162-word version: Science – U of Rochester
I am a musician and music is always around me. Yet, I am applying to Rochester as a science major, because if you listen carefully, music is everywhere...

 

233-word version: Science – Carnegie Mellon
...Music is always around me, and I am never separated from it... Yet, I am applying to Carnegie Mellon as a science major. An apparent contradiction? Not quiet! If you listen carefully, music is everywhere...

 

255-word version: Science – U of Michigan
At the University of Michigan, I intend to study either biological or physical sciences, though I admit that I had been more of a musician on the outside... Yet, I am applying to the University of Michigan as a science major. An apparent contradiction? Not quiet! If you listen carefully, music is everywhere. Music is not always an abstract effect that should be sang by vocalists, performed by instrumentalists, or played by turntablists...