Duke MMS Student Blog
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Admissions
A Little Help on the 25 Random Things Application Essay
Deciding how to approach the "25 Random Things" essay on the MQM application can be difficult. But with these tips from admissions and some examples from our own lists below, hopefully you'll get off to a smooth start
Deciding how to approach the “25 Random Things” essay on the MMS application can be difficult. But with these tips from admissions and some examples from our own lists below, hopefully you’ll get off to a smooth start!
Ariel Ben-Salmon
- I don’t know how to ride a bike.
- I’ve owned a pair of combats boots since I was 13 years old. When one wears out I buy a different pair immediately!
- I developed an intolerance to lactose during my second year of undergraduate studies.
- I still regularly eat dairy because some things in life are worth suffering for.
- I’m massive fan of Yu-Gi-Oh!
- My phone must always be in my back right pants pocket and never in my left.
- I prefer my vegetables raw instead of cooked.
- I’m a big advocate for cereal in the bowl first, milk after.
- When I was seven I touched a squirrel for the first, and only, time.
Cory Jiang
- During undergrad, I was misrecognized as a student from an international school by my dorm mates due to my high proficiency in English! (Small achievement!)
- I’m a beginner in the field of photography and am fond of photojournalism because a story can be told via one photo and everyone can have their own interpretation of the story.
- One fun fact about me relates to my Chinese name, “Yufei.” It incorporates my father’s expectation of me which is to have a small cottage with flowers in the garden and live a life there.
- I’m a piano player but a fan of violin.
- The strangest thing I’ve ever done was to read a book in a karaoke room.
- My favorite city a the moment is Hobart, Tasmania, for the artistic atmosphere you can immerse yourself in there.
- I discovered my interest in finance when I was reading through the assigned journal on the Fama-French five-factor model because the logic flow behind a finance formula is fascinating. I always admired those who could come up with creative assertions from commonly observed phenomenon.
- My first casual job started as a barista in a café called the Zoo, and I made my first mocha for a 16-year-old girl.
Varsha Venkatesh
- I’m a stickler for making lists. This was my favorite essay question format, without a doubt!
- Having learned to drive at the age of 16, there hasn’t been a week of my life without a long drive. I’m a religious follower of supercars. What also comes as a surprise is that I enjoy driving in traffic too—with good music and company, of course!
- My music playlists have a reputation for being the most bizarre ones with an eclectic range of songs, including Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” melodramatic Bollywood numbers, Maluma’s Spanish numbers, and Nena’s German hits.
- One of the most exhilarating yet memorable experiences of my life has to be the multiple 10-day camps I attended as the Corporal of the National Cadet Corps. The intense training sessions conducted there made me inculcate disciplinary skills at an early age.
- I’m an amateur calligraphy artist. My source of knowledge is YouTube and Instagram artists and professionals.
- I completed the 2-year UCMAS Abacus course in under a year and having secured the first place at Grading Competitions, I found myself training other kids for national and international competitions.
- I’m terrified of butterflies. The time I went to the Butterfly Park at Sentosa Island was a nightmare.
- I never wear two socks of the same kind. If you’re doing your own laundry you’ll know finding them in pairs is a hard task. So I just save time by wearing any two socks I can lay my hands on.