Work Samples
Physics Roller Coaster
When I was in the ninth grade, my Physics class participated in the annual Great America Roller Coaster competition. We were assigned groups and given a few weeks to design a unique roller coaster. I was lucky to get to work with close friends of mine, so it was a really fun and enjoyable project, despite all the challenges. We mapped out the shape of our roller coaster to figure out where all the supports would go, but after we’d already begun, MaMaafi decided that we had too many and that she wanted it to look simpler, cleaner, and “more swooping”. We had to undo all our work and restart, which was frustrating because we only had a few weeks to complete it all. We had to spend countless free periods and hours after school devoted to working on the roller coaster because every time we would move forward, the track would bend a little bit and mess up earlier parts of our coaster. Even the day of the actual competition we encountered problems when our roller coaster was shaken in the car ride to Great America, tweaking the track so that the marble no longer completed the ride. We had to hurriedly fix it just minutes before the judging, but luckily everything worked out and we even won second place! Through the process of making the roller coaster, I learned about physics (specifically forces, gravity and motion), but even more so about flexibility, team work and creativity. I also had a lot of fun with my group, particularly in making the artsy parts of “The Hungry Bear”, like the papier-mâché beehive and bear’s head (in whose mouth the marble landed) and the little clay bees.
English Essays
I’ve always loved writing, and for a long time I wanted to become an author. In eleventh grade, I wrote an in-class timed essay on Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende and I received a B. While I know this is by no means a poor grade, I have a high standard for myself, especially when I write, and I was a bit upset because I thought my essay was A-worthy. I showed it to my friend Fran, who bluntly told me, “This is awful”. While I was slightly offended, I did have to acknowledge her point. It wasn’t a very well structured essay, it lacked in topic sentences and analysis, and my vocabulary was not advanced. I worked hard to improve my writing, and on our next big essay assignment, I received an A. I was proud because I could see the positive change in my writing and because I had created my own topic, a comparison between Things Fall Apart and The White Man’s Burden, making the essay really feel like my own. In fact, Lynn liked it so much that she made the topic available to the rest of the class.
I tried to channel that writing this year in an essay comparing The Scarlet Letter and The Awakening for Lynn’s HP English class. I think my work was very clear and intellectual, and I did a good job both with the structure and the content. Again, I was rewarded with a high grade, but more importantly, I produced work I’m proud of. What’s truly amazing is that you can even see the vast improvement between these two essays, though they were written just months apart. Both are available below.
I tried to channel that writing this year in an essay comparing The Scarlet Letter and The Awakening for Lynn’s HP English class. I think my work was very clear and intellectual, and I did a good job both with the structure and the content. Again, I was rewarded with a high grade, but more importantly, I produced work I’m proud of. What’s truly amazing is that you can even see the vast improvement between these two essays, though they were written just months apart. Both are available below.
tfa_vs._wmb.doc | |
File Size: | 31 kb |
File Type: | doc |
sl_ta_essay.doc | |
File Size: | 37 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Spanish Essay
This year I wrote my first essay for Spanish. It was in class and limited to one period, so I didn’t have a lot of time to think and I didn’t have access to a Spanish-English dictionary. My class had just completed the novel Marianela written by Benito Perez Galdos in 1878, and were expected to write short essays on two topics: how the author developed the theme of social class disparities and how the author compared inner and outer beauty. I wasn’t supposed to just retell the story, but I had to analyze specific characters and situations to prove a point. I received an A for my work, and I’m extremely proud. While of course my essays aren’t fantastic if translated, I feel that I used very good and advanced Spanish. When I first began studying the language in ninth grade, I didn’t know a single word, but I’ve gotten to the point that I can write successful essays in limited time. I feel that this sample of my work doesn’t just show a good grade on a single assignment, but rather the work that I’ve put into learning the language over years.
marianela_essays.pdf | |
File Size: | 2196 kb |
File Type: |
Government HP Prostitution Essay
Last year in Government HP I was assigned to write a paper modeled after a format used at Dartmouth University. Everyone in the class had to chose a current and controversial topic and write an essay arguing for or against it. In essence it was both a research paper and a persuasive essay, which I don’t have a lot of experience writing. I chose to argue for prostitution, and I found some really good information to support my argument (particularly in the form of quotes from books or speeches). I feel that I did a great job on the assignment and provided a clear and well-written case for the legalization of prostitution. However, I feel that I should warn you that it might be considered a bit explicit.
darthmouth_paper.doc | |
File Size: | 40 kb |
File Type: | doc |