This is awesome guys!! Thanks for your inputs!
Well, I haven't yet gotten around to writing the first draft for the failure essay so can't say...But I'm struggling a bit with essay 1 at present - what gives you greatest joy and how does it make you distinctive?
Maybe I'm reading it wrong and all of you can share your thoughts on this one...But I think the question in itself sounds shallow and the two parts within it seem disconnected. To elaborate, why should it be necessary that something you are passionate about should also make you distinct? No one can genuinely say that I love XYZ and this makes me distinct because no one else is passionate about it...
I'm almost tempted to write that doing ABC gives me the most joy but I don't do it because it makes me distinct...
Then I think about the ad coms and the fact that Haas is a reach/above-par school for me and I change my mind..
BTW, krazo, I'm not sure how you tied in winning the lottery to 'what gives you the most joy'...Doesn't the activity that gives you joy have to be 'something you actually do' versus 'something you hope would happen'? Anyway, it would be mighty interesting to read your essay!!!