Please respond to the following questions in the space provided. Try to keep your answers short.

What is the most important phrase to learn in a foreign language and why?

I think "Could you help me, please?" would be most useful, since it can be applied to most any situations. If you're in a foreign country and not fluent in its language, you could you use it to ask for anything you need. Once you request help, you can probably pantomime the specifics of your question without having to know the rest of the language- directions to the bathroom, for example.

Name a favorite book or movie that you are reluctant to admit you like. Briefly explain why.

I enjoyed Ernest Hemmingway's "The Old Man and the Sea", but I usually don't admit it. Mentioning that story seems to always lead into an agonizing discussion and dissection of every character and event in the story in some effort to make it a metaphor for religion/ society/ life. I don't think the old man was a caricature of Jesus or that the sharks are symbolic critics. I simply thought it was an entertaining story, even though the old man doesn't make it back to shore with his catch. It's important to examine things closely; looks can be deceiving. However, we shouldn't forget that some things can be taken at face value.

A catchphrase is a pithy statement strongly associated with a real or fictional person, from George Washington's "I cannot tell a lie,'' to Homer Simpson's "D'oh!'' Tell us a phrase that you are already associated with or create a new catchphrase of your own.

Although I'm not associated with "So that's why they call it a(n) _______", I think it would work well as a catchphrase, especially for a character in a sitcom or movie. It would be versatile, and could provide comic relief by being either very obvious ("So that's why they call it a roadblock") or intentionally confusing ("So that's why they call it an Electoral College").

In the spirit of Northwestern's tradition of collaborative learning, please provide us with an original essay topic or short statement you'd like to see on next year's application. (All of this year's essays and short statements, except for this one, were suggested by students.)

You've experienced an "epiphany" when you suddenly grasp the meaning or significance of an idea or concept. Some people refer to this event as a "Duh Moment". Briefly explain a sudden comprehension you've had, and why you think the importance eluded you.