Hidden Interests Anonymous

The question was "1. Having a diverse and exciting community of students is an important component in determining a great university. How can I contribute to that population?"

As I sat at my desk pondering this question, I grabbed my 7-year-old Easter bunny pouch and took out a tiny strawberry-shaped eraser to wipe out an awful idea from my outline. Looking at the eraser, I realized that I had received it in a goody bag from a 5th grade birthday party. It suddenly dawned upon me that I have a unique subconscious interest in garbage collecting.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a trash lover. Seldom will anyone see me rummaging over trash cans the night before garbage pickup. Rather, I just can't seem to throw anything away. The Easter pouch that once held colorful chocolate eggs is still sitting on my desk, now containing an assortment of erasers. Intermingled with all my stylish necklaces and bracelets are old worn out Barbie lockets. There is even a large cardboard box in my closet that houses hundreds of my "one day these will be worth a fortune" beanie babies.

Not everything I keep is trivial though. I have a nice pouch of pins that I collected from my summer at the National Student Leadership...