University Loft Wants to Know: What Kind of Tree Would You Be?

There has been some recent attention to unusual essay questions on college admissions applications. Here’s an example reported to be from University Loft student furniture customer Brandeis University: “Imagine you have to wear a costume for a year of your life. What would you pick and why?” What might seem an odd question is meant to be thought provoking and help assess the applicant’s creative reasoning. Still, it made me think of another oft-quoted, and (when taken out of context) misunderstood question, posed by Barbara Walters in 1981 to Katherine Hepburn. You know, it’s the tree question!

University Loft suggests a different answer to the "tree question"

Actually, Walters was responding to Hepburn’s statement that she had been likened to a tree. Walters asked, “What kind of a tree are you, if you think you’re a tree?”And as one might expect, Hepburn went on to say that “everybody would like to be an oak tree, that’s very strong and very pretty.” If that question were asked of someone today, I’d suggest the interviewee become familiar with a type of tree that’s even stronger than oak, the Hevea Brasiliensis, or HB tree. The HB tree is a type of rubber tree. It is an Environmentally Farmed Timber (EFT) used in the production of University Loft’s solid wood, green student furniture.

Why is the HB tree the better choice – for college and university housing furniture or interview questions? Several reasons. For starters, the HB tree has been proven stronger than Northern Red Oak. Case in point: ULoft beds have been tested to withstand more than 4 tons of pressure! What’s more, HB trees are tapped for latex production during their lifecycle, and they can be harvested and replanted in about one-third the time as it takes an oak tree to reach maturity.

So maybe the tree question isn’t as silly as the typical answer. A better choice: Hevea Brasiliensis. It’s stronger than oak, resembles oak’s beautiful grain, and is the environmentally responsible choice.

Now that you know all that, what kind of tree would you be? Hmmm?

Bob

The ULoft Blog Team

About University Loft Company and our solid wood modular residence life furniture:

Since 1984, when James Jannetides built a loft configuration for his own dorm room at Southern Illinois University, hundreds of thousands of college students have enjoyed better campus living thanks to University Loft furniture. Today, University Loft serves more than 1,200 colleges, universities and related student housing partners. As Jannetides’ says: “We are always learning, always innovating, and always improving … our environment, our products, and our service. We are University Loft Company.”

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