Zap!

Sorry to trick you with the interesting title, but it does actually have some relevance. I'll outline some quick facts for you before putting down what I actually wrote.

Basically, what this is about is me applying for a program called Zap! at Stanford where they take 15 High School kids and put them in a course of creative problem solving. The 15 kids actively engage in a real world problem, and, hopefully, by the end of the class, they have solved the problem. It's really quite an interesting program for a nerd like me, and I'm sure it'll look lovely on my application. So here are the questions and my responses. (Pardon the brevity, I used up all the space they allowed for writing on the application)

1. Why are you interested in participating in this program?

Both to contribute to the community immediately and over a period of many years. Though this program does help the immediate problem to be solved, which right now seems to be one of Monterey Bay Aquarium's, it will also, hopefully, build on much needed problem solving skills, which are very much needed in various fields in today's society.

2. What do you hope to get out of this program?

As previously mentioned, I hope to build on my problem solving abilities. I have found over a series of mental aptitude tests that creative problem solving is not one of my best fields. Not only would this help me boost up my scores in said aptitude tests, but it would also help me solve real world problems, such as inefficiency in government bureaucracy and finding viable solutions for our unemployment percentile.

3. Please describe 1-2 of your hobbies or interests. This will help us tailor program activities to your interests.

To begin with, I consider myself an avid reader. Classics such as 1984, We, etc. have always appealed to me. On the other hand I do also like more modern fantasy novels such as Tamora Pierce's work and am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. On an entirely different spectrum, I also very much enjoy computer games. My interests in such games range from MMORPGs such as the Guild Wars series to real-time strategy games such as the numerical WarCraft series.

4. Tell us about the role you usually take on in groups.

Though I do hate to generalize, I usually find myself falling into one of two archetypes whilst in a group. I like to think of these archetypes as "The Verbalizer" and "The Know-It-All". On the one hand, I do quite enjoy speaking and verbalizing my ideas, one of the reasons I usually find myself as the main speaker on team projects in school. On the other hand, when it comes to certain areas of interesting and expertise to me, such as history, certain maths and certain sciences, I find myself becoming the informer, the conclusion drawer, and the kid who compares the invasions of Afghanistan to a card game.

Criticize, help me think, fix up parts where it doesn't flow or I don't answer the question well, if you wouldn't mind.

lol homelessness problems. Try rewording that some different way, it just takes away from the rest...

Maybe, just an example...

"and finding simple, effective ways to better the world's people." or something along those lines.

Other than that it looks very promising.

Modified. Mneh?

¡Mucho Mejor!

Kay. I'ma go over it with my mom and big sister, post up the modified version, then send it to the people Zap!