh Ealhswith - married 868She was the daughter of Aethelred Mucil, a Mercian noble, and Eadburh, also a Mercian noble, supposedly descended from King Cenwulf of Mercia (ruled 796 – 812).She was never actually given the title of â€Å"queen.†Among their children were Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians; Aelfthryth, who married the Count of Flanders; and Edward, who succeeded his father as king. Edward The Elder (r. 899-924) He was the son of Alfred and Ealhswith (above).   He  had three marriages (or two and one nonmarital relationship). Ecgwynn – married 893, son was Athelstan, daughter Edith Aelfflaed – married 899seven children including four daughters who married into European royalty and a fifth who became a nun, and two sons, Aelfweard of Wessex and Edwin of Wessexone daughter was Edith (Eadgyth) of England, who married Emperor Otto I of Germany Eadgifu – married about 919, sons included Edmund I and Edred, a daughter Saint Edith of Winchester who was considered a saint, and another daughter (whose existence is questionable) who may have married a prince of Aquitaine Aelfweard (r. briefly and contested: 924) He was the son of Edward and Aelfflaed (above). no recorded consort Athelstan (r. 924-939) He was the son of Edward and Ecgwynn (above). no recorded consort Edmund I (r. 939-946) He was the son of Edward and Eadgifu (above). Aelfgifu of Shaftesbury – date of marriage unknown, died 944revered as a saint soon after her deathmother of his two sons, who each ruled: Eadwig (born about 940) and Edgar (born 943)no indication she was recognized with the title of queen during her time Aethelflaed of Damerham – married 944, daughter of Aelfgar of Essex. Left a wealthy widow when Edmund died in 946, she remarried. Eadred (r. 946-55) He was the son of Edward and Eadgifu (above). no recorded consort Eadwig (r.955-959) He was the son of Edmund I and Aelfgifu (above). Aelfgifu, married about 957; details are uncertain but she may have been of Mercian background; a lurid story is told of her and the king, involving a fight with (later Saint) Dunstan and Archbishop Oda. The marriage was dissolved in 958 because they were closely related – or perhaps to protect the claim of Eadwig’s brother, Edward, to the throne; she seems to have gone on to accumulate significant property Edgar (r. 959-975) He was the son of Edmund I and Aelfgifu (above) – the details of his relationships and the mothers of his sons are disputed. Aethelflaed (not married)Son Edward (below) Wulthryth (not married; Edgar is said to have kidnapped her from the nunnery at Wilton)Daughter Saint Edith of Wilton Aelfthryth, who was anointed as queenSon Aethelred (below) Edward II The Martyr (r. 975-979) He was the son of Edgar and Aethelflaed no known consort Aethelred II The Unready (R. 979-1013 and 1014-1016) He was the son of Edgar and Aelfthryth (above). Also spelled Ethelred. Aelfgifu of York – married possibly in the 980s – her name does not appear in writings until about 1100 – probably the daughter of Earl Thored of Northumbria – never anointed as queen – died about 1002Six sons, including Aethelstan Aetheling (heir apparent) and the future Edmund II, and at least three daughters including Eadgyth, married to Eadric Streona Emma of Normandy (about 985 – 1052) – married 1002 – daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, and Gunnora – changed her name to Aelfgifu on marriage to Aethelred – married Canute after Aethelred’s defeat and death.   Their children were:Edward the ConfessorAlfredGoda or Godgifu Sweyn or Svein Forkbeard(r. 1013-1014) He was the son of Harold Bluetooth of Denmark and Gyrid Olafsdottir. Gunhild of Wenden – married about 990, fate unknown Sigrid the Haughty – married about 1000Daughter Estrith or Margaret, married Richard II of Normandy Edmund II Ironside (r Apr - Nov 1016) He was the son of Aethelred the Unready and Aelfgifu of York (above). Ealdgyth (Edith) of East Anglia - married about 1015 - born about 992 – died after 1016 – probably the widow of a man named Sigeferth. Probably the mother of:Edward the ExileEdmund Aetheling Canute The Great (r. 1016-1035) He was the son of  Svein Forkbeard  and Ã…Å¡wiÄ™tosÅ‚awa (Sigrid or Gunhild). Aelfgifu of Northampton – born about 990, died after 1040, regent in Norway 1030 – 1035 – she was simply put aside as a wife according to customs of the time so that Cnut could marry Emma of NormandySweyn, King of NorwayHarold Harefoot, King of England (below) Emma of Normandy, widow of Aethelred (above)Harthacnut (about 1018 – June 8, 1042) (below)Gunhilda of Denmark (about 1020 – July 18, 1038), married Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor, without offspring Harold Harefoot (r. 1035-1040) He was the son of Canute and Aelfgifu of Northampton (above). may have been married to an Aelfgifu, may have had a son Harthacnut (r. 1035-1042) He was the son of Canute and Emma of Normandy (above). not married, no children Edward III The Confessor (r. 1042-1066) He was the son of Aethelred and Emma of Normandy (above). Edith of Wessex –lived about 1025 to December 18, 1075 – married January 23, 1045 – crowned as queen – they had no childrenHer father was Godwin, an English earl, and mother was Ulf, a sister of Cnut’s brother-in-law Harold II Godwinson (r. Jan - Oct 1066) He was the son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and Gytha Thorkelsdottir. Edith Swannesha or Edith the Fair – lived about 1025 – 1086 – common-law wife? five children including a daughter who married a Grand Duke of Kiev Ealdgyth or Edith of Mercia – was the wife of Wales ruler Gruffud ap Llywelyn and then queen consort of Harold Godwineson – marriage date probably 1066 Edgar Atheling (r. Oct - Dec 1066) He was the son of Edward the Exile (son of Edmund II Ironside and Ealdgyth, above) and Agatha of Hungary.   not married, no children Edgar’s sisters had connections to later English and Scottish rulers: Margaret who married Malcolm III of Scotland and had two daughters, Mary and Matilda of Scotland Cristina who became a nun and tutor to her nieces Mary and MatildaMatilda (born Edith) married Henry I of England and was the mother of the Empress Matilda Mary was the mother of Matilda of Boulogne  who married King Stephen of England Next queens:   Norman Queens of England

Company Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Company Law Assignment - Essay Example Anyone who wants to set up a retail business venture should be prepared to breathe, eat and dream work for his business to succeed. A retailer buys goods in bulk from wholesalers and resells the goods at a profit to consumers at the right size and an appropriate price. With reference to the amount of capital available for this family for the business ventures, I would suggest a sole proprietorship for the retail business venture. This business legal structure will allow the family to own its unincorporated business.This business venture will allow parents to delegate responsibilities to their children for the activities of the business run smoothly (Pride et al. 67). The family will operate the retail business as an extension of itself. The organizational structure of a sole proprietorship business is attractive since the losses and the profits of the retail venture are entered in the owner’s tax returns. This business structure does not have a room for separate filling. The o wner of the business is accountable for any business liabilities; thus, the head of the family will manage to involve his spouse and kids in the business, and exempt them from the liabilities of this business. Therefore, should anyone sue the business for injury, breach of contract or debts, the court can only levy the property of the head of the family, but not any property that belongs to the wife or children. As far as the relative flexibility of a sole proprietorship retail business is concerned, the business is easy.... This business venture will allow parents to delegate responsibilities to their children for the activities of the business run smoothly (Pride et al. 67). The family will operate the retail business as an extension of itself. The organizational structure of a sole proprietorship business is attractive since the losses and the profits of the retail venture are entered in the owner’s tax returns. This business structure does not have a room for separate filling. The owner of the business is accountable for any business liabilities; thus, the head of the family will manage to involve his spouse and kids in the business, and exempt them from the liabilities of this business. Therefore, should anyone sue the business for injury, breach of contract or debts, the court can only levy the property of the head of the family, but not any property that belongs to the wife or children. As far as the relative flexibility of a sole proprietorship retail business is concerned, the business is easy, and its structure is easy to understand. Further, the business is highly flexible, because it is run the way the owner of the business decides. Liability of this business lies with the owner and nobody else, and he is accountable for the entire activities of this business (Pride et al 67). Sole proprietorship can easily attract funding from banks and other financial institutions. A retail business venture under sole proprietorship has several merits. The first advantage is that the business is less complex, and decision making process is uncluttered and fast than a partnership, or other business structures (Boone & Kurtz 78). Furthermore, the chief merit of a sole proprietorship is that it is the

Culture Wars and Teachings of the Past Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Culture Wars and Teachings of the Past - Essay Example This makes them edge when they hear other people drawing comparisons of the past and current happenings (Manning, 2003). History and all the aspects involved are not very palatable in many circles. This is pegged on the understanding that it is crucial to take time to understand the history and what it entailed. This will include digging up of past issues that will rub people in all the wrong ways. Opinionated facts about those that support standards and those that do not have taken centre stage for so many years. There is an example presented of women and many other minority groups that have risen in the historical issue. They have been linked to the formations and opinions that are currently applied in many decisions that are arrived at all over the world. Historians all over have supported this thought. This is with the realization that there is a connection between the way things are observed and what they were (McNay, 1999). This is what forms the cannons of their historical tea chings and observations. This has created the chance for them to teach history as they are expected to. This is with the mindset that as much as the past is the past, it has a relationship with the future. This is with respect to the mistakes made the successes endured and the strides that were made. This is at each and every step of the way as the general process of history was unfolding and taking centre stage. This is with respect to the raising of the historical standards or being content with aspects of multi culturalism that are being propagated and embraced (Dunn, 2000). Second Book Review- History on Trial The issue of the creation of national standards has had long standing complications. This is because every society has very many people that support and critic various ideologies. This is mostly the case in the event that they do not support the logic and opinions of the majority. Their diverse opinions, ideologies and beliefs, have created a system where it is practically impossible to relate (McNeill, 2009). The relationship that is drawn from all historical aspects ensure that it is seen the way that it is. The war is as a result of the diverse opinions that were arrived at during the formation of the national history standards project. The project had the sole aim of ensuring that historical standards were set. This was in relation to the general process of teaching and educating people in all aspects of history and all that it entailed. The historians propagate a system where they are entitled to the raised standards that will be used in many curriculums. They thought that the standards will have positive effects on the general process of teaching, analyzing and understanding history. This was arrived at because of the feelings that they had towards how history was being taught. Many historians supported this argument and the standards set (Nash, 2007). This was because it created a platform for them to ague objectively about the methodologies o f study. Historians take the study and understanding of history as a very delicate subject. They want history to be defined based on its overall aims, objectives and societal expectations. They want the platform to talk candidly about history and its effects on the way life is seen currently. This is based on the understanding that history

Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Strategy - Essay Example tinuous corporate process which examines the corporate business status and the industry competition in which the corporate is operating in, assessing the competition and setting goals and strategies to meet new challenges. (David, 1989) This paper will therefore look into a mini case for Starbucks Company which is trying to enter the Indian market. The main issues that will be addressed by the paper will be; entry problem and market entry analysis using porters 5 forces model. It will finally give a briefing note on the case. In the recent past, trading has become increasingly global in some way because of the need to gather and increase the company’s financial base. To achieve greater investments and better market opportunities in the international market, companies are opening new branches in different countries. Starbucks Company is one of the companies that are expanding its market and it has targeted the Indian market. Starbucks Corporation is an American company based in Washington, which buys makes and sell coffees and coffee drinks in many of its international retail outlets chains. Starbucks started as a seller of packaged high quality coffee, today Starbucks has developed to become one of the best companies known for its coffeehouses, giving its customers a place to buy beverages and other food items in addition of the packaged whole bean coffee. The company is given credit on changing how people in America and the world all over perceive and take coffee. (Business Week, 2007) In relation to its expansion plans Starbuck has been eyeing the Indian market which is among the biggest markets in Asia because of the high population the country has. However, the government of India have been taking time in allowing the company to enter the Indian market. Starbucks Company had intended to have a joint venture with an Indian company named New Horizon. New Horizon Company already operates 45 Starbucks retail outlets in Indonesia. The joint venture was a

An Analysis Of What Is Enlightenment By Kant Philosophy Essay

An Analysis Of What Is Enlightenment By Kant Philosophy Essay The title of the essay was what is enlightenment it was written in 1784, in the essay he basically replied to a question that was put forward an year earlier by Reverand Johann Zollner, he was also a government official. Reverand had posed an open question to all about removal of clergy from marriages, many people replied but the most famous one is by Kant. The essay reflected the present situation that existed when he wrote the essay. The situation had 3 basic characterstics: the present was different from the previous eras in some distinct way, second; it represented some important upcoming events; third; it meant that the world was moving towards something new. In his essay Kant discusses the reasons for the absence of enlightenment and what is required from people for enlightenment to flourish. Kant defines enlightenment that a person achieves when he frees himself from immaturity that he caused himself. Immaturity to Kant means an inability to be able to think on your own and to rely on other peoples opinions to make decisions, this also means that a person is immature if he is unable to use his own judgment and understanding of things. Kant further explains that the immature person is so because he lets others decide for him and he becomes dependent on help from others so much so that acting and thinking on your own becomes some thing very difficult. Here to explain his argument Kant draws an analogy of the influence of government on its people with tamed animals, who are trained to not cross a certain boundary without their carts by making the animals aware of the dangers that lie ahead. This makes the cattle afraid to even try and see for it self. In the same way the government provides its people with a set of beliefs and ideas that the immature person immediately agrees upon and which aids in furthering his immaturity. Kant argues that it is extremely difficult for a man to reach maturity alone but it is easy for a number of people to do so together. The reason is that when a person starts relying on others for guidance he finds it increasingly difficult to break out of that pattern and start thinking on his own as any mistakes he makes will highlight the defects in his way of thinking. Kant also hints in his essay that a person needs certain qualities to leave immaturity, and these include fearlessness and vigor. Kant goes on to say that if a society was given freedom it will inevitably become enlightened. This statement seems a little extreme but he goes on to explain further that for enlightenment to reach everyone it should be brought about slowly and gently. Then Kant goes on to explain how and to what extent freedom should be excercised. Kant explains that public use of freedom is absolutely essential for enlightenment to take place. He says once people start expressing themselves openly in public forums, these thoughts will eventually influence decisions taken by those in positions of authority. The philosopher also points out the difference between use of freedom at an individual level and at a public level. Like I mentioned earlier, to attain enlightenment public freedom has to be used, however he says that use of freedom at an individual level is not useful at all. Kant also differentiates between expressing of ones opinions and acting on those opinions, he uses an example of a clergyman at the church. He is appointed on the condition that he will teach the principles laid down by the church so he has to teach them as it is. However he can point out constructive criticisms in the way of working of the church which can then be reviewed by his seniors. Thus Kant points out that one can not achieve enlightenment without following the laws of the society, he has to obey the laws but at the same time he should have the courage to criticize what he things is wrong or should be changed. So for him any society that does not obey the laws cannot achieve enlightenment. Kant lived at a time when Monarchy was prevalent in the world and it was considered one of the best ways of running a country. So a question arises here that is this theory acceptable in a democratic environment? My answer is No. Kant says that revolutions are counterproductive as new ideas replace old ones those new ideas are imposed on the immature population like the older ideas were. So according to Kant the situation brings about no difference but this is not true for a democratic world where rulers are selected by the people and can be changed if majority of the population is dissatisfied. However one of the unique principles of democracy is that people have freedom. They have the freedom to think and either choose to extend the current governments terms or elect a new leader if they are not satisfied with the performance of the current one. Thus it is evident that the slow and gradual change that Kant talks about can be implemented in Monarchial society, it may even be the most efficient way of bringing about change but in a democratic world this is not possible. Another aspect is that in order for a theory to be effective it needs to draw a middle ground between theory and practice. Some philosophers lack the judgment to make the theory practical others are unable to complete their theory as they lack some form of practical experience. Kants theory is also lacking in some respects. Kants theories in general have often been criticized as too vague to be practical and useful. All human beings live in a certain time period and place. It is often not possible to separate rationality from our personality, so often we ponder over some issues that others are facing in an abstract way but for anything the starting point should be our own situation. It has often been assumed by many philosophers that we can be rational and we can put our personalities aside to come up with principles that apply to all, but this is not true. Philosphers like Kant assumed this because most enlightenment thinkers were from the same period and place (Europe) this lead them to think that their answers were rational but they were not, they also reflected the culture that these ideas originated in. Kants theory has resulted in criticism and arguments from many philosophers, however whatever one thinks about this philosophy one thing cannot be ignore; i.e. its historical significance. So many years have passed yet Kants theories continue to influence us and the concept of freedom introduced by him has been embraced very clearly by all and thus his work is also very important in helping us understand what enlightenment and freedom is all about. Work Cited Kant, Immanuel. An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?  An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?  (1784). Print.

Media Advertising - Women in the Media :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Women in the Media    The Psychological Power of the Media to Trap Women in A Role. The power of advertising to change, shape and mold the public's opinion has had a major impact on the lives of women. Women are the main target for many advertisements and are used in many forms of advertising. The media has historically used propaganda to define who women are and what they should be. The time period following WWII maybe one of the greatest examples of how completely media can control the ideas of the society on a specific group of people.    During WWII women were encouraged to go out to factories and work to support the war effort. This gave women a sense of need and belonging that many had been left out of before they had the opportunity to persue any type of career in an acceptable manner. With the men away at war, women were encouraged to find work outside the home due to a lack of factory workers who could produce war goods. Once the war ended, however, this propaganda not only stopped- it abruptly changed.    Once the men were back in the states there was an excess of workers. Men came back form war to find that there were no jobs or that their wives were occupying them. With production plummeting after war time highs there were few jobs to offer the men returning home. This started a media blitz on women. Women were encouraged to return to the home and take care of their families. Women's magazines were overflowing with ideas on how to make a perfect wife and mother. It was obvious that if you weren't happy making your family your job, there was something wrong with you as a woman.    The problem was that women were unhappy; President Kennedy commissioned a report on the he status of the American Woman due to the magnitude of this problem (Schneir 38-47). The report basically said that women were unhappy with the idea that they were fundamentally only responsible for being wives, mothers and homemakers; they had nothing they could associate as their own accomplishments.    Another study came out in 1963; it was called The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.

Maju Jaya Supermarket (MJ Supermarket) Essay

Maju Jaya Supermarket (MJ Supermarket) advertises in the newspapers that there is a vacancy for the post of manager. The advertisement stated that those who are interested can come anytime to MJ Supermarket for an interview from 11th April 2014 until 21st April 2014. Ahmad who was very interested with the post came to MJ Supermarket on 20th April 2014 and was informed by the owner that the post was already filled. Ahmad was very angry as he has already tendered his resignation to his former company. On the day that Ahmad came to the MJ Supermarket, he saw Mr Chan, his neighbour, entering the MJ Supermarket and selected some canned food, shampoo, eggs and vegetables. He put all the items into his trolley. However, while he was still looking for other items, Mr Chan received a call from his son asking him to pick him up from the train station. Mr Chan left the items in the trolley and went out from the MJ Supermarket. Advise Ahmad and Mr Chan whether there is any contract between them and the MJ Supermarket. (20 MARKS) ANSWER to Part A (Ahmad Case) Introduction The definition given under the Section 2(h) of the Contracts Act 1950 is that a contract is an agreement enforceable by law (The Commissioner of Law Revision, 2006). Therefore in the Ahmad’s case, one of the parties (Ahamd or MJ Supermarket) has to make an offer that is duly accepted by the other. Issue First issue that we need address in this case is to see whether the advertisement stating the interview deadlines contains an offer. If it does, can Ahmad’s willingness to attend the interview be considered as an acceptance of the offer? In case the advertisement is not considered as an offer, or if it is just an invitation to treat, then there is no contract between them. Second issue raised by the question is whether Ahmad’s presence in the MJ Supermarket to attend the interview on time, after his resignation from his previous job, is an offer. In that case, does MJ Supermarket can reject Ahmad’s offer? Based on the limited information given in the Ahmad’s case, the issues were analysed to see whether there is a contract between both parties? The Law According to Section 2(a) of the Contracts Act 1950, an offer exists â€Å"when one person signifies to another his willingness to do or to abstain from doing anything, with a view to obtaining the assent of that other to the act or abstinence, he is said to make a proposal† (Rahman , 2011). As given in the Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co Ltd (1893) 1 QB 256 case, a proposal or an offer can also be made to the general public to be accepted by any person who knows about it and willing to perform the requirements of the proposer. On the other hand, an invitation to treat can be defined as giving information or requests to others to make offers. Application of the Law to the Facts of the Problem The advertisement by the MJ Supermarket clearly states that those who are interested can come anytime to MJ Supermarket for an interview from 11th April 2014 until 21st April 2014. This raise the question whether the advertisement is intended to bound in contract with the participants who come for the interview. In case of COELHO v. THE PUBLIC SERVICES COMMISSION[1964] M.L.J.12, the applicant, a Health Inspector under the Town Board, Tanjong Malim, applied for the post of Assistant Passport Officer in the Federation of Malaya Government Oversea Missions advertised in the Malay Mail dated 19 February 1957. Consequently, the applicant was informed that he was accepted and, after undergoing training, he was posted to the Immigration Office, Kuala Lumpur, where he remained until December 1958 when he was transferred to the Immigration Office at Johor Bahru (Rahman , 2011). The High Court ruled that the newspaper advertisement was an invitation for qualified persons to apply and the applications were treated as offers. Same can be expressed to the case of Ahmad that the newspaper advertisement by the MJ Supermarket is an invitation to those who are interested to participate in the interview. In the case of Gibson v Manchester CC [1979] 1 All ER 972, HL local council write to tenants inviting them to apply to purchase their homes. One such tenant P did apply, and a price was agreed. Following a change of party control, the new council DD refused to go ahead with the sale. The House of Lords said there was no binding contract: P had made an offer which DD had not yet accepted. Phrases in the correspondence such as â€Å"may be prepared to sell† and â€Å"please complete the enclosed application form† were indicative of an invitation to treat (Thomson  Reuters, 2004). Similarly to this case, the advertisement by the MJ supermarket stated th at those who are interested â€Å"can come† any time to the interview is crucial to consider that the advertisement was a step in the negotiation for a contract. Conclusion Considering the court ruling on both Coelho’s case and Gibson’s case, the advertisement made in the newspaper was an â€Å"invitation to treat†. However, the presence of Ahmad to participate in the interview is considered as an offer. The MJ Supermarket rejected this offer. Therefore the advice to Ahmad is that there is no contract between himself and the MJ Supermarket. ANSWER to Part B (Ahmad Case) On the day that Ahmad came to the MJ Supermarket, he saw Mr Chan, his neighbour, entering the MJ Supermarket and selected some canned food, shampoo, eggs and vegetables. He put all the items into his trolley. However, while he was still looking for other items, Mr Chan received a call from his son asking him to pick him up from the train station. Mr Chan left the items in the trolley and went out from the MJ Supermarket. Introduction The definition given under the Section 2(h) of the Contracts Act 1950 is that a contract is an agreement enforceable by law (The Commissioner of Law Revision, 2006). In the case of Chan, there should be an offer made by Chan and this offer should be accepted by the MJ Supermarket to make a contract. Issue The issue raised in the question is whether the Mr Chan’s action of taking goods from super market racks and put it into the basket contains an offer or an acceptance of an offer. Does he or MJ Supermarket fulfil the requirements of a contract? The Law According to Section 2(a) of the Contracts Act 1950, an offer exists â€Å"when one person signifies to another his willingness to do or to abstain from doing anything, with a view to obtaining the assent of that other to the act or abstinence, he is said to make a proposal†. An invitation to treat can be  defined as giving information or requests to others to make offers. In the Contracts Act 1950, Section 4(1) states that the â€Å"communication of a proposal is complete when the proposal comes to the knowledge of the person to whom it is made. To fulfil the pre-conditions of a contract, the proposal should be clearly communicated to the acceptor. Under Section 5(1) of the Contracts Act 1950, â€Å"a proposal may be revoked at any time before the communication of its acceptance is complete as against the proposer, but not afterwards. Application of the Law to the Facts of the Problem Mr Chan took goods by himself suggests that there is a display of goods in the MJ Supermarket and allows customers to voluntarily pick goods they like and purchase from the counter. â€Å"In the case of Fisher v Bell [1960] 3 All ER 731, DC it was a statutory offence under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959 to offer for sale any of various items, including flick-knives. A Bristol shopkeeper R displayed such a knife in his window, with a ticket reading â€Å"Ejector knife – 4s.† [4 shillings = 20p], and was prosecuted for an offence under the Act. The Divisional Court took a literal interpretation of the statute and said he had committed no offence: the display was an invitation to treat, not an offer to sell† (Rahman , 2011). In relation to the Mr Chan’s scenario, this case can be used to justify an argument of changing mind at any point of purchase before a contract is made. Therefore Mr Chan’s decision to leave the goods without buying is acceptable based on Fisher’s case. â€Å"In the case of Pharmaceutical Society v Boots [1953] 1 All ER 482, CA certain products that were to be sold only under the supervision of a registered pharmacist were displayed on shelves in a self-service shop. The Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (who are responsible for enforcing this legislation) brought a prosecution against the shop for allowing customers to buy these products by helping themselves, but the Court of Appeal (upholding Lord Goddard CJ) said they had no case. The customer having selected the goods made an offer to purchase when he took them to the cash desk, and there was a registered pharmacist supervising that point at which the sale took place† (Rahman , 2011). Mr Chan does not take the goods  to the sales counter. In the case it is also mentioned that he was still looking for goods to purchase. However, he revoked from the process of making an offer to the sales staff when he got a phone call. As mentioned in the Boots case, the action by Mr Chan indicates that he did not properly complete an offer to purchase. In other words, he was involved in an invitation to treat from the MJ Supermarket. Conclusion To complete a contract between Mr Chan and MJ Supermarket, there is should clear communication of an offer and acceptance between both parties. Based on the discussed cases above, the display of goods are considered as an invitation to treat. Mr Chan does not complete an offer to purchase the goods as he quit his process of purchasing in the middle before taking goods to the sales counter. Futhermore, the MJ Supermarket does not have knowledge of a possible offer from Mr Chan.

eye of the beholder essays

eye of the beholder essays The theme of the book, Eye of the Beholder, by Jayne Ann Krentz, is to stop and take a breath before jumping to conclusions. Twelve years ago, Trask's father was killed in a car accident. He had driven his car off Avalon Point. Because of the sharp curve, this was not unusual. Everyone in town just believed that Trask's father was another fatality. Trask knew it was more. He believed his father's death was murder. Trask believed Kenyon had killed his father because of a business deal gone bad. Trask's father, Kenyon, and Guthrie had been working on the deal for months. Trask's father had found a problem and believed the plan would cause the men to go bankrupt. With this information, Trask's father decided to take his money and get out of the deal. Immediately after Trask found out about his father's death, he went to Kenyon's home. Trask went with his gun in hand. He wasn't sure of his own plans; he only knew that someone was going to pay for his father's death. Probably for the best of them all, Alexa walked into the room in time to see Trask pull out his gun. Trask left when Alexa got to the phone and threatened to call the police. The opening of the newest of the Avalon hotel chain couldn't have been planned more perfectly. Trask knew it was perfect. He had been in the business for years and was quite good. So far, all of his hotel's had been a great success. He was unsure of this one though. Most of the town believed that if Trask ever did come back, it would be for revenge. Trask had left the night of his father's death and hadn't been seen since. Many had heard of the successful business man he had become and praised him for it. The night of the opening ceremony, Alexa was upstairs by herself. She knew Trask would be at the hotel and had done her best to avoid him. Everyone in town believed Trask was back for revenge and had chosen this sight for a hotel as an excuse. Alexa felt she would ...

How to Write Perfect ApplyTexas Essays

How to Write Perfect ApplyTexas Essays SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The ApplyTexas college application contains many essay prompts, and each of the most popular colleges in Texas has different requirements for which essays they expect applicants to answer. So how do you get advice on writing your best ApplyTexas essays, no matter which school you're applying to? Look no further than this article, which completely unpacks all possible ApplyTexas essay prompts. We'll explain what each prompt is looking for and what admissions officers are hoping to learn about you. In addition, we'll give you our top strategies for ensuring that your essay meets all these expectations, and help you come up with your best essay topics. To help you navigate this long guide, here is an overview of what we'll be talking about: What Are the ApplyTexas Essays? Comparing ApplyTexas Essay Prompts A, B, and C Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic A Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic B Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic C Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic D Dissecting the UT and Texas AM Short Answer Prompts Briefly: ApplyTexas Essay Topic E (Transfer Students) What Are the ApplyTexas Essays? The ApplyTexas application is basically the Texas version of the Common Application, which many US colleges use. It's a unified college application process that's accepted by all Texas public universities and many private ones. (Note that some schools that accept ApplyTexas also accept the Common App.) The ApplyTexas website is a good source for figuring out whether your target college accepts the ApplyTexas application. That said, the best way to confirm exactly what your school expects is to go to its admissions website. Why Do Colleges Want You to Write Essays? Admissions officers are trying to put together classes full of interesting, vibrant students who have different backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and dreams. One tool colleges use to identify a diverse set of perspectives is the college essay. These essays are a chance for you to show admissions officers those sides of yourself that aren’t reflected in the rest of your application. This is where you describe where you've come from, what you believe in, what you value, and what has shaped you. This is also where you make yourself sound mature and insightful- two key qualities that colleges are looking for in applicants. These are important because colleges want to find young people who will ultimately thrive when faced with the independence of college life. Filling a freshman class is like dealing with those Every-Flavor jelly beans from Harry Potter : admissions just wants to make sure to avoid the ones that taste like earwax. ApplyTexas Essay Requirements There are four essay prompts on the ApplyTexas application for freshman admission (Topics A, B, C, and D). There are also several short answer prompts for UT Austin and Texas AM, as well as an additional Topic E for transfer students. While there are no strict word limits, colleges usually suggest keeping the essays somewhere between one and one and a half pages long. All Texas colleges and universities have different application requirements, including the essays. Some schools require essays, some list them as optional, and others use a combination of required and optional essays. Several schools use the essays to determine scholarship awards, honors program eligibility, or admission to specific majors. Here are some essay submission requirement examples from a range of Texas schools: UT Austin You are required to write an essay on Topic A You also have to answer three short answer prompts If you're applying for an art/art history, architecture, nursing, or social work major, you'll have to write a short answer specific to your major UT Austin also accepts the Coalition App Texas AM You are required to write an essay on Topic A If you're an engineering major, you'll have to write a short answer Texas AM also accepts the Coalition App Southern Methodist University You must write an essay on Topic A You may (but do not have to) write an essay on Topic B SMU also accepts the Common App and Coalition App and has its own online application, so you have the option to pick and choose the application you want to fill out Texas Christian University You have to write one essay, but it can be on any of the topics (A, B, or C) TCU also accepts the Common App and has its own online application, so it's another school for which you can choose the application you want to use Dazzled by her options, she was overcome with hopeful optimism. And cuteness. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: Comparing ApplyTexas Essay Prompts A, B, and C There are three ApplyTexas essay topics that try to get to the heart of what makes you the person you are in three different ways. But since Topics A, B, and C all focus on things that are essential to you as a person, it can be difficult to come up with a totally unique idea for each- especially since on a first read-through, these prompts can sound really similar. Before I dissect all of the ApplyTexas essay prompts, let’s see how A, B, and C differ from one another. You can then keep these differences in mind as you try to think of topics to write about. ApplyTexas Prompts Here are the most recent prompts for Topics A, B, and C on the ApplyTexas application. Topic A Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today? Topic B Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself. Topic C You've got a ticket in your hand- where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there? How to Tell Topics A, B, and C Apart One helpful way to keep these topics separate in your mind is to create a big-picture category for each one: Topic A is outside, Topic B is inside, and Topic C is the future. In other words, Topic A is asking about the impact of challenges or opportunities on you, and how you handled that impact. On the other hand, Topic B is asking about your inner passions and how these define you. Finally, Topic C wants to know where you're going from here. These very broad categories will help as you brainstorm ideas and life experiences you can use for your essay. Although many of the stories you think of can be shaped to fit each of these prompts, think about what the experience most reveals about you. If it’s about how your external community shaped you, that'd probably be a good fit for Topic A. If it’s a story about your passions, save it for Topic B. If it’s primarily about an event that you think predicts your future, it'll likely work well for Topic C. That time a spilled crate of stuffed frogs made you want to learn everything there is to know about French cooking? Probably Topic C. Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic A Now, I will do a thorough deconstruction of everything you need to know about Topic A, the first ApplyTexas essay prompt. The Prompt Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today? What’s the Prompt Asking and How Should You Answer It? This prompt wants to see how your external environment as a high school student has shaped you. You can tell from the fact that the prompt uses the phrase "your story" that it wants to know what you believe has had the biggest impact on you. Step 1: Describe Your Environment The first part of the prompt is about identifying and describing specific experiences you've had as a high school student. You don't want your essay coming across too vague, so make sure you're focusing on one or two specific experiences. The prompt suggests zeroing in on something "unique," or something that has impacted you in a way it hasn't impacted anyone else. You'll want to choose some aspect of your environment that you can describe vividly and that's really important to you. It doesn't necessarily have to be important in a positive way, but it does need to have had a significant impact on your personal development. It should also be some aspect of your environment that has been part of your life for a while. You're describing something that's affected you "throughout your high school career," after all. Step 2: Explain How This Environment Shaped You You shouldn't just describe your environment- you also need to discuss how that environment impacted you as a person. How did this particular aspect of your environment turn you into the person you are today? It's best if you can think of one or two concrete anecdotes or stories about how your environment as a high school student has shaped you. For example, don't just say that your family made you a hard-working person- describe in detail how watching your mother come home from a full day of work just to get ready to go to nighttime classes showed you that working toward your goals is worthwhile, even when it's hard. Being a tomato in a peapod was hard on Frank, who could never really quite understand the peas' obsession with photosynthesis. What Are Readers Hoping to Learn About You? Readers are looking for two main things. First, they want to see that you can be mature and thoughtful about your surroundings. Are you curious about the world around you? If you've really observed and engaged with your surroundings, you'll be able to describe the people and places that have impacted you as a high school student in a nuanced, insightful way. Second, they want to see how you stand out from your environment. This can be accomplished in one of two ways: (1) you can emphasize how you are somehow different from your environment and how that impacted you, or (2) you can emphasize how you learned positive qualities from the environment around you. Basically, how did your environment turn you into a special, interesting person? How Can Your Essay Give Them What They Want? How can you make sure your essay is really answering the prompt? Here are some key strategies. #1: Pick a Specific Aspect of Your Environment You'll need to select something particular in your overall surroundings to zero in on. You can take ideas such as your family, home, neighborhood, or community in several directions. For example, your family could describe your immediate family, your extended family, or a found family. Your home could be the specific house or houses you grew up in, but it could also be your hometown, block, apartment building, or even country. Your neighborhood could be your street, subdivision, cul-de-sac; it could be an urban area or the rural countryside. Your community could be any community you've been part of, from your school community to your church community to your city. When you consider what aspect of your environment to choose, think about significant things that happened to you in connection with your environment. Remember, you'll need to get beyond just describing how the setting is important to you to show how it makes you important. #2: How Did This Environment Make You Special? You then need to consider what about your environment turned you into a person who stands out. Again, this can be about how you overcame some aspect of your environment or how your environment positively fostered qualities or traits in you. You want to make sure you have a clear message that links your environment to one, two, or three special traits you have. Try to think of specific stories and anecdotes related to your interactions with your environment, and then thoughtfully analyze these to reveal what they show about you. Important adults in your life can help you brainstorm potential ideas. #3: Think of the Essay Like a Movie Like a good movie script, a college essay needs characters, some action, and a poignant but ultimately happy ending. When you’re planning out your personal statement, try to think of the story you’re telling in movie terms. This way you can ensure your essay has the following features: Setting: Since you're describing your environment, taking some time to vividly give a sense of place is key. You can accomplish this by describing the actual physical surroundings, the main "characters" in your community, or a combination of both. Stakes: Movies propel the action forward by giving characters high stakes. You know- win or lose, life or death. Even if you are describing your environment in positive terms, there needs to be a sense of conflict or dynamic change. In the anecdote(s) you've selected to write about, what did you stand to gain or lose? External conflict resolution: If there's an external conflict of some kind (with a neighbor, a family member, a friend, a city council, etc.), you need to show some level of resolution. Internal conflict resolution: Inner conflict is essentially about how you changed in response to the event or experience. You'll need to clearly lay out what happened within you and how those changes have carried you forward as a person. Did you feel ALL the feelings? Can you even name all of these feelings? Oh, yeah? Then what's the one in the bottom-right called? #4: Add Details, Description, and Examples Your essay will really stand out if you add effective examples and description. For example, imagine Karima decides to describe how learning to navigate public transit as a high school freshman made her resourceful and helped her explore the city she grew up in. She also discusses how exploring the city ultimately impacted her. How should she frame her experience? Here are some options: Version 1 I was nervous about taking the El by myself for the first time. At the station, there were lots of commuters and adults who seemed impatient but confident. At first, I was very afraid of getting lost, but over time I became as confident as those commuters. Version 2 I felt a mixture of nerves and excitement walking up the Howard red line turnstile for the first time. What if I got lost on my way to the museum? I was worried that I would just seem like a nuisance to all of the frowning commuters who crowded the platform. If I needed help, would they help me? Was I even brave enough to ask? When the metal doors opened, I pressed my nails into my palms and rushed in after a woman with a red briefcase. Success! At least for the first step. I found a sideways-facing seat and clutched my macrame bag with my notebook and sketching supplies. A map hung above my seat. Pressing my finger to the colorful grid, I found my stop and counted how many I still had to go. I spent the entire train ride staring at that map, straining my ears for everything the conductor said. Now, when I think about the first time I rode the El by myself, I smile. What seemed so scary at the time is just an everyday way to get around now. But I always look around on the platform to see if any nervous kids linger at the edges of the commuter crowds and offer them a smile. Both versions set up the same story, plot-wise, but the second makes the train ride (and because of this, the author) come alive through the addition of specific, individualizing details, such as the following: Visual cues: The reader "sees" what the author sees through descriptions such as "frowning commuters who crowded the platform," "woman with a red briefcase," and "colorful grid." Emotional responses: We experience the author’s feelings: she "felt a mixture of nerves and excitement." She wonders if she's brave enough to ask for help. The train ride was "so scary at the time" but feels "everyday" now. Differentiation: Even though the commuters are mostly a monolithic group, we get to see some individuals, such as the woman with a red briefcase. ApplyTexas Topic A Essay Ideas There's no one best topic for this essay prompt (or any other), but I've included some potential ideas below to help you get started with your own brainstorming: Describing a time you organized the people around you around a common local cause Honing in on a close relationship with one or more family members Identifying a particularly significant place in your neighborhood (such as a certain park or tree) and why it has been so important in your life, especially in these past few years Being a minority in your school or neighborhood Going through a cultural or religious rite of passage as a high school student Moving from one place to somewhere totally different and handling your culture shock And that's when I realized that I, too, had become an ostrich, accepted by and adapted into their culture of pecking and running. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic B Next up, let's go through the same process for ApplyTexas Topic B, taking it apart brick by brick and putting it back together again. The Prompt Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself. What’s the Prompt Asking? At first glance, this prompt seems pretty vague. "Tell us about yourself" is not exactly the most detailed set of instructions. But if we dig a little deeper, we can see that there are actually two pretty specific things this question is asking. #1: What Defines You? This prompts posits that "most students"- which likely includes you!- have some kind of defining trait. This could be "an identity, an interest, or a talent," so you need to express what that defining trait is for you specifically. For instance, are you an amazing knitter? Do you spend your free time researching cephalopods? Are you a connoisseur of indie movies or mystery novels? Or maybe you have a religious, cultural, ethnic, or LGBTQ+ identity that's very important to you. Any of these things could plausibly be the main, framing theme of your essay. #2: How Does That Defining Trait Fit Into "You" Overall? Even though you have some kind of defining trait, that's not the entirety of you. Essentially, you need to contextualize your defining trait within your broader personality and identity. This is where the "tell us about yourself" part comes in. What does your defining trait say about you as a person? And how does it fit into your overall personality, values, and dreams? Only deep in the woods could she explore her one true passion: moss. What Are Readers Hoping to Learn About You? They are hoping to learn two main things: #1: What You're Passionate About It's essential that this essay communicate genuine passion for whatever you write about. College is a lot of work, and passion is an important driving force when things get busy. Thus, readers are looking for students who are really engaged in the world around them and excited about things! #2: How You View Yourself (and How Successfully You Can Communicate That) A strong, well-developed sense of self goes a long way toward helping you weather all the changes you're going to experience when you attend college. Even though you'll change and grow a lot as a person during your college years, having a sense of your own core traits and values will help those changes be exciting as opposed to scary. Colleges are looking for a developed sense of self. Additionally, they are looking for students who can communicate messages about themselves in a clear, confident, and cohesive way. How Can Your Essay Give Them What They Want? The challenge with this prompt is giving a complete picture of you as a person while still staying on message about your defining trait. You need to be focused yet comprehensive. Let's explore the best ways to show off your passion and frame your identity. #1: Define the Core Message First, you need to select that defining trait. This could be pretty much anything, just as long as you're genuinely invested in this trait and feel that it represents some core aspect of you. It should also be something you can describe through stories and anecdotes. Just saying, "I'm a redhead and that defines me" makes for a pretty boring essay! On the other hand, a story about how you started a photography project that consists of portraits of redheads like you and what you learned about yourself from this experience is much more interesting. Be careful to select something that presents you in a broadly positive light. If you select a trait that doesn't seem very serious, such as your enduring and eternal love of onion rings, you risk seeming at best immature and at worst outright disrespectful. You also want to pick something realistic- don't claim you're the greatest mathematician who ever lived unless you are, in fact, the greatest mathematician who ever lived (and you probably aren't). Otherwise, you'll seem out of touch. #2: Fit Your Message Into the Larger Picture Next, consider how you can use this trait to paint a more complete picture of you as a person. It's great that you're passionate about skiing and are a member of a ski team, but what else does this say about you? Are you an adventurous daredevil who loves to take (reasonable) risks? Are you a nature lover with a taste for exploration? Do you love being part of a team? Select at least two or three positive messages you want to communicate about yourself in your essay about your key trait. Brody added his special brand of XYZ to everything he ever made for that bro-tisanal touch. #3: Show, Don't Tell It's much more interesting to read about things you do that demonstrate your key traits than it is to hear you list them. Don't just say, "Everyone asks me for advice because I'm level-headed and reasonable." Actually describe situations that show people asking you for advice and you offering that level-headed, reasonable advice. #4: Watch Your Tone It's important to watch your tone as you write an essay that's (pretty overtly) about how great you are. You want to show your own special qualities without seeming glib, staid, self-aggrandizing, or narcissistic. Let’s say Andrew wants to write about figuring out how to grow a garden, despite his yard being in full shade, and how this desire turned into a passion for horticulture. He could launch into a rant about the garden store employees not knowing which plants are right for which light, the previous house owner’s terrible habit of using the yard as a pet bathroom, or the achy knee that prevented him from proper weeding posture. Alternatively, he could describe doing research on the complex gardens of royal palaces, planning his garden based on plant color and height, using the process of trial and error to see which plants would flourish, and getting so involved with this work that he often lost track of time. One of these approaches makes him sound whiny and self-centered, while the other makes him sound like someone who can take charge of a difficult situation. ApplyTexas Topic B Essay Ideas Again, there's no single best approach here, but I've outlined some potential topics below: Are you known for being really good at something or an expert on a particular topic? How does this impact your identity? Discuss how you got involved in a certain extracurricular activity and what it means to you. What have you learned from participating in it? Describe something you've done lots of research on in your free time. How did you discover that interest? What have you learned as a result? What's your most evident personality trait? How has that trait impacted your life? (You can ask friends and relatives for help with this one.) Relate the importance of your LGBTQ+ identity Discuss your religious or cultural background and how this defines you Describe your experience as a member of a minority community Are you a diamond in a world of hearts? Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic C Now, we can take apart Topic C to get a good handle on how to tackle this future-facing essay. The Prompt You've got a ticket in your hand- where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there? What’s the Prompt Asking and How Should You Answer It? If ApplyTexas Topic A and Topic B were all about your past experiences, Topic C wants you to give readers a glimpse of your imagined possibilities. There are basically two potential approaches to this question. We'll break them down here. Option 1: Describe Your Long-Term Goals One approach to this prompt is to use your essay as a chance to describe your long-term goals for your career and life. For some students, this will be a straightforward endeavor. For example, say you’ve always wanted to be a doctor. You spend your time volunteering at hospitals, helping out at your mom’s practice, and studying biology. You could easily frame your "ticket" as a ticket to medical school. Just pick a few of the most gripping moments from these past experiences and discuss the overall trajectory of your interests and your essay would likely be a winner! But what if you’re not sure about your long-term goals yet? Or what if you feel like you really don't know where you're going next week, let alone next year or 10 years from now? Read on for Option 2! Option 2: Demonstrate Thoughtful Imagination While you can certainly interpret this as a straightforward question about your future, you can also use it as a chance to be more imaginative. Note that this entire question rests on the metaphor of the ticket. The ticket can be to anywhere; you decide. It could be to a real place, such as your grandmother's house or the Scottish highlands or the Metropolitan Museum. Or it could be somewhere fantastical, such as a time machine to the Paleolithic. The important point is that you use the destination you select- and what you plan to do there- to prove you're a thoughtful person who is excited about and actively engaged with the world around you. Renata doesn't want a train ticket; she just wants a boat. What Are Readers Hoping to Learn About You? If you're on a direct path to a specific field of study or career, admissions officers definitely want to know this. Having driven, goal-oriented, and passionate students is a huge plus for any college. If this sounds like you, be sure your essay conveys not just your interest but also your deep love of the subject, as well as any related clubs, activities, and/or hobbies you’ve done during high school. If you take the more creative approach to this prompt, however, realize that in this essay (as in all the other ApplyTexas essays) the how matters much more than the what. Don't worry that you don't have a specific goal in mind yet. No matter where your eventual academic, career, or other pursuits might lie, every activity you've done up to now has taught you something, whether that be work ethic, mastering a skill, learning from a mentor, interacting with peers, dealing with setbacks, understanding your own learning style, or perseverance. Your essay is a chance to show off that knowledge and maturity. So no matter what destination you choose for your ticket (the what), you want to communicate that you can think about future (and imagined!) possibilities in a compelling way based on your past experiences (the how). Whether you take the ideas of "where you are going" and "what you are doing" in a more literal or more abstract direction, the admissions committee wants to make sure that no matter what you study, you'll be able to get something meaningful out of it. They want to see that you’re not simply floating through life on the surface but are actively absorbing the qualities, skills, and know-how you'll need to succeed in the world. How Can Your Essay Give Them What They Want? Here are some ideas for how to show that you have thoughtful and compelling visions of possible futures. #1: Pick Where You're Going Is this going to be a more direct interpretation of your goals (my ticket is to the judge's bench) or a more creative one (my ticket is to Narnia)? Whichever one you choose, make sure that you choose a destination that is genuinely compelling to you. The last thing you want is to come off sounding bored or disingenuous. #2: Don’t Overreach or Underreach Another key point is to avoid overreaching or underreaching. For instance, it’s fine to say that you’d like to get involved in politics, but it’s a little too self-aggrandizing to say that you’re definitely going to be president of the United States. Be sure that whatever destination you select for your ticket, it doesn’t come off as unnecessary bragging rather than simple aspiration. At the same time, make sure the destination you've chosen is one that makes sense in the context of a college essay. Maybe what you really want is a ticket to the potato chip factory; however, this essay might not be the best place to elaborate on this imagined possibility. While you can of course choose a whimsical location, you need to be able to ground it in a real vision of the kind of person you want to become. Don't forget who your audience is! College admissions officers want to find students who are eager to learn. They also want to be exposed to new thoughts and ideas (and not just new potato chips). #3: Flesh It Out Once you've picked a destination, it's time to consider the other components of the question: what are you going to do once you reach your destination? What will happen there? Try to think of some key messages that relate back to you, your talents, and your goals. #4: Ground Your "Journey" in Specific Anecdotes and Examples The way this question is framed is very abstract, so it's important you ground your thoughts about your destination (whether it's more straightforward or more creative) in concrete anecdotes and examples that show you're thoughtful, engaged, passionate, and driven. This is even more important if you go the creative route and are writing about an unusual location. If you don't keep things somewhat grounded in reality, your essay could come across as frivolous. Make sure you make the most of this chance to share real-life examples of your desirable qualities. Imagine Eleanor’s essay is about how she wants a ticket to Starfleet Academy (for the uninitiated, this is the fictional school in the Star Trek universe where people train to be Starfleet officers). Which essay below conveys more about her potential as a student? Version 1 My ticket is to Starfleet Academy. There, I would train to become part of the Command division so I could command a starship. Once I was captain of my own starship, I would explore the deepest reaches of space to interact with alien life and learn more about the universe. Version 2 I've loved Star Trek since my dad started playing VHS copies of old episodes for me in our ancient VCR. So if I could have a ticket to anywhere, it would be to Starfleet Academy to train in the command division. I know I would make a superb command officer. My ten years of experience in hapkido have taught me discipline and how to think on my feet. Working as a hapkido instructor in my dojo the past two years has honed my leadership and teaching qualities, which are essential for any starship commander. Additionally, I have the curiosity and sense of adventure necessary for a long career in the unknown reaches of space. Right now, I exercise my thirst for exploration through my photography blog. Using my DSLR camera, I track down and photograph obscure and hidden places I find in my town, on family trips, and even on day trips to nearby cities. I carefully catalogue the locations so other people can follow in my footsteps. Documentation, after all, is another important part of explor ing space in a starship. Both versions communicate the same things about the imagined destination, but the second essay does a much better job showing who Eleanor is as a person. All we really learn from the first excerpt is that Eleanor must like Star Trek. We can also infer that she probably likes leadership, exploration, and adventure, since she wants to captain a starship. But we don't really know that for sure. Admissions officers shouldn't have to infer who you are from your essay- your essay should lay it out for them. In the second essay, on the other hand, Eleanor clearly lays out the qualities that would make her a great Command officer, and provides examples of how she exemplifies these qualities. She ties the abstract destination to concrete things from her life such as hapkido and photography. This provides a much more well-rounded picture of what Eleanor could bring to the student body and the school at large. Eleanor just wants to explore the final frontier. ApplyTexas Topic C Essay Ideas I've come up with some sample essay ideas for the two different approaches to this prompt. Possibility 1: Your Concrete Goals Describe your goal to pursue a particular academic field or career and discuss how specific classes and/or extracurricular activities ignited that passion Discuss how your plans to pursue politics, project management, or another leadership role were fostered by an experience of leadership (this could be a straightforward leadership position in a club or job, or a more indirect or unplanned leadership experience, such as suddenly having to take charge of a group) Discuss how your desire to teach or train in the future was sparked by an experience of teaching someone to do something (e.g., by being a tutor or by helping a sibling deal with a particularly challenging class or learning issue) Describe your goal to perform on stage in the future and discuss how your past experiences of public creativity (e.g., being in a play, staging an art show, performing an orchestra, being involved in dance, etc.) led you to this goal Possibility 2: Creative/Abstract Destination What would you do if you could visit the world of a favorite childhood book or television series? What qualities does that show about you? Is there a relative or friend you would like to visit with your ticket? Is there a particular historical period you would like to time-travel to? Is there a destination you've always wanted to go to? Remember to tie your imaginative destination to concrete details about your special qualities! A future as a driving coach for motorcoach drivers was a no-brainer for the founding member of the homonym club. Dissecting ApplyTexas Essay Topic D If you're applying to one of several fine arts fields, you might have to write this essay. The Prompt Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study (architecture, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area? What’s the Prompt Asking? If you’re applying to study architecture, art, or art history, one of the essays you will likely have to write is this one. This essay topic is trying to ask as broadly as possible about an experience with art that has moved you in some way. This means that your options for answering the question are quite varied. So what are the two different parts of this prompt? Let's take a look. Part 1: Observation and Reaction Think of a time you experienced that blown-away feeling when looking at something man-made. This is the reaction and situation the first part of the essay wants you to recreate. The prompt is primarily interested in your ability to describe and pinpoint exactly what quality made you stop in your tracks. The huge set of inspiring object options the prompt offers tells us that your taste level won't be judged here. You can focus on a learning experience, which includes both classes and extracurricular activities, or you can focus on a direct experience in which you encountered an object or space without the mediation of a class or teacher. The only limit to your focus object is that it is something made by someone other than you. Your reaction should be in conversation with the original artist- not a form of navel-gazing. The key for this part of the essay is that your description needs to segue into a story of change and transformation. What the essay topic is asking you to show isn’t just that you were struck by something you saw or learned about, but that you also absorbed something from this experience that impacted your own art going forward. When you see the Angkor Wat Temple, you can't help but be psyched that at least humans haven't wasted all their time on earth. Part 2: Absorption This brings us to the second part of the essay prompt: this is where you need to move from the past into the present, and then at least gesture meaningfully toward the future. It’s one thing to look at a piece of art, such as a sculpture or a form of architecture, and feel moved by its grace, boldness, or vision. But it’s a sign of a mature, creative mind to be able to take to heart what is meaningful to you about this work and then transmute this experience into your own art. This essay wants to see that developing maturity in you; therefore, you should explain exactly how your own creative vision has changed after this meaningful encounter you've described. What qualities, philosophy, or themes do you now try to infuse into what you create? More importantly, this essay prompt asserts that being affected by something once isn’t enough. That’s why in this second part of the topic you also need to explain what you’ve been doing to keep having similarly moving encounters with other creative works. You have some choice, too, when it comes to answering, "What have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?" For example, you could describe how you’ve sought out other works by the same artist who moved you the first time. Or you could describe investigating new media or techniques to emulate something you saw. Or you could discuss learning about the period, genre, school, or philosophical theory that the original piece of art comes from in order to give yourself a more contextualized understanding. What Are Readers Hoping to Learn About You? If you’re planning an academic career in the visual arts or architecture, then you’re entering a long conversation started by our cave-painting ancestors and continuing through every human culture and society since. This essay wants to make sure that you aren’t creating art in a vacuum and that you have had enough education and awareness to be inspired by others. By demonstrating how you react to works that move you- not with jealousy or dismissal but with appreciation and recognition of another’s talent and ability- you're proving that you're ready to participate in this ongoing conversation. At the same time, this essay is asking you to show your own creative readiness. Describe not only the work you have produced but also your ability to introduce new elements into that work- in this case, inspired by the piece you described. This way, you can demonstrate that you aren’t a one-note artist but are mature enough to alter and develop what you make. Inspired by Michaelangelo's supposed advice to just "chip away the marble that isn't the sculpture," I will now write my essay by just not using the words that aren't supposed to be on the page. How Can Your Essay Give Them What They Want? What are some best practices for teasing out the complexities of art in written form? Here are some helpful tips as you brainstorm and write your essay. #1: Pick One Piece of Art or Learning Experience Once you’ve chosen between these two contexts, narrow down your selection even further. If you're writing about an educational encounter, don’t forget that it can come from an informal situation as well. For example, you could write about something you learned on your own from a documentary, museum visit, or art book. If you're writing about a direct experience with art, don't necessarily fixate on a classical piece. Alternatively, you could discuss a little-known public sculpture, a particularly striking building or bridge you saw while traveling, or a gallery exhibition. Whatever you end up writing about, make sure you know some of the identifying details. You don’t need to know the answers to all the following questions, but do your best to research so you can answer at least two or three of them: Who is the artist? Where is the piece on display? What kind of work is it? With what materials was it made? When was it made? #2: Figure Out Why You Were Struck by This Particular Work The make-it-or-break-it moment in this essay will be your ability to explain what affected you in the object you're writing about. Why is it different from other works you’ve seen? Do you think it (or you) was in the right place at the right time to be moved by it, or would it have affected you the same way no matter where or when you saw it? Did it speak to you because it shares some of your ideals/philosophies/tastes, or because it was so different from them? Be careful with your explanation since it can easily get so vague as to be meaningless or so obscure and "deep" that you lose your reader. Before you start trying to put it down on paper, try to talk out what you plan to say either with a friend, parent, or teacher. Do they understand what you’re saying, and do they believe you? #3: Make a Timeline of Your Own Creative Works When you think about what you've been making or thinking about making during your high school career, what is the trajectory of your ideas? How has your understanding of the materials you want to work with changed? What about the message you want your works to convey? Or the way you want your works to be seen by others? What is the reason you feel compelled to be creative? Now that you’ve come up with this timeline, see whether your changes in thought overlap with the art experience you're planning on describing. Is there a way you can combine what was so exciting to you about this work with the way you’ve seen your own ideas about art have evolved? #4: Use a Mix of Concreteness and Comparisons in Your Description Just as nothing ruins a joke as explaining it does, nothing ruins the wordless experience of looking at art as talking it to death does. Still, you need to find a way to use words to give the reader a sense of what the piece that moved you actually looks like- particularly if the reader isn't familiar with the work or the artist that created it. Here is my suggested trick for writing well about art. First, be specific about the object. Discuss its colors, size, what it appears to be made of, what your eye goes to first (bright colors vs darker, more muted ones, for example), what it is representative of (if it’s figurative), where it is in relation to the viewer, whether or not you can see marks of the tools used (such as brush strokes, scrapes from sculpting tools, etc.). Second, step away from the concrete and get creative with language by using techniques such as comparative description. Use your imagination to create emotionally resonant similes. Is there a form of movement (e.g., flying, crawling, tumbling) that this piece feels like? Does it remind you of something from the natural world (e.g., a falling leaf, a forest canopy being moved by wind, waves, sand dunes shifting)? If the work is figurative, imagine what has been happening just before the moment in time it captures. What happened just after this point? Using these kinds of non-literal descriptors will let your reader understand both the actual physical object and its aesthetic appeal. The Stormtrooper's hypnotic performance was like plunging into a diamond-studded Sarlacc pit to be slowly digested over a thousand years by disco music. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: Dissecting the UT and Texas AM Short Answer Prompts Both UT Austin and Texas AM require short answers as part of the freshman application. For UT, some are required by all applicants, while others are required by those applying to certain majors or departments. For AM, engineering applicants must submit an additional short answer. We'll go over the UT Austin prompts followed by the Texas AM prompt. UT Austin Short Answer Prompts UT Austin requires three short answers from all freshman applicants and also offers an optional prompt. Each short answer should be no more than 250-300 words, or one paragraph. Short Answer 1: Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major? Short Answer 2: Leadership can be demonstrated in many ways. Please share how you have demonstrated leadership in either your school, job, community, and/or within your family responsibilities. Short Answer 3: Please share how you believe your experiences, perspectives, and/or talents have shaped your ability to contribute to and enrich the learning environment at UT Austin, both in and out of the classroom. Optional Short Answer: Please share background on events or special circumstances that may have impacted your high school academic performance. If you're applying to art and art history, architecture, nursing, or social work, you'll need to submit the following in addition to your short answers above: Art and Art History In 500 words or less, please tell us about a meaningful way in which an artwork, or artist, has changed your life. How has this prompted your ambitions for a life in the arts? Architecture What role has creativity played in your education? What are the ways you explore and express your creativity? Nursing If applying first-choice, submit responses to the following short answer prompts: Discuss the factors that have influenced your desire to pursue a career in Nursing. How have your academic and extracurricular activities prepared you to pursue a degree in Nursing? Social Work Discuss the reasons you chose Social Work as your first-choice major and how a Social Work degree from UT will prepare you for the future. What Are These UT Austin Short Answer Prompts Asking? Obviously, these short answer prompts are all asking very different things, but they do have some similarities in terms of their overall goals. The first set of prompts basically want to know what you can offer UT Austin and why you'd be a great fit as a student here. They also want to know why you chose UT Austin and your specific major. In other words, all these prompts essentially work together as a "Why This College?" essay. For the major-specific prompts, you're being asked two basic things: How have your relevant experiences up to this point led you to want to study this particular field (i.e., art/art history, architecture, nursing, or social work)? What do you plan on doing with your degree from UT Austin? How Can You Give UT Austin What They Want? Admissions officers will be looking for evidence that you're genuinely interested in the school, the major you've chosen, and the career you want to pursue. Make sure to identify features of the program that appeal to you. In other words, why UT Austin? What makes you a good fit here? Be as specific as possible in your responses. Since you won't have much room to write a lot, try to focus on a particular anecdote, skill, or goal you have. Admissions officers also want to see that you have an aptitude for your chosen career path, so if you have any relevant work, research, or volunteer experience, they definitely want to know this! It's OK to take a broad view of what's relevant here. Finally, they're looking for individuals who have clear goals as well as a general idea of what they want to do with their degree. Are you interested in working with a specific population or specialty? Why? What led you to this conclusion? Or maybe instead of writing short answers, you could just send them this selfie. Texas AM Short Answer Prompt All engineering applicants to Texas AM must submit a short answer to the following prompt: Describe your academic and career goals in the broad field of engineering (including computer science, industrial distribution, and engineering technology). What and/or who has influenced you either inside or outside the classroom that contributed to these goals? What's This Texas AM Short Answer Prompt Asking? This prompt wants to know two essential things: What are your future goals for your specific field of interest (i.e., the kind of engineering field you want to go into or are considering going into)? What environmental or external factors (such as a person/mentor, a volunteer experience, a paper or book you read, etc.) contributed to your development of these goals? How Can You Give Texas AM What They Want? What admissions officers want to know here is simply what your biggest engineering ambition is and how you came to have this goal. Since you don't have a ton of room to write your short answer, you'll want to be as specific as possible. Admissions officers want to see that you have a clear future in mind for what you want to do with your engineering degree. For example, do you plan to go on to a PhD program? Why? Do you have a particular career in mind? In addition, make sure to specify the main inspiration for or motivation behind this goal. For instance, did you have a high school teacher encourage you to study engineering? Or perhaps you decided on a whim to take a computer science class, which you ended up loving. Remember that the inspiration for your engineering goals doesn't have to be limited to something school-related. If you get stuck, think broadly about what initially got you interested in the field. Finally, tell a story with this short answer. Admissions officers want to see the clear connection between what inspired you and why you've decided to pursue engineering as a major and career. Don't just state that something made you interested in engineering and that's it. What specifically motivated you to pursue this field and career path? Don't be afraid to get personal, as this will show the admissions committee that you're truly passionate about the major. The thinking doesn't end here for transfer students. Briefly: ApplyTexas Essay Topic E (Transfer Students) US transfer students and international transfer students must typically submit an additional essay on the following prompt (or must submit an essay on either Prompt C, D, or E). The Prompt Choose an issue of importance to you- the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope⠁  - and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation. What's the Prompt Asking? This prompt, which targets transfer students, essentially wants to know what hardship, challenge, or social issue has affected you on a personal level (or a larger group you're part of) and why you think this particular thing is so important to you. For example, maybe you identify as LGBTQIA+ and have personally experienced discrimination in your local community due to your sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Or perhaps you grew up in a wealthy family but have begun to see recently how widespread the issue of homelessness really is and now are making a more conscious effort to find ways to remedy this problem in your own community. The issue you choose doesn't have to relate to a wider social issue; it could be a learning disability you have, for instance, or the fact that you no longer share the same religious beliefs as does your family. The most important part of this question is the connection between the issue and yourself. In other words, why is this issue so important to you? How has it affected your life, your goals, your experiences, etc.? How Can Your Essay Give Them What They Want? This essay is a way for admissions officers to get to know you and what matters to you personally on a much deeper level than what some of the other essay topics allow, so don't be afraid to dive into topics that are very emotional, personal, or special to you. Furthermore, be sure to clearly explain why this particular issue- especially if it's a broader social issue that affects many people- is meaningful to you. Admissions officers want to know about any challenges you've faced and how these have positively contributed to your own growth as a person. The Bottom Line: Tips for Writing ApplyTexas Essays The ApplyTexas application contains four essay prompts (Topics A, B, C, and D), with different schools requiring different combinations of mandatory and optional essays. There are also short answer prompts for UT Austin and Texas AM, as well as a Topic E for transfer students. One way to keep these three similar-sounding essay topics (A, B, and C) separate in your mind is to create a big-picture category for each one: Topic A is about your outside Topic B is your inside Topic C is about your future Now, let's briefly summarize each essay topic: Essay Topic A Overview: Wants you to describe any unique experiences you've had as a high school student and how these have shaped who you are as a person Tips: Pick a specific aspect of your environment Describe how it made you special Describe the setting, stakes, and conflict resolution Add details, description, and examples Essay Topic B Overview: Offers a chance to describe a defining trait and how it fits into the larger vision of you Tips: Define the core message. Fit that core message of your into the larger picture. Show things about yourself, don’t tell. Watch your tone to make sure you show your great qualities without seeming narcissistic, boring, glib, or self-aggrandizing. Essay Topic C Overview: Asks you to describe "where you are going," in either a literal, goal-oriented sense or a more imaginative sense. Tips: Pick where you’re going, but don’t over- or under-reach Flesh out your destination. How does it relate back to you? Ground your â€Å"journey† in specific anecdotes and examples Essay Topic D Overview: Wants you to describe being affected by a work of art or an artistic experience to make sure that you are ready to enter a fine arts field Tips: Pick one piece of art or one specific experience of learning about art Figure out exactly why this work or event struck you Examine your own work to see how this artwork has affected your creativity Use a mix of concrete descriptions and comparisons when writing about the piece of art Short Answer Prompts Overview: Specific to UT Austin applicants; art/art history/architecture/nursing/social work applicants to UT Austin; and engineering applicants to Texas AM Tips: Describe your relevant experiences and interests up to this point Describe what about the program appeals to you and how you will use your degree (i.e., your future goals) Treat the required UT Austin prompts as parts of a "Why This College?" essay Essay Topic E (Transfer Students) Overview: Specific to US and international transfer applicants Tips: Pick an issue that means a lot to you and has had a clear effect on how you see yourself Emphasize how this issue or how you've treated this issue has ultimately had a positive impact on your personal growth What's Next? Curious about the other college essay choices out there? If your target college also accepts the Common Application, check out our guide to the Common App essay prompts to see whether they would be a better fit for you. Interested to see how other people tackled this part of the application? We have a roundup of 100+ accepted essays from tons of colleges. Stuck on what to write about? Read our suggestions for how to come up with great essay ideas. Working on the rest of your college applications? We have great advice on how to find the right college for you, how to write about your extracurricular activities, and how to ask teachers for letters of recommendation. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: