MBA Admissions Essays - Learning to Surf My move to Los Angeles in August 1992 represented not only a great professional challenge-to work with only two senior bankers and cover all California financial institutions-but also a personal opportunity, a chance to broaden my horizons. I grew up in Paris and lived in the capital for 21 years before moving to New York; I definitely was a city girl! Los Angeles demanded however that I adapted to a whole different world, where sport rather than opera rhythms the season. I knew that my first year in the Los Angeles office would be extremely busy due to the small size of my group. In fact I averaged 90 hours of work per week that year. To keep my sanity and maintain a good spirit, I resolved to try and learn a sport that had always fascinated me: surfing. Thus I bought a brand new wetsuit and longboard and started the experience bright and early on a sunny Saturday afternoon under the merciless scrutiny of the local surfers, all males, who did not hide their contempt for my pale skin and weak arms so typical of investment banking Corporate Analysts. Surfing seemed at first an impossible mission: my board always mysteriously rebounded on my head, while the waves would break exactly where I was paddling. At work, there was an explosion of laughter when I proudly exposed my (only) personal project: why, a twenty-six year old Parisian, surfing? This had to be French humor! I resolved however to practice every week-end before coming into the office. Last summer, I finally stood up on my board and rode the wave to the beach. It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life and although I still surf regularly, nothing matches my first wave nor the pride that I felt. Because I received little help and encouragement but prevailed, I cherish this experience which was actually a tremendous confidence builder.
Second part of the novel begins with the interrogation, (after killing the Arab for no reason) and illustrates Meursault’s unique personality of not caring about the society's customs and practices,” I didn’t take him to seriously”.(63) During this process, Meursault is presented as a human with no soul, not reacting as expected by the magistrate when he waves the crucifix at him, and indifferent to prison. Once again, like at his mother’s funeral, Meursault focuses on the practical details of his new life, rather than on its emotional elements. His imprisonment does not incite any guilt or regret whatsoever and even worst he doesn’t think about the implication of his crime, but instead he selfishly goes back on analyzing his physical state and the case trial from the outside with no emotional implication. He notes that getting an attorney appointed by the court is “very convenient”, he also enjoys the examining magistrate’s friendly attitude and does no t...
In “On a Wave” by Thad Ziolkowski there are some life changing/shaping lessons in his life. Thad realized at a young age that he loves to surf. At 11 years old Thad looks older than most 11 years old, which allows him to hang out with the “cool” kids after a surf session and smoke pot. Thad learns early on that pot and surfing would eventually grow on him as he became more induced into the surfer lifestyle.
Ever heard that cliché stating money is the route to all evil? What if the subject of Wal-Mart was brought into the mix of this cliché? Wal-Mart is known as the highest money making supply chain store in America. When at the top of the food chain everything might not seem as it appears. After watching The Wal-Mart Documentary: The High Cost of Low Price, I am strongly against Wal-Mart in America because of several reason but will narrow it down to: the closings of small businesses, high crime rate, and discrimination against employees.
...ing to an asylum. Princess let society lead her from fame to failure and then back again, probably to repeat the same pattern. Both were strongly influenced by society and Williams proved, especially in Blanche’s case that a woman can only live up to so much.
“…Kino’s brain cleared from its red concentration and he knew the sound—the keening, moaning, rising hysterical cry from the little cave in the side of the stone mountain, the cry of death”(Steinbeck, 1947, p. 87). In the novel, The Pearl, John Steinbeck presented a family of three and a pearl to demonstrate how the power of greed and selfishness from wealth can impact and destroy a once content family. An example of how John Steinbeck became an advocate for the oppressed and social reform by addressing the societal differences and class struggles among the people of La Paz is in a parable he wrote called The Pearl.
... indifference to things that happen and his own indifference bond Meursault and the universe. He even labels the world as “a brother”, unlike in the beginning, when Meursault was passively content. Now, at the end, Meursault finds that he is happy once he sees the reality in the human existence. Meursault also sees that he is happy where he is in society. He doesn’t mind being hated for his crime. He accepts that companionship will keep him from feeling alone, and he accepts that the companionship will be in the form of an angry mob on the day of his execution.
“Hotel California” by The Eagles has been the recipient of much speculation since its release in 1976. Although many other interpretations exist including some which claim this song to be referencing drugs, much evidence suggests that “Hotel California” is, at least partly, making a statement about the lifestyle of drug and alcohol users particularly in the large cities of California. As with many songs, duality of meaning exists in “Hotel California.”
Meursault is truthful to himself and others throughout The Stranger. Unlike most, he doesn’t feel it necessary to lie in order to make others feel better. He is truthful, regardless of whether or not the truth may hurt. For example, in chapter four Marie asked Meursault if he loved her. Instead of lying to her or giving a vague answer Meursault told her that he probably didn’t love her, but it wasn’t important anyway.
Perkins George, Barbara. The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
From there I rolled down to the boardwalk. I sat, alone, watching the ocean waves crash against the shore. While I watched the sun slowly set on the ocean. The waves were pounding the shore with the rhythm of my beating heart. I was beginning to realize the ramifications of living in a wheelchair, no dancing; no high heels; no hiking; no beach-combing. The waves rise up, curl, then crash; drawing back into the sea. With each crash, it seemed to pull a piece of my life out to sea, no more. . . no more. ...
Raymond typifies the beast-character in Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider). He is like Stanley from A Streetcar Named Desire (T. Williams), emotional and manly. Physical solutions come naturally to him, as we see when he mistreats his ex-girlfriend. Ideally, society is exactly the opposite; law and order attempt to solve things fairly and justly. I propose that Meursault is somewhere between these two extremes and that this is the reason why he is a societal outcast. This metaphor explains his major actions in the book: as he struggles to keep his identity, his personality comes in conflict with the norms of society and he is shut down.
The Pearl was written by John Steinbeck, a famous American author. The Pearl is a story about a man named kino that finds a pearl of the world who struggles to keep his family because of his greed and ends up losing his son and family. What is important in life to Kino changes over the course of the story and copes internal conflict
Sometimes good luck can bring horrible results filled with pain, loss, and hatred. This is exactly what happens to Kino in The Pearl, by legendary author, John Steinbeck. The Pearl is a parable which holds the brilliant story of how one man’s findings of a great pearl will bring him and his family incredible sorrow and misfortune. In this book, John Steinbeck gloriously displays the many aspects of greed.
In my perfect life, I live on a golf course, par 72, which inevitably gives me the satisfaction of hitting golf balls into devouring pits of sand. At the same time, that golf course, with those pits of sand, is the same course where I can escape reality. When I finish a round of golf in the late afternoon, a time free from spectators, foursomes, or geese, I feel fulfilled and tranquil. It is therapy at its best. Living about five minutes from the beach, I also find perfection. This offers anything from surfing with the dolphins, placing my cold feet in warm sand, or sailing past the second island. The adrenaline rush I experience as I lean over the side of a catamaran with 20 knots of wind at my sail is breath taking. The same feeling comes over me as I surf in the pre-dawn or late hours of the afternoon when I am subjec...
When I was 5 years old, Dad woke me up one morning and informed me that he was finally going to teach me how to surf. I was ecstatic. I used to watch my brothers in envy as I crouched on the damp sand with my head between my hands resting on my knees, sulking at the fact that I wasn’t allowed to surf until I was 5.