blog, pt. ii

Short answer #2 - In either a video or a written post with photos, introduce us to a part of your life, house, town, etc. that you find wildly interesting.

This is my brother. His name is Ryan. He is 7.

Okay, I lied. This is my brother 0.0001% of the time.
This is a more accurate picture of him. We didn't even go to this game.
He is wildly interesting. For example, he loves Eric Clapton, but also once said he wanted to be the Jonas Brothers. Not just a Jonas Brother, no - the collective identity of the Jonas Brothers. He is a human paradox. The other night, he said something about his "jammies" (his PJs), but I misheard him and thought he said "panties." We then proceeded to come up with a plethora of combinations of adjective + "panties" which entertained us for the next half hour. Some of the ones we came up with were: "cheetah panties," "jean panties," "rubber panties," and my personal favorite - "croc panties." Where does he come up with this stuff? I have no idea. But I am currently cracking up to myself in a public library.
My brother watches sports like a 30-year-old man. He never watches one game, he instead keeps track of ESPN, Fox Sports, ABC and NBC (if applicable) as well as the scoreboards on the bottom of the ESPN screen. So when I ask, "How was the Phillies game?" He will respond "It was 6-8. And the Cardinals won, but the Red Sox lost to the Yankees, something about Michael Vick back with the Eagles, and did you hear about that Korean golfer who beat Tiger Woods?" And yet, the kid claims that he does not know how to tell time. (I know that this is a lie because he always knows when to turn on the TV to catch a game.)
Spelling has never been his forte. He used to spell "juice" "j-o-o-s."
I like to ask my brother what he wants to be when he grows up.
At age 4, his response was "A whale."
At age 6, his response was "An Animal Planet TV show host."
Now, he says, "A scientist during the week and an artist on weekends. And a tennis player on Sundays." Child, you are 7. What is wrong with you?? I once accidentally knocked his chin and he cried, "Oww...my mandible!"
Aside from our uncontrollable laughter and voices (I seriously sound like a 7-year-old on the phone), Ryan and I are very different, which fascinates my mother. But he is a pretty cool cat and when he asks, "Can I be your roommate?" I wish I can say, "Yes."
Ryan, age 5, as Obi-Wan Kenobi
"Ah, screw it. Just gimme some freaking yogurt."

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blog, pt. i

"Short answer #1 - In a paragraph or two, describe why you want to be an admissions blogger and what unique things you feel you'll contribute to the program.
"

I'll be honest here and admit that I didn't even think about going to MIT until the summer before my senior year. This is mostly because a. I didn't think I'd fit in and b. Me getting into MIT? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

My reaction to "Have you considered MIT?" Seriously.
During my college search, it got to the point where everything started blurring together and all the info sessions became indistinguishable. I heard from some people that when you get to the school, you just know that it's the one. Well, that is a load of malarkey because I did not feel that at all. Not even when I visited MIT. I didn't want to make a decision that would affect the next 4 years of my life from a "feeling" I got from a single tour or info session. (This is where talking to students helps.) When I first started reading the blogs that summer, there were 2 things that really changed my mind about MIT: the transparency of the school and the diversity of the student body. I loved that the blogs showed everything about the school, the good and the bad. Seriously, everyone knows that college isn't loafing under a picturesque tree in autumn wearing a ridiculously stylish outfit and matching scarf. I also realized that you don't have to be an evil genius to go to MIT. Now, as far as unique contributions go, here's the deal: someone once told me, "You are too normal to go to MIT." And well, yes. There are a lot of pretty non-unique things about me. I play a stringed instrument. I am a terrible driver. In fact, the only thing I hate more than driving is parking. And being tickled. (These things are funnier if you are aware of my racial heritage and my gender.) But that lady obviously did not know me very well, and I think I can be pretty unique and could offer a pretty happenin' viewpoint to the blogs.
1. I used to want to be Jeff Corwin. I wanted to be an entomologist-herpetologist-TV-show-host until fifth grade.
2. I did not know what Starcraft was until I overheard 2 of my friends (both non-Koreans) talking about it during my sophomore year. Never have I seen anyone look so appalled in my life.
3. I love where I'm from (a mid-sized town in the middle of Missouri). I like corn mazes and bluegrass music.
4. I am a self-proclaimed technopeasant, but am willing to learn. Once during a Science Olympiad event about circuits, I asked my partner why the circuit board looked so odd. We hadn't turned it over yet.
5. I do not want to study electrical engineering. Ever.
6. I like to draw. Have you noticed? I would probably put a drawing in every entry, kind of like how Yan puts pictures of ridiculously delicious-looking food in all of her entries. Or how Snively puts links in his titles. Am I starting to sound pathetic?
7. Like I said before, I didn't think of applying to MIT because I didn't think I could ever belong there. So, minimizing the cheesiness as much as possible, had it not been for the blogs, I potentially would have missed out on an awesome four years of my life (maybe more?). I can only hope that as an admissions blogger I could do the same, showing other former-Jeff-Corwin-wannabes (or other potential applicants) that it's just silly to base your opinions off of stereotypes.

Probably not the best source of information.

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