I am not good at winning. I am terrible at those “Guess the Number of Jelly Beans in the Jar” contests. My Mock Trial team has only ever won one match, and that was because the other team was a no show. At crew regattas my boat usually places in the bottom 35%. I lost five consecutive student council elections in high school. Alas, I’m not a total loser. My sophomore year I went undefeated in my cross country league. Happily I did eventually win the Student Council Presidency my senior year. But on the whole, I wouldn’t bet on me to win anything. I consider myself as an experienced loser. I am not ashamed of being a loser. When you are a consistent loser, you don’t tend to pursue activities and hobbies to win, you pursue them for the experience. As I mentioned, my Mock Trial team is the epitome of the word loser. I participate in Mock Trial because the cases are interesting and full of twists and turns. I enjoy trying to find an argument and learning the legalese. I do crew because I enjoy being on open water in the spring. I have also made some amazing friends being on the crew team, people who I not have would have interacted with otherwise. When your focus isn’t on the glory of winning, you have the opportunity to enjoy things for the experience. I am a loser, but I love that I am. …show more content…
Duke Economics’ Centers and Initiates stood out to me when researching economics programs. The Economics Center for Teaching particularly caught my eye. The opportunities this center provides for undergraduate involvement in the groundbreaking research occurring at Duke attracted me immediately. I consider Duke a good match for me because I don’t want a passive undergraduate education, I want an active one. I believe Duke’s Economics Center for Teaching can provide the active, undergraduate research opportunities I seek. That’s why I am applying to the Trinity College of Arts and