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MIKE SULLY
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<div style="text-align:right; font-size:10px; line-height:90%;"><p><b>FULL NAME.</b><br>
Michael Joseph Bernard Sully</p>
<p><b>GENDER.</b><br>
Male</p>
<p><b>HOMETOWN.</b><br>
New York, NY</p>
<p><b>DATE OF BIRTH.</b><br>
January 28th, 1991</p>
<p><b>AGE.</b><br>
Twenty</p>
<p><b>MEMBERGROUP.</b><br>
Undergrad; Junior</p>
<p><b>CONCENTRATION.</b><br>
English Literature/Music Composition Double Major, Third Year</p>
<p><b>PLAY-BY CLAIM.</b><br>
Chris Evans</p>
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Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
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-- Mark Twain</div></td></tr></table>
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<div style="border-top:1px dotted #d3d3d3; padding:15px 0px 10px; 0px;"><center><span style="font-size:14px; letter-spacing:1px; ">PERSONAL STATEMENT</span></center></div>
<!-- This is the essay prompt section. You have a list of prompts to use to fill out to help us and for you get to know your character a little more and establish who they are. Choose two of the questions listed in the character sheet thread. Some of these questions were pulled from several college applications for the sake of authenticity. A few paragraphs, probably around 300 words, will be fine for each question you answer, but if you feel motivated to write more, go ahead. Have fun with these! Â -->
If you could be any part of a bicycle, which part of the bicycle would you be and why?
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<p>The main reason I selected the above prompt is because, at first, I thought the question was a little bit ridiculous. I mean, this <i>is</i> supposed to be a college application, right? I always thought that these things were serious matters that wouldn't have a question as ... un-serious as that. But being a Literature nut and a Music nerd, I can understand that there are usually deeper meanings to questions such as these, which is the smaller, yet not insignificant reason for picking the question.</p>
<p>So, all nonsense and rambling aside, I think that if I could choose to be any part of a bicycle, I would choose to be the chain. The chain that connects the pedals to the wheel, the very object that is required in order for the physical exertion that peddling usually causes to be of some worth. Without the chain, the bicycle simply would not go anywhere. It is, perhaps, the single most important part of a bicycle, the one part that allows the object to perform the task designated to it. From getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible.</p>
<p>The reason I could see myself as the chain is quite simple: that is precisely the part I play in my own family. Without me, nothing would ever get done. My brothers would sit around the house and do shit all while my father drank half a bottle of vodka and proceed to sexually assault my mother. My brothers would sit around and do shit all while my mother fell apart, trying to hold the family together. My brothers would sit around and do shit all while my mother packed her suitcase and tried to leave us all behind her -- again. If I hadn't been there, my father would still be here, sexually assaulting, drinking, swearing, abusing, and doing all of the other shit he used to get into. If it wasn't for me, my family would be broken apart, at opposite ends of the country, none of us acknowledging the others' existence.</p>
<p>I am the chain that moves my family. I am the chain that allows us to get from point A to point B in one piece. I am the chain that allows our family to function as a family. My brothers are the pedals. My mother is the wheel. I am the chain that connects the two together, and gets us going as fast as possible, towards our future and away from the hell we left behind. And as I look behind me, I see the broken, drunk image of my father shrinking into nothingness as we ride off into the horizon, thinking we'll never see him again.</p>
<p>I'm sorry -- I'm probably not supposed to say "shit" on a college application. My apologies, but I feel it gives it a certain ... effect.</p>
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<!-- This is the second essay prompt section. You have a list of prompts to use to fill out to help us and for you get to know your character a little more and establish who they are. -->
USC prides itself of having many students who have many passions. Tell us one thing that you have a passion for.
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<p>I'm passionate about a lot of things, but if I had to pinpoint one exact thing, I would have to say the piano. Everything about the piano interests me. The wood, the ivory keys, the beautiful sound that emits from a Steinway Grand ... everything about it sends me into my own world, where disturbances are few and discoveries are plenty. I feel like I can truly be myself while playing it. My feelings, my emotions are shown through the music I play, and I find that if I need to work out <i>what</i> I'm feeling and <i>why</i> I'm feeling it, all I need to do is put a half-hour or so into playing that beautiful instrument, and I can figure it out quickly. I don't really know how else to describe my passion without going into the all-consuming love act that Catherine Earnshaw constantly portrays in "Wuthering Heights," so I'll spare you this time around.</p>
</ul><div style="border-top:1px dotted #d3d3d3; padding:15px 0px 0px; 0px;"></div><center><span style="font-size:14px; letter-spacing:1px; ">INTERVIEW</span></center><div style="border-bottom:1px dotted #d3d3d3; padding:0px 0px 3px; 0px;">
<p>Tell us about your family and life growing up.<ul>
"Well ... there is a lot to tell, and at the same time there isn't. I have three brothers, two older and one younger. We all lived with my mother in New York City after my father left us. Or rather, after I threw him out, with the help of my older brothers. It's a really complicated story, and I kind of want to spare you the juicy details ... but as you can probably tell, it wasn't the easiest of up-bringing. We are what you would call an upper-middle class family, with my mother being a full-time high school teacher and my father being ... well, he used to be a Family Doctor. Until he discovered how much he loved alcohol, and quit the practice to pursue his drinking full-time.
<p>I've always gotten along with my brothers. Well, more often than not, I would say. Obviously we have our fights and disagreements, but we always make it through. Mom always did the best she could with teaching us good values, and teaching us lessons on how to be a man. We didn't have the best role model as you can probably tell, so she had to fill both roles. Thank God for Uncle Jimmy, my mom's younger brother. He was more of a father to us than our father ever could be."</ul></p>
<p>What are some of your hobbies or things that you love to do when you have time?<ul>
"As you've probably read in my personal statement, I love the piano. So usually when I have even a small amount of free time on my hands, I spend it playing. I also love to read -- especially the classics, like Jane Austen's novels, or the Bronte Sisters -- so I spend a lot of time doing that. And just being outdoors in general. I love hiking, I love swimming ... basically any form of physical activity. But only when I'm not obsessed with learning my latest Chopin piece."</ul></p>
<p>So tell us about some of the things outside of school/work that you commit to on a regular basis. This can be a club, a professional organization, a non-profit organization, a sport, or any other general thing that you share a lot of passion for.<ul>
"One thing I try and be a part of as often as I can is the symphony orchestra here at USC. Piano isn't really an instrument for many concert bands out there, but the orchestra is one of the groups that actually allow pianos to perform and be a part of the ensemble. So that is one of the organizations, or activities I take part in as often as I possibly can. Obviously life gets in the way sometimes, which keeps me from it. But I'm doing it on the side -- the music performance majors are <i>required</i> to do it, while the composition majors get off a bit easier. I'm at every performance, and literally go as often as I can. But it's something I know I can easily quit if time runs out.
<p>"I also teach piano to Junior-High aged kids at the California Conservatory of Music. Sure, they are mostly brats, but it provides some income for me to enjoy. Teaching isn't a huge passion of mine, but I find myself actually <i>liking</i> the little buggers."</ul></p>
<p>We're lucky to be in the United States to have such a variety of fine institutions. Why does USC stick out to you?<ul>
"The shallow answer is this -- It's in the south. South means heat. It would be wonderful to get away from those dreaded winters in New York City. The slush, the dirt, the snow ... South California would fulfil my strange obsession with getting out of the snow.
<p>"But the academic answer would be this: I've been hearing about USC all my life. It's one of the schools that many of my friends talked about growing up, and it's wide selection of different courses and majors has always been something I was keen to experience. I love the opportunity to meet people from all different parts of the country, from all different disciplines and walks of life. It just seems like a fantastic school and a fantastic community, and I would be truly honoured to be considered for an offer of acceptance."</ul></p>
<p>If you were to be afforded an opportunity to come to USC, what do you think you can contribute and what do you hope USC to be for you?<ul>
"One of the biggest things I'm hoping to get out of my potential experience at USC would be the chance and opportunity to start my life. I've been the glue that holds my family together for years now, and going off to school do finally do something I love has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember, and I think USC can give me that experience. It's far away from home, so while it allows me to live out my own dreams, it also allows my family to build themselves up and function without me always being there. I'm hours away from them, and though I'd hate to leave them to their own devices, I know it's for their own good.
<p>"As for what I can bring to the table ... well, I am talented. I have a knack for music theory, a good constructive ear to get my thoughts and emotions expressed through the music I write. USC would be getting an eager learner, a dedicated student, and a seasoned musician to add to their ranks of students, and I would be delighted to have the opportunity to attend USC."</ul></p>
<!-- Below are two role playing prompts. One for students, and the other for faculty/staff. Choose the appropriate one and delete the other paragraph. -->
<div align="right"><div style="text-align:justify; padding:5px 15px 5px 15px; border-right:30px solid #219ABF; font-size:11px; line-height:90%; background-color:#fff;"><p><b>Student Prompt.</b> It's now late March of your senior year. Colleges around the nation are now sending their admission offers - and rejections - to students as they finalize the placement of the freshman class for the fall. The University of Southern California sends you an e-mail letting you know that admissions notifications are now online, and that acceptance letters should be in the mail today as well. Today is the big day, where you find out whether or not you will become a USC Trojan. How will you go about finding out the news? How are you feeling? Do you have a backup plan? Write your character's response below in a short role play post.</p>
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<p>Today was <i>not</i> going as planned. Seriously. Everything that could go wrong already had, and Mike Sully was already on the war path, eager to cause some destruction. He didn't care what or who it was, he just needed to hit something immediately and extremely hard, preferably breaking a knuckle during the act.
<p>The reason for this all-consuming, unnecessary rage? His girlfriend was just caught in a lie. A bold-faced, dirty lie that Mike <i>suspected</i> all along, but just didn't want to admit it to himself that this was coming. She had been avoiding him for weeks. Conversations with her were like pulling teeth. And God forbid you asked what she did on the weekend -- she would have a bloody meltdown. So Mike finally took matters into his own hands and followed her. And that's when she saw her. Not where she was supposed to be. Not with who she was supposed to be with. Not doing what she was supposed to be doing. She was with <i>him,</i> and only <i>him,</i> and as far as Mike was concerned, they weren't doing anything remotely close to studying.
<p>Did he walk over there and punch the shit out of the kid? Did he go over there and flip his shit on her? Nope. He took a deep breath, snapped a quick picture with his iPhone, and turned away from the scene. He walked briskly along the crowded downtown Manhattan streets, avoiding the looks and glances of the people that passed him. He didn't want to catch someone giving him the wrong look, because he knew he would go off the deep end faster than he could control, and he didn't want a run-in with the police as the last few weeks of his senior year were approaching.
<p>He needed to get away and hit something. Repeatedly hitting something would be the only comfort he could get right now, or a piano. If he found a piano before he found something to hit, he knew that it would suffice. But he didn't know where any were at the minute, and in order to get back to the academy with that beautiful Steinway Grand he played as often as he could, he would have to go passed that dirty whore and her dickfaced friend with his hands on her ass. And his lips on her lips. And her hands around his neck ... Oh, he thought he was going to be sick.
<p>He felt his phone vibrate in his hand and glanced down at it subconsciously. It was an e-mail. From USC Admissions.
<p>Mike stopped dead in his tracks.
<p>He ignored the annoyed grunts of the man who nearly walked into him due to his abrupt stop, and stared at the notification on his phone. This was it. And he was going to find out in the middle of the crowded, Upper East-Side Manhattan streets.
<p>With a trembling hand, he moved his finger over the email, inhaled, and tapped the screen of his phone. The e-mail opened smoothly, and his eyes poured over the message. There was the usual mumbo-jumbo that was at the top of everyone of the e-mails he had been getting from them, thanking him for his application and all that jazz. But the tone was different this time around, and so he kept reading. His eyes found the word "Congratulations," and then the beautiful phrase "You've been accepted into the University of Southern California." His heart leapt into his chest. Screw Berkeley. He was getting the <i>hell</i> away from New York!
<p>He paused for a moment, deep in thought. And then he closed the email, found the picture he took minutes before and attached it to a text message. He typed the simple phrase "Ciao, whore" and sent it to that dirty slut and her good-for-nothing home-wrecker.
<p>He walked home, the urge to hit something completely gone. He was going to California.</p>
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