It doesn’t really matter where Waldo is. Everyone loves Waldo, and they are interested in him no matter where he is. In fact, they’ve been interested in him for 25 years! Waldo is so modern that he even appears in digital media, including YouTube! What’s surprising is that Waldo is just an ordinary sort of guy. He wears the same striped shirt and striped hat everywhere he goes. He does ordinary things; he goes to the beach, he goes to the mountains, he goes to the countryside. I think he’s popular because everyone can identify with Waldo. That makes the search the most important thing, and having fun with the search is even better. Think how many amusing and interesting things we notice while we are looking for Waldo. He is always in the middle of a diverse crowd with lots of detailed things happening. This concept applies equally to the search for knowledge. My parents say that they used to enjoy using a paper-based dictionary or encyclopedia because while they were searching for a specific word or topic, they often ran across other random interesting things. They said they learned a lot that way. The same is true for young people today, even though these days most of us are using electronic media. The search might be a little more distracting as we are exposed to vast amounts of information in many different formats, but the number of things we can find has increased exponentially. Now the real issue is using time wisely and sorting through mountains of information to find the best and most authentic information… bringing us back to Waldo. The intensity of the drawings surrounding Waldo is quite similar to the voluminous and random information surrounding what we are actually seeking. Each of us has to learn to sort, filter, analyze, and interpret, and often we need to do it quickly. It turns out that maybe Waldo has been helping us acquire skills we needed even though we didn’t know it! And he is just an ordinary guy, which suggests that all of us have what it takes to be an achiever. Waldo just keeps going. He is quietly determined and committed to his travels. He isn’t staying at the finest hotels or taking the fanciest transportation. He is just keeping a steady pace forward as he enthusiastically enjoys and absorbs his surroundings. Waldo always has a smile on his face! Having passion for and commitment to the search for knowledge is the best guarantee of a successful outcome and lifelong personal growth. You will rarely become discouraged or lost if you just keep moving forward with an inquiring mind. So I’m not worried about where Waldo is, but I’ll be glad to run into him along our mutual search for knowledge.
Georgetown
As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you.
Myriad things comprise me. I like to do Batman movie marathons, but I am not a nerd. I like to watch football games, but I hate people obsessed with football. I like to go to parties occasionally, but I am not a Jersey shore whore. I am not a stereotypical person. I like to think there is a melting pot inside me. There is a wide array of interests that make me diverse. I love listening to noisy electronic music and liked going to an 'Ultra Music Festival', the most mind-blowing music festival ever according to the Urban Dictionary. However, I can sit and listen to the theme songs from "Phantom of the Opera" or "Les Miserables" for hours. I am a very outgoing person, but I also stay home and read Michael Crichton or Agatha Christie on some weekend nights. I enjoy community service and volunteering, but I am by no means Mother Teresa. I sometimes eat a whole carton of ice-cream, and I do not intend to give up my guilty pleasures. I wear T-shirts and shorts all the time at home, but I like to buy expensive dress shoes. Although some people have said that I am just too weird and my interests are inconsistent, I don’t plan to give up my real self. Actually, I consider these endeavors as attempts to seize the best of a variety of cultures in this world. I would rather choose not to limit myself, and this has made me a more unique person.
Please relate your interest in studying at Georgetown U to your goals.
Until I found the 3-2 engineering program that is offered jointly by Georgetown University and Columbia University, I had always thought Georgetown was not a perfect place for an engineer. I am glad that I found this program because I greatly value the liberal arts emphasis at Georgetown, and I need the engineering program at Columbia to complete the basic requirements for the career I wish to pursue as an engineer.
I think knowledge of economics is an essential for a wise engineer because a huge part of the career of an engineer is to be largely responsible for predicting and diagnosing the project through estimating capital investment, analyzing costs and revenues, and knowing the profit and return on investment, etc. As I chose an economics major at Georgetown University, the range of interesting and rigorous economics courses from 'The Japanese Economy' to 'Political Economy' offered by Georgetown greatly excites me. Coming from South Korea whose economy is closely intertwined with that of Japan, I have a great interest in learning about Japan's economic history. Also, learning about the political economy at the political center of the nation is very motivating. It is these types of unique characteristics that made me chose Georgetown.
My ultimate goal is to be an engineering professor at a university. To be a good professor, I need to be able to inspire the students and expose them to the joys of learning. I believe that education at Georgetown will be inspirational enough to prepare me for the challenge of inspiring future generations.
Thus, I believe that learning economics at Georgetown University and ultimately participating in an engineering program at Columbia University is an ideal situation that will enable me to obtain an exceptional education, provide me with a stimulating environment, and expose me to all kinds of new experiences and opportunities that should all be part of a truly liberal education.