50 Successful Harvard Application Essays

T
ARAS 
D
RESZER
More Boluses to Dissect
Finally, I had found a volunteer opportunity at the Long Marine Lab, a marine biology research
facility at UC Santa Cruz! I envisioned swimming with dolphins, or perhaps studying behavioral
patterns of decorator crabs. But when I discovered the nature of my work on the first day of
volunteering, my excitement turned to disappointment: I’d be picking through albatross boluses, the
indigestible materials they cough up before going to sea. Sure enough, after three hours of separating
fishing line from brown muck, I began to dread what I was in for. At that point, I had no clue of just
how interesting the opportunity would turn out to be, and it would remind me of how easily I become
engrossed and fascinated by all sorts of random stuff.
It didn’t take long for my boredom with the boluses to shift toward curiosity. In the first place, the
project itself was fascinating. The idea was to research the behavior and diet of albatrosses at sea.
These birds can fly for months without touching land! When the birds have chicks, they cough up
whatever they’ve eaten at sea to feed their young. When the chicks become old enough to fly, they
cough up the hard, indigestible materials left in their stomachs. These boluses contain squid beaks that
can reveal the types of squid eaten and the area where the squid were caught. We volunteers would
pick through the boluses, separating out anything that looked interesting.
As I got better at dissecting these blobs, I started finding 
crazy
stuff, and my colleagues and I
would often discuss important findings. There was, of course, the search for the biggest squid beak,
and the fish eyes were always interesting. But most shocking was the plastic. Beyond the normal
Styrofoam and fishing line were plastic bottle caps, lighters, even toothbrushes. Occasionally, Asian
writing revealed distant origins. Once, I picked through a bolus permeated with orange goo,
eventually to discover the round mouthpiece of a balloon. The origins of these artifacts were sad, but
also fascinating. I learned of the Texas-sized trash heap in the middle of the Pacific, the effects of
which I was witnessing firsthand. I gained a heightened awareness of the damage inflicted on the
oceans by humans, and their far-reaching impacts. Perhaps most importantly, I realized that even the
most tedious things can blow my mind.
If dissecting boluses can be so interesting, imagine the things I’ve yet to discover! I play piano and
can see myself dedicating my life to the instrument, but I can’t bear to think of everything else I’d
have to miss. I’d love to study albatrosses, but also particle physics or history, and preferably all
three. At this point in my life, I can’t imagine picking just one area. At the same time, though, I love
studying subjects in depth. I tend to get overwhelmed by my options, since I can’t possibly choose
them all. But at least I know I’ll never be bored in life: there are just too many subjects to learn about,
books to read, pieces to play, albatrosses to save, and boluses to dissect.

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REVIEW
Through the discussion of his unforeseen fascination with boluses, Taras shows how his experience
of volunteering at a marine lab helped him not only to realize his interest in boluses, but also
bolstered his intellectual curiosity. Consequently, the essay clearly and elegantly demonstrates Taras’s
drive to learn, which is one of the characteristics that admissions officers deem to be important.
Taras strays from his focus when he discusses the contents of the boluses—the essay is about his
passion for research, not disservice done by humans to the environment. He successfully brings
together a unique extracurricular activity—dissecting boluses—and his intellectual curiosity
successfully. But attempts to tie in a passion for environmentalism as well fall short.
He successfully transitions from talking about boluses to elaborating on his diverse academic
interests, which demonstrates his willingness to learn and be exposed to new environments.
—Jane Seo

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