Datasets:

nid989

/

EssayFroum-Dataset

like 3

Self-sufficiency is a crucial quality that all humans should have but the majority lack. Nowadays people are dependant on others to accomplish tasks and this dependency partially sets them up for failure because outside help will not be available at all times. My friends and family would describe me as a self-sufficient person. I would be described as a self-sufficient person because I rarely accept help from outside and much rather accomplish tasks on my own before asking for help. Shortly after graduation, I was burdened with the regret of not taking Calculus 12. I knew I would be going to university soon and would have to take first year Calculus. I tried applying for summer school Calculus 12 but classes were full. I accepted that I would be going into university without any preparation for math, unlike my friends. At first I found the class quite difficult because concepts like limits and continuity were new to me, while my other friends relaxed for the first couple weeks. I found myself studying twice or three times the amount they studied but this turned out to be beneficial because I developed good study habits. Ultimately, I ended up getting an A+ in the course which is the highest grade possible and did even better then my friends that took Calculus 12 in high school. This grade was the result of myself being independent and trying to accomplish the task on my own before asking for help.

Self-sufficiency is a crucial quality that all humans should have but the majority lack. Nowadays, people are dependent on others to accomplish tasks and this dependency partially sets them up for failure because outside help will not be available at all times. My friends and family would describe me as a self-sufficient person. I would be described as a self-sufficient person because I rarely accept help from outside and much rather accomplish tasks on my own before asking for help. Shortly after graduation, I was burdened with the regret of not taking Calculus 12. I knew I would be going to university soon and would have to take first year Calculus. I tried applying for summer school Calculus 12, but classes were full. Furthermore, I accepted that I would be going into university without any preparation for math, unlike my friends. At first, I found the class quite difficult because concepts like limits and continuity were new to me, while my other friends relaxed for the first couple weeks. I found myself studying twice or three times the amount they studied, but this turned out to be beneficial because I developed good study habits. Ultimately, I ended up getting an A+ in the course which is the highest grade possible and did even better than my friends that took Calculus 12 in high school. This grade was the result of myself being independent and trying to accomplish the task on my own before asking for help.

Hi everyone! I'm about to send my admission information form for the Waterloo Accounting and Financial Management and Civil Engineering Programs. Im just wondering if anyone would be able to read over my essay for any problems or things I can do better. Thanks! The Greek Philosopher Plato once said ¿Numbers are the highest degree of knowledge. It is knowledge itself.¿ While my friends would always watch the highlights of a NBA game, I on the other hand would instantly pull up the stats and analyze the numbers in the game. Numbers have always been an interest in my life and combining it with science or business at a great school is a dream come true. I would also like to learn a skill that interests me that can also help the general public whether it be helping people navigate the financial world as a CPA or building affordable housing to people in need. At Waterloo, I will be able to earn a degree taught by world-renowned faculty surrounded by some of the world's brightest students. With this schools unbelievable co-op program and incredible learning environment, Waterloo can truly unleash my potential and point me on the road to success.

Hi everyone! I'm about to send my admission information form for the Waterloo Accounting and Financial Management and Civil Engineering Programs. I'm just wondering if anyone would be able to read over my essay for any problems or things I can do better. Thanks! The Greek Philosopher Plato once said ¿Numbers are the highest degree of knowledge. It is knowledge itself.¿ While my friends would always watch the highlights of an NBA game, I on the other hand would instantly pull up the stats and analyze the numbers in the game. Numbers have always been an interest in my life and combining it with science or business at a great school is a dream come true. I would also like to learn a skill that interests me that can also help the public whether it be helping people navigate the financial world as a CPA or building affordable housing to people in need. At Waterloo, I will be able to earn a degree taught by world-renowned faculty surrounded by some of the world's brightest students. With these schools unbelievable co-op program and incredible learning environment, Waterloo can truly unleash my potential and point me on the road to success.

The most important activity for me is the band that I organized by myself.In early 2018, the local church has no band or any musician that can provide any accompaniment when singing church music during the sermon for better emotional support, so I stood up for it. Many church members gave a positive response to this idea. I am responsible for many other daily routines to start it. For days, I talked to many different people for the band to start. We started with a room for daily practice. Then I convince a few parents to prepare meals during lunch so that we can practice in the afternoon without leaving the church for food. I shared this concept to many of my friends, who happens to be both teenager and skillful musicians that play different instruments, inspired by my plan and joined the band. There are lots of problems we had to face during the process as well. Some band members lost fever to attending daily practice and believe that they are good enough to play without preparation. Some of them have difficulties playing eventually gave up. This crisis could tire the band apart, but I managed to fix it with several rules about attendance and cheered them up. Within a few months, the idea becomes a reality. Until September 2018, we already had a tiny orchestra with about 20 people, with help from a professional violin teacher. Church members and even people with different backgrounds highly appreciate our effort into it. A member of the band told me he thought the plan was too grand to achieve by teens. We had several successful performances during different holidays and welcomed by fellows in various churches. The experience makes me more confident about my future. Such experience made me more robust against challenges. My leadership skills improved significantly, as well as my teamwork skills. It is both an accomplishment for me and a boost for my future.

The most important activity for me is the band that I organized by myself. In early 2018, the local church has no band or any musician that can provide any accompaniment when singing church music during the sermon for better emotional support, so I stood up for it. Many church members gave a positive response to this idea. I am responsible for many other daily routines to start it. For days, I talked to many people for the band to start. We started with a room for daily practice. Then I convince a few parents to prepare meals during lunch so that we can practice in the afternoon without leaving the church for food. I shared this concept to many of my friends, who happens to be both teenager and skillful musicians that play different instruments, inspired by my plan and joined the band. There are lots of problems we had to face during the process as well. Some band members lost fever to attending daily practice and believe that they are good enough to play without preparation. Some of them have difficulties playing eventually gave up. This crisis could tire the band apart, but I managed to fix it with several rules about attendance and cheered them up. Within a few months, the idea becomes a reality. Until September 2018, we already had a tiny orchestra with about 20 people, with help from a professional violin teacher. Church members and even people with different backgrounds highly appreciate our effort into it. A member of the band told me he thought the plan was too grand to achieve by teens. We had several successful performances during different holidays and welcomed by fellows in various churches. The experience makes me more confident about my future. Such experience made me more robust against challenges. My leadership skills improved significantly, as well as my teamwork skills. It is both an accomplishment for me and a boost for my future.

As a teenager transitioning into adulthood, I had suffered from inferiority complex and perfectionism. I was always tenaciously pushing myself to achieve the high targets I had set for myself and was upset whenever I was not up to my own standards. Although for most it is more than enough to be grateful for, getting a 90 in tests was at times disappointing as it was not the perfect full marks I had envisioned to achieve. The extreme insatiable need to be excellent had resulted in self-deprecation, low self-esteem and on the worst cases, nervous breakdowns, even though I was outwardly deemed accomplished. Acknowledging the toxicity of that mindset, I began to embark on a journey of searching for a sense of purpose. In the pursuit of it, I invest more time and energy in doing things that inspire patience, gratitude and mindfulness through reading, listening to talks and engaging in enriching communications, as a means of slowing down from the relentless chase of society's standard model of 'success'. Over time, I slowly learn to overcome the pessimism my mind was wallowing in return for gained self-assurance. That being said, as I step into the second decade of my life, I place importance in my efforts practising the Japanese concept of ?Ikigai?: to lead a more minimalistic lifestyle yet rich in knowledge, strength and contentment; a simple, but fulfilling philosophy. I believe, these ideals are quintessential for me to evolve into a well-rounded and flourished adult in the long run.

As a teenager transitioning into adulthood, I had suffered from inferiority complex and perfectionism. I was always tenaciously pushing myself to achieve the high targets I had set for myself and was upset whenever I was not up to my own standards. Although for most it is more than enough to be grateful for, getting a 90 in tests was at times disappointing as it was not the perfect full marks I had envisioned to achieve. The extreme insatiable need to be excellent had resulted in self-deprecation, low self-esteem and on the worst cases, nervous breakdowns, even though I was outwardly deemed accomplished. Acknowledging the toxicity of that mindset, I began to embark on a journey of searching for a sense of purpose. In the pursuit of it, I invest more time and energy in doing things that inspire patience, gratitude and mindfulness through reading, listening to talks and engaging in enriching communications, as a means of slowing down from the relentless chase of society's standard model of 'success'. Over time, I slowly learn to overcome the pessimism my mind was wallowing in return for gained self-assurance. That being said, as I step into the second decade of my life, I place importance in my efforts practicing the Japanese concept of ? Ikigai?: to lead a more minimalistic lifestyle yet rich in knowledge, strength and contentment; a simple, but fulfilling philosophy. I believe, these ideals are quintessential for me to evolve into a well-rounded and flourished adult in the long run.

This is my peronal statement for the Common App. It talks about an incident with my girlfriend, and how I used my writing skills to help resolve some of her issues. Any feedback is appreciated. Here's Prompt:Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Here's the essay: Every morning, my girlfriend would ask me how I was feeling. Each time, I would say fine: not because that was how I would always feel but because that was what she wanted to hear. I liked her because of that, always considerate with a positive attitude. Until she wasn't. One day, instead of asking how I was doing, she asked for my opinion over her appearance. It went like this many days after, as she questioned me about her weight, her makeup, her smile, and even her eyes. I told her each time that it didn't matter to me how she looked, and that I loved her all the same, but each time I felt she was ignoring my sentiments. She was feeling insecure about her self-image, and I knew I wasn't helping with these shallow compliments. So I did the only thing I could do. I wrote her a short story about us. It was both a romantic gesture, a helping hand, and a stop sign to her obsession. From my little green notebook in 2nd grade to Google Drive, writing has been an important hobby in my life. Inspired by the anime and cartoons I watched during elementary school, I wrote fun, "black-and-white" tales of confident heroes that fought diabolical villains. Eventually, however, as I lived through a tumultuous teenage life and approached adulthood, I wrote stories with greater, emotional complexity. I abandoned my fantastical world-building in favor of stories that focused on everyday struggles and internalized conflicts, set within realistic settings. The subject matter became more intimate, as newer protagonists were envisioned with vulnerabilities unbefitting of knights in shining armor. In these stories there were no definitive villains to fight; instead the conflicts revolved around the inner demons that can haunt one's psyche. A far cry to the early, romanticized stories of heroism, my modern interpretations communicated the emotional struggles and personal resilience of my teenage life. While I can understand social anxiety, academic failure, and losing a tough track event, as a male, I may never understand my girlfriend's personal issues. I for one have never been ashamed of my appearance: I come to school everyday with uncombed hair and an oily face. But I can relate to her self-loathing feelings, talk about the dangers of self-destructive expectations, and communicate the importance of self-love. A story wasn't the BEST way to help her, but it was the only way I COULD help her. So drawing on my own experiences and incorporating her personal problems, I wrote a pastoral romance of childhood friends atop a hill overlooking a valley. One friend had to move far away, and it was apparent that this may be the last time they'll see each other. The two swore to return 10 years to their meeting point atop the hill. They knew their appearances would change, and that they may become different people altogether; but if they can just remember that hill, they knew their friendship would last. No matter her appearance, what I love most about my girlfriend is her bubbly personality and can-do attitude. When we finally split and go off to college, what our friends will remember most about each of us are the times we've put smiles across their faces, and the accomplishments we've achieved. We didn't need to beappear perfect. We just needed to be ourselves, and that was good enough for the people that truly matter. After showing her the story, she admitted that she was going through some self-image issues, and appreciated my help. Our relationship got better, as she felt better about herself, knowing full well that I would always love her for she was. On my part, I was simply glad that she was her old self again, because that was always my end goal: to write a personal story with important messages so that someone may lead a happier life.

This is my personal statement for the Common App. It talks about an incident with my girlfriend, and how I used my writing skills to help resolve some of her issues. Any feedback is appreciated. Here's Prompt:Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Here's the essay: Every morning, my girlfriend would ask me how I was feeling. Each time, I would say fine: not because that was how I would always feel but because that was what she wanted to hear. I liked her because of that, always considerate with a positive attitude. Until she wasn't. One day, instead of asking how I was doing, she asked for my opinion over her appearance. It went like this many days after, as she questioned me about her weight, her makeup, her smile, and even her eyes. I told her each time that it didn't matter to me how she looked, and that I loved her all the same, but each time I felt she was ignoring my sentiments. She was feeling insecure about her self-image, and I knew I wasn't helping with these shallow compliments. So I did the only thing I could do. I wrote her a short story about us. It was both a romantic gesture, a helping hand, and a stop sign to her obsession. From my little green notebook in 2nd grade to Google Drive, writing has been an important hobby in my life. Inspired by the anime and cartoons I watched during elementary school, I wrote fun, "black-and-white" tales of confident heroes that fought diabolical villains. Eventually, however, as I lived through a tumultuous teenage life and approached adulthood, I wrote stories with greater, emotional complexity. I abandoned my fantastical world-building in favor of stories that focused on everyday struggles and internalized conflicts, set within realistic settings. The subject became more intimate, as newer protagonists were envisioned with vulnerabilities unbefitting of knights in shining armor. In these stories there were no definitive villains to fight; instead the conflicts revolved around the inner demons that can haunt one's psyche. A far cry to the early, romanticized stories of heroism, my modern interpretations communicated the emotional struggles and personal resilience of my teenage life. While I can understand social anxiety, academic failure, and losing a tough track event, as a male, I may never understand my girlfriend's personal issues. I, for one, have never been ashamed of my appearance: I come to school every day with uncombed hair and an oily face. But I can relate to her self-loathing feelings, talk about the dangers of self-destructive expectations, and communicate the importance of self-love. A story wasn't the BEST way to help her, but it was the only way I COULD help her. So drawing on my own experiences and incorporating her personal problems, I wrote a pastoral romance of childhood friends atop a hill overlooking a valley. One friend had to move far away, and it was apparent that this may be the last time they'll see each other. The two swore to return 10 years to their meeting point atop the hill. They knew their appearances would change, and that they may become different people altogether; but if they can just remember that hill, they knew their friendship would last. No matter her appearance, what I love most about my girlfriend is her bubbly personality and can-do attitude. When we finally split and go off to college, what our friends will remember most about each of us are the times we've put smiles across their faces, and the accomplishments we've achieved. We didn't need to reappear perfect. We just needed to be ourselves, and that was good enough for the people that truly matter. After showing her the story, she admitted that she was going through some self-image issues, and appreciated my help. Our relationship got better, as she felt better about herself, knowing full well that I would always love her for she was. On my part, I was simply glad that she was her old self again, because that was always my end goal: to write a personal story with important messages so that someone may lead a happier life.

"Tell us about who you are.How would your family, friends, andor members of your community describe you? If possible, please include something about yourself that you are most proud of and why. (maximum 250 words)" here is my answer: My past physical weakness and my brother. These two components of my life define my character. A few years ago , my physical characteristics were an aspect I was self conscious of as I was very lanky. However, when I was fifteen years old, I decided to change myself. I started going to train at the gym every single day by lifting weights. Slowly but surely, my body changed and I became muscular through dedication. In addition to this, my self confidence improved. Through my transformation, I would describe myself as an individual who strives to make change and defeat hardships regardless of disadvantages. I am proud of my transformation because it taught me the importance of ambition in order to succeed in achieving goals. If I was to tell you who I was, the traits I would tell you about myself have partly derived from being around my brother. He was born with autism which is a learning disability. However, he showed me many significant life lessons. My brother showed me true optimism. Regardless of unfortunate circumstances, he always exudes happiness through the smaller givings. I would describe myself as an optimist from being around him as I always work with maximal effort regardless of the position I am in just like him. My family would describe me as a caring and considerate individual through how I take care of my brother. My friends and other peers would describe me as a resilient individual who handles the hardships of life head on without failure.

"Tell us about who you are. How would your family, friends, ardor members of your community describe you? If possible, please include something about yourself that you are most proud of and why. (maximum 250 words)" here is my answer: My past physical weakness and my brother. These two components of my life define my character. A few years ago, my physical characteristics were an aspect I was self-conscious of as I was very lanky. However, when I was fifteen years old, I decided to change myself. I started going to train at the gym every single day by lifting weights. Slowly but surely, my body changed, and I became muscular through dedication. In addition to this, my self-confidence improved. Through my transformation, I would describe myself as an individual who strives to make change and defeat hardships regardless of disadvantages. I am proud of my transformation because it taught me the importance of ambition in order to succeed in achieving goals. If I was to tell you who I was, the traits I would tell you about myself have partly derived from being around my brother. He was born with autism which is a learning disability. However, he showed me many significant life lessons. My brother showed me true optimism. Regardless of unfortunate circumstances, he always exudes happiness through the smaller givings. I would describe myself as an optimist from being around him as I always work with maximal effort regardless of the position I am in just like him. My family would describe me as a caring and considerate individual through how I take care of my brother. My friends and other peers would describe me as a resilient individual who handles the hardships of life head on without failure.

The Ivey MSc in Business Analytics relies heavily on incoming students' comfort with, and understanding of, various quantitative analysis tools and technical skills. Please explain to the Admissions Committee how you have worked with, developed, or demonstrated an understanding of similar tools and skills, and how they will help you to succeed in the program. (500 words or less) In the course of Business And Technical Decision, I used SPSS to analyze the data of Chinese insurance industry, and therefore I have a deep understanding of insurance industry. According to the current convention of the insurance industry in China, for the property insurance company, 5 variables can be used to describe its business scope: premium income, reserves, number of claims, claims expenditure and outstanding claims. Among them, the premium income and claim payment are divided into 9 parts according to the characteristics of insurance. To find out the internal relations among the variables that constitute the essential characteristics of the property insurance companies, and find out the common characteristics or differences of the property insurance companies, I use the technical skills of bivariate correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and factor analysis. What's more, I also used strategic analysis model such as PESTEL and SWOT to compare the insurance industry in Mainland of China and Hong Kong. During the course of my research work, I came to realize decision making in the business world and economy is heavily affected by statistics and data analysis. I know that business analytics refers to the skills, technologies, practices for continuous iterative exploration and investigation of past business performance to gain insight and drive business planning. Business analytics focuses on developing new insights and understanding of business performance based on data and statistical methods. Therefore, business analytics uses statistical and quantitative analysis, data mining, predictive modeling, and multivariate testing to track key performance indicators, analyze trend data to assess the likelihood of future outcomes and use past performance to generate recommendations about how to handle similar situations in the future. For example, finance companies can use business analytics tools to process the vast amounts of data available at their disposal to unravel valuable insights on the performance of stocks and provide advice to the client whether to hold on or sell. In the past three years, I have mastered related knowledge of some quantitative analysis tools and technical skills by learning the courses of Calculus, Possibilities & Amount Sat, Linear Algebra and Business Statistics. I hope that by learning in courses in Ivey, I could obtain the knowledge and skills to use technology and theoretical statistics, computer science and mathematics to effectively analyze and use big data in the field of natural science and social science.

The Ivey M.Sc. in Business Analytics relies heavily on incoming students' comfort with, and understanding of, various quantitative analysis tools and technical skills. Please explain to the Admissions Committee how you have worked with, developed, or demonstrated an understanding of similar tools and skills, and how they will help you to succeed in the program. (500 words or fewer) In the course of Business And Technical Decision, I used SPSS to analyze the data of Chinese insurance industry, and therefore I have a deep understanding of insurance industry. According to the current convention of the insurance industry in China, for the property insurance company, 5 variables can be used to describe its business scope: premium income, reserves, number of claims, claims expenditure and outstanding claims. Among them, the premium income and claim payment are divided into 9 parts according to the characteristics of insurance. To find out the internal relations among the variables that constitute the essential characteristics of the property insurance companies, and find out the common characteristics or differences of the property insurance companies, I use the technical skills of bivariate correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and factor analysis. What's more, I also used strategic analysis model such as PASTEL and SWOT to compare the insurance industry in Mainland of China and Hong Kong. During the course of my research work, I came to realize decision-making in the business world and economy is heavily affected by statistics and data analysis. I know that business analytics refers to the skills, technologies, practices for continuous iterative exploration and investigation of past business performance to gain insight and drive business planning. Business analytics focuses on developing new insights and understanding of business performance based on data and statistical methods. Therefore, business analytics uses statistical and quantitative analysis, data mining, predictive modeling, and multivariate testing to track key performance indicators, analyze trend data to assess the likelihood of future outcomes and use past performance to generate recommendations about how to handle similar situations in the future. For example, finance companies can use business analytics tools to process the vast amounts of data available at their disposal to unravel valuable insights on the performance of stocks and provide advice to the client whether to hold on or sell. In the past three years, I have mastered related knowledge of some quantitative analysis tools and technical skills by learning the courses of Calculus, Possibilities camp; Amount Sat, Linear Algebra and Business Statistics. I hope that by learning in courses in Ivey, I could obtain the knowledge and skills to use technology and theoretical statistics, computer science and mathematics to effectively analyze and use big data in the field of natural science and social science.

As I have grown and been exposed more to the world around me, I have noticed how hostile people are with one another. I attended a classical christian school, and in my 4 years there I was exposed to their ideas and worldviews. I learnt how the majority of the christian world regarded different people of society, from the LGBTQ+ to political leaders to blatant criminals. I have heard them use the stereotype "Angry Atheist", sincerely believing that to be the truth. I have also seen members of the #metoo and feminist movement put themselves on a pedestal and feign victim hood to get their way. I have seen racism and crimes shamlessly brushed away and sometimes encouraged. There are several problems currently facing humanity from climate change to the many thousands of people living in poverty and under dictatorial regimes. There are many people around the globe working tirelessly to solve these problems but I think that we will never fully achieve those goals until we come to respect one another. We may not share the same beliefs or worldviews but as long as ideas such as racism,sexism, etc. are still prevalent in society, we will never fully solve these problems. Personally, I believe it is important to respect and love the peers around you. While me may disagree with one another, we ought to still respect one another's views. And, rather than try to push our 'enemy' down we should strive to find the truth together.

As I have grown and been exposed more to the world around me, I have noticed how hostile people are with one another. I attended a classical Christian school, and in my 4 years there I was exposed to their ideas and worldviews. I learned how the majority of the Christian world regarded different people of society, from the LGBTQ+ to political leaders to blatant criminals. Furthermore, I have heard them use the stereotype "Angry Atheist", sincerely believing that to be the truth. Furthermore, I have also seen members of the #metoo and feminist movement put themselves on a pedestal and feign victimhood to get their way. Furthermore, I have seen racism and crimes seamlessly brushed away and sometimes encouraged. There are several problems currently facing humanity from climate change to the many thousands of people living in poverty and under dictatorial regimes. There are many people around the globe working tirelessly to solve these problems, but I think that we will never fully achieve those goals until we come to respect one another. We may not share the same beliefs or worldviews but as long as ideas such as racism, sexism, etc. are still prevalent in society, we will never fully solve these problems. Personally, I believe it is important to respect and love the surrounding peers. While me may disagree with one another, we ought to still respect one another's views. And, rather than try to push our 'enemy' down we should strive to find the truth together.

I was born in an Asian family that highly strictly focuses on learning at schools since my parents consider studying as a necessary way to help my family to get out of the poverty. It is proudly said that I could perform properly as well in academic subjects as my parents' expectation, nonetheless, sport is a shame of mine. The most unforgettable memory with this subject was when I had to learn how to swim. It was in my grade 10 that a 15 meter swimming test completion was the compulsory requirement to pass the first semester. This condition was exactly a horror to a girl not only afraid of the depth but also poor at learning sport like me. The first lesson of movement coordination between arms and legs was totally challenging to me. Having looked at how excellent my friends were at swimming, I self-wondered how inferior I was and sank into deep depression with the wretchedness about myself. After the first course, scared and unconfident as I was, I chose to study until the end of the second course and take the exam. Although what I could did at that time was just floating, I decided to give it a try in the second test. After two or three arm sweeps, I thought I could start properly and smoothly, but I got gradually exhausted and the feeling "I can not do it" always emerging in my mind disturbed me from concentrating on my movements. Suddenly I stopped, but unfortunately in the depth of 1.7 meters which was over my height. I could not stand or even swim. I suffocated and tried to raise my hand for a help also to reach out of the water for a breath. Eventually, I was luckily rescued by some of my friends swimming nearby. However, this memory was actually a shock making me cry and feel hopeless with passing the swimming exam. The worse scenario was had not I passed this exam, my overall performance in this semester would have been lowered as a result, thus disappointing my family. My only fortune at this crisis in my life was my parents. In spite of putting any pressure on me, they comforted me from my fear and made full effort to find the most suitable way to teach me how to swim. They asked me to assume "I can do it" despite "I can't do it" on my every challenge. Just one month later, I knew how to swim and passed the exam under supporting from my beloved family and friends. There is a saying from Henry Ford that really tells my lessons from this experience - "whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right". We may not believe, but it is true that our mind has a real super power. However, under no circumstances is it effective if the belief in our ability goes without our effort. To a sensitive girl like me, I have to make sure to apply one hundred percent effort in any performance and always keep in mind that "I can do it" to move forward and farther in my life path.

I was born in an Asian family that highly strictly focuses on learning at schools since my parents consider studying as a necessary way to help my family to get out of the poverty. It is proudly said that I could perform properly as well in academic subjects as my parents' expectation, nonetheless, sport is a shame of mine. The most unforgettable memory with this subject was when I had to learn how to swim. It was in my grade 10 that a 15-meter swimming test completion was the compulsory requirement to pass the first semester. This condition was exactly a horror to a girl not only afraid of the depth but also poor at learning sport like me. The first lesson of movement coordination between arms and legs was totally challenging to me. Having looked at how excellent my friends were at swimming, I self-wondered how inferior I was and sank into deep depression with the wretchedness about myself. After the first course, scared and unconfident as I was, I chose to study until the end of the second course and take the exam. Although what I could do at that time was just floating, I decided to give it a try in the second test. After two or three arm sweeps, I thought I could start properly and smoothly, but I got gradually exhausted and the feeling "I can not do it" always emerging in my mind disturbed me from concentrating on my movements. Suddenly I stopped, but unfortunately in the depth of 1.7 meters which was over my height. I could not stand or even swim. I suffocated and tried to raise my hand for a help also to reach out of the water for a breath. Eventually, I was luckily rescued by some of my friends swimming nearby. However, this memory was actually a shock making me cry and feel hopeless with passing the swimming exam. The worse scenario was had not I passed this exam, my overall performance in this semester would have been lowered as a result, thus disappointing my family. My only fortune at this crisis in my life was my parents. In spite of putting any pressure on me, they comforted me from my fear and made full effort to find the most suitable way to teach me how to swim. They asked me to assume "I can do it" despite "I can't do it" on my every challenge. Just one month later, I knew how to swim and passed the exam under supporting from my beloved family and friends. There is a saying from Henry Ford that really tells my lessons from this experience - "whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right". We may not believe, but it is true that our mind has a real superpower. However, under no circumstances is it effective if the belief in our ability goes without our effort. To a sensitive girl like me, I have to make sure to apply one hundred percent effort in any performance and always keep in mind that "I can do it" to move forward and farther in my life path.

What's important to me in life is something that changes with varying circumstances that I encounter in life, but something that continually guides me in my life and helps me prioritize my goals and aspirations is Love. In my opinion, love refers to anything that I enjoy, respect and can willingly spend time and effort towards achieving and maintaining, and this meaning helps differentiate between the things in my life that matter to me and things that I should let go. I love watching lectures on psychology, I love my girlfriend, I love my brother, and I love being not dead; I don't love random people on the streets, I don't love expensive cars, and I don't love food; this clarity of what I love is significant to me because it helps me make certain decisions in an otherwise unpredictable world, and it helps me utilize my energy doing things that matter to me. My 4-year old decision to pursue the study of psychology was based on my love for understanding the human mind and behavior even though nobody in my family approved of this decision, and it has shaped my life into one of satisfaction and intellectual growth. I like to think of life as a constant stream of events, choices, and decisions with no ultimate consequences but rather ongoing conflicts, and I'd much rather want those conflicts to be of things I love rather than things I don't.

What's important to me in life is something that changes with varying circumstances that I encounter in life, but something that continually guides me in my life and helps me prioritize my goals and aspirations is Love. In my opinion, love refers to anything that I enjoy, respect and can willingly spend time and effort towards achieving and maintaining, and this meaning helps differentiate between the things in my life that matter to me and things that I should let go. I love watching lectures on psychology, I love my girlfriend, I love my brother, and I love being not dead; I don't love random people on the streets, I don't love expensive cars, and I don't love food; this clarity of what I love is significant to me because it helps me make certain decisions in an otherwise unpredictable world, and it helps me utilize my energy doing things that matter to me. My 4-year-old decision to pursue the study of psychology was based on my love for understanding the human mind and behavior even though nobody in my family approved of this decision, and it has shaped my life into one of satisfaction and intellectual growth. I like to think of life as a constant stream of events, choices, and decisions with no ultimate consequences but rather ongoing conflicts, and I'd much rather want those conflicts to be of things I love rather than things I don't.

Hi! Could you please comment and tell me whether this is a good response to the question below? And are there any advanced vocab or sentences that I can use to improve my paragraphs? ( I am not good at writing :( Thanks :) Explain how you responded to a problem andor an unfamiliar situation. What did you do, what was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience?（up to 200） One of the hardest hurdles that I have ever overcome happened when I first came to Canada in the summer of 2018. At that time, I needed to take Social Studies10 in the summer school. Social 10, which includes history and politics, is hard for a second-language learner like me to understand, and the pace of it was so fast that I could not keep up. However, I did not feel frustrated at all but hoped to challenge myself. In the subsequent weeks, I explored some effective learning methods: I did not understand those videos played by the teacher, so I watched them repeatedly after school until I could get the main idea. I stayed up late until midnight every day to practice but never got bored. After several days, I could understand almost all the videos even when I first watched them during class. I found my listening skills have improved rapidly. At the end of the summer school, I got an A in Social10. Since then, I learned the importance of persistence. Furthermore, I realized how important challenging myself was that even if the process was tough, I am willing to face obstacles that make me grow.

Hi! Could you please comment and tell me whether this is a good response to the question below? And are there any advanced vocab or sentences that I can use to improve my paragraphs? (I am not good at writing :(Thanks :) Explain how you responded to a problem ardor an unfamiliar situation. What did you do, what was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience?up to 200） One of the hardest hurdles that I have ever overcome happened when I first came to Canada in the summer of 2018. At that time, I needed to take Social Studies10 in the summer school. Social 10, which includes history and politics, is hard for a second-language learner like me to understand, and the pace of it was so fast that I could not keep up. However, I did not feel frustrated at all but hoped to challenge myself. In the subsequent weeks, I explored some effective learning methods: I did not understand those videos played by the teacher, so I watched them repeatedly after school until I could get the main idea. I stayed up late until midnight every day to practice but never got bored. After several days, I could understand almost all the videos even when I first watched them during class. I found my listening skills have improved rapidly. At the end of the summer school, I got an A in Social10. Since then, I learned the importance of persistence. Furthermore, I realized how important challenging myself was that even if the process was tough, I am willing to face obstacles that make me grow.

Although I am an energic young boy, I think I am more mature than my peers in all aspects. In the eyes of my family, I am an independent, optimistic and efficient person. There was a lot of homework and exams every semester, but my parents never had to worry about my exam results. My friends think I am a humorous person. I often tell jokes to break the ice at the party, so my friends like me very much. Besides, my neighbors commented that I was a kind and polite young man. Because I never make noise to disturb my neighbors, and I sort the garbage according to the requirements of the community. I have a neighbor who is an old man and I take out the garbage for him from time to time. I have two things to be proud of. First of all, I recently participated in the high school math competition in Canada and got the top 25%, which encourages me a lot. It also proved that my efforts were rewarded. The other thing is, as a rookie in basketball, I helped my team win the 11th grade basketball league. To win the honor for the team, I feel more proud than to win the individual honor.

Although I am an energy young boy, I think I am more mature than my peers in all aspects. In the eyes of my family, I am an independent, optimistic and efficient person. There were a lot of homework and exams every semester, but my parents never had to worry about my exam results. My friends think I am a humorous person. I often tell jokes to break the ice at the party, so my friends like me very much. Besides, my neighbors commented that I was a kind and polite young man. Because I never make noise to disturb my neighbors, and I sort the garbage according to the requirements of the community. I have a neighbor who is an old man and I take out the garbage for him from time to time. I have two things to be proud of. First, I recently participated in the high school math competition in Canada and got the top 25%, which encourages me a lot. It also proved that my efforts were rewarded. The other thing is, as a rookie in basketball, I helped my team win the 11th grade basketball league. To win the honor for the team, I feel prouder than to win the individual honor.

My first exposure to artificial intelligence was when I read an article about the Turing test and further went on to read about Serb's Chinese Room argument, which got me excited about this topic. My interest grew further when I took up an online course on machine learning in the break, before joining college. Due to my strong interest in math since school days, I found it easy to pick up the mathematical basics of machine learning. On joining college, I decided to experiment with my new found interest and did a course on computer vision called Machine vision and its applications (normally offered to the MTech students), where I was highly lauded for being the youngest (still in my first year), sitting among those senior students, including some doing their PhD. I really enjoyed the course, especially the project (which was about classifying sea shells into 5 categories using texture analysis methods) and decided to explore the field of computer vision further. I was so fascinated by what I had learnt in this course that I made few innovations in my project that I was doing at my internship at the end of first year. It dealt with pattern matching in time series data - I explored the usual time and frequency domain measures. But I additionally analyzed the similarity between sequences, with the help of the spectrogram images, using the techniques I had learnt in the computer vision course. I possess strong programming skills in python with experience in machine learning and deep learning libraries such as numpy, pandas, sklearn, PyTorch. I did two projects in the technical clubs of my college - autonomous car and hate speech detection.With every project and course that I have undertaken so far, my interest and liking continued to grow in this domain.In the future, I want to become a machine learning scientist and bring in new and revolutionary algorithms in this field.I recently did a probability and statistics and stochastic processes course and enjoyed it thoroughly, and would like to explore it further in the context of machine learning. I am currently doing an internship, where I am working on drawing inferences about each object in an image. The task is to do multi-label classification for each of the dustbins present in an image. Alongside, I am also working on using neural networks to replace mathematical models, guided by Prof. Karthik Raman of IIT-M. These projects have further helped me deepen my interest in neural network mechanisms, as applied to computer vision. Through this research internship, I would explore my passion for this field further, as well as acquire new skills required to enroll in a masters or PhD program and pursue my dream career in this field.

My first exposure to artificial intelligence was when I read an article about the Turing test and further went on to read about Serb's Chinese Room argument, which got me excited about this topic. My interest grew further when I took up an online course on machine learning in the break, before joining college. Due to my strong interest in math since school days, I found it easy to pick up the mathematical basics of machine learning. On joining college, I decided to experiment with my new-found interest and did a course on computer vision called Machine vision and its applications (normally offered to the Tech students), where I was highly lauded for being the youngest (still in my first year), sitting among those senior students, including some doing their PhD. I really enjoyed the course, especially the project (which was about classifying seashells into 5 categories using texture analysis methods) and decided to explore the field of computer vision further. I was so fascinated by what I had learned in this course that I made few innovations in my project that I was doing at my internship at the end of first year. It dealt with pattern matching in time series data - I explored the usual time and frequency domain measures. But I additionally analyzed the similarity between sequences, with the help of the spectrogram images, using the techniques I had learned in the computer vision course. I possess strong programming skills in python with experience in machine learning and deep learning libraries such as NumPy, pandas, sklearn, PyTorch. I did two projects in the technical clubs of my college - autonomous car and hate speech detection. With every project and course that I have undertaken so far, my interest and liking continued to grow in this domain. In the future, I want to become a machine learning scientist and bring in new and revolutionary algorithms in this field. I recently did a probability and statistics and stochastic processes course and enjoyed it thoroughly, and would like to explore it further in the context of machine learning. I am currently doing an internship, where I am working on drawing inferences about each object in an image. The task is to do multi-label classification for each of the dustbins present in an image. Alongside, I am also working on using neural networks to replace mathematical models, guided by Prof. Parthia Roman of IIT-M. These projects have further helped me deepen my interest in neural network mechanisms, as applied to computer vision. Through this research internship, I would explore my passion for this field further, as well as acquire new skills required to enroll in a masters or PhD program and pursue my dream career in this field.

I am a highly-motivated and ambitious individual with a great passion in pursuing a balanced and fulfilling life. Growing up, I witnessed my parents struggle with monetary issues and discrimination. Regardless, my parents were incredibly tenacious in their work and have been relentless in being excellent, pious caregivers for their children. As a result, I got heavily influenced by their devotion and was enveloped by a strong determination to establish a secure haven for my family while channeling that energy to infuse inspiration to those around me. Although my aspirations were supported by my family's robust belief and dedication, I had once spiraled into uncertainty during my youth. To re-incite confidence and assurance, I had embarked on a long journey and my curious nature and eagerness to learn have contributed a lot. They pushed me to join many activities, ranging from debate club to community services outside of school; consequently, allowing people to describe me as a mature, responsible person who values growth, changes and the diversity of perspectives. During this quest, I learned that it is crucial to always strive in being a dynamic person who conducts everything with diligence. I am also glad to have discovered my integrity and voice as I surround myself with interesting and empowering people. In the end, I realized that journeys ought to be tiring, yet I am proud to have held a faith along the way - what we see now is but a pebble, whereas larger rocks are still waiting ahead.

I am a highly-motivated and ambitious individual with a great passion in pursuing a balanced and fulfilling life. Growing up, I witnessed my parents struggle with monetary issues and discrimination. Regardless, my parents were incredibly tenacious in their work and have been relentless in being excellent, pious caregivers for their children. As a result, I got heavily influenced by their devotion and was enveloped by a strong determination to establish a secure haven for my family while channeling that energy to infuse inspiration to those around me. Although my aspirations were supported by my family's robust belief and dedication, I had once spiraled into uncertainty during my youth. To re-incite confidence and assurance, I had embarked on a long journey and my curious nature and eagerness to learn have contributed a lot. They pushed me to join many activities, ranging from debate club to community services outside of school; consequently, allowing people to describe me as a mature, responsible person who values growth, changes and the diversity of perspectives. During this quest, I learned that it is crucial to always strive in being a dynamic person who conducts everything with diligence. I am also glad to have discovered my integrity and voice as I surround myself with interesting and empowering people. In the end, I realized that journeys ought to be tiring, yet I am proud to have held a faith along the way - what we see now is but a pebble, whereas larger rocks are still waiting ahead.

When I entered high school 3 years ago, I, like so many others, was desperate to find my place. Yet the public school community seemed distant and cold for the confused freshman I was. Though there was over 30 student-run clubs and organizations to choose from, they all operated independently and it was difficult to find a place you belonged. Struggling through freshman year, finally adjusting to high school life, I looked back and realized I did not want more students going into high school feeling like I did. So I rallied a group of friends, and soon enough, a plan was hatched. With the school's permission, we brought about the first annual club fair at our high school. With the participation of over 30 clubs and more than 800 students, the event was a huge success. Needless to say, it was likely the busiest day of my life. As co-founder and Head of Logistics, I was leader of a team of five, responsible for helping the clubs set up their stands, taking care of the fair's decorations as well as guiding participants through the stall path. Even before the event, I managed school funding, prepared the lighting and sound system, printed flyers and posters, as well as handled financial support requests from participating organizations. What the event taught me was the value of collaboration. Now, not only are we an official school event, but the team has also built an extensive support network for student-run organizations within the school. We help clubs gain publicity, connect them to useful resources and to each other. The network has since seen a rise to over 40 organizations and various interesting crossovers. But most importantly, students did not have to worry about feeling lost or confused navigating the community anymore. Now, they come to us and find extensive information about whatever activity they might be interested in. Having helped greatly in building this community, it has helped me realize how much further we could go if we were together.

When I entered high school 3 years ago, I, like so many others, was desperate to find my place. Yet the public school community seemed distant and cold for the confused freshman I was. Though there was over 30 student-run clubs and organizations to choose from, they all operated independently, and it was difficult to find a place you belonged. Struggling through freshman year, finally adjusting to high school life, I looked back and realized I did not want more students going into high school feeling like I did. So I rallied a group of friends, and soon enough, a plan was hatched. With the school's permission, we brought about the first annual club fair at our high school. With the participation of over 30 clubs and more than 800 students, the event was a huge success. Needless to say, it was likely the busiest day of my life. As co-founder and Head of Logistics, I was leader of a team of five, responsible for helping the clubs set up their stands, taking care of the fair's decorations as well as guiding participants through the stall path. Even before the event, I managed school funding, prepared the lighting and sound system, printed flyers and posters, as well as handled financial support requests from participating organizations. What the event taught me was the value of collaboration. Now, not only are we an official school event, but the team has also built an extensive support network for student-run organizations within the school. We help clubs gain publicity, connect them to useful resources and to each other. The network has since seen a rise to over 40 organizations and various interesting crossovers. But most importantly, students did not have to worry about feeling lost or confused navigating the community anymore. Now, they come to us and find extensive information about whatever activity they might be interested in. Having helped greatly in building this community, it has helped me realize how much further we could go if we were together.

Prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. At the age of 15, I tried to kill myself.The reason however I am afraid would be misunderstood by some. I have always wanted to become great, you know the type of people who think they can single handily change the world? I wanted to be great, more specifically one of the greats. At that time that mindset was developing in me. I wanted that level of success so badly and so soon. They try their best to drill into you that job security has to be your top priority but no one seems to mention how it usually accompanies mediocrity. They sugarcoat a life that in its purest form is just living from paycheck to paycheck and some might think of it as satisfactory but not me, I wanted more. However I realised that I was trapped, in a viscous cycle of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Bus, tram, school, tram, bus, home, study, eat, sleep. With no scope of exceptions, of being world class at something. I lost all hope. And it hit me that I was born here and I'd fade away right here. I couldn't take it as a kid. It was a slap in the face, with life standing beside me, laughing. At that very moment it became too much for me. I didn't see any other solutions and believed no other existed. I decided rather than living a couple more decades as an average human being and then dying without leaving a mark, without making the world mine, I'd die now. I gathered all the pills I could find in my house and sat with and a bottle of water inside the bathroom. I refrained to punch the wall because of the questions that will follow, I buried my anguish deep inside of my body in attempts of killing it. It's ends with me having taken all the pills, curled up with my head in between my legs on the cold bathroom floor because it's the only place I felt at home. And after 2 whole hours of trying to not sleep and vomitting. I was angry at God or life or whoever for sending me into this mess and then not allowing me to escape from it. Then I was angry at myself, because I hadn't even gotten this right. I was back at square one. I observed a lot after that night, not others but myself. I thought a lot, why did I lose hope so soon? There was a major flaw in how I used to think. Not everything is going to go your way, you have to fight for your dreams, not give up when something goes wrong. If you don't see hope, create it. If you don't see force, become one. No matter how bad the odds are, if you don't try there is a 100% chance of failure. Besides it doesn't matter when I become successful, it might be 4 years from now or 40, because with consistent hardwork and patience comes the ability to handle greatness. I don't think of my realisation of being caught in a rat race as a bad thing , even if bad things accompanied it at first. Because becoming sound and aware of both yourself and your surroundings is the first step to growth, to recovery, to redemption. True courage isn't dying for success but living for it. That night, I wasn't back to square one, I was just back to the same point with with experience. Growing up I always imagined I'd change the world, that I'd be the best, now I'm working for it.

Prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. At the age of 15, I tried to kill myself. The reason however I am afraid would be misunderstood by some. I have always wanted to become great, you know the type of people who think they can single handily change the world? I wanted to be great, more specifically one of the greats. At that time that mindset was developing in me. I wanted that level of success so badly and so soon. They try their best to drill into you that job security has to be your top priority but no one seems to mention how it usually accompanies mediocrity. They sugarcoat a life that in its purest form is just living from paycheck to paycheck and some might think of it as satisfactory but not me, I wanted more. However, I realized that I was trapped, in a viscous cycle of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Bus, tram, school, tram, bus, home, study, eat, sleep. With no scope of exceptions, of being world-class at something. I lost all hope. And it hit me that I was born here, and I'd fade away right here. I couldn't take it as a kid. It was a slap in the face, with life standing beside me, laughing. At that very moment it became too much for me. I didn't see any other solutions and believed no other existed. I decided rather than living a couple more decades as an average human being and then dying without leaving a mark, without making the world mine, I'd die now. Furthermore, I gathered all the pills I could find in my house and sat with and a bottle of water inside the bathroom. Furthermore, I refrained to punch the wall because of the questions that will follow, I buried my anguish deep inside my body in attempts of killing it. It's ends with me having taken all the pills, curled up with my head in between my legs on the cold bathroom floor because it's the only place I felt at home. And after 2 whole hours of trying to not sleep and omitting. I was angry at God or life or whoever for sending me into this mess and then not allowing me to escape from it. Then I was angry at myself, because I hadn't even gotten this right. I was back at square one. I observed a lot after that night, not others but myself. Furthermore, I thought a lot, why did I lose hope so soon? There was a major flaw in how I used to think. Not everything is going to go your way, you have to fight for your dreams, not give up when something goes wrong. If you don't see hope, create it. If you don't see force, become one. No matter how bad the odds are, if you don't try there is a 100% chance of failure. Besides, it doesn't matter when I become successful, it might be 4 years from now or 40, because with consistent handwork and patience comes the ability to handle greatness. I don't think of my realization of being caught in a rat race as a bad thing, even if bad things accompanied it at first. Because becoming sound and aware of both yourself and your surroundings is the first step to growth, to recovery, to redemption. True courage isn't dying for success but living for it. That night, I wasn't back to square one, I was just back to the same point with experience. Growing up I always imagined I'd change the world, that I'd be the best, now I'm working for it.

I live in a capital city known as Phnom Penh. Since I was a kid, I grew up in a challenging environment where grades are all that matters. I was studying so hard that I forgot about the outside problems that have been occurring until now in our society such as poverty, racism or discrimination between people, narrow-mindedness, violence and so on. I was once deemed as ignorant as I know just a few things or nothing at all about the society that I have been living in all my life. However, after I enrolled in my major which is International Studies, I know many problems that are arising whether in global or national level. I have also learnt about wars and genocide that happened in the past. Since I have known many issues happening in my society, I want to contribute by tackling those issues as much as I can. By joining this global UGRAD program, I can learn strategies or mechanisms that the U.S has used to deal with those challenges. I also believe that education is a key factor in responding to those problems. Since the U.S academic or educational system are more developed, I hope to learn from their educational system and apply it in our academic system fitting in our context. I will be able to learn and contribute more to the society by being a participant in this program. I am used to being a leader leading people since I was young and other volunteering experiences that I have accumulated over the years which contributed to my leadership skill. By participating in this program, I'll be able to develop my skill even further as I'll meet many outstanding individuals in the U.S and learn from their styles in leading others. Many people have different styles in leading people; therefore, I can observe and pick out their strength in leading people and thereby, modifying into my own method fitting my preference. By enhancing my leadership skill, I can be one of the supporting pillars of my society in guiding my juniors and people who need my help on the right road based on experiences and knowledge that I have accumulated. Cambodia is in need of many potential youths to lead the society into a more prosperous one. Moreover, I also want to learn about the economic strategies that the U.S has used in a thorough way since it is the world largest economy. By being a participant in this global UGRAD program, I will be able to understand the factors that stood behind the economic boom of the U.S and whether these factors are suitable to apply in Cambodia economic context or it needs some adjustments to be made possible. All in all, I just want to be a citizen who can contribute to her own society in a sense of obligation and responsibility and also can make some positive impacts on my society and improve it to another level. If many youths come together and each youth can make some small positive influences on society, this will even be able to develop Cambodia in a much faster pace.

I live in a capital city known as Phnom Penh. Since I was a kid, I grew up in a challenging environment where grades are all that matters. I was studying so hard that I forgot about the outside problems that have been occurring until now in our society such as poverty, racism or discrimination between people, narrow-mindedness, violence and so on. I was once deemed as ignorant as I know just a few things or nothing at all about the society that I have been living in all my life. However, after I enrolled in my major which is International Studies, I know many problems that are arising whether in global or national level. I have also learned about wars and genocide that happened in the past. Since I have known many issues happening in my society, I want to contribute by tackling those issues as much as I can. By joining this global GRAD program, I can learn strategies or mechanisms that the U.S. has used to deal with those challenges. I also believe that education is a key factor in responding to those problems. Since the U.S. academic or educational system are more developed, I hope to learn from their educational system and apply it in our academic system fitting in our context. I will be able to learn and contribute more to the society by being a participant in this program. I am used to being a leader leading people since I was young and other volunteering experiences that I have accumulated over the years which contributed to my leadership skill. By participating in this program, I'll be able to develop my skill even further as I'll meet many outstanding individuals in the U.S. and learn from their styles in leading others. Many people have different styles in leading people; therefore, I can observe and pick out their strength in leading people and thereby, modifying into my own method fitting my preference. By enhancing my leadership skill, I can be one of the supporting pillars of my society in guiding my juniors and people who need my help on the right road-based on experiences and knowledge that I have accumulated. Cambodia is in need of many potential youths to lead the society into a more prosperous one. Moreover, I also want to learn about the economic strategies that the U.S. has used thoroughly since it is the world's largest economy. By being a participant in this global GRAD program, I will be able to understand the factors that stood behind the economic boom of the U.S. and whether these factors are suitable to apply in Cambodia economic context or it needs some adjustments to be made possible. All in all, I just want to be a citizen who can contribute to her own society in a sense of obligation and responsibility and also can make some positive impacts on my society and improve it to another level. If many youths come together and each youth can make some small positive influences on society, this will even be able to develop Cambodia in a much faster pace.

As a loyal audience, the most joyful time in middle-school was turning on the TV on time to watch the latest episode of Detective Conan. After the theme song, a gloomy door would open, marking the start of a new story and my brand-new math world. Math in middle school was only about math. While I did enjoy the process of determining the chord lengths or proving Vieta's theorem, I doubted its practicality in life. Even subtraction and addition learned in primary school were far more useful. But I saw this little detective boy, interpreting the evidence from perspectives of various subjects: math, physics, or pharmacology (transporting bodies using principles of water pressure). Inspired by Conan, I found the essence of math: it is never used alone, and everything is based on math. The solar cooking project proved my theory about math. After our group bought a vacuum tube and an electronic thermometer, one classmate suggested that the best time to use solar energy must be 12 p.m. But the Conan inside me reminded of the truth of solving problems: interdisciplinary methods. I suggested to measure the interior temperature of the tube, the atmosphere temperature, and the angle between the film and sunlight at different time periods. Then we used mathematical modeling to determine the relationship of those factors. I saw a straight line, where the scattered points on both sides were evenly distributed, forming through various transformations of coefficients. Thus, instead of subjectively deducting, we pinpointed the theoretically optimal time. Besides, when first learning linear algebra, I found no applied value of those matrices. However, one time I was using Google Map, I found I and the map were in two different dimensional worlds. That reminded me of linear mapping which projects one element in space A to space B. I guessed the programmers were actually projecting coordinates in the real 3D world into 2D map, vice versa. Such a perfect example of math and cartography. There is always a Conan in me, desiring to figure out the truth of the world by combining math and other subjects.

As a loyal audience, the most joyful time in middle-school was turning on the TV on time to watch the latest episode of Detective Conan. After the theme song, a gloomy door would open, marking the start of a new story and my brand-new math world. Math in middle school was only about math. While I did enjoy the process of determining the chord lengths or proving Vista's theorem, I doubted its practicality in life. Even subtraction and addition learned in primary school were far more useful. But I saw this little detective boy, interpreting the evidence from perspectives of various subjects: math, physics, or pharmacology (transporting bodies using principles of water pressure). Inspired by Conan, I found the essence of math: it is never used alone, and everything is based on math. The solar cooking project proved my theory about math. After our group bought a vacuum tube and an electronic thermometer, one classmate suggested that the best time to use solar energy must be 12 p.m. But the Conan inside me reminded of the truth of solving problems: interdisciplinary methods. I suggested measuring the interior temperature of the tube, the atmosphere temperature, and the angle between the film and sunlight at different time periods. Then we used mathematical modeling to determine the relationship of those factors. I saw a straight line, where the scattered points on both sides were evenly distributed, forming through various transformations of coefficients. Thus, instead of subjectively deducting, we pinpointed the theoretically optimal time. Besides, when first learning linear algebra, I found no applied value of those matrices. However, one time I was using Google Map, I found I and the map were in two different dimensional worlds. That reminded me of linear mapping which projects one element in space A to space B. I guessed the programmers were actually projecting coordinates in the real 3D world into 2D map, vice versa. Such a perfect example of math and cartography. There is always a Conan in me, desiring to figure out the truth of the world by combining math and other subjects.

Everyday, I walk to school from my house, and these daily walks usually entail me discovering a new logical conundrum that I explore to no end. For example, one day, I decided to listen to Arabic music during my walk. As soon as I played it, I visualized a big, bustling bazaar within a wide, magnificent desert as the energetic rhythm of middle eastern chants and instruments played. I could feel the rhythm flowing through me as my footsteps began to match the beat of the song. As humans, we indulge in constant rhythm through our music, languages, and even our heartbeats. Regardless of cultural background, rhythm is ingrained into everyone's lives, so much so in fact, that it's even a part of some of our biological functions. Once I realized this, I couldn't help but pause my music and ask "why?" Different possibilities surged through my mind. Did the humans evolve to instinctively search for rhythm, or has it always been a part of us? Did humans create the concept of rhythm, or has it always been an established idea. I failed to think of a convincing answer to my original question. So instead, I unpaused the music and returned to the Mediterranean desert landscape I had visualized before. I didn't abandon the search, though. Rather than just listening to the song, I paid attention to how the sound changed from note to note, and I studied the mathematical pattern the music created.

Every day, I walk to school from my house, and these daily walks usually entail me discovering a new logical conundrum that I explore to no end. For example, one day, I decided to listen to Arabic music during my walk. As soon as I played it, I visualized a big, bustling bazaar within a wide, magnificent desert as the energetic rhythm of middle eastern chants and instruments played. I could feel the rhythm flowing through me as my footsteps began to match the beat of the song. As humans, we indulge in constant rhythm through our music, languages, and even our heartbeats. Regardless of cultural background, rhythm is ingrained into everyone's lives, so much so in fact, that it's even a part of some of our biological functions. Once I realized this, I couldn't help but pause my music and ask "why?" Different possibilities surged through my mind. Did the humans evolve to instinctively search for rhythm, or has it always been a part of us? Did humans create the concept of rhythm, or has it been always an established idea. I failed to think of a convincing answer to my original question. So instead, I unpaused the music and returned to the Mediterranean desert landscape I had visualized before. I didn't abandon the search, though. Rather than just listening to the song, I paid attention to how the sound changed from note to note, and I studied the mathematical pattern the music created.

I was the quixotically ambitious type as a child. My dream career changed constantly, from an illustrator, to a medical doctor, then a psychologist and finally an astrophysicist working with NASA; all of them inspired by the people I know had made a change in the world. It reached a point where I believed that it was possible to be everything at once. However after receiving my national high school diploma, I knew that I had to start being realistic and reevaluate my ambitions. Balancing my academic achievements, capability and interests, I decided to pursue engineering, the course that ticked all the boxes, and more importantly-- suited my personality. My peers would describe me as someone who lives by her own rules. In situations where most would find themselves following a certain trend, I would choose to stick to my own preferences. I am not shy to stay true to myself, even if it means that I would be the odd one out. While some would find it strange that I do not follow certain fads, most would appreciate me as being 'my own person'. I was born when my parents were both in their early forties. As the last child with five much older siblings and mature parents, I was raised surrounded by those who instilled values within myself since I was very young. For that I am proud with my upbringing that has shaped me to become a young adult with strong core values and principles.

I was the quixotically ambitious type as a child. My dream career changed constantly, from an illustrator, to a medical doctor, then a psychologist and finally an astrophysicist working with NASA; all of them inspired by the people I know had made a change in the world. It reached a point where I believed that it was possible to be everything at once. However, after receiving my national high school diploma, I knew that I had to start being realistic and reevaluate my ambitions. Balancing my academic achievements, capability and interests, I decided to pursue engineering, the course that ticked all the boxes, and more importantly-- suited my personality. My peers would describe me as someone who lives by her own rules. In situations where most would find themselves following a certain trend, I would choose to stick to my own preferences. I am not shy to stay true to myself, even if it means that I would be the odd one out. While some would find it strange that I do not follow certain fads, most would appreciate me as being 'my own person'. I was born when my parents were both in their early forties. As the last child with five much older siblings and mature parents, I was raised surrounded by those who instilled values within myself since I was very young. For that I am proud with my upbringing that has shaped me to become a young adult with strong core values and principles.

Please write the personal statement with a focus on what you learned from and felt during curricular andor extracurricular activities (up to three) to which you attached meaning and devoted yourself in high school.(within 1500 characters200words) (Required) My high school was filled with examinations and failure in examinations ranging from the VMO ( Vietnamese Mathematical Olympiad ), IELTS, the UEE of Singapore, the University Entrance Examination of Vietnam, and Sat subject test. Each test had distinctive features, while VMO focused on creativity, techniques, speed, and elaborateness were more crucial in the UEE. Due to continuous failure in the exams in the early stage, I had to change direction and prepare for another goal with other exams. In those time, my weaknesses and misconceptions are revealed: carelessness, inability to work effectively under high pressure, confused thinking, overconfidence and more importantly, valuable lessons learned from other competitors and friends who achieved better results. I started to re-examine myself thoroughly, thus making a big decision that changed the rest of my high school, even probably the rest of my life. Instead of only setting goals, I began meticulously planning every step then took notes them. Furthermore, I placed more importance on building good habits such as deep work, emotional control, logical thinking, meditation, and learning more from my friends as well as breaking bad habits. Personally, it was not only knowledge gained from subjects at school, but these habits and lessons from failure had also helped me attain my goal.

Please write the personal statement with a focus on what you learned from and felt during curricular ardor extracurricular activities (up to three) to which you attached meaning and devoted yourself in high school.(within 1500 characters200words) (Required) My high school was filled with examinations and failure in examinations ranging from the VMO (Vietnamese Mathematical Olympiad), IELTS, the USE of Singapore, the University Entrance Examination of Vietnam, and Sat subject test. Each test had distinctive features, while VMO focused on creativity, techniques, speed, and elaborateness were more crucial in the USE. Due to continuous failure in the exams in the early stage, I had to change direction and prepare for another goal with other exams. In those time, my weaknesses and misconceptions are revealed: carelessness, inability to work effectively under high pressure, confused thinking, overconfidence and more importantly, valuable lessons learned from other competitors and friends who achieved better results. I started to re-examine myself thoroughly, thus making a big decision that changed the rest of my high school, even probably the rest of my life. Instead of only setting goals, I began meticulously planning every step then took notes them. Furthermore, I placed more importance on building good habits such as deep work, emotional control, logical thinking, meditation, and learning more from my friends as well as breaking bad habits. Personally, it was not only knowledge gained from subjects at school, but these habits and lessons from failure had also helped me attain my goal.

In the eyes of others, my persona has progressively evolved throughout the course of my continuous growth and development. Several years ago, my classmates viewed me as a timid newcomer to Canada who lacked the confidence to present himself in front of others and seemed as though he would never integrate into an unfamiliar environment. Then, my peers saw a boy who was determined to conquer his fear and anxiety; one who gradually stepped out of his comfort zone to introduce himself to others and engage in classroom discussions. Today, my friends describe me as a natural comedian who can bring a table into laughter during lunch time. They see me as an optimistic fellow who can remain confident and energetic despite experiencing embarrassment and defeat. At school, my peers value me as a humble and trustworthy companion, as I strive to excel in academics while helping others along the way. My classmates portray me as an inspiring role model; they compliment me for my well-rounded capabilities as a student and a whole-hearted devotion to excellence. From a self-doubting newcomer to an outgoing adolescent, I am tremendously proud of my character development in this brand new socio-academic environment. Through a continuum of seemingly insignificant victories and bittersweet failures, this personal journey has allowed me to establish a strong sense of self and opened up new horizons for my future life pursuits. Watch me; with time, I shall grow and excel. I would greatly appreciate any feedback and constructive criticism. Thank you!

In the eyes of others, my persona has progressively evolved throughout the course of my continuous growth and development. Several years ago, my classmates viewed me as a timid newcomer to Canada who lacked the confidence to present himself in front of others and seemed as though he would never integrate into an unfamiliar environment. Then, my peers saw a boy who was determined to conquer his fear and anxiety; one who gradually stepped out of his comfort zone to introduce himself to others and engage in classroom discussions. Today, my friends describe me as a natural comedian who can bring a table into laughter during lunchtime. They see me as an optimistic fellow who can remain confident and energetic despite experiencing embarrassment and defeat. At school, my peers value me as a humble and trustworthy companion, as I strive to excel in academics while helping others along the way. My classmates portray me as an inspiring role model; they compliment me for my well-rounded capabilities as a student and a wholehearted devotion to excellence. From a self-doubting newcomer to an outgoing adolescent, I am tremendously proud of my character development in this brand new socio-academic environment. Through a continuum of seemingly insignificant victories and bittersweet failures, this personal journey has allowed me to establish a strong sense of self and opened up new horizons for my future life pursuits. Watch me; with time, I shall grow and excel. I would greatly appreciate any feedback and constructive criticism. Thank you!

A person with potential to become a leader is what my parents would say about me, someone that's able to sit down in a discussion with family members and giving his arguments about the related issue and help solving the problem, he is willing to teach his sister about her school works and giving everyday advice to her. He's respectful towards another person in which he will always think carefully in what to say and to do to that person. My friends refer to me as a good listener, an honest person, someone that's not afraid to try something new, and someone with a broad knowledge. They said I am a person that is always nice to talk with whenever they have a problem or anything weighing their chest that they need to get rid of because he is able to understand them wholeheartedly and always have the right thing to say. He is someone that could be trusted because his words are always just the way it is. He's willing to step away from his safe zone and doing anything nobody else would do. He also has a broad knowledge about the world that not many people know, mainly about world history and technology. Being a good listener is what I am most proud of myself because I could understand what my family or friends are going through and relate to them, it also allows me to give them some advice regarding the situation and brighten up their day. (Total 250 words)

A person with potential to become a leader is what my parents would say about me, someone that's able to sit down in a discussion with family members and giving his arguments about the related issue and help to solve the problem, he is willing to teach his sister about her school works and giving everyday advice to her. He's respectful towards another person in which he will always think carefully in what to say and to do to that person. My friends refer to me as a good listener, an honest person, someone that's not afraid to try something new, and someone with broad knowledge. They said I am a person that is always nice to talk with whenever they have a problem or anything weighing their chest that they need to get rid of because he is able to understand them wholeheartedly and always have the right thing to say. He is someone that could be trusted because his words are always just the way it is. He's willing to step away from his safe zone and doing anything nobody else would do. Furthermore, he also has a broad knowledge about the world that not many people know, mainly about world history and technology. Being a good listener is what I am most proud of myself because I could understand what my family or friends are going through and relate to them, it also allows me to give them some advice regarding the situation and brighten up their day. (Total 250 words)

Belonging - what a wonderful, confusing, and complicated concept. Are our identities tied to the slow ascent of the map that traces our lineage? Or are we shaped by the village that raised us? These are questions that have shadowed me for years. My race has made me both the insider and outsider, suspended between my Chinese heritage and my Indonesian upbringings. Where do I truly belong? Between the tea set and dumplings on my kitchen table? Among the street food and snippets of the local dialect that I use with my friends? I had always thought that I needed to pick a side to prove the legitimacy of my identity, but as I grew up, I started untangling that web of turmoil. Instead of answering my questions and boxing myself into a definition, I became determined to be the bridge connecting both sides of my identity. I am the person who brings dumplings to my neighbors' Iftar dinner during Ramadan month, the person who regularly introduces Indonesian slang words to my Mandarin-speaking grandmother. I let go of the concept of belonging to only one place and found a home in both the familiar and foreign: the Cap Go Meh celebrations after Chinese New Year, the Muslim orphanage I volunteer in during the holidays, the small Italian commune I lived in during my exchange year, the wet markets speaking a linguistic amalgamation of Sundanese, Javanese, and Hokkien. College is just another place I'll make a home out of. What do you guys think? I'm not entirely sure I like this essay, but I don't know what parts to fix.

Belonging - what a wonderful, confusing, and complicated concept. Are our identities tied to the slow ascent of the map that traces our lineage? Or are we shaped by the village that raised us? These are questions that have shadowed me for years. My race has made me both the insider and outsider, suspended between my Chinese heritage and my Indonesian upbringings. Where do I truly belong? Between the tea set and dumplings on my kitchen table? Among the street food and snippets of the local dialect that I use with my friends? I had always thought that I needed to pick a side to prove the legitimacy of my identity, but as I grew up, I started untangling that web of turmoil. Instead of answering my questions and boxing myself into a definition, I became determined to be the bridge connecting both sides of my identity. I am the person who brings dumplings to my neighbors' Iftar dinner during Ramadan month, the person who regularly introduces Indonesian slang words to my Mandarin-speaking grandmother. I let go of the concept of belonging to only one place and found a home in both the familiar and foreign: the Cap Go Meh celebrations after Chinese New Year, the Muslim orphanage I volunteer in during the holidays, the small Italian commune I lived in during my exchange year, the wet markets speaking a linguistic amalgamation of Sundanese, Javanese, and Tolkien. College is just another place I'll make a home out of. What do you guys think? I'm not entirely sure if I like this essay, but I don't know what parts to fix.

please I need help with my Common app personal statement, am not good at writing but I will be pleased to accept any correction or ideas and more Thank you! Good Day Ma!I would like to change from G to C-class. That was me making the most random decisions of my life, not knowing why, my counselor was shocked, her face turned pale immediately and she got worried as if I had brought a piece of bad news to her, after some minutes of confrontation, she finally asked: "Are you sure"? This is the worst class in school and you're a good student. Being shocked at myself and the decision I had made I replied yes. Not minding the implications and opinions of others, I ventured into my new class. Everyone was shocked on my arrival, as I gently walked into the class, thousands of thought rolled my mind, I began to ask myself if this is what I wanted, being among the best students in school, G-class would have been the best for me, but having stayed there for a while, I needed to understand myself and my calling. My first impression of C-class was bad, students and loud noise, no one reading a very huge difference already between the two classes, a teacher had just left the class angrily because of the noise caused by some students, she reported the class to the soldiers and we had a mass punishment, being my first punishment ever, I was so scared I had to point out the culprits, while it seemed normal for what a typical G-class student would do, it was obsessed by a C-student, I was exempted from the punishment, but despite that the other student still insisted on serving the punishment together, contrary to what I knew, I had never seen students stand for each-other before. I was filled with this thought of selfishness and ego, but after staying awhile in class alone, I realized the difference between selfishness and selflessness, I had just done something terrible, and I have to amend it then I stood up and returned to the field to join my classmates serve the punishment TOGETHER, despite the resentment they all had for me, they still welcomed me with open arms. I joined them to kneel under the fierce sun, at first it was unbearable, but as minutes past, everyone had a story or joke to tell that made all laugh, at some point I forgot we were serving military punishment, though I was quite all through but I couldn't stop my teeth from shining under the blazing sun. This is different from a typical me but I was happy there, I understood life better under the sun that day, as I watched other student laugh, smile and even complain I realised that life isn't a competition and most times it's not what you have that matters but what you have around you. As time went on I began to associate with the other students and better understand them being one of the best in the class, I made out a separate session to teach those who were finding some subject difficult, while G-student were reading and competing against each other, we stood and helped each other, we became our backbones. In this class, I had my first punishment, but I learned that life is literary choices and challenges: that we should always be free with ourselves, be whom we want to be, and when we go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. I call us the Pacesetters because we became standards, despite called the worst, for others to learn and adopt. From this, I learned that first impressions are not always correct and in life change happens only when people get involved, engaged and come together to demand it and even after three years I still believe this and it has shaped me to be more self-aware and intentional with my efforts to leave all things better than I found them.

Please I need help with my Common app personal statement, am not good at writing, but I will be pleased to accept any correction or ideas and more, Thank you! Good Day Ma! I would like to change from G to C-class. That was me making the most random decisions of my life, not knowing why, my counselor was shocked, her face turned pale immediately, and she got worried as if I had brought a piece of bad news to her, after some minutes of confrontation, she finally asked: "Are you sure"? This is the worst class in school, and you're a good student. Being shocked at myself and the decision I had made I replied yes. Not minding the implications and opinions of others, I ventured into my new class. Everyone was shocked on my arrival, as I gently walked into the class, thousands of thought rolled my mind, I began to ask myself if this is what I wanted, being among the best students in school, G-class would have been the best for me, but having stayed there for a while, I needed to understand myself and my calling. My first impression of C-class was bad, students and loud noise, no one reading a very huge difference already between the two classes, a teacher had just left the class angrily because of the noise caused by some students, she reported the class to the soldiers, and we had a mass punishment, being my first punishment ever, I was so scared I had to point out the culprits, while it seemed normal for what a typical G-class student would do, it was obsessed by a C-student, I was exempted from the punishment, but despite that the other student still insisted on serving the punishment together, contrary to what I knew, I had never seen students stand for each-other before. I was filled with this thought of selfishness and ego, but after staying awhile in class alone, I realized the difference between selfishness and selflessness, I had just done something terrible, and I have to amend it then I stood up and returned to the field to join my classmates serve the punishment TOGETHER, despite the resentment they all had for me, they still welcomed me with open arms. I joined them to kneel under the fierce sun, at first it was unbearable, but as minutes past, everyone had a story or joke to tell that made all laugh, at some point I forgot we were serving military punishment, though I was quite all through, but I couldn't stop my teeth from shining under the blazing sun. This is different from a typical me, but I was happy there, I understood life better under the sun that day, as I watched other student laugh, smile and even complain I realized that life isn't a competition and most times it's not what you have that matters but what you have around you. As time went on I began to associate with the other students and better understand them being one of the best in the class, I made out a separate session to teach those who were finding some subject difficult, while G-student were reading and competing against each other, we stood and helped each other, we became our backbones. In this class, I had my first punishment, but I learned that life is literary choices and challenges: that we should always be free with ourselves, be whom we want to be, and when we go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. I call us the Pacesetters because we became standards, despite called the worst, for others to learn and adopt. From this, I learned that first impressions are not always correct and in life change happens only when people get involved, engaged and come together to demand it and even after three years I still believe this, and it has shaped me to be more self-aware and intentional with my efforts to leave all things better than I found them.

(within 1500 characters200words) (Required) Three years, being the monitor of my high school's class with mathematically gifted students who had not only outstanding talents but also strong personalities had helped me develop management skills, aiming at collective benefits as well as promoting individuals' progress. Personally, two most important elements in managing people are sharing and assertiveness In order to develop bonds between individuals, firstly, understanding is indispensable. I often spent time having personal conversations with each member to properly understand them ranging from backgrounds, hobbies and ambitions, thus respecting their uniquenesses. I strongly encouraged them who had the same fields of concern such as technology, finance, science and art to form groups, then made presentations about these areas with the aim to share their knowledge and sharpen soft skills, therefore producing a positive organizational culture However, undeniably, to develop plans and conform my class to school rules, the ability to make rational decisions is particularly important. I conducted polls and consulted the others adequately to take crucial decisions, then explained mine. By these steps, demanding tasks could be accomplished successfully, coupled with pleasing as many members as possible

(within 1500 characters200words) (Required) Three years, being the monitor of my high school's class with mathematically gifted students who had not only outstanding talents but also strong personalities had helped me develop management skills, aiming at collective benefits as well as promoting individuals' progress. Personally, two most important elements in managing people are sharing and assertiveness In order to develop bonds between individuals, firstly, understanding is indispensable. I often spent time having personal conversations with each member to properly understand them ranging from backgrounds, hobbies and ambitions, thus respecting their uniquenesses. I strongly encouraged them who had the same fields of concern such as technology, finance, science and art to form groups, then made presentations about these areas with the aim to share their knowledge and sharpen soft skills, therefore producing a positive organizational culture However, undeniably, to develop plans and conform my class to school rules, the ability to make rational decisions is particularly important. Furthermore, I conducted polls and consulted the others adequately to take crucial decisions, then explained mine. By these steps, demanding tasks could be accomplished successfully, coupled with pleasing as many members as possible

"But Ma! You promised we'd go to the mall!" I cried out. It was 2 days before my birthday, and my mom out of the blue decided that it would be a lovely idea to spend my birthday in the place I least expected to visit - an orphanage. I wasn't amused at all, particularly after all the plans I had made for my birthday. But my mom believed that a visit to the orphanage would 'open my eyes' - to show me that part of society, which is more than often, ignored, or goes unnoticed. Furthermore, she also cited that I would receive a lot of blessings. I wasn't sure what to expect at the time since it was my first visit to an orphanage. But after an hour's ride, when we pulled over before the building, I was quite intrigued. A beautiful bungalow riddled with greenery, its walls plastered with rhymes and cartoons - it looked like a perfect homestead. When we entered the bungalow we were greeted by a lovely old lady who was in charge of the orphanage. She is perhaps one of the kindest and warm-hearted person I have ever met. "We don't get many visitors here. Thank you for visiting us," she said. Our host invited us inside where we were greeted by several eager-faced, excited and affectionate little children. Everyone looked so happy for even the littlest things they had. I spent the entire day playing and talking with them. Such innocence! I still wonder what their lives are like without parents, without someone to love and guide them. I felt accomplished for doing something for them. When it was finally time for dinner they sat in rows with steel plates while I brought in the food and sweets to serve them. With each serving, they said, "Thank you, Anna". I was heartbroken, these children had lost everything but still preserve such manners. These are children that smile and laugh even after going through the darkest moments in their lives. I tried my best to contain the cyclone of emotions within me. I am very glad that the orphanage's staff were able to provide them with the second chance they deserve. I look back and remember how lucky I am. I learned that I have a privilege many people don't and I shouldn't take it for granted. I still thank my mother for showing me the other end of our society, for showing how privileged I am to have a family to love and care for me. When it was finally time to leave the orphanage, I walked out and looked back at all the children cheering and thanking me for visiting. I didn't know what to say. I already knew I had made the right choice. I walked out as a new person, with a new ambition for society. A mall would have given me a few hours of joy but I will cherish my visit to the orphanage for a lifetime.

"But Ma! You promised we'd go to the mall!" I cried out. It was 2 days before my birthday, and my mom out of the blue decided that it would be a lovely idea to spend my birthday in the place I least expected to visit - an orphanage. I wasn't amused at all, particularly after all the plans I had made for my birthday. But my mom believed that a visit to the orphanage would 'open my eyes' - to show me that part of society, which is more than often, ignored, or goes unnoticed. Furthermore, she also cited that I would receive a lot of blessings. I wasn't sure what to expect at the time since it was my first visit to an orphanage. But after an hour's ride, when we pulled over before the building, I was quite intrigued. A beautiful bungalow riddled with greenery, its walls plastered with rhymes and cartoons - it looked like a perfect homestead. When we entered the bungalow we were greeted by a lovely old lady who was in charge of the orphanage. She is perhaps one of the kindest and warm-hearted person I have ever met. "We don't get many visitors here. Thank you for visiting us," she said. Our host invited us inside where we were greeted by several eager-faced, excited and affectionate little children. Everyone looked so happy for even the littlest things they had. I spent the entire day playing and talking with them. Such innocence! I still wonder what their lives are like without parents, without someone to love and guide them. I felt accomplished for doing something for them. When it was finally time for dinner they sat in rows with steel plates while I brought in the food and sweets to serve them. With each serving, they said, "Thank you, Anna". I was heartbroken, these children had lost everything but still preserve such manners. These are children that smile and laugh even after going through the darkest moments in their lives. I tried my best to contain the cyclone of emotions within me. I am very glad that the orphanage's staff were able to provide them with the second chance they deserve. Furthermore, I look back and remember how lucky I am. Furthermore, I learned that I have a privilege many people don't, and I shouldn't take it for granted. Furthermore, I still thank my mother for showing me the other end of our society, for showing how privileged I am to have a family to love and care for me. When it was finally time to leave the orphanage, I walked out and looked back at all the children cheering and thanking me for visiting. I didn't know what to say. I already knew I had made the right choice. Furthermore, I walked out as a new person, with a new ambition for society. A mall would have given me a few hours of joy, but I will cherish my visit to the orphanage for a lifetime.

For the longest of time, a hedgehog woke up in my bed each day, and she could not leave the house without putting on her thorny skin to protect her soft body inside. Since primary school, she was an independent learner and a model student who was always ranked in the top 10. She seldom asked questions in class, leading people to believe that she was tough as nails and never had any problems with studies. Reality was that she was afraid of being peeled off the shell to show that she was not perfect. This summer, flying to America to attend the summer school at Harvard, she was filled with adrenaline, considering a new life in the West, yet the reality kicked her back into the dark cave of despair. "Hi, I'm Ty," During the orientation, a girl started a conversation with her about chosen courses, "I dropped Chinese because it was hard.""Really? Chinese?" She responded, "I agree. It has four 'tunes'. But we don't have grammar...we just speak it out.""What do you mean? Tunes?""Um. Never mind." She pretended to be cool, but inside, she knew she had screwed up. She misused "tone" as "tune". She believed that her English was good, but she couldn't even form a logically correct sentence. Frustrated, she chose to complete the orientation alone, fearful of more exposure to her imperfections. The hedgehog was up to her old tricks. The most crucial blow to her came in the form of red crosses on her multivariable calculus quiz papers. Staring at the tutorial videos containing questions that demanded drawing three-dimensional graphs on the fly, she was wracked with confusion. After hours of staring at the screen, all she achieved was dry eyes and a bruised ego. She wrote down the answers again and again and erased just as many that the paper was about to break. Her roommates' laughter filled the apartment as they enjoyed each other's company while her company was cold nights and homesickness. Staring at her best friend's profile photo, she felt tears dripping down. Having struggled for three days to complete the three-dimensional draft assignment, she decided to attend the problem session led by the Teacher Assistant. Her apparent failures had removed the imaginary hedgehog spines, and she felt naked when walking into the classroom. No longer was she the perfect one. Now she was just another struggling student. Then, an American student, who was from Phillips Exeter Academy, asked about an obvious problem. No one stared at him condescendingly or murmured about him being stupid. Our hedgehog decided to take a chance, summoned all her courage and said, "I think there's something wrong with me". Suddenly, everyone looked at her puzzlingly. Feeling an electric shock, she forced herself to behave calmly and reformulated her question, "Sorry, I mean there is a problem with my homework". Mimicking the way other people presented problems and using dramatic gestures to help others understand her meaning, she began to get the understanding and support she desperately needed. Back into the dorm cave, she found the thorns she used to protect herself from others' opinions were ripped. Looking into the mirror, she saw the ugly marks under the rippled thorns while she felt unprecedented peace inside of her heart. The story of that stubborn hedgehog was over. The girl, me, no longer wakes up under a hedgehog's name. I am now embracing the new me not for being perfect but for being courageous. I may not have the sweetest smiles or the highest grades. But I have the courage to become closer and closer to the outstanding group.

For the longest of time, a hedgehog woke up in my bed each day, and she could not leave the house without putting on her thorny skin to protect her soft body inside. Since primary school, she was an independent learner and a model student who was always ranked in the top 10. She seldom asked questions in class, leading people to believe that she was tough as nails and never had any problems with studies. Reality was that she was afraid of being peeled off the shell to show that she was not perfect. This summer, flying to America to attend the summer school at Harvard, she was filled with adrenaline, considering a new life in the West, yet the reality kicked her back into the dark cave of despair. "Hi, I'm Ty," During the orientation, a girl started a conversation with her about chosen courses, "I dropped Chinese because it was hard."" Really? Chinese?" She responded, "I agree. It has four 'tunes'. But we don't have grammar...we just speak it out."" What do you mean? Tunes?"" Um. Never mind." She pretended to be cool, but inside, she knew she had screwed up. She misused "tone" as "tune". Furthermore, she believed that her English was good, but she couldn't even form a logically correct sentence. Frustrated, she chose to complete the orientation alone, fearful of more exposure to her imperfections. The hedgehog was up to her old tricks. The most crucial blow to her came in the form of red crosses on her multivariable calculus quiz papers. Staring at the tutorial videos containing questions that demanded drawing three-dimensional graphs on the fly, she was wracked with confusion. After hours of staring at the screen, all she achieved was dry eyes and a bruised ego. She wrote down the answers again and again and erased just as many that the paper was about to break. Her roommates' laughter filled the apartment as they enjoyed each other's company while her company was cold nights and homesickness. Staring at her best friend's profile photo, she felt tears dripping down. Having struggled for three days to complete the three-dimensional draft assignment, she decided to attend the problem session led by the Teacher Assistant. Her apparent failures had removed the imaginary hedgehog spines, and she felt naked when walking into the classroom. No longer was she the perfect one. Now she was just another struggling student. Then, an American student, who was from Phillips Peter Academy, asked about an obvious problem. No one stared at him condescendingly or murmured about him being stupid. Our hedgehog decided to take a chance, summoned all her courage and said, "I think there's something wrong with me". Suddenly, everyone looked at her puzzling. Feeling an electric shock, she forced herself to behave calmly and reformulated her question, "Sorry, I mean there is a problem with my homework". Mimicking the way other people presented problems and using dramatic gestures to help others understand her meaning, she began to get the understanding and support she desperately needed. Back into the dorm cave, she found the thorns she used to protect herself from others' opinions were ripped. Looking into the mirror, she saw the ugly marks under the rippled thorns while she felt unprecedented peace inside her heart. The story of that stubborn hedgehog was over. The girl, me, no longer wakes up under a hedgehog's name. I am now embracing the new me not for being perfect but for being courageous. I may not have the sweetest smiles or the highest grades. But I have the courage to become closer and closer to the outstanding group.

A leader is a person who is able to lead and guide themselves, other individuals, teams, or organizations. I do believe that everybody is a leader, eventhough they are not leading others. At least they are able to lead themselves in their own lives. But if we are talking about a great leader, of course it will be different, everybody has their own definitions. I do believe that being a great leader is an ability that is quite hard to attain and maintain. A great leader is someone who is able to combine both knowledge and practical skill. Someone will not be a great leader without the right amount of knowledge and only know how to work only. Likewise, a smart and knowledgeable person can not be a great leader without the ability to apply their knowledge. In my opinion, a great leader is someone who is able to lead their team members but also work with them. He or she must be able to work amongst his or her members and socialize with them. Being a great leader, you should not just talk and command your members blindly. You should understand about the personality and ability of your team members in order to assign the suitable tasks for them. Being assigned with the suitable tasks makes the members work better and efficiently rather than being assigned with random tasks. Building a good relationship by showing care and willing to share experiences or expertises with team members is one of the thing that is needed to be done by a great leader in leading their team. A great leader should know his or her working purpose in working together with others. By knowing their purpose, a great leader can share and connect his or her purpose to his or her members. It will make the members know that their works will contribute to the whole picture thus makes them working better and responsibly. Not only a purpose, a great leader should set goals in order to track their work progresses. A series of small to bigger goals should be set in order to make sure their works are still on line. In order to achieve those goals, a great leader should come up with list of top priorities that will help the leader and his or her team accomplish their goals. My leadership style is that I am trying to encourage my team members to develop and grow together. I am working alongside them and trying to embrace them. By embracing them, our relationships will be stronger and our working atmosphere will be better and supportive. Stronger relationships ensure the loyalty and prosperity of my team members. I also use some care and discipline that our performance will be always on point and elevate my team members spirit. A thing that I want to improve from my style is that I want to also bring benefits for my environment, not only for my team members. Before, I tended to focus only on my team members and their perfomances. While to be a great leader, I should also bring benefits to people around me and improving my environment. In order to achieve that, I should increase my empathy and paying more attention to my surroundings. By doing that, I will be able to know what is happening in my environment and helping to solve problems in my environment.

A leader is a person who is able to lead and guide themselves, other individuals, teams, or organizations. I do believe that everybody is a leader, even though they are not leading others. At least they are able to lead themselves in their own lives. But if we are talking about a great leader, of course it will be different, everybody has their own definitions. I do believe that being a great leader is an ability that is quite hard to attain and maintain. A great leader is someone who is able to combine both knowledge and practical skill. Someone will not be a great leader without the right amount of knowledge and only know how to work only. Likewise, a smart and knowledgeable person can not be a great leader without the ability to apply their knowledge. In my opinion, a great leader is someone who is able to lead their team members but also work with them. He or she must be able to work amongst his or her members and socialize with them. Being a great leader, you should not just talk and command your members blindly. You should understand about the personality and ability of your team members in order to assign the suitable tasks for them. Being assigned with the suitable tasks makes the members work better and efficiently rather than being assigned with random tasks. Building a good relationship by showing care and willing to share experiences or expertises with team members is one of the thing that is needed to be done by a great leader in leading their team. A great leader should know his or her working purpose in working together with others. By knowing their purpose, a great leader can share and connect his or her purpose to his or her members. It will make the members know that their works will contribute to the whole picture thus makes them working better and responsibly. Not only a purpose, a great leader should set goals in order to track their work progresses. A series of small to bigger goals should be set in order to make sure their works are still online. In order to achieve those goals, a great leader should come up with list of top priorities that will help the leader and his or her team accomplish their goals. My leadership style is that I am trying to encourage my team members to develop and grow together. I am working alongside them and trying to embrace them. By embracing them, our relationships will be stronger, and our working atmosphere will be better and supportive. Stronger relationships ensure the loyalty and prosperity of my team members. I also use some care and discipline that our performance will be always on point and elevate my team members spirit. A thing that I want to improve from my style is that I want to also bring benefits for my environment, not only for my team members. Before, I tended to focus only on my team members and their performances. While to be a great leader, I should also bring benefits to people around me and improving my environment. In order to achieve that, I should increase my empathy and paying more attention to my surroundings. By doing that, I will be able to know what is happening in my environment and helping to solve problems in my environment.

What attracts me to Duke is its inherent belief that a university is not just a place where people go to study, but an environment where students are allowed the opportunity to discover who they are and where they belong in this world. With Duke, I hope to be able to achieve a healthy balance between student life and academics through challenging classes that are complemented by the social environment, student organizations, research opportunities, and civic engagement programs. Aside from academia, I want to pursue experiences that push me to apply classroom-based knowledge and skills to real-life fields. Through the DukeEngage program, I can take part in projects that directly impact communities and explore places outside my comfort zone. I am excited at the prospect of being part of this vibrant, spirited, and passionate student body and looking forward to seeing the Blue Devils play live! Feedback is appreciated!

What attracts me to Duke is its inherent belief that a university is not just a place where people go to study, but an environment where students are allowed the opportunity to discover who they are and where they belong in this world. With Duke, I hope to be able to achieve a healthy balance between student life and academics through challenging classes that are complemented by the social environment, student organizations, research opportunities, and civic engagement programs. Aside from academia, I want to pursue experiences that push me to apply classroom-based knowledge and skills to real-life fields. Through the Disengage program, I can take part in projects that directly impact communities and explore places outside my comfort zone. I am excited at the prospect of being part of this vibrant, spirited, and passionate student body and looking forward to seeing the Blue Devils play live! Feedback is appreciated!

I used to live most of my life in a small town called Tanjungpinang. It is located in the northern part of Sumatra, near Malaysia and Singapore. Because of my environment and people around me, I used to believe that I would not be as succeeding as others who studying in big cities like Jakarta or Bandung. I didn't believe that I will be able to study abroad in a great and farway country like United States. When I entered my college in Jakarta, my horizon is broadened and now I do believe that I will be able to develop and be as successful as others, no matter where I came from. By joining the Global UGRAD Program, I believe that I will be able to develop myself more and inspire my fellow youths in my hometown that we can be as successful as others from big cities. Eventhough we are not starting with the same starting point like those from big cities, we can still win national competitions, participating in prestigious events, and going abroad to participate in exchanges like I will hopefully do. As a non-native student, I have the ability to adapt to new condition and environment. I managed to overcome the new condition, boundaries, and pressure in studying in big city like Jakarta which is completely different from my hometown. I managed to adapting with the study I do believe that this ability in adapting to new environment will help me being a great participant in the Global UGRAD Program. I will be able to adapt well the new environment there and overcome the challenges that come within. I also have strong mentality and opened-mind that will help me in facing changes and boundaries that will come during my exchange in the United States. Living in a developing country and an environment that is the combination of both slum and wealthy areas, I've seen both poor people who can only afford to eat scraps and unhealthy food and also rich people who is able to afford plenty healthy food but prefer to eat junk food like burgers and fast-food. By joining Global UGRAD Program, I hope that I can learn strategies from USA nutritional programs and services to help my environment. I want to reduce the gap in terms of nutritional status between the slum society and wealthy society. I want to make sure that eventhough you are poor, you can still have healty and nutritinous food that is cheap and affordable. I also want to educate the wealthy society to eat healthily and not wasting their food. Expensive food doesn't always mean that it's healthy and nutritinous but cheap food doesn't always mean that it's dirty and unhealthy. In Indonesia, the current topics are inclusivity and gap between disabled and normal community. I wish to see and learn one or two thing from developed country like USA in terms of inclusivity and health care for disabled community. I want to apply those strategies and make a nutrition education program for disabled and poor people because most of disabled people here still not making nutrition consumption as their number one priority. And it is a pity because being disabled doesn't mean that you should not pay attention to your nutritional status and consumption.

I used to live most of my life in a small town called Tanjungpinang. It is located in the northern part of Sumatra, near Malaysia and Singapore. Because of my environment and people around me, I used to believe that I would not be as succeeding as others who studying in big cities like Jakarta or Bandung. I didn't believe that I will be able to study abroad in a great and fairway country like the United States. When I entered my college in Jakarta, my horizon is broadened, and now I do believe that I will be able to develop and be as successful as others, no matter where I came from. By joining the Global GRAD Program, I believe that I will be able to develop myself more and inspire my fellow youths in my hometown that we can be as successful as others from big cities. Even though we are not starting with the same starting point like those from big cities, we can still win national competitions, participating in prestigious events, and going abroad to participate in exchanges like I will hopefully do. As a non-native student, I have the ability to adapt to new condition and environment. I managed to overcome the new condition, boundaries, and pressure in studying in big city like Jakarta which is completely different from my hometown. I managed to adapting with the study I do believe that this ability in adapting to new environment will help me to be a great participant in the Global GRAD Program. Furthermore, I will be able to adapt well the new environment there and overcome the challenges that come within. Furthermore, I also have strong mentality and opened-mind that will help me in facing changes and boundaries that will come during my exchange in the United States. Living in a developing country and an environment that is the combination of both slum and wealthy areas, I've seen both poor people who can only afford to eat scraps and unhealthy food and also rich people who are able to afford plenty healthy food but prefer to eat junk food like burgers and fast-food. By joining Global GRAD Program, I hope that I can learn strategies from the USA nutritional programs and services to help my environment. I want to reduce the gap in terms of nutritional status between the slum society and wealthy society. I want to make sure that even though you are poor, you can still have health and nutritious food that is cheap and affordable. Furthermore, I also want to educate the wealthy society to eat healthily and not wasting their food. Expensive food doesn't always mean that it's healthy and nutritious, but cheap food doesn't always mean that it's dirty and unhealthy. In Indonesia, the current topics are inclusivity and gap between disabled and normal community. I wish to see and learn one or two things from developed country like the USA in terms of inclusivity and health care for disabled community. I want to apply those strategies and make a nutrition education program for disabled and poor people because most of disabled people here still not making nutrition consumption as their number one priority. And it is a pity because being disabled doesn't mean that you should not pay attention to your nutritional status and consumption.

This isn't the most interesting story, but I hope you guys could help me iimprove in the areas that I am weak in. Did I make this story too much like a narrative? Being introverted has always been a part of my identity. I was never the most outgoing, talkative, or open person. I would seldom talk to others because I never thought I was interesting enough. I had always kept to myself. However, my perspective changed when I decided to join the Reading Buddies program. My reading buddy, Alex, timidly walked beside me as we were seeking a book to read. Never the first to start a conversation, I stayed silent. I realized how incredibly awkward it was for the both of us, so I decided to converse with him. Despite our age gap, I was surprised at how much we had in common. He enjoyed similar games, cherished some of my childhood books, and even had a dying passion for science. The more I opened up to Alex, the more receptive he was to my suggestions. I actively gave him recommendations to improve his reading and comprehension such as asking him to summarize what he read and to ask me about any foreign words. His improvement was multiplying each week. Alex was able to give me an accurate summary by the end of our program. The next spring, I was given a new buddy, Gary. This time, I made sure that I would not make him feel uncomfortable in any way due to my introversion. I promptly cracked my shell and told him about myself. Gary also slowly opened up. He had different areas of improvement than Alex, so I adjusted my teaching style. Instead of words, Gary seemed to be attracted to visual representations, so we chose books that included pictures that depicted the scene alongside the description. By the end, Gary's mother was so ecstatic that she asked me if I could tutor Gary every week when the program ended. I accepted her offer and Gary eventually told his friends, in which I also tutor currently. I currently tutor three students. The awkward silence broke me out of my shell and forced me to be more open with the people I meet.

This isn't the most interesting story, but I hope you guys could help me improve in the areas that I am weak in. Did I make this story too much like a narrative? Being introverted has always been a part of my identity. I was never the most outgoing, talkative, or open person. I would seldom talk to others because I never thought I was interesting enough. Furthermore, I had always kept to myself. However, my perspective changed when I decided to join the Reading Buddies program. My reading buddy, Alex, timidly walked beside me as we were seeking a book to read. Never the first to start a conversation, I stayed silent. I realized how incredibly awkward it was for the both of us, so I decided to converse with him. Despite our age gap, I was surprised at how much we had in common. He enjoyed similar games, cherished some of my childhood books, and even had a dying passion for science. The more I opened up to Alex, the more receptive he was to my suggestions. I actively gave him recommendations to improve his reading and comprehension such as asking him to summarize what he read and to ask me about any foreign words. His improvement was multiplying each week. Alex was able to give me an accurate summary by the end of our program. The next spring, I was given a new buddy, Gary. This time, I made sure that I would not make him feel uncomfortable in any way due to my introversion. I promptly cracked my shell and told him about myself. Gary also slowly opened up. He had different areas of improvement than Alex, so I adjusted my teaching style. Instead of words, Gary seemed to be attracted to visual representations, so we chose books that included pictures that depicted the scene alongside the description. By the end, Gary's mother was so ecstatic that she asked me if I could tutor Gary every week when the program ended. I accepted her offer and Gary eventually told his friends, in which I also tutor currently. I currently tutor three students. The awkward silence broke me out of my shell and forced me to be more open with the people I meet.

My identity is a product of moving across four continents and attempting to adapt to different cultures and languages. When I moved from Germany to Florida, I had to give up my horse-riding lessons at the farm next door, but invested my efforts into the Drama Club at my new school instead. The leadership skills I picked up as Junior Thespian President, I then applied during my time in Chile. When the rug was pulled out from under me, I learned to optimize my strengths and create opportunities for myself. My move to Santiago was the most challenging. I had to learn Spanish while studying at a school where I could not understand the content taught in class, nor communicate with my teachers. I joined intensive courses and studied most of my subjects independently. My transcripts show my progress. What the numbers can only imply is the work ethic I developed, and the ownership I learned to take over my education. It was challenging to create spaces for myself in this context. I grew the most when pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I improvised speeches in Spanish at school assemblies about my initiatives, knowing that many of my 500 classmates might make fun of my accent. I managed stressful situations, such as giving my Individual Oral Commentary while being evaluated alongside native speakers. I became an independent learner and leader, and am confident that my perseverance, optimism, and strength will allow me to contribute to our global community.

My identity is a product of moving across four continents and attempting to adapt to different cultures and languages. When I moved from Germany to Florida, I had to give up my horse-riding lessons at the farm next door, but invested my efforts into the Drama Club at my new school instead. The leadership skills I picked up as Junior Thespian President, I then applied during my time in Chile. When the rug was pulled out from under me, I learned to optimize my strengths and create opportunities for myself. My move to Santiago was the most challenging. I had to learn Spanish while studying at a school where I could not understand the content taught in class, nor communicate with my teachers. I joined intensive courses and studied most of my subjects independently. My transcripts show my progress. What the numbers can only imply is the work ethic I developed, and the ownership I learned to take over my education. It was challenging to create spaces for myself in this context. I grew the most when pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I improvised speeches in Spanish at school assemblies about my initiatives, knowing that many of my 500 classmates might make fun of my accent. Furthermore, I managed stressful situations, such as giving my Individual Oral Commentary while being evaluated alongside native speakers. Furthermore, I became an independent learner and leader, and am confident that my perseverance, optimism, and strength will allow me to contribute to our global community.

In the April in 2018, I took part in an activity during Anti Bullying Education Week. 3 weeks before the activity night, I began to practice dancing every day and watched the video in order to find where I could improve. Once I had free time, I would ask my friends to watch me dancing and give their comments. In the dress rehearsal, the teacher gave me some suggestions and I considered it carefully. The most difficult problem was overcome fear from the heart, so I told myself that was it was just a chance to challenge myself. It was my turn, so I had a deep breath before I moved my step. I tried to overcome my nervousness with legs shaking and finished the dance. I received applaud and some friends and parents from our class praised me as a brave girl. From this experience, I found that everything worth me to try because I won't know the result is not good if I don't try. In addition, courage is very useful in my future since sometimes we need to be brave trying new things so we can find chance to explore something different even the success.

In the April in 2018, I took part in an activity during Anti Bullying Education Week. 3 weeks before the activity night, I began to practice dancing every day and watched the video in order to find where I could improve. Once I had free time, I would ask my friends to watch me dancing and give their comments. In the dress rehearsal, the teacher gave me some suggestions and I considered it carefully. The most difficult problem was overcome fear from the heart, so I told myself that was it was just a chance to challenge myself. It was my turn, so I had a deep breath before I moved my step. I tried to overcome my nervousness with legs shaking and finished the dance. I received applaud and some friends and parents from our class praised me as a brave girl. From this experience, I found that everything worth me to try because I won't know the result is not good if I don't try. In addition, courage is very useful in my future since sometimes we need to be brave trying new things, so we can find chance to explore something different even the success.

CONGRATULATIONS, you finally did it! It has been a long journey, hasn't it? It all started when you and your family came from countryA to countryB in September of 20-- in pursuit of better education and a better life. After you arrived and settled in, you wanted to attend the High School you signed up for before migrating, but the classes were delayed for 3 months because the embassy designated teachers couldn't come. The school had to hire university students for the classes to begin. The lack of teachers combined with the delay got you down, but you picked your self back up and studied hard for every exam; when the academic year ended, you passed your diploma exam with flying colors at the top of your class. The early admissions deadline passed by the time you found out about universityname, so you planned to apply for the regular admissions. No places were available for the SAT exam, but the waitlist was open, so you signed up for it. On test day, however, there were no places available. All seemed lost, still, you didn't give up and wanted to give the rolling deadline a try. By the time the results were announced seats for the SAT were full again but the ACT had open seats. Once again you enlisted but were denied; it was so heartbreaking for us but there was no use crying about it. You didn't want to sit around and waste time, therefore, you found a job and after two months of training, you started working to help your family. You set your mind on the early admissions for 20-- and aimed to improve your math score and your essays. Sometime after submitting your application, the results came back and you did it! After submitting your application, you started going to a Russian language class to communicate better with people and a python class because you were curious and excited about learning what made it the most popular programming language. The eight years you strived to get your master's degree has made you more sociable and has equipped you with skills that will prove extremely useful in your life. You now think more critically, formulate original ideas, and are an improved team player. You built long-lasting friendships, learned exciting new skills, and discovered hidden potential along the way. Remember where you came from; because today the journey continues.

CONGRATULATIONS, you finally did it! It has been a long journey, hasn't it? It all started when you and your family came from country to country in September of 20-- in pursuit of better education and a better life. After you arrived and settled in, you wanted to attend the High School you signed up for before migrating, but the classes were delayed for 3 months because the embassy designated teachers couldn't come. The school had to hire university students for the classes to begin. The lack of teachers combined with the delay got you down, but you picked your self back up and studied hard for every exam; when the academic year ended, you passed your diploma exam with flying colors at the top of your class. The early admissions' deadline passed by the time you found out about university name, so you planned to apply for the regular admissions. No places were available for the SAT exam, but the waitlist was open, so you signed up for it. On test day, however, there were no places available. All seemed lost, still, you didn't give up and wanted to give the rolling deadline a try. By the time the results were announced seats for the SAT were full again, but the ACT had open seats. Once again you enlisted but were denied; it was so heartbreaking for us but there was no use crying about it. You didn't want to sit around and waste time, therefore, you found a job and after two months of training, you started working to help your family. You set your mind on the early admissions for 20-- and aimed to improve your math score and your essays. Sometime after submitting your application, the results came back, and you did it! After submitting your application, you started going to a Russian language class to communicate better with people and a python class because you were curious and excited about learning what made it the most popular programming language. The eight years you strived to get your master's degree has made you more sociable and has equipped you with skills that will prove extremely useful in your life. You now think more critically, formulate original ideas, and are an improved team player. You built long-lasting friendships, learned exciting new skills, and discovered hidden potential along the way. Remember where you came from; because today the journey continues.

This is my response so far: My club leadership activity is at the top of my list. I learned a lot about how to get along with other people. Since I was a very introverted person before I lead this club, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn important people skills. It was not easy for me to get used to the leadership role quickly because I faced random obstacles on my way. One of the first obstacles I faced was how to make other people understand what I am teaching. I started to realize that I need to use modify my words more appropriate to people who are new to programming. The problem is that I used lots of very technical terms which made my club members head spin. My friends and I experimented with various teaching plans and we found out that only a few worked well. I learned a lot in the process. For instance, I learned that many people will not learn as quickly as I do so sometimes I need to slow down a bit. Next to my club leadership activity is Hackathon. This event strengthened my teamwork and my ability to work under time pressure. So far, I have participated in two Hackathons, one during the summer of my grade eleven and twelve year and another happened very recently. Hackathons does not only improve my technical skills but it helped me to realize how good teamwork brings value to the project. During my first Hackathon, my team at first had no idea how to communicate well. Since I am hearing-impaired this made the problem worse. Fortunately, we figured out our communication strategy and we finished our game project right on time. We learned how to effectively use Git to synchronize our efforts. Also, Hackathons taught me how to think and react fast. I am used to be a slow programmer, after Hackathons I can think the solution to any programming problems as quickly as possible. The second Hackathon went well, I collaborated with my team to build a software that solves a problem relating to digital education. Did I answer this question well? I would be glad if you can give me some feedbacks on my response. I am open to strong criticisms. Thank you in advance.

This is my response so far: My club leadership activity is at the top of my list. I learned a lot about how to get along with other people. Since I was a very introverted person before I lead this club, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn important people skills. It was not easy for me to get used to the leadership role quickly because I faced random obstacles on my way. One of the first obstacles I faced was how to make other people understand what I am teaching. I started to realize that I need to use modify my words more appropriate to people who are new to programming. The problem is that I used lots of very technical terms which made my club members head spin. My friends and I experimented with various teaching plans, and we found out that only a few worked well. I learned a lot in the process. For instance, I learned that many people will not learn as quickly as I do so sometimes I need to slow down a bit. Next to my club leadership activity is Hackathon. This event strengthened my teamwork and my ability to work under time pressure. So far, I have participated in two Hackathons, one during the summer of my grade eleven and twelve year and another happened very recently. Hackathon does not only improve my technical skills, but it helped me to realize how good teamwork brings value to the project. During my first Hackathon, my team at first had no idea how to communicate well. Since I am hearing-impaired this made the problem worse. Fortunately, we figured out our communication strategy, and we finished our game project right on time. We learned how to effectively use Git to synchronize our efforts. Also, Hackathons taught me how to think and react fast. I am used to being a slow programmer, after Hackathons I can think the solution to any programming problems as quickly as possible. The second Hackathon went well, I collaborated with my team to build a software that solves a problem relating to digital education. Did I answer this question well? I would be glad if you can give me some feedbacks on my response. I am open to strong criticisms. Thank you in advance.

What draws me to research this subject at degree level is the intricate and multifaceted complexity of the law, as well as the fact that it has an effect on so many different aspects of society. Having lived in Hong Kong for the majority of my life, I understand that it is the predominant overarching factor that determines our society's stability. Hong Kong follows the 'one country - two systems' unique constitutional principle and is what differentiates Hong Kong from Mainland China. Law succeeds in permeating every part of the world today; it is very much concerned with current affairs and affected by them. The recent political unrest sparked by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill by the Hong Kong government is what further piqued my interest in the subject. While the law is primarily concerned with the regulations of governing society, the fact that it encompasses elements of language, geography, economics and other disciplines appeals to me. Through my IB subjects, I have been able to develop skills which have aided my pursuit of a legal career. Studying English Language and Literature has allowed me to improve my argumentative and analysis skills. Drawing literary precedents and scrutinizing different texts to prove a thesis in forensic detail are key skills for a lawyer. Studying Economics has allowed me to draw parallels with the law as both shape itself around trends and befit themselves in the society that they belong to. Geography has taught me that similarities in law are what unites countries together, but differences in law can drive transnational communities apart. Even learning Chinese has allowed me to understand the mechanics of different languages and enables me to recognise the importance of linguistic intricacies while forming logical arguments. My Extended Essay allowed me to take my studies beyond my subjects. I chose to analyse the exploitation of the rap lyric form as a vehicle for socio-political commentary and critique. This As well as allowing for close scrutiny of the texts, the Extended Essay allowed me to hone my research and analytical skills. I was able to think critically about how language has a large effect on law and the mistreatment of the legal system towards people of different communities. Researching and analysing texts and papers has allowed me to further strengthen my ability to research and construct different arguments and improve my critical thinking skills. Attending the Cambridge Summer School has also allowed me to further extend my understanding in 2 different fields of law - Public International Law and the UK Constitutional Law. Attending these courses has allowed me to understand the importance of law and the effects it has on countries and its people. Learning about the UK constitutional law has allowed me to examine key concepts including the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary, the concept of devolution and how power is shared within the United Kingdom between Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since the UK is in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the UK leaving the EU, the study of constitutional law has never been more important and this has given me a headstart in the core module of the first year of law. Public international law has allowed me to learn contemporary examples of international legal problems that allowed me to learn the importance of constructing legal arguments based on precedents and definitions and this allowed to be dissuaded from building my arguments too intuitively. I have always been a highly active member of the school and the community. Being the leader of an Economics and Business study club and Art club and volunteering to tutor English to underprivileged children has taught me leadership and oral communication skills. This position has given me the opportunity to develop logical reasoning and time management skills. The more human aspects of the law are what I currently find the most interesting, whether it be the tensions between security and personal liberties in Hong Kong or the consideration of Intention under Criminal Law. I am looking forward to dedicating myself to a degree which will allow me to explore these aspects and many others, leading me ultimately to my goal of becoming a Criminal Barrister.

What draws me to research this subject at degree level is the intricate and multifaceted complexity of the law, as well as the fact that it has an effect on so many aspects of society. Having lived in Hong Kong for the majority of my life, I understand that it is the predominant overarching factor that determines our society's stability. Hong Kong follows the 'one country - two systems' unique constitutional principle and is what differentiates Hong Kong from Mainland China. Law succeeds in permeating every part of the world today; it is very much concerned with current affairs and affected by them. The recent political unrest sparked by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill by the Hong Kong government is what further piqued my interest in the subject. While the law is primarily concerned with the regulations of governing society, the fact that it encompasses elements of language, geography, economics and other disciplines appeals to me. Through my IB subjects, I have been able to develop skills which have aided my pursuit of a legal career. Studying English Language and Literature has allowed me to improve my argumentative and analysis skills. Drawing literary precedents and scrutinizing different texts to prove a thesis in forensic detail are key skills for a lawyer. Studying Economics has allowed me to draw parallels with the law as both shape itself around trends and befit themselves in the society that they belong to. Geography has taught me that similarities in law are what unites countries together, but differences in law can drive transnational communities apart. Even learning Chinese has allowed me to understand the mechanics of different languages and enables me to recognize the importance of linguistic intricacies while forming logical arguments. My Extended Essay allowed me to take my studies beyond my subjects. I chose to analyze the exploitation of the rap lyric form as a vehicle for sociopolitical commentary and critique. This As well as allowing for scrutiny of the texts, the Extended Essay allowed me to hone my research and analytical skills. I was able to think critically about how language has a large effect on law and the mistreatment of the legal system towards people of different communities. Researching and analyzing texts and papers has allowed me to further strengthen my ability to research and construct different arguments and improve my critical thinking skills. Attending the Cambridge Summer School has also allowed me to further extend my understanding in 2 different fields of law - Public International Law and the UK Constitutional Law. Attending these courses has allowed me to understand the importance of law and the effects it has on countries and its people. Learning about the UK constitutional law has allowed me to examine key concepts including the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary, the concept of devolution and how power is shared within the United Kingdom between Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since the UK is in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the UK leaving the EU, the study of constitutional law has never been more important and this has given me a head start in the core module of the first year of law. Public international law has allowed me to learn contemporary examples of international legal problems that allowed me to learn the importance of constructing legal arguments based on precedents and definitions and this allowed to be dissuaded from building my arguments too intuitively. I have always been a highly active member of the school and the community. Being the leader of an Economics and Business study club and Art club and volunteering to tutor English to underprivileged children has taught me leadership and oral communication skills. This position has given me the opportunity to develop logical reasoning and time management skills. The more human aspects of the law are what I currently find the most interesting, whether it be the tensions between security and personal liberties in Hong Kong or the consideration of Intention under Criminal Law. I am looking forward to dedicating myself to a degree which will allow me to explore these aspects and many others, leading me ultimately to my goal of becoming a Criminal Barrister.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. The moat stretches across as far as eyes can see in either direction. Riddled with motoring crocodiles, it has little room for my juvenile escapades which - dad says - could cause irreparable harm. The explorer in me, eleven, has little autonomy. He isn't allowed to scale the mighty chasm and reach the lands that lie on the other side, at least not by himself. Back in the humble kingdom of my residential block, streets and alleys coil like snakes around each other. Streets which will one day house only the ghosts of the games I play there; hide-n-seek, seven-stones and tag. Despite the lasting memories, my kingdom feels too small. I have to venture outwards. I start with visits to nearby blocks that eventually morph into daily walks to the school. Most mornings, I am dressed and out the door before my mum can hand me lunch. Walking through the empty streets, a chill breeze and the fragrance of morning dew along the park greet my drowsy senses. The sleepy sun, tucked behind cloud cover, shines red on a scene which could be out of a movie. I, of course, am the hero who won't let some municipality markings guard the mysteries that lie beyond. While journeys in the morning are exhilarating and fresh with independence, returning home in the afternoon is another story. The sun bears down hard forgetting the companionship we had formed for my feature film. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck. My shoulders ache and sink under the weight of the school bag. My back feels the itchy inklings of a sunburn. While my legs trudge along, my hand waves at passing friends and my thoughts curse the day I asked my mum to stop dropping me off to school. Yet I know full well that my feet will just as excitedly spring out of bed the next morning as they had this one. Ready for another solo quest. The curious adventurer in me loves travelling alone, on his own time. He can traverse landscapes, harsh or benign, without relying on anyone else. He isn't burdened by small talk. Isn't limited by roads and paths. Isn't accursed with tracks someone else wants to listen to. His ears ring with Avicii's music and Foreign Policy podcasts whenever he desires either. In a metro, he can even write a script or finish a lecture without having to cater to company. That does sound perfect. However, there's always a merciless afternoon sun for the caring early morning breeze. There's always a price you pay for being independent. Now that I can get myself to n' fro wherever I want, I am the one responsible for getting myself there and back. The script and lecture are commitments as much as they're extensions of my freedom. At the risk of tinkering with a remarkable piece of wisdom, 'With great liberty comes great responsibility.' You can't be independent without being responsible. I continue to find additional responsibilities as I cross the big moats of my life. Starting A-Levels at my school and learning the new curriculum was taxing yet extremely rewarding. Researching the regulatory oversight and supply shortcomings in the Gurugram housing market revealed the limitations that social structures can impose on individual freedom. Uncovering the undemocratic nature of the anti-defection law in the Indian Parliament strengthened that observation. Pursuing online courses, A-Level Further Maths and multiple jobs simultaneously was daunting and empowering at the same time. I've grown grateful for both the small and life-altering experiences which have shaped me into the individual I've become. Really, can we even pick one from the other? University is another massive moat. While the lands that lie ahead appear mystical and inviting, I look forward just as much to the reptilian responsibilities I'll be tackling along the way. They've made me who I am after all.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. The moat stretches across as far as eyes can see in either direction. Riddled with motoring crocodiles, it has little room for my juvenile escapades which - dad says - could cause irreparable harm. The explorer in me, eleven, has little autonomy. He isn't allowed to scale the mighty chasm and reach the lands that lie on the other side, at least not by himself. Back in the humble kingdom of my residential block, streets and alleys coil like snakes around each other. Streets which will one day house only the ghosts of the games I play there; hide-n-seek, seven-stones and tag. Despite the lasting memories, my kingdom feels too small. I have to venture outwards. I start with visits to nearby blocks that eventually morph into daily walks to the school. Most mornings, I am dressed and out the door before my mum can hand me lunch. Walking through the empty streets, a chill breeze and the fragrance of morning dew along the park greet my drowsy senses. The sleepy sun, tucked behind cloud cover, shines red on a scene which could be out of a movie. I, of course, am the hero who won't let some municipality markings guard the mysteries that lie beyond. While journeys in the morning are exhilarating and fresh with independence, returning home in the afternoon is another story. The sun bears down hard forgetting the companionship we had formed for my feature film. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck. My shoulders ache and sink under the weight of the school bag. My back feels the itchy inklings of a sunburn. While my legs trudge along, my hand waves at passing friends and my thoughts curse the day I asked my mum to stop dropping me off to school. Yet I know full well that my feet will just as excitedly spring out of bed the next morning as they had this one. Ready for another solo quest. The curious adventurer in me loves travelling alone, on his own time. He can traverse landscapes, harsh or benign, without relying on anyone else. He isn't burdened by small talk. Isn't limited by roads and paths. Isn't accursed with tracks someone else wants to listen to. His ears ring with Avicii's music and Foreign Policy podcasts whenever he desires either. In a metro, he can even write a script or finish a lecture without having to cater to company. That does sound perfect. However, there's always a merciless afternoon sun for the caring early morning breeze. There's always a price you pay for being independent. Now that I can get myself to n' for wherever I want, I am the one responsible for getting myself there and back. The script and lecture are commitments as much as their extensions of my freedom. At the risk of tinkering with a remarkable piece of wisdom, 'With great liberty comes great responsibility.' You can't be independent without being responsible. I continue to find additional responsibilities as I cross the big moats of my life. Starting A-Levels at my school and learning the new curriculum was taxing yet extremely rewarding. Researching the regulatory oversight and supply shortcomings in the Guru gram housing market revealed the limitations that social structures can impose on individual freedom. Uncovering the undemocratic nature of the anti-defection law in the Indian Parliament strengthened that observation. Pursuing online courses, A-Level Further Math and multiple jobs simultaneously was daunting and empowering at the same time. I've grown grateful for both the small and life-altering experiences which have shaped me into the individual I've become. Really, can we even pick one from the other? University is another massive moat. While the lands that lie ahead appear mystical and inviting, I look forward just as much to the reptilian responsibilities I'll be tackling along the way. They've made me who I am after all.

When I walked in for my first shift as a volunteer at the senior center, I was on edge, distraught, and uncomfortable in a foreign environment. The fear from making a mistake kept me inside of my shell, and I became shy and preserved. Everything was out of the ordinary and I had a hard time connecting and finding a groove in this new environment due to my high expectations of myself. As I began to volunteer more and learn how to integrate myself in conversations or simple interactions with seniors, I became more comfortable and relaxed. These early conflicts taught me how to approach a situation with care and to pay attention to detail. Once I had established my own sense of being, I began to try and lead others or initiate conversations, becoming more confident in myself and learning from my past mistakes. These conversations were difficult to find common ground on, and tried my problem solving skills and maturity and overall helped me establish a better sense of respect in the workplace with my fellow volunteers and seniors. This experience in working with seniors has taught me many things, primarily the value of patience, an eye for detail, and hard work. Over the summer I had a wonderful opportunity to participate in the Explore Program in Quebec to learn the French language and culture in Canada. Signing up with my close friends, I knew that it was going to be a memorable summer. As we were placed in our classes in which I did not recognize anyone. This forced me to come out of my comfort zone and make new friends and take the risk. As our classes progressed we became a close-knit community, like we had known each other for our whole lives. This experience taught me how to be an independent person, create meaningful bonds with people, respect our differences and work together to achieve a common goal while having a great time. (328)

When I walked in for my first shift as a volunteer at the senior center, I was on edge, distraught, and uncomfortable in a foreign environment. The fear from making a mistake kept me inside my shell, and I became shy and preserved. Everything was out of the ordinary and I had a hard time connecting and finding a groove in this new environment due to my high expectations of myself. As I began to volunteer more and learn how to integrate myself in conversations or simple interactions with seniors, I became more comfortable and relaxed. These early conflicts taught me how to approach a situation with care and to pay attention to detail. Once I had established my own sense of being, I began to try and lead others or initiate conversations, becoming more confident in myself and learning from my past mistakes. These conversations were difficult to find common ground on, and tried my problem-solving skills and maturity and overall helped me establish a better sense of respect in the workplace with my fellow volunteers and seniors. This experience in working with seniors has taught me many things, primarily the value of patience, an eye for detail, and hard work. Over the summer I had a wonderful opportunity to participate in the Explore Program in Quebec to learn the French language and culture in Canada. Signing up with my close friends, I knew that it was going to be a memorable summer. As we were placed in our classes in which I did not recognize anyone. This forced me to come out of my comfort zone and make new friends and take the risk. As our classes progressed we became a close-knit community, like we had known each other for our whole lives. This experience taught me how to be an independent person, create meaningful bonds with people, respect our differences and work together to achieve a common goal while having a great time. (328)

Who doesn't know that words have power, it's a fact right? But, who knows that Silence also has power; a power that's hard to get. As a kid, I had a speech delay that lasted 4 years, which inherently raised a red flag among concerned family members. Doctors tried without success to counsel my parents to be patient. Others thought that it was a bad experience for me and I was suffering a lot, but that was far from the truth. I personally count this period as the most important milestone in my life. My inability to communicate with words did not hinder my childhood moments from being enjoyable and memorable. I still had my fair share of great adventures and pleasant memories. Moreover, I was able to develop my personality discreetly especially my artistic side. I spent my time admiring different views, buildings, and scenery, using my disguised blessing of muteness as an opportunity to think more and talk less. Therefore after getting used to this, it became a habit. After a while, a regular day for me involved observing other kids from afar while daydreaming magical scenarios for my character. On some occasions, my bedroom window became a safe haven for the night, as I enjoyed stargazing and making up shapes in the night sky. At the age of 4, my parents heard my first words and were beside themself with joy. As the great parents, they are, their hearts almost burst open with emotions and happiness. That moment was sculpted in their memories and tongues too, as they keep reminding me of those cherished moments to encourage me in times of doubts and reaffirm my strengths as a young man. However, speaking itself was still a process. I still had problems with my pronunciation. Was the blessing of speaking my first words an incomplete gift? No! It was a new challenge I had to work on. A hurdle of sorts that would help shape my upbringing. No matter how this could affect me, I have adapted to it. Not just by accepting my circumstances, but by changing others' opinions of me. Whenever I would say something and make mistakes when playing with my peers at the kindergarten, they would start making fun of me. I had two options to choose from: to resist or to give up playing. I chose to resist. And so, under my silent cover and my little sudden words, I started expressing myself differently. I gave my silence a power that let others see me in a different light. I stopped being known as the kid who spoke poorly and became known as a handicraftsman in the classroom and an artist, as a result of a hundred artworks sketched with a pencil or made with simple materials. The respect that I worked for is now combined and attached to a nickname that was carved in my classmates' memories during years and years which led them to qualify me as their class delegates in high school through two consecutive years. The boy who couldn't speak then, now speaks on behalf of all of his classmates. This is why I worked hard on my attitude towards others. Because even with weaknesses, you can be a great leader with a high attitude and a powerful silence. Attitude defines one's personality. You do not have to be big or small, strong or weak. It is the way you play the cards that are dealt to you. What you make of them is what shapes your future. One can choose to cry over spilled milk, but I choose to pick up the mop, clean it up and go make myself a cup of sweet Moroccan tea instead.

Who doesn't know that words have power, it's a fact right? But, who knows that Silence also has power; a power that's hard to get. As a kid, I had a speech delay that lasted 4 years, which inherently raised a red flag among concerned family members. Doctors tried without success to counsel my parents to be patient. Others thought that it was a bad experience for me, and I was suffering a lot, but that was far from the truth. I personally count this period as the most important milestone in my life. My inability to communicate with words did not hinder my childhood moments from being enjoyable and memorable. I still had my fair share of great adventures and pleasant memories. Moreover, I was able to develop my personality discreetly especially my artistic side. I spent my time admiring different views, buildings, and scenery, using my disguised blessing of muteness as an opportunity to think more and talk less. Therefore, after getting used to this, it became a habit. After a while, a regular day for me involved observing other kids from afar while daydreaming magical scenarios for my character. On some occasions, my bedroom window became a safe haven for the night, as I enjoyed stargazing and making up shapes in the night sky. At the age of 4, my parents heard my first words and were beside themselves with joy. As the great parents, they are, their hearts almost burst open with emotions and happiness. That moment was sculpted in their memories and tongues too, as they keep reminding me of those cherished moments to encourage me in times of doubts and reaffirm my strengths as a young man. However, speaking itself was still a process. I still had problems with my pronunciation. Was the blessing of speaking my first words an incomplete gift? No! It was a new challenge I had to work on. A hurdle of sorts that would help shape my upbringing. No matter how this could affect me, I have adapted to it. Not just by accepting my circumstances, but by changing others' opinions of me. Whenever I would say something and make mistakes when playing with my peers at the kindergarten, they would start making fun of me. I had two options to choose from: to resist or to give up playing. I chose to resist. And so, under my silent cover and my little sudden words, I started expressing myself differently. I gave my silence a power that let others see me in a different light. I stopped being known as the kid who spoke poorly and became known as a handicrafts man in the classroom and an artist, as a result of a hundred artworks sketched with a pencil or made with simple materials. The respect that I worked for is now combined and attached to a nickname that was carved in my classmates' memories during years and years which led them to qualify me as their class delegates in high school through two consecutive years. The boy who couldn't speak then, now speaks on behalf of all of his classmates. This is why I worked hard on my attitude towards others. Because even with weaknesses, you can be a great leader with a high attitude and a powerful silence. Attitude defines one's personality. You do not have to be big or small, strong or weak. It is the way you play the cards that are dealt to you. What you make of them is what shapes your future. One can choose to cry over spilled milk, but I choose to pick up the mop, clean it up and go make myself a cup of sweet Moroccan tea instead.

I am writing to express my interest in pursuing a chance to participate SSRF and search on information and system security area. I wish to attend to this program to obtain a better understanding of how to make contribution to the literature and a deep knowledge of information security. The undergraduate curriculum in computer science introduces me a variety of mathematics and professional computer. After finishing participating SURF as a volunteer about decentralizing block chain in my school and completing a conference paper related to unbalanced key agreement, I began to read paper about cryptography and key agreement once a week and learned to use neural network for anomaly detection. Therefore, I develop a particular interest in being a researcher and joining the exploration of different aspects of information security with increasing understanding of information security. I now wish to extend my interest with completing the program, which is a good chance to help me to attach different theories or applications about security in different scenarios. More importantly, the academic atmosphere in ETH will provide a positive influence on being aware of how I can make a new contribution to the existing literature as a researcher. After three years of project in various courses, I have rich experience in arranging research process and exploring solution for problems. In addition, the critical thinking of evaluating papers and the ability to integrate the ideas of others to optimize my own idea have been enhanced when I finished my paper and participating SURF. Therefore, I am confident that I can complete the research project by applying my abilities and my experience in exploring information security area After accomplishing SSRF, I gain a more rigorous attitude in research and a more complete system for security. I plan to pursue a master within security area by leverage the abilities to support my year 4.

I am writing to express my interest in pursuing a chance to participate SSRF and search on information and system security area. I wish to attend to this program to obtain a better understanding of how to make contribution to the literature and a deep knowledge of information security. The undergraduate curriculum in computer science introduces me a variety of mathematics and professional computer. After finishing participating SURF as a volunteer about decentralizing blockchain in my school and completing a conference paper related to unbalanced key agreement, I began to read paper about cryptography and key agreement once a week and learned to use neural network for anomaly detection. Therefore, I develop a particular interest in being a researcher and joining the exploration of different aspects of information security with increasing understanding of information security. I now wish to extend my interest with completing the program, which is a good chance to help me to attach different theories or applications about security in different scenarios. More importantly, the academic atmosphere in ETH will provide a positive influence on being aware of how I can make a new contribution to the existing literature as a researcher. After three years of project in various courses, I have rich experience in arranging research process and exploring solution for problems. In addition, the critical thinking of evaluating papers and the ability to integrate the ideas of others to optimize my own idea have been enhanced when I finished my paper and participating SURF. Therefore, I am confident that I can complete the research project by applying my abilities and my experience in exploring information security area After accomplishing SSRF, I gain a more rigorous attitude in research and a more complete system for security. I plan to pursue a master within security area by leverage the abilities to support my year 4.

Losing weight was a problem that I struggled with; I was always known as the chubby one. Coming from a family and having friends who gave physical health great importance I didn't fit in. I played field hockey and went to the gym 2-3 days a week but my halfhearted attempts weren't working. It was the summer of 2017 and the return of my field hockey season. I walked down the stairs to the turf field like I did every year but, this year was different. I had a goal in mind, I wouldn't let jokes about me being overweight put me down but I would use them as an encouragement to try my best and lose weight. Keeping this positive mindset and putting 100% effort I went from being 5'9" and 165lbs to 6'0" and 150lbs. I have a body I am confident and proud of knowing how hard I worked to get to this point and how hard I'm working to maintain it. Trying my hardest in my field hockey practice and going to the gym consistently has shown if I set a goal and strive to put my best effort into achieving them, I am able to get the results I want. This is a quality I cherish and am known for among my teachers and friends. I would also be described as being very supportive. I find great satisfaction in being able to help my friends and peers create and reach their own goals 249 words, any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Losing weight was a problem that I struggled with; I was always known as the chubby one. Coming from a family and having friends who gave physical health great importance I didn't fit in. I played field hockey and went to the gym 2-3 days a week, but my halfhearted attempts weren't working. It was the summer of 2017 and the return of my field hockey season. I walked down the stairs to the turf field like I did every year but, this year was different. I had a goal in mind, I wouldn't let jokes about me being overweight put me down, but I would use them as an encouragement to try my best and lose weight. Keeping this positive mindset and putting 100% effort I went from being 5'9" and 165lbs to 6'0" and 150lbs. I have a body I am confident and proud of knowing how hard I worked to get to this point and how hard I'm working to maintain it. Trying my hardest in my field hockey practice and going to the gym consistently has shown if I set a goal and strive to put my best effort into achieving them, I am able to get the results I want. This is a quality I cherish and am known for among my teachers and friends. I would also be described as being very supportive. I find great satisfaction in being able to help my friends and peers create and reach their own goals 249 words, any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Prompt:Tell us more about ONE or TWO activities listed above that are most important to you.Please explain the role you played and what you learned in the process. You will be asked for a reference who can speak to your response. (maximum 350 words) The most important activity for me is my volunteer experience at a Chinese Zither Store. In December of 2019, I was requested by my teacher to start volunteering at her store as a teacher's assistant, which I have committed to attending every Saturday, from 9am to 4pm. There are a number of tasks that I have to go through each day such as teaching students how to play the Chinese Zither, making sure all the instruments are tuned to their correct key, and also recording the attendance and transactions made by the students. From volunteering at the store, I have learned many valuable lessons and skills such as the importance of being on time and to tune instruments efficiently. In the beginning, I broke many strings while tuning, however, my teacher patiently taught me the techniques and tolerate my mistake each time a string was broken. Through many practices and broken strings, I learned to quickly tune the instrument when needed, as well as changing the keys from one to another on different Zithers. Another accomplishment that I am proud of is successfully teaching a young girl to play the zither, while assisting her in achieving high grades on her Grade 4 level CCOM Technique Exam. I taught her the skills she needed to beautifully play her exam songs, as well as teaching her to clap the rhythms. Another skill required by the exam is to sing the tunes without playing the instrument. The student who I taught had difficulties finding the tune in the beginning, however, through encouragement and determination, she is now able to sing the melody of a piece with one glance at the notes. Seeing the students transforming from junior to masters leaves me a sense of fulfillment from my volunteer experience. Thanks in advance!

Prompt:Tell us more about ONE or TWO activities listed above that are most important to you. Please explain the role you played and what you learned in the process. You will be asked for a reference who can speak to your response. (maximum 350 words) The most important activity for me is my volunteer experience at a Chinese Zither Store. In December 2019, I was requested by my teacher to start volunteering at her store as a teacher's assistant, which I have committed to attending every Saturday, from 9am to 4pm. There are a number of tasks that I have to go through each day such as teaching students how to play the Chinese Zither, making sure all the instruments are tuned to their correct key, and also recording the attendance and transactions made by the students. From volunteering at the store, I have learned many valuable lessons and skills such as the importance of being on time and to tune instruments efficiently. In the beginning, I broke many strings while tuning, however, my teacher patiently taught me the techniques and tolerate my mistake each time a string was broken. Through many practices and broken strings, I learned to quickly tune the instrument when needed, as well as changing the keys from one to another on different Zithers. Another accomplishment that I am proud of is successfully teaching a young girl to play the zither, while assisting her in achieving high grades on her Grade 4 level COM Technique Exam. I taught her the skills she needed to beautifully play her exam songs, as well as teaching her to clap the rhythms. Another skill required by the exam is to sing the tunes without playing the instrument. The student who I taught had difficulties finding the tune in the beginning, however, through encouragement and determination, she is now able to sing the melody of a piece with one glance at the notes. Seeing the students transforming from junior to masters leaves me a sense of fulfillment from my volunteer experience. Thanks in advance!

A word that describes me is resilient. I am someone who can adapt effectively and quickly to change, coming out as the best version of myself. My family knows that I am hard to satisfy, and take things seriously whatever the task. If I am pushed down because of something, I don't let myself get discouraged, but work even harder to complete it. My peers would agree that when I have my mind set on something, I am determined to see it through no matter the path that I have to take. In the face of conflict or hardships I simply focus on the end goal, and work hard to achieve it. For example, barely passing a math test in grade ten. The night before I had put in the time to study the material and felt quite confident as I found the course to be relatively easy. As I got the test back, I was shocked to find out my mark, and was blinded by my failure. Soon after, I realized my mistake, even though I felt confident and well studied, in reality I did not dedicate enough time and I got arrogant. From this experience I learned not to fixate on what I did wrong, but to work towards a solution. This simple lesson is something that reverberates throughout my life and is something that I can say that I am proud of, that I no matter the consequence I will rebound from my mistakes.(247) Any feedback is appreciated :), sorry if the format is wrong, Thanks in advance!

A word that describes me is resilient. I am someone who can adapt effectively and quickly to change, coming out as the best version of myself. My family knows that I am hard to satisfy, and take things seriously whatever the task. If I am pushed down because of something, I don't let myself get discouraged, but work even harder to complete it. My peers would agree that when I have my mind set on something, I am determined to see it through no matter the path that I have to take. In the face of conflict or hardships I simply focus on the end goal, and work hard to achieve it. For example, barely passing a math test in grade ten. The night before I had put in the time to study the material and felt quite confident as I found the course to be relatively easy. As I got the test back, I was shocked to find out my mark, and was blinded by my failure. Soon after, I realized my mistake, even though I felt confident and well studied, in reality I did not dedicate enough time and I got arrogant. From this experience I learned not to fixate on what I did wrong, but to work towards a solution. This simple lesson is something that reverberates throughout my life and is something that I can say that I am proud of, that I no matter the consequence I will rebound from my mistakes.(247) Any feedback is appreciated :), sorry if the format is wrong, Thanks in advance!

My day is never over without telling her all its incidences. She's the protagonist of all my success stories; before every future step, she displays my previous ones to proofread. Whenever I'm on the borders of a new challenge, she awakens my success memories in my mind, motivating me to work hard to the bones to conquer it. In my down moments, she always embraces me, pushing me to back up myself and eagerly continue my path. On my feeling-worthless moments, she always encourages me and reminds me of all the hard moments I've experienced before, making me believe in my potential to pass this one too. Her birthdays' gifts are the best; they always show me how the new-versioned me is compared to the old-versioned me. She's my best companion and the reason behind every conquered fear and achieved success. My diary is God's gift to me. Waking up in the early morning, experiencing joyful moments, stressful ones or even a daily routine, I end up expressing my feelings and reciting my day down in it. It's my pace growth mirror; every time I open it, I learn from my past steps, whether a failure or success, and I feel more focused to take bigger steps.

My day is never over without telling her all its incidences. She's the protagonist of all my success stories; before every future step, she displays my previous ones to proofread. Whenever I'm on the borders of a new challenge, she awakens my success memories in my mind, motivating me to work hard to the bones to conquer it. In my down moments, she always embraces me, pushing me to back up myself and eagerly continue my path. On my feeling-worthless moments, she always encourages me and reminds me of all the hard moments I've experienced before, making me believe in my potential to pass this one too. Her birthdays' gifts are the best; they always show me how the new-versioned me is compared to the old-versioned me. She's my best companion and the reason behind every conquered fear and achieved success. My diary is God's gift to me. Waking up in the early morning, experiencing joyful moments, stressful ones or even a daily routine, I end up expressing my feelings and reciting my day down in it. It's my pace growth mirror; every time I open it, I learn from my past steps, whether a failure or success, and I feel more focused to take bigger steps.

For this essay I talked about the importance of baseball to myself For almost my entire life I have played baseball. Picking up a ball and bat for the first time when I was 2 turned out to be the greatest decision of my life to date. When I attended tryouts for my first competitive baseball team, I experienced a whirlwind of emotions including jubilation when I was selected to play "rep" baseball. A decade later, I am still playing for the same team at the highest amateur level in Ontario (Elite) and largely with the same players. I've had many opportunities to play for different teams, some potentially more lucrative for my career, but each time I declined for one reason: my teammates. I never wanted to break the strong bond we formed. Most competitive youth sports teams stay together for a year or two with players moving on to different teams or interests. But my team has stayed together for our entire youth baseball careers spanning 10+ years. I discovered what's most important to me are all my teammates. They have seen me learn and grow over the years, and each one of them has had a profound influence on shaping the person I am today. For this I am forever grateful. My teammates are among my best teachers. They taught me respect. I now respect that everyone is different. While we are brothers, I respect we will likely all choose different paths. My teammates taught me teamwork. I now know that success does not simply rely on individual shoulders but instead on a full team who want to succeed just as badly as I do. If I fail I know one of them is always behind me ready to pick me up. My teammates taught me friendship. I now realize friendship extends far beyond on the field and well past nine innings. My teammates taught me leadership. I now strive to be the best I can be and act as a role model. When we walk off the field together next summer for the last time, I will never forget how important my teammates are to me.

For this essay I talked about the importance of baseball to myself For almost my entire life I have played baseball. Picking up a ball and bat for the first time when I was 2 turned out to be the greatest decision of my life to date. When I attended tryouts for my first competitive baseball team, I experienced a whirlwind of emotions including jubilation when I was selected to play "rep" baseball. A decade later, I am still playing for the same team at the highest amateur level in Ontario (Elite) and largely with the same players. I've had many opportunities to play for different teams, some potentially more lucrative for my career, but each time I declined for one reason: my teammates. I never wanted to break the strong bond we formed. Most competitive youth sports teams stay together for a year or two with players moving on to different teams or interests. But my team has stayed together for our entire youth baseball careers spanning 10+ years. I discovered what's most important to me are all my teammates. They have seen me learn and grow over the years, and each one of them has had a profound influence on shaping the person I am today. For this I am forever grateful. My teammates are among my best teachers. They taught me respect. I now respect that everyone is different. While we are brothers, I respect we will likely all choose different paths. My teammates taught me teamwork. I now know that success does not simply rely on individual shoulders but instead on a full team who want to succeed just as badly as I do. If I fail I know one of them is always behind me ready to pick me up. My teammates taught me friendship. I now realize friendship extends far beyond on the field and well past nine innings. My teammates taught me leadership. I now strive to be the best I can be and act as a role model. When we walk off the field together next summer for the last time, I will never forget how important my teammates are to me.

The most important qualities for me are taking the initiative and hard work because I believe that these qualities are imperative for success. In grade 10, I decided that I wanted to enrich my learning, and I went to an extracurricular math class. As I joined mid-way through the year, I was not caught up on topics the class had covered, and every lesson was challenging to understand. I remember the first unit I learned there was about quadratic word problems. Without prior knowledge of solving parabolas, I was left with the responsibility of figuring out how to do so because the class was moving through the content quickly. I remember thinking every time I went that I wanted to quit because of the amount of work involved; however, I stuck with it. I worked hard by doing additional homework I found online, in addition to assigned work, and eventually succeeded in solving quadratic word problems. If I had quit when I thought the work was too much, I would not be as successful in mathematics today. For instance, after attending the math class for a few months, my hard work started to show results, and I saw a steady rise in test marks. These marks eventually bumped me up from 80% to a final grade of 86% in precalculus 11. From this experience, I learned that success does not come without hard work, as well as that one must take the initiative for their education to succeed in school.

The most important qualities for me are taking the initiative and hard work because I believe that these qualities are imperative for success. In grade 10, I decided that I wanted to enrich my learning, and I went to an extracurricular math class. As I joined midway through the year, I was not caught up on topics the class had covered, and every lesson was challenging to understand. I remember the first unit I learned there was about quadratic word problems. Without prior knowledge of solving parabolas, I was left with the responsibility of figuring out how to do so because the class was moving through the content quickly. I remember thinking every time I went that I wanted to quit because of the amount of work involved; however, I stuck with it. I worked hard by doing additional homework I found online, in addition to assigned work, and eventually succeeded in solving quadratic word problems. If I had quit when I thought the work was too much, I would not be as successful in mathematics today. For instance, after attending the math class for a few months, my hard work started to show results, and I saw a steady rise in test marks. These marks eventually bumped me up from 80% to a final grade of 86% in precalculus 11. From this experience, I learned that success does not come without hard work, as well as that one must take the initiative for their education to succeed in school.

I have always been quite shy and eager to please. Trying to do as much as I could, I believed that more was better. I cared too much about appearing perfect and would spread myself too thin in an attempt to prove that I was strong, when really I was too scared to accept that I was hurting myself. The line between determination or passion and being stubborn was too blurred, and I refused to accept that. I took anything that was not perfect as a failure and it was only when the failures became the norm that I was willing to admit I needed help. Over time I limited my participation in clubs to those I truly cared about and I was finally able to allow myself to switch from IB Diploma to Certificate. I felt weak and cowardly until I started to think about how I would never dare think this way about other people. Through applying the optimism and kindness I granted everyone else to myself I was able to accept failures as opportunities for learning and growth. Focusing on what I cared about most allowed me to better commit myself to causes important to me and hone the skills I needed. The thing that I am most proud of is not something I can look at it nor something that everyone will recognize; it is not an award but rather an achievement. The thing that I am most proud of is my ability to change.

I have always been quite shy and eager to please. Trying to do as much as I could, I believed that more was better. I cared too much about appearing perfect and would spread myself too thin in an attempt to prove that I was strong, when really I was too scared to accept that I was hurting myself. The line between determination or passion and being stubborn was too blurred, and I refused to accept that. I took anything that was not perfect as a failure, and it was only when the failures became the norm that I was willing to admit I needed help. Over time, I limited my participation in clubs to those I truly cared about, and I was finally able to allow myself to switch from IB Diploma to Certificate. I felt weak and cowardly until I started to think about how I would never dare think this way about other people. Through applying the optimism and kindness I granted everyone else to myself I was able to accept failures as opportunities for learning and growth. Focusing on what I cared about most allowed me to better commit myself to causes important to me and hone the skills I needed. The thing that I am most proud of is not something I can look at it nor something that everyone will recognize; it is not an award but rather an achievement. The thing that I am most proud of is my ability to change.

Adapting to change is one of the most fundamentally important skills a person can have. I realized this when I joined the local Air Cadet organization at the beginning of my high school career. As a recruit, I had few responsibilities since discipline was the main focus as I followed the orders of my seniors. However, as I rose in rank, I quickly realized how much planning and hours of work were put into every parade night. Over time, I rapidly picked up many responsibilities, such as teaching new recruits and commanding syndicates. My leadership, organization, and aplomb were tested every week through practical assessments such as teaching a lesson about aviation or organizing a group of cadets to finish a tasking. Often, sudden changes in circumstances required quick adaptations to find possible solutions. These weekly assessments at Air Cadets have developed me into a resilient person who can adjust to any changing environment and look at a problem from multiple different angles. This ingenuity has also made me into a very reflective person since I always ask myself if there is something I could have improved upon. What I have learned in cadets has been applied both in my volunteering and my part-time work as I tend to address new issues immediately and offer alternative solutions. In conclusion, this asset is most important to me since my ability to adapt and overcome changes defines me as a person who can find unique solutions for challenging circumstances.

Adapting to change is one of the most fundamentally important skills a person can have. I realized this when I joined the local Air Cadet organization at the beginning of my high school career. As a recruit, I had few responsibilities since discipline was the main focus as I followed the orders of my seniors. However, as I rose in rank, I quickly realized how much planning and hours of work were put into every parade night. Over time, I rapidly picked up many responsibilities, such as teaching new recruits and commanding syndicates. My leadership, organization, and aplomb were tested every week through practical assessments such as teaching a lesson about aviation or organizing a group of cadets to finish a tasking. Often, sudden changes in circumstances required quick adaptations to find possible solutions. These weekly assessments at Air Cadets have developed me into a resilient person who can adjust to any changing environment and look at a problem from multiple different angles. This ingenuity has also made me into a very reflective person since I always ask myself if there is something I could have improved upon. What I have learned in cadets has been applied both in my volunteering and my part-time work as I tend to address new issues immediately and offer alternative solutions. In conclusion, this asset is most important to me since my ability to adapt and overcome changes defines me as a person who can find unique solutions for challenging circumstances.

I moved to Richmond in 2009, when I was seven years old. Growing up, I loved to build toys, and I would always cut apart boxes to make my own model airplanes and cars. It has been a hobby of mine that I still carry to this day, and I am very proud of my designs since they represent my ability to create an invention from something that would have otherwise been thrown away. Sometimes, they would fall apart if I do not build them well; so making these novelties have taught me a lot about being comprehensive and meticulous in everything I do. These traits have translated well into my activities in both my community and school. When I am volunteering, guests would often describe me as someone who is attentive to their needs and takes care of the minutiae that turns their experience into an exceptional one. Additionally, my friends who often work alongside me in group projects and community events discover that I am a person that seeks perfection in my work and commits to a task until I am satisfied. Today, I am a person that can work both in teams and independently. My experiences in the neighborhood and at home have shaped me into a person who plans each task all the way through but makes changes accordingly. I believe that my efforts and commitment should be shown through my work in the community and the results I produce.

I moved to Richmond in 2009, when I was seven years old. Growing up, I loved to build toys, and I would always cut apart boxes to make my own model airplanes and cars. It has been a hobby of mine that I still carry to this day, and I am very proud of my designs since they represent my ability to create an invention from something that would have otherwise been thrown away. Sometimes, they would fall apart if I do not build them well; so making these novelties have taught me a lot about being comprehensive and meticulous in everything I do. These traits have translated well into my activities in both my community and school. When I am volunteering, guests would often describe me as someone who is attentive to their needs and takes care of the minutiae that turns their experience into an exceptional one. Additionally, my friends who often work alongside me in group projects and community events discover that I am a person that seeks perfection in my work and commits to a task until I am satisfied. Today, I am a person that can work both in teams and independently. My experiences in the neighborhood and at home have shaped me into a person who plans each task all the way through but makes changes accordingly. I believe that my efforts and commitment should be shown through my work in the community and the results I produce.

I always felt constantly compared to my sister. My sister is 13 years older than me and excelled in all aspects of life. She contributed to the family company as a key factor, outshined all her peers academically, and held multiple roles in the community. I considered it necessary to fit my parents' high expectations. Thus, in turn, I gained a tremendous drive to succeed and pressure to live up to my sisters' high standards and achieve. Motivated, positive, and reliable are words often linked to me. My determination and positive attitude constantly had me busy. Growing up as an almost only child, I was treated differently than my sister. Although I was pushed down by heavy expectations, I sought to distinguish myself from my sister by becoming a lead figure in my community. So last year, I had idea to open Operation Smile Club in my school. The goal in mind was to organize fundraisers to donate to Operation Smile, a non-profit medical organization fighting cleft palate. Our fight against the disease gave me the confidence to promote, sell, and lead multiple charity events around the school. Becoming a team leader, I was put in a position to make decisions around the club. I also reclaimed the Fitness Club as new president. Fitness Club was a dying club around the school where students could drop in to discuss nutritional plans, workouts and general health. I take pride in my contributions to school spirit and establishing independence from my sister.

I always felt constantly compared to my sister. My sister is 13 years older than me and excelled in all aspects of life. She contributed to the family company as a key factor, outshone all her peers academically, and held multiple roles in the community. I considered it necessary to fit my parents' high expectations. Thus, in turn, I gained a tremendous drive to succeed and pressure to live up to my sisters' high standards and achieve. Motivated, positive, and reliable are words often linked to me. My determination and positive attitude constantly had me busy. Growing up as an almost only child, I was treated differently than my sister. Although I was pushed down by heavy expectations, I sought to distinguish myself from my sister by becoming a lead figure in my community. So last year, I had idea to open Operation Smile Club in my school. The goal in mind was to organize fundraisers to donate to Operation Smile, a non-profit medical organization fighting cleft palate. Our fight against the disease gave me the confidence to promote, sell, and lead multiple charity events around the school. Becoming a team leader, I was put in a position to make decisions around the club. I also reclaimed the Fitness Club as new president. Fitness Club was a dying club around the school where students could drop in to discuss nutritional plans, workouts and general health. I take pride in my contributions to school spirit and establishing independence from my sister.

Ans: . Success is not final, Failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts. I would like to share an experience which I had in my first semester of my college life. Being new to college, I was extra cautious about the rules and regulations to be followed. I used to double check and sometimes triple check everything before going to attend the examinations. I had borrowed one of my friend's calculator for an examination as I had lost mine. I did not check anything about the calculator and went straight for the examination. Halfway through the exam, the special invigilators had visited our classroom to check whether the students indulged in any kind of malpractice. One of the invigilators was checking things, they found that something was scribbled on the back of the calculator. I did not notice it until it was pointed out. I was immediately placed under the act of malpractice and was asked to stand outside the classroom. I was so devastated about what had happened to me and kept pleading with the authorities that I had no knowledge of the scribbling on the calculator and I was innocent. The invigilators paid no heed to my plea, cancelled all my examinations and asked me to appear before the committee on a fixed date for my hearing. I explained the entire incident to the committee and also my professor came in to support my statement. After the hearing, I was completely shocked to find that my appeal was not considered and that I was found guilty of the crime I did. All my examinations of the first semester were cancelled and were considered as backlogs. I was traumatized by the things that had happened to me. I sometimes thought that ending my life would be for the better rather than facing these situations. But due to the motivation and guidance from my parents, professors and close friends, I was determined to prove myself to the college about how wrong they were about me. I had close to 15 theoretical exams and 7 practical exams when I was in my second semester and it was two exams per day. Every day was a struggle as I had to study and remember 2 subjects for the exams. Through sheer efforts and confidence, I was able to clear 13 theoretical exams and 7 practical exams and advanced to the second year of my college life. This experience taught a very important lesson to me where I learnt never to give up whatever may be the circumstances or the pressure upon me, but through determination and hard work, one can always achieve what they have set their mind upon. This incident is also one of the many reasons why my college GPA is very low.

Ans:. Success is not final, Failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts. I would like to share an experience which I had in my first semester of my college life. Being new to college, I was extra cautious about the rules and regulations to be followed. I used to double-check and sometimes triple check everything before going to attend the examinations. I had borrowed one of my friend's calculator for an examination as I had lost mine. Furthermore, I did not check anything about the calculator and went straight for the examination. Halfway through the exam, the special invigilators had visited our classroom to check whether the students indulged in any kind of malpractice. One of the invigilators was checking things, they found that something was scribbled on the back of the calculator. I did not notice it until it was pointed out. I was immediately placed under the act of malpractice and was asked to stand outside the classroom. Furthermore, I was so devastated about what had happened to me and kept pleading with the authorities that I had no knowledge of the scribbling on the calculator, and I was innocent. The invigilators paid no heed to my plea, cancelled all my examinations and asked me to appear before the committee on a fixed date for my hearing. I explained the entire incident to the committee and also my professor came in to support my statement. After the hearing, I was completely shocked to find that my appeal was not considered and that I was found guilty of the crime I did. All my examinations of the first semester were cancelled and were considered as backlogs. I was traumatized by the things that had happened to me. I sometimes thought that ending my life would be for the better rather than facing these situations. But due to the motivation and guidance from my parents, professors and close friends, I was determined to prove myself to the college about how wrong they were about me. I had close to 15 theoretical exams and 7 practical exams when I was in my second semester, and it was two exams per day. Every day was a struggle as I had to study and remember 2 subjects for the exams. Through sheer efforts and confidence, I was able to clear 13 theoretical exams and 7 practical exams and advanced to the second year of my college life. This experience taught a very important lesson to me where I learned never to give up whatever may be the circumstances or the pressure upon me, but through determination and hard work, one can always achieve what they have set their mind upon. This incident is also one of the many reasons why my college GPA is very low.

Hi,I'm writing a personal statement for an exchange programme to Caltech.The guidelines are: Please write a personal statement of no more than 5000 characters addressing the following three points: 1)Focusing on your first choice of institution please explain your academic motivations for applying for an Exchange 2)Please elaborate on the qualities you have which would make you a good representative for the *University of XY* citing examples from your extracurricular activities. 3)Please explain how this opportunity would benefit you from a personal perspective. There are also some recommendations:- You should give equal weighting to each point.-This statement is your opportunity to explain why you should be given a place on Exchange.-This application will only be used by the *University of XY* so you can just focus on your top choice.-Keep in mind that this is an academic programme and your statement should reflect this.- Think of this as your pitch to your fellow students detailing why they should select you.- As this will be marked anonymously by your peers, you should avoid the use of names or any other personally identifying information. I am a second-year student in Physics and I would like to go on an exchange to Caltech next year.My interest in Physics first and foremost stems from an innate desire to understand the underlying structure of the matter that makes us and the universe that surrounds us up - and the consequences that has on the world we observe. I believe that an exchange at the California Institute of Technology would be an ideal opportunity to develop this understanding, leave my comfort zone, and learn valuable skills. I have always planned to spend some time abroad during my studies, because I believe that the experience of leaving one's familiar territory to explore the world to be eye-opening. What attracted me to Caltech was the focus and drive of the environment in which I would be studying. It is well known that the Physics programme offered there is one of the most rigorous and challenging in the world - as such, I would be able to study alongside highly ambitious, very scientific, and like-minded people. The crucial element that led to me choosing Caltech as a destination for my exchange is its unique offer of research opportunities for undergraduates in return for credits, which is a perfect fit for me, since I am deeply interested in working towards a PhD and having a career in research. Two areas of research that Caltech specializes in are particularly interesting to me. The first is astrophysics, as Caltech is host to LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) and has Katie Bouman, one of my role models, as a professor, who is widely known for developing the techniques that led to the first picture of a black hole. The second area is quantum computing, which relies upon condensed matter physics (superconductors, lattices, etc.) Pasadena is close to Silicon Valley, where cutting-edge research is being done at companies such as Google and IBM. These areas tie in well to more advanced courses such as Quantum Hardware and Advanced Computational Physics, which I would not be able to take in *XY*. I strive to lead and volunteer wherever I can, preferring to take a proactive approach to problems I see in the world. Currently, I volunteer for the Peer Proofreading Scheme to help non-native speakers write higher quality papers; I represent Year 2 Physics as a Student Rep, facilitating dialogue and the exchange of opinions between staff and students; and I also volunteer for the Tandem Language Exchange Society, helping people learning the languages that I speak (English, French, and German). Moreover, I am dedicated to the goals I set for myself, which usually comes in the form of new aptitudes and abilities: beyond my degree, I have taught myself programming in Python, creating particle simulations and using machine learning to simulate and predict the properties of materials, for example. I also recently started learning C++, a useful skill for my future career. Last year, I began to learn Mandarin Chinese in my spare time. Now that I am in University XY, I have registered for courses at the Confucius Institute and attained basic conversational fluency. The most exciting of all my extra-curriculars currently is *activity XY*, where we are trying to build a "Hyperloop", a near-supersonic train in a near-vaccuum. The particular goal of our team is to model the system to determine the feasibility of the Hyperloop as a mode of transport. Caltech, host to similar societies building rockets, drones, and electric cars, may benefit just as much as *XY* from an exchange in technology and ideas. I believe this would let me represent *XY* effectively. The *University of XY* emphasizes diversity, versatility, and multi-disciplinary learning, made possible through a system not too dissimilar to the American liberal arts. I believe that I would be able to represent this approach rather well. Caltech is perhaps the polar opposite, letting focusing students on the very core of their degree. I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to gain deeper insight into my true passion, physics. As to the benefits from a personal perspective: undoubtedly, an exchange year would present an extremely valuable addition to my credentials, both through the prestige associated with such a university on an academic level, as well as the experiences that I will have made. Furthermore, Caltech is pleasantly small compared to the *University of XY*, and, as a result, is a rather more close-knit population, with undergraduate enrolment under 1000. I had the fortune to be in a similar situation last year - the small, international community truly facilitated discussion and the exchange of ideas on another level and through this opened my mind significantly. Finally, there are just a few small additional benefits that I would like to mention. Some of my friends from my previous school study at universities very close by, and an exchange would be a wonderful chance to see them again. Also, Pasadena is located next to the Angeles National Park, which provides hiking, mountain biking and climbing locations so I can keep active during my time there - all in much sunnier weather than *XY*! I'm slightly above 5000 characters at the moment, so any feedback on useless partswhat's worth cutting out would be extra appreciated. Also, what impression would you have of me after reading this? Should I be aiming for a different impression? Thanks a lot!

Hi, I'm writing a personal statement for an exchange program to Caltech. The guidelines are: Please write a personal statement of no more than 5000 characters addressing the following three points: 1)Focusing on your first choice of institution please explain your academic motivations for applying for an Exchange 2)Please elaborate on the qualities you have which would make you a good representative for the *University of XY* citing examples from your extracurricular activities. 3)Please explain how this opportunity would benefit you from a personal perspective. There are also some recommendations:- You should give equal weighting to each point.-This statement is your opportunity to explain why you should be given a place on Exchange.-This application will only be used by the *University of XY* so you can just focus on your top choice.-Keep in mind that this is an academic program and your statement should reflect this.- Think of this as your pitch to your fellow students detailing why they should select you.- As this will be marked anonymously by your peers, you should avoid the use of names or any other personally identifying information. I am a second-year student in Physics and I would like to go on an exchange to Caltech next year. My interest in Physics first and foremost stems from an innate desire to understand the underlying structure of the matter that makes us and the universe that surrounds us up - and the consequences that has on the world we observe. I believe that an exchange at the California Institute of Technology would be an ideal opportunity to develop this understanding, leave my comfort zone, and learn valuable skills. I have always planned to spend some time abroad during my studies, because I believe that the experience of leaving one's familiar territory to explore the world to be eye-opening. What attracted me to Caltech was the focus and drive of the environment in which I would be studying. It is well known that the Physics program offered there is one of the most rigorous and challenging in the world - as such, I would be able to study alongside highly ambitious, very scientific, and like-minded people. The crucial element that led to me choosing Caltech as a destination for my exchange is its unique offer of research opportunities for undergraduates in return for credits, which is a perfect fit for me, since I am deeply interested in working towards a PhD and having a career in research. Two areas of research that Caltech specializes in are particularly interesting to me. The first is astrophysics, as Caltech is host to LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) and has Katie Bowman, one of my role models, as a professor, who is widely known for developing the techniques that led to the first picture of a black hole. The second area is quantum computing, which relies upon condensed matter physics (superconductors, lattices, etc.) Pasadena is close to Silicon Valley, where cutting-edge research is being done at companies such as Google and IBM. These areas tie in well to more advanced courses such as Quantum Hardware and Advanced Computational Physics, which I would not be able to take in *XY*. I strive to lead and volunteer wherever I can, preferring to take a proactive approach to problems I see in the world. Currently, I volunteer for the Peer Proofreading Scheme to help non-native speakers write higher quality papers; I represent Year 2 Physics as a Student Rep, facilitating dialogue and the exchange of opinions between staff and students; and I also volunteer for the Tandem Language Exchange Society, helping people learning the languages that I speak (English, French, and German). Moreover, I am dedicated to the goals I set for myself, which usually comes in the form of new aptitudes and abilities: beyond my degree, I have taught myself programming in Python, creating particle simulations and using machine learning to simulate and predict the properties of materials, for example. I also recently started learning C++, a useful skill for my future career. Last year, I began to learn Mandarin Chinese in my spare time. Now that I am in University XY, I have registered for courses at the Confucius Institute and attained basic conversational fluency. The most exciting of all my extracurriculars currently is *activity XY*, where we are trying to build a "Hyperloop", a near-supersonic train in a near-vaccuum. The particular goal of our team is to model the system to determine the feasibility of the Hyperloop as a mode of transport. Caltech, host to similar societies building rockets, drones, and electric cars, may benefit just as much as *XY* from an exchange in technology and ideas. I believe this would let me represent *XY* effectively. The *University of XY* emphasizes diversity, versatility, and multidisciplinary learning, made possible through a system not too dissimilar to the American liberal arts. I believe that I would be able to represent this approach rather well. Caltech is perhaps the polar opposite, letting focusing students on the very core of their degree. I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to gain deeper insight into my true passion, physics. As to the benefits from a personal perspective: undoubtedly, an exchange year would present an extremely valuable addition to my credentials, both through the prestige associated with such a university on an academic level, and the experiences that I will have made. Furthermore, Caltech is pleasantly small compared to the *University of XY*, and, as a result, is a rather more close-knit population, with undergraduate enrollment under 1000. I had the fortune to be in a similar situation last year - the small, international community truly facilitated discussion and the exchange of ideas on another level and through this opened my mind significantly. Finally, there are just a few small additional benefits that I would like to mention. Some of my friends from my previous school study at universities very close by, and an exchange would be a wonderful chance to see them again. Also, Pasadena is located next to the Angeles National Park, which provides hiking, mountain biking and climbing locations, so I can keep active during my time there - all in much sunnier weather than *XY*! I'm slightly above 5000 characters at the moment, so any feedback on useless parts what's worth cutting out would be extra appreciated. Also, what impression would you have of me after reading this? Should I be aiming for a different impression? Thanks a lot!

I am currently studying as a 12th-grade student at Ordu Social Sciences High School. In the preparatory class of my high school, I noticed my interest in English, Politics, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Technology. I joined the Orienteering Team of Ordu Social Sciences High School. At the end of World Orienteering Day activities in 2016, I was awarded a diploma by the International Orienteering Federation. In April 2017, I was entitled to attend the Social Entrepreneurship Seminar organized by Anadolu Foundation. In May 2017, I attended the Atayurt Young Entrepreneurship Summit in Eskişehir and had the opportunity to work with known entrepreneurs and CEOs of Turkey. In February 2017, we presented our theme and robot as Ordu Social Sciences High School Robotics Team in the 13th FLL Tournaments with the theme of Animals: Our Life Partners. I was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the school administration for successfully representing my school. In April 2018, I attended the KSBLMUN conference held at Abdullah Gül University as a member of my school's MUN club and took an important role in the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee. I also successfully represented my school and my region at the World Robot Olympics 2018 event with the theme "Food Issue" in May 2018. In May 2018, I competed with the robot I designed in the competition held in the Science and Art Center until the final in the sumo category. At the end of the sophomore year, I was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by my school for my achievements in robot competitions again. In 2018, I applied and got accepted for the US Department of State's KL-YES scholarship program. The KL-YES program was established in October 2002 and funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides scholarships for secondary school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend one academic year in the United States. The main goal of the program is to build bridges between nations, to provide intercultural interaction and to train youth ambassadors who will establish peace in the world. So far in my life, it has been my greatest achievement. I was aware that this scholarship would have a significant impact on my life, but I did not expect that much. I completed my junior grade at Norwell High School in Indiana, USA. As long as I was in Norwell, I had been a member of many clubs. I qualified for the Norwell Swimming team during the winter season. I swam to the State Championship with my team. I also qualified for the Norwell Track & Field team in the spring season. During this season, I also played an active role in the establishment of the Unified Track Team affiliated with the Special Olympics within the school. As a result of these efforts, I had the chance to compete with our school's disabled athletes in our Unified Track Team. During my education in the United States, I was awarded Distinction Honor Roll of Norwell for my outstanding academic achievement. Throughout my exchange year, I have been involved in many volunteering activities. I received a Certificate of Appreciation from the US Department of State in November 2018 for my efforts to promote Turkish culture and Turkish history at International Education Week. I believe in the power of international education. I have experienced the effects of diversity and togetherness of different nations by being an exchange student in the USA. I would like to talk about my friend from my host school. She was an Armenian who lives in Lebanon. I went to my host community and school later than other exchange students. When I went to my host school on my first day, all the other exchange students welcomed me, except one, Paula. I didn't know anything about her past or her life. All I knew about her was her name, Paula, and the Lebanese flag on her locker showing where she came from. When I realized that she was being distant to me, I tried to be as friendly as I could to her but she still did not seem to intend to be friends with me. Much later, I learned that she was distant to me because I was Turkish. Our coordinator responsible for exchange students at school, Mrs. Casto, told me about this. One day, after I made a presentation about Turkey, the Turkish culture and history for the International Education Week at the school, all exchange students gathered together to have lunch. I had the opportunity to talk to Paula during this lunch. We understood that neither Paula has any issues with me nor mine with Paula. We realized that the problem between us was only the events throughout history and the result of the current politicians making us enemies. After talking about all this together, Paula and I became very close friends. If I hadn't had the chance to study abroad, perhaps I would never have had the opportunity to meet an Armenian, or Paula would have never met a Turk. I believe that this is the power of international education. It breaks the ices between people, empowers individuals to view events from different windows and forms a bridge between nations and cultures around the world. This is something that will continue to affect me throughout my life and play an important role in my development. The new knowledge and experiences I have gained during my exchange year in the USA have fueled my desire to study business. For the first time I have lived in a place outside my country, Turkey, have shown me a real-life experience of other economic systems and different methods of marketing and business management. Turkey's one of the biggest problems is unemployment. What causes unemployment is that companies in the country cannot create added value in general. Although Turkey is a developed country and has strong production, the weaknesses in design, marketing, and innovation lead to unemployment and the collapse of the economy. The biggest factor causing these weaknesses and problems is the weak management of the companies in the market. Also, entrepreneurs in Turkey do not have enough knowledge of market and business and this makes their brilliant ideas become failed startups. I also believe in lifelong learning and self-improvement. In this direction, I have been involved in the learning programs of many universities around the world and I have received many certificates from them. Since I returned to Turkey I am actively volunteering in the Salt Youth Association for European Union projects and YES Alumni Turkey as a member of the Commission of Promotion and the Commission of Student Selection and Examination. As YES Alumni Turkey Association, we made projects that provided economic and social assistance to refugee women and their families, visited the schools of children with bad economical conditions in undeveloped regions of Turkey to conduct experiments and projects that would awaken their sense of curiosity and science and organized an educational project called "English through Peace" for teens in high school in Turkey. I want to study business because I saw the problems of the companies in Turkey, and I want to take my place in the competition in the global economy by transforming my creative ideas into successful businesses as well as other people's dreams and creative ideas. Business education that I will take in Berea will lead me to take my master's degree in the future also In America, one of the largest and most successful economies in the world, getting a Business degree will lead me to success in a competitive global business world and as a result, it will certainly help me reach out to individuals who have brilliant business ideas and need help both in my own country and elsewhere in the world as a major authority in large companies. -----------------------------------------------------------------

I am currently studying as a 12th-grade student at Urdu Social Sciences High School. In the preparatory class of my high school, I noticed my interest in English, Politics, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Technology. I joined the Orienteering Team of Urdu Social Sciences High School. At the end of World Orienteering Day activities in 2016, I was awarded a diploma by the International Orienteering Federation. In April 2017, I was entitled to attend the Social Entrepreneurship Seminar organized by Anatole Foundation. In May 2017, I attended the Ataturk Young Entrepreneurship Summit in Eskişehir and had the opportunity to work with known entrepreneurs and CEOs of Turkey. In February 2017, we presented our theme and robot as Urdu Social Sciences High School Robotics Team in the 13th FLL Tournaments with the theme of Animals: Our Life Partners. I was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the school administration for successfully representing my school. In April 2018, I attended the SALMON conference held at Abdullah GUL University as a member of my school's MUN club and took an important role in the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee. I also successfully represented my school and my region at the World Robot Olympics 2018 event with the theme "Food Issue" in May 2018. In May 2018, I competed with the robot I designed in the competition held in the Science and Art Center until the final in the sumo category. At the end of the sophomore year, I was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by my school for my achievements in robot competitions again. In 2018, I applied and got accepted for the US Department of State's KL-YES scholarship program. The KL-YES program was established in October 2002 and funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides scholarships for secondary school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend one academic year in the United States. The main goal of the program is to build bridges between nations, to provide intercultural interaction and to train youth ambassadors who will establish peace in the world. So far in my life, it has been my greatest achievement. I was aware that this scholarship would have a significant impact on my life, but I did not expect that much. I completed my junior grade at Orwell High School in Indiana, USA. As long as I was in Orwell, I had been a member of many clubs. I qualified for the Orwell Swimming team during winter. I swam to the State Championship with my team. Furthermore, I also qualified for the Orwell Track camp; Field team in spring. During this season, I also played an active role in the establishment of the Unified Track Team affiliated with the Special Olympics within the school. As a result of these efforts, I had the chance to compete with our school's disabled athletes in our Unified Track Team. During my education in the United States, I was awarded Distinction Honor Roll of Orwell for my outstanding academic achievement. Throughout my exchange year, I have been involved in many volunteering activities. I received a Certificate of Appreciation from the US Department of State in November 2018 for my efforts to promote Turkish culture and Turkish history at International Education Week. I believe in the power of international education. Furthermore, I have experienced the effects of diversity and togetherness of different nations by being an exchange student in the USA. Furthermore, I would like to talk about my friend from my host school. She was an Armenian who lives in Lebanon. I went to my host community and school later than other exchange students. When I went to my host school on my first day, all the other exchange students welcomed me, except one, Paula. I didn't know anything about her past or her life. All I knew about her was her name, Paula, and the Lebanese flag on her locker showing where she came from. When I realized that she was being distant to me, I tried to be as friendly as I could to her, but she still did not seem to intend to be friends with me. Much later, I learned that she was distant to me because I was Turkish. Our coordinator responsible for exchange students at school, Mrs. Cast, told me about this. One day, after I made a presentation about Turkey, the Turkish culture and history for the International Education Week at the school, all exchange students gathered together to have lunch. I had the opportunity to talk to Paula during this lunch. We understood that neither Paula has any issues with me nor mine with Paula. We realized that the problem between us was only the events throughout history and the result of the current politicians making us enemies. After talking about all this together, Paula and I became very close friends. If I hadn't had the chance to study abroad, perhaps I would never have had the opportunity to meet an Armenian, or Paula would have never met a Turk. I believe that this is the power of international education. It breaks the ices between people, empowers individuals to view events from different windows and forms a bridge between nations and cultures around the world. This is something that will continue to affect me throughout my life and play an important role in my development. The new knowledge and experiences I have gained during my exchange year in the USA have fueled my desire to study business. For the first time I have lived in a place outside my country, Turkey, have shown me a real-life experience of other economic systems and different methods of marketing and business management. Turkey's one of the biggest problems is unemployment. What causes unemployment is that companies in the country cannot create added value in general. Although Turkey is a developed country and has strong production, the weaknesses in design, marketing, and innovation lead to unemployment and the collapse of the economy. The biggest factor causing these weaknesses and problems is the weak management of the companies in the market. Also, entrepreneurs in Turkey do not have enough knowledge of market and business and this makes their brilliant ideas become failed startups. I also believe in lifelong learning and self-improvement. In this direction, I have been involved in the learning programs of many universities around the world and I have received many certificates from them. Since I returned to Turkey I am actively volunteering in the Salt Youth Association for European Union projects and YES Alumni Turkey as a member of the Commission of Promotion and the Commission of Student Selection and Examination. As YES Alumni Turkey Association, we made projects that provided economic and social assistance to refugee women and their families, visited the schools of children with bad economic conditions in undeveloped regions of Turkey to conduct experiments and projects that would awaken their sense of curiosity and science and organized an educational project called "English through Peace" for teens in high school in Turkey. I want to study business because I saw the problems of the companies in Turkey, and I want to take my place in the competition in the global economy by transforming my creative ideas into successful businesses as well as other people's dreams and creative ideas. Business education that I will take in Bar will lead me to take my master's degree in the future also In America, one of the largest and most successful economies in the world, getting a Business degree will lead me to success in a competitive global business world and as a result, it will certainly help me reach out to individuals who have brilliant business ideas and need to help both in my own country and elsewhere in the world as a major authority in large companies. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Since the summer of 2017, I have participated in a research internship every summer. For the past 2 summers, I was a research assistant to Dr. Peter Stanwell at the University of Newcastle. I worked on projects related to Brain Trauma and Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease. My primary role was to anonymize and run datasets of patients and controls. This required not only knowledge of basic neuroanatomy, but also made me learn specific neuroimaging software, such as Freesurfer and Conn toolbox. Undoubtedly my involvement in these projects helped foster my interest in biomedical sciences, particularly in neuroscience. Working in these projects allowed me to look outside of a highschool textbook and see the big picture. In preparation for the projects, I read over a dozen publications and assimilated knowledge that would help me better understand the questions we were trying to answer. Furthermore, this prerequisite reading also forced me out of my comfort zone of just anatomy and made me grasp concepts from other disciplines like biomedical physics to understand the work assigned to me. In addition to this, the experience improved my attention to detail. When running a dataset, I learned the function of each task in the software pipeline, so I could was aware of how the data was being manipulated at each stage. Despite this, I often came across many syntax errors. This required me to meticulously review my inputs, which inadvertently taught me patience. And lastly, I learned to take advantage of the abundant knowledge and experience available with my peers and seniors. Almost daily I would review my progress with Dr. Stanwell, in order to improve my productivity. I learned how he presented findings in a coherent manner and how to cite relevant sources. Ultimately, the projects I worked on were unique opportunities that have overall changed my approach not only to science but also in my daily behavior.

Since the summer of 2017, I have participated in a research internship every summer. For the past 2 summers, I was a research assistant to Dr. Peter Stan well at the University of Newcastle. I worked on projects related to Brain Trauma and Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease. My primary role was to anonymize and run datasets of patients and controls. This required not only knowledge of basic neuroanatomy, but also made me learn specific neuroimaging software, such as Free surfer and Conn toolbox. Undoubtedly my involvement in these projects helped foster my interest in biomedical sciences, particularly in neuroscience. Working in these projects allowed me to look outside a high school textbook and see the big picture. In preparation for the projects, I read over a dozen publications and assimilated knowledge that would help me better understand the questions we were trying to answer. Furthermore, this prerequisite reading also forced me out of my comfort zone of just anatomy and made me grasp concepts from other disciplines like biomedical physics to understand the work assigned to me. In addition to this, the experience improved my attention to detail. When running a dataset, I learned the function of each task in the software pipeline, so I could was aware of how the data was being manipulated at each stage. Despite this, I often came across many syntax errors. This required me to meticulously review my inputs, which inadvertently taught me patience. And lastly, I learned to take advantage of the abundant knowledge and experience available with my peers and seniors. Almost daily I would review my progress with Dr. Stan well, in order to improve my productivity. I learned how he presented findings in a coherent manner and how to cite relevant sources. Ultimately, the projects I worked on were unique opportunities that have overall changed my approach not only to science but also in my daily behavior.

(maximum 350 words) As a mentor during my school's multi-grade Camp Squamish, I was able to guide a bond with a group of younger students from grades 8 to 10. I wanted to build a warm relationship with my team, have them all involved as equal members, and make sure they had fun together while doing their activities. To prepare for my interactions with the team, I asked my teachers beforehand about each student in my team regarding their personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Once we reached camp, I played two icebreakers with them to create a welcoming first impression. Throughout the camp events, I stayed aware of how each student interacted with others. With these observations and my previous knowledge about each member, I challenged myself in providing a better camp experience for my group. Whenever we had eaten together as a team, I directed the conversation to have them be more acquainted with each other. As an outgoing person, I had to adjust to the quieter kids of the group. This improved my capacity to manage and understand people who contrasted me. These kids are not only more reserved, but they are also vigilant and tend to appraise all given factors before taking action. These are traits that I wish to continue developing myself, as these are qualities that help prevent the team from making mistakes. When it came to activities, my team would focus on only one or two ways in solving their puzzles; but once I gave them hints about considering other strategies, they became much more efficient. This moment demonstrated that there is value in being aware of and appreciating such methods. In addition, incorporating these techniques with systems we already know can enhance our problem solving as well. The most important lesson from my experiences was that it takes time to build trusting relationships with each of my members, as some were more apprehensive than others. Nevertheless, the outcome of a strong rapport amongst our team had ultimately facilitated our abilities to work and have fun together. (339) Please tell me what I did well so that I can implement it into my other future essays, along with any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

(maximum 350 words) As a mentor during my school's multi-grade Camp Squarish, I was able to guide a bond with a group of younger students from grades 8 to 10. I wanted to build a warm relationship with my team, have them all involved as equal members, and make sure they had fun together while doing their activities. To prepare for my interactions with the team, I asked my teachers beforehand about each student in my team regarding their personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Once we reached camp, I played two icebreakers with them to create a welcoming first impression. Throughout the camp events, I stayed aware of how each student interacted with others. With these observations and my previous knowledge about each member, I challenged myself in providing a better camp experience for my group. Whenever we had eaten together as a team, I directed the conversation to have them be more acquainted with each other. As an outgoing person, I had to adjust to the quieter kids of the group. This improved my capacity to manage and understand people who contrasted me. These kids are not only more reserved, but they are also vigilant and tend to appraise all given factors before taking action. These are traits that I wish to continue developing myself, as these are qualities that help prevent the team from making mistakes. When it came to activities, my team would focus on only one or two ways in solving their puzzles; but once I gave them hints about considering other strategies, they became much more efficient. This moment demonstrated that there is value in being aware of and appreciating such methods. In addition, incorporating these techniques with systems we already know can enhance our problem-solving as well. The most important lesson from my experiences was that it takes time to build trusting relationships with each of my members, as some were more apprehensive than others. Nevertheless, the outcome of a strong rapport amongst our team had ultimately facilitated our abilities to work and have fun together. (339) Please tell me what I did well so that I can implement it into my other future essays, along with any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

What is important to me is perseverance. Growing up, I had always been a shy individual. I was, for the most part, a sheltered child, spending the majority of my time reading books. So, when I visited a local Toastmasters club, it was far beyond my comfort zone. I distinctly remember sitting in the corner, nervously avoiding eye contact with the other children. At the end of the first meeting, I had only spoken twice. Despite this, I forced myself to continue attending the club meetings regularly. Eventually, the positive influence of my fellow members helped me gain the courage to give a full 7-minute speech. Had I withdrawn from the club after the first meeting, I would not have grown as an individual, and I wouldn't have developed many other soft skills, such as conflict resolution and adaptability. I eventually became the Vice President Education of my club, where I applied my skills to conduct educational sessions for new members. Even then, I tried supplementing my existing knowledge, asking senior members to mentor my speeches and leadership projects. I remained diligent, continuously improving myself while consciously looking out for members who required assistance. My tenacity eventually led to my crowning achievements - the Outstanding Gavelier Award and the Outstanding Executive Committee Member Award in successive years. If not for my persevering attitude, I do not think I would have become the leader I am today.

What is important to me is perseverance. Growing up, I had always been a shy individual. I was, for the most part, a sheltered child, spending the majority of my time reading books. So, when I visited a local Toastmasters club, it was far beyond my comfort zone. I distinctly remember sitting in the corner, nervously avoiding eye contact with the other children. At the end of the first meeting, I had only spoken twice. Despite this, I forced myself to continue attending the club meetings regularly. Eventually, the positive influence of my fellow members helped me gain the courage to give a full 7-minute speech. Had I withdrawn from the club after the first meeting, I would not have grown as an individual, and I wouldn't have developed many other soft skills, such as conflict resolution and adaptability. I eventually became the Vice President Education of my club, where I applied my skills to conduct educational sessions for new members. Even then, I tried supplementing my existing knowledge, asking senior members to mentor my speeches and leadership projects. I remained diligent, continuously improving myself while consciously looking out for members who required assistance. My tenacity eventually led to my crowning achievements - the Outstanding Atelier Award and the Outstanding Executive Committee Member Award in successive years. If not for my persevering attitude, I do not think I would have become the leader I am today.

My parents often refer to me as a Swiss Army knife, equipped with enough tools to prove versatile for any situation. To them, I am the responsible eldest child and a dependable presence for my younger brother and sister. To my siblings, I am a trailblazer in the art of self-expression, spending weekend mornings burning pancakes and shooting hoops with them. With friends, I am both spontaneous - egging them on to try the newest horror escape room or pop-up restaurant - and a worrier - checking Google Maps to ensure that we make it at least an hour before it opens. In school, I have been student council president and alto singer in the choir, debate captain and a pianist for musicals, lead breaststroke swimmer and a community service volunteer. My community sees me as someone who has a penchant for seeking new experiences, whether to have fun or to take on a challenge, reveling in the breath of fresh air that every new hobby or role brings about. This desire for adventure led me to receive a scholarship from AFS Intercultural Programs to spend an exchange year in Italy. Between Year 11 and 12, I immersed myself in a foreign culture and language, spending a better part of the year trying to communicate with my host family and fit in in school. Though it was difficult, I managed to learn the language and create lifelong bonds with the people I met, and I am proud of the invaluable skills and friendships I gained during my experience. Is there anything I can improve? Thank you!

My parents often refer to me as a Swiss Army knife, equipped with enough tools to prove versatile for any situation. To them, I am the responsible eldest child and a dependable presence for my younger brother and sister. To my siblings, I am a trailblazer in the art of self-expression, spending weekend mornings burning pancakes and shooting hoops with them. With friends, I am both spontaneous - egging them on to try the newest horror escape room or pop-up restaurant - and a worrier - checking Google Maps to ensure that we make it at least an hour before it opens. In school, I have been student council president and alto singer in the choir, debate captain and a pianist for musicals, lead breaststroke swimmer and a community service volunteer. My community sees me as someone who has a penchant for seeking new experiences, whether to have fun or to take on a challenge, reveling in the breath of fresh air that every new hobby or role brings about. This desire for adventure led me to receive a scholarship from AFS Intercultural Programs to spend an exchange year in Italy. Between Year 11 and 12, I immersed myself in a foreign culture and language, spending a better part of the year trying to communicate with my host family and fit in school. Though it was difficult, I managed to learn the language and create lifelong bonds with the people I met, and I am proud of the invaluable skills and friendships I gained during my experience. Is there anything I can improve? Thank you!

No other relationship has been as profound to my life as the one I have with my best friend. Though we are different in many levels, we balance each other in ways that bring out the best in both of us. During my early middle school years, I was largely oblivious to what people around me were feeling. My friendships were based on similar interests and seating charts, not secrets and affection. I wasn't good at reading other people or connecting with them on an emotional level, so I found it difficult to empathize with a friend who was sad over a bad grade or angry after a fight with their parents. My best friend, on the other hand, was the opposite; while I felt too little, she felt too much. Unlike me, she cared about what people thought about her, which led to a struggle with insecurities and self-confidence. When we became friends, we rubbed off of each other. Her compassion taught me to be more perceptive of other people's emotions, while she took after my nonchalance and learned to grow a thicker skin. She helped me navigate people, and in turn, I helped her navigate herself. Now that we are about to go on our separate ways for university, I am scared that our bond might weaken due to circumstances that neither of us can control. No matter what happens, though, I'll continue to cherish what we've become to each other.

No other relationship has been as profound to my life as the one I have with my best friend. Though we are different in many levels, we balance each other in ways that bring out the best in both of us. During my early middle school years, I was largely oblivious to what people around me were feeling. My friendships were based on similar interests and seating charts, not secrets and affection. I wasn't good at reading other people or connecting with them on an emotional level, so I found it difficult to empathize with a friend who was sad over a bad grade or angry after a fight with their parents. My best friend, on the other hand, was the opposite; while I felt too little, she felt too much. Unlike me, she cared about what people thought about her, which led to a struggle with insecurities and self-confidence. When we became friends, we rubbed off of each other. Her compassion taught me to be more perceptive of other people's emotions, while she took after my nonchalance and learned to grow a thicker skin. She helped me navigate people, and in turn, I helped her navigate herself. Now that we are about to go on our separate ways for university, I am scared that our bond might weaken due to circumstances that neither of us can control. No matter what happens, though, I'll continue to cherish what we've become to each other.

Debating has shaped the way I think and perceive the world in ways that no other activity can. Through debate, I have learned the importance of being able to address issues from different perspectives and engage with the opponent's arguments in order to create well-informed ideas. This has influenced the way I approach discussions with other people; objectivity, proper research, and the willingness to see the other person's side are key to establishing a peaceful and productive conversation. Furthermore, debate has taught me how to handle criticism towards my ideas and self, and how to separate those that I do have to address moving forward and those that are not constructive at all. This is especially important to me because I used to view criticism as an attack on my character, when it was really an opportunity for me to learn from my mistakes. During high school, I took on the responsibility of being captain of the team. As captain, my role includes coaching middle and high school members, adjudicating debates during practices, facilitating discussions on various issues, preparing practice motions, and helping the school arrange internal competitions. Like debate, I have been in the student council all throughout high school. When I was elected as president in Year 11, I was responsible for leading the student body, implementing student events, and liaising with the school administration, among others. Our activities came to a peak during preparations for our largest event, a run-for-charity raising funds for the construction of a mobile library to be used by the local community. The event was projected to attract over 400 participants, so I constantly hovered over my members during the three months of preparation, worried that they might not be able to pull through with their responsibilities. This turned out to be a flaw in my leadership, and after multiple discussions with my team, I realized that being a good leader meant trusting my members to perform their roles instead of trying to micromanage everything. Since then, I have continuously self-evaluated my actions in order to become a better leader. This essay feels a little stiff to me, but I'm not sure what to improve. I'll gladly appreciate your help!

Debating has shaped the way I think and perceive the world in ways that no other activity can. Through debate, I have learned the importance of being able to address issues from different perspectives and engage with the opponent's arguments in order to create well-informed ideas. This has influenced the way I approach discussions with other people; objectivity, proper research, and the willingness to see the other person's side are key to establishing a peaceful and productive conversation. Furthermore, debate has taught me how to handle criticism towards my ideas and self, and how to separate those that I do have to address moving forward and those that are not constructive at all. This is especially important to me because I used to view criticism as an attack on my character, when it was really an opportunity for me to learn from my mistakes. During high school, I took on the responsibility of being captain of the team. As captain, my role includes coaching middle and high school members, adjudicating debates during practices, facilitating discussions on various issues, preparing practice motions, and helping the school arrange internal competitions. Like debate, I have been in the student council all throughout high school. When I was elected as president in Year 11, I was responsible for leading the student body, implementing student events, and liaising with the school administration, among others. Our activities came to a peak during preparations for our largest event, a run-for-charity raising funds for the construction of a mobile library to be used by the local community. The event was projected to attract over 400 participants, so I constantly hovered over my members during the three months of preparation, worried that they might not be able to pull through with their responsibilities. This turned out to be a flaw in my leadership, and after multiple discussions with my team, I realized that being a good leader meant trusting my members to perform their roles instead of trying to micromanage everything. Since then, I have continuously self-evaluated my actions in order to become a better leader. This essay feels a little stiff to me, but I'm not sure what to improve. I'll gladly appreciate your help!

I have grown up in an environment of highly supportive parents and friends who constantly motivate me to be better. My family would describe me as a youthful determined individual who is hardworking and puts all their efforts into achieving their hopes and dreams. Especially, my father who would not fail to mention that I am someone who is not afraid to voice her opinion when I feel something is out of place or unusual due to our constant friendly bickering over our clashing opinions on the latest news every morning. My friends and teachers would describe me as an extrovert, persistent and someone who loves to take on challenges because they are the essence of a successful career and contribute towards self-growth. However, one quality that would flow common between both would be consistency. All my life I have strived to be consistent in whatever I do so when it was declared that I was going to be honored with the Gold Medal in my school, I was beyond ecstatic. This medal is a symbol of utmost excellence and consistency in academic as well as extracurricular ventures and has been my most significant accomplishment. It took my blood, sweat, tears, and so many caffeine-induced nights to achieve something as meritorious as this so standing amongst the top 30 students out of 232 in total, I felt a sense of relief that I finally accomplished something of this caliber and ended my academic career on such an optimistic and memorable note.

I have grown up in an environment of highly supportive parents and friends who constantly motivate me to be better. My family would describe me as a youthful determined individual who is hardworking and puts all their efforts into achieving their hopes and dreams. Especially, my father who would not fail to mention that I am someone who is not afraid to voice her opinion when I feel something is out of place or unusual due to our constant friendly bickering over our clashing opinions on the latest news every morning. My friends and teachers would describe me as an extrovert, persistent and someone who loves to take on challenges because they are the essence of a successful career and contribute towards self-growth. However, one quality that would flow common between both would be consistency. All my life I have strived to be consistent in whatever I do so when it was declared that I was going to be honored with the Gold Medal in my school, I was beyond ecstatic. This medal is a symbol of utmost excellence and consistency in academic as well as extracurricular ventures and has been my most significant accomplishment. It took my blood, sweat, tears, and so many caffeine-induced nights to achieve something as meritorious as this so standing amongst the top 30 students out of 232 in total, I felt a sense of relief that I finally accomplished something of this caliber and ended my academic career on such an optimistic and memorable note.

Most members of my community would describe me as a level headed and flexible individual. My friends have always expressed how I like to take on new challenges and opportunities, and how I like to try to help my community and school. When we do group projects, they usually look to me to take the lead, breakdown the work and express it in a straightforward manner. They know me to be a rational thinker who likes to understand a problem clearly, before attempting it. I am characterized by my ability to innovate, try alternative approaches or construct solutions that often have links between multiple disciplines. Something I'm especially proud of is the student teacher's assistant program, which I created during my year 12. I had been reading extensively on learning disabilities that past summer, and when I learned that our school had such students integrated into the normal classrooms, I saw it as a chance to support our school's special education department. I acted as the director of this program and was able to efficiently coordinate between the volunteers and faculty. I even encouraged the volunteers to keep tabs on students who particularly had difficulty following the class's pace. I volunteered in a class of my own, division 3C, and lead by example. When my students finally moved to the next grade, I was filled with pride knowing full well that they all did well in their finals without assistance. (240 words)

Most members of my community would describe me as a level-headed and flexible individual. My friends have always expressed how I like to take on new challenges and opportunities, and how I like to try to help my community and school. When we do group projects, they usually look to me to take the lead, breakdown the work and express it in a straightforward manner. They know me to be a rational thinker who likes to understand a problem clearly, before attempting it. I am characterized by my ability to innovate, try alternative approaches or construct solutions that often have links between multiple disciplines. Something I'm especially proud of is the student teacher's assistant program, which I created during my year 12. I had been reading extensively on learning disabilities that past summer, and when I learned that our school had such students integrated into the normal classrooms, I saw it as a chance to support our school's special education department. I acted as the director of this program and was able to efficiently coordinate between the volunteers and faculty. Furthermore, I even encouraged the volunteers to keep tabs on students who particularly had difficulty following the class's pace. Furthermore, I volunteered in a class of my own, division 3C, and lead by example. When my students finally moved to the next grade, I was filled with pride knowing full well that they all did well in their finals without assistance. (240 words)

Born and raised in (hometown) I have led and lived a simple sheltered life. I am an only child so ever since young I enjoyed company and when the time came for school, I was overjoyed. I was finally going to be able to play with other kids my age, my five year old mind thought. And since then I have grown up to become who I am now, hardworking, sincere, and reliable young woman. Many of my friends see me as being quite funny with a good sense of humor (due my witty comments that make everything a little bit more enjoyable) and independent as I always stand up for myself and I am not afraid to voice my opinions. Both my family and friends also say that I will always give it my best in everything I love and do even if it can be stressful. Model UN. Ninth grade. I was scared but I wanted to know what this world of formal attire with upperclassmen was all about. I wanted to improve my comfort zone. I started out as a note passer to learn about the process and there, I saw the chairs who regulated the entire debate. I was mesmerized by their capability and confidence. I wanted to be like them. So, for the following MUN I was a delegate. I was nervous to make speeches but I kept going. I became a good public speaker, I went to international conferences, and finally I was able to chair. I'm proud of this most because through my own will and desire I was able to get what I wanted. (22 words over limit)

Born and raised in (hometown) I have led and lived a simple sheltered life. I am an only child so ever since young I enjoyed company and when the time came for school, I was overjoyed. I was finally going to be able to play with other kids my age, my five-year-old mind thought. And since then I have grown up to become who I am now, hardworking, sincere, and reliable young woman. Many of my friends see me as being quite funny with a good sense of humor (due my witty comments that make everything a little more enjoyable) and independent as I always stand up for myself, and I am not afraid to voice my opinions. Both my family and friends also say that I will always give it my best in everything I love and do even if it can be stressful. Model UN. Ninth grade. I was scared, but I wanted to know what this world of formal attire with upperclassmen was all about. I wanted to improve my comfort zone. Furthermore, I started out as a note passer to learn about the process and there, I saw the chairs who regulated the entire debate. Furthermore, I was mesmerized by their capability and confidence. Furthermore, I wanted to be like them. So, for the following MUN I was a delegate. I was nervous to make speeches, but I kept going. I became a good public speaker, I went to international conferences, and finally I was able to chair. Furthermore, I'm proud of this most because through my own will and desire I was able to get what I wanted. (22 words over limit)

Joshua's friends see him as an approachable, interesting and smart person. He is very active in class and is ready to help anyone who is struggling with a subject. He could also be loving and caring by helping and encouraging anyone who feels down or stressed with school. Moreover, He respects everyone and their opinions. His family is always proud of him. They would describe him as a hardworking, responsible and enthusiastic person. He always does his chores and responsibilities in the house and he never makes anyone mad or hurt. His positive attitude makes the house more comforting. I am really proud of my ability to communicate, tutor and help my friends understand a subject. I take it as a challenge to teach my friends until they are able to explain the topic to me. Once I had to skip lunch to prepare my friend for a test. I was delighted to know that he did very well in that test than he usually did. The main reason I tutor them is to not get credit when they do well but to give them confidence in what they are learning. By doing this, I not only improve my skills but I help my friends do well on a course and make them glad.

Joshua's friends see him as an approachable, interesting and smart person. He is very active in class and is ready to help anyone who is struggling with a subject. He could also be loving and caring by helping and encouraging anyone who feels down or stressed with school. Moreover, He respects everyone and their opinions. His family is always proud of him. They would describe him as a hardworking, responsible and enthusiastic person. He always does his chores and responsibilities in the house, and he never makes anyone mad or hurt. His positive attitude makes the house more comforting. I am really proud of my ability to communicate, tutor and help my friends understand a subject. I take it as a challenge to teach my friends until they are able to explain the topic to me. Once I had to skip lunch to prepare my friend for a test. I was delighted to know that he did very well in that test than he usually did. The main reason I tutor them is to not get credit when they do well but to give them confidence in what they are learning. By doing this, I not only improve my skills, but I help my friends do well on a course and make them glad.

Last year, I joined my school's Model United Nations club. My acceptance was a huge accomplishment for me since I'm very interested in global affairs, and I'm passionate about helping others. I attended two Model UN conferences where our main goal was to find plausible solutions to pressing global issues and communicate professionally as a committee. I participated in the Vancouver Model UN conference as my first conference and immediately fell in love with the fast-paced and stimulating environment. I had to conduct research, negotiate via public speaking, and, most of all, I was always kept on my toes thinking of new arguments and ideas on the spot. A couple of months later, I signed up for my second conference and was determined this time to use my previously gained experience to enhance my arguments and ideas in an even harder committee. I attended the Canadian International Model UN (CAIMUN) conference, where I was the delegate of Liberia in the African Union. CAIMUN had a massive impact on me since I was more experienced and therefore contributed more to the discussion. The committee was also a bit smaller, so I had more opportunities to speak. Over the weekend, we discussed two critical topics to push the success of Africa, which were: alleviating the ethnic conflict in South Sudan and improving the quality of education in Africa. I had made a goal for myself at this conference to have one of my clauses passed and written into our resolution paper. I helped improve educational access by affirming non-discriminatory practices and equal inclusion, and I implemented a sub-clause to approve the efficient allocation of funds by refining the teaching skill sets of educators through raising the wages of teachers. I achieved and surpassed my goal by implementing more than one clause. Throughout the weekend at CAIMUN, my problem-solving skills and public speaking skills improved drastically. Not only did I learn more about the world and the different challenges we face, but I also discovered situations I may have never known about if I had not partaken in Model UN.

Last year, I joined my school's Model United Nations club. My acceptance was a huge accomplishment for me since I'm very interested in global affairs, and I'm passionate about helping others. I attended two Model UN conferences where our main goal was to find plausible solutions to pressing global issues and communicate professionally as a committee. I participated in the Vancouver Model UN conference as my first conference and immediately fell in love with the fast-paced and stimulating environment. Furthermore, I had to conduct research, negotiate via public speaking, and, most of all, I was always kept on my toes thinking of new arguments and ideas on the spot. A couple of months later, I signed up for my second conference and was determined this time to use my previously gained experience to enhance my arguments and ideas in an even harder committee. I attended the Canadian International Model UN (CAIMAN) conference, where I was the delegate of Liberia in the African Union. CAIMAN had a massive impact on me since I was more experienced and therefore contributed more to the discussion. The committee was also a bit smaller, so I had more opportunities to speak. Over the weekend, we discussed two critical topics to push the success of Africa, which were: alleviating the ethnic conflict in South Sudan and improving the quality of education in Africa. I had made a goal for myself at this conference to have one of my clauses passed and written into our resolution paper. I helped improve educational access by affirming non-discriminatory practices and equal inclusion, and I implemented a sub-clause to approve the efficient allocation of funds by refining the teaching skill sets of educators through raising the wages of teachers. Furthermore, I achieved and surpassed my goal by implementing more than one clause. Throughout the weekend at CAIMAN, my problem-solving skills and public speaking skills improved drastically. Not only did I learn more about the world and the different challenges we face, but I also discovered situations I may have never known about if I had not partaken in Model UN.

My teachers and friends describe me as a humble and determined person, always working hard to be the best version of myself. They find that I am always contributing in different ways to the school and community, despite the little recognition I get for my work. At home, my parents say that my independence has helped form me into the person who I am today, a "machine" that never breaks down despite the stress put on it by school, work, and life. Yet, becoming this kind of person required that I step out of my sheltered life and into the real world. As an only child, I was accustomed to relying on my parents to do everything for me. When I entered high school, I was shy and afraid to get involved in volunteer positions. Seeing my friends taking part in such activities motivated me to join them, yet I didn't know what I could do to get involved. I started by entering various groups in and outside of school, sharing my skills and experiences with others. Little by little, I acquired leadership skills, allowing me to serve in more meaningful ways such as teaching catechism, leading a team of videographers, and sharing my academic knowledge to students through tutoring. I am proud of the journey I have taken to form the leader that I am today, as well as the little deeds which have developed a lasting impact on my life, as well as those whom I have served. (Word count: 250) Thanks in advance for your help!

My teachers and friends describe me as a humble and determined person, always working hard to be the best version of myself. They find that I am always contributing in different ways to the school and community, despite the little recognition I get for my work. At home, my parents say that my independence has helped form me into the person who I am today, a "machine" that never breaks down despite the stress put on it by school, work, and life. Yet, becoming this kind of person required that I step out of my sheltered life and into the real world. As an only child, I was accustomed to relying on my parents to do everything for me. When I entered high school, I was shy and afraid to get involved in volunteer positions. Seeing my friends taking part in such activities motivated me to join them, yet I didn't know what I could do to get involved. I started by entering various groups in and outside of school, sharing my skills and experiences with others. Little by little, I acquired leadership skills, allowing me to serve in more meaningful ways such as teaching catechism, leading a team of videographers, and sharing my academic knowledge to students through tutoring. I am proud of the journey I have taken to form the leader that I am today, as well as the little deeds which have developed a lasting impact on my life, as well as those whom I have served. (Word count: 250) Thanks in advance for your help!

I began figure skating when I was seven. By eight years old I had competed in small, regional competitions. At twelve I was competing provincially and was training for four hours a day, six days a week, all year round. When I was in grade 10, I started feeling the pressures of academic success, and I started thinking about university. Training for competitions was time-consuming, and I wanted to try new things during my high school career. I still loved figure skating, but I decided to stop competing to focus more of my time on my studies. Although I missed the competitive aspect of skating, I found even more enjoyment in furthering my skills at my own pace. I decided to set a personal goal and achieve it. Instead of competing against others, I would be competing against my own abilities. I was determined to pass the two hardest skating exams, the gold free skate and skills test. Upon committing myself, I passed both tests in just over one year. I successfully achieved my goals thanks to my intense determination and perseverance. Growing up I was instilled with the importance of never giving up. If you were to ask anyone who knows me, they would tell you that I'm diligent, and there's no stopping me once I'm motivated. Along with being determined, I'm also responsible. I understand the importance of my education can find a happy medium where I'm able to achieve both my athletic and my academic goals.

I began figure skating when I was seven. By eight years old I had competed in small, regional competitions. At twelve, I was competing provincially and was training for four hours a day, six days a week, all year round. When I was in grade 10, I started feeling the pressures of academic success, and I started thinking about university. Training for competitions was time-consuming, and I wanted to try new things during my high school career. I still loved figure skating, but I decided to stop competing to focus more of my time on my studies. Although I missed the competitive aspect of skating, I found even more enjoyment in furthering my skills at my own pace. I decided to set a personal goal and achieve it. Instead of competing against others, I would be competing against my own abilities. I was determined to pass the two hardest skating exams, the gold free skate and skills test. Upon committing myself, I passed both tests in just over one year. I successfully achieved my goals thanks to my intense determination and perseverance. Growing up I was instilled with the importance of never giving up. If you were to ask anyone who knows me, they would tell you that I'm diligent, and there's no stopping me once I'm motivated. Along with being determined, I'm also responsible. I understand the importance of my education can find a happy medium where I'm able to achieve both my athletic and my academic goals.

During my summer break, I have had the opportunity to work at Accenture, which is one of the world's largest consulting companies. I was part of the marketing and analytics team and was supervised by two senior and seasoned employees. It was a great learning experience for me and I learnt many things about the office lifestyle and the workload behind it that one does not learn in a classroom. My first assignment was to research Accenture's recent projects and present it in my own way. I had researched about their recent startup on quantum computing because it is was very interesting to me and closely related to my subjects at school. The task was heavily researched based and I learned a lot about how research is carried out in professional environments. I got constructive feedback that further helped me understand how to research thoroughly. Having to meet many deadlines for tasks allowed me to develop my organisational skills. The second assignment was to analyze and collect data on Accenture's social media platforms and compare it with their competitors, as well as suggesting improvements. This was one of the most challenging yet exciting assignments because there were so many variables to be considered, such as Facebook and Instagram following, user interactions, and user-company communication. They wanted to make their social media direct more towards a younger demographic to attract younger employees. Being in my late teens, I was able to contribute ideas that were relevant to this task. This improved my analysis skills as well as my creativity, since I had to contribute ideas that were unique and far-fetched. I also attended the Fintech event which was a 3 day event organized by several banking and tech companies. During my time at Accenture, I had to attend several meetings and conferences. This was a great experience as I became more confident in public speaking and leading some of the meeting which further improved my leadership skills. It was a great experience to work at Accenture and I gained a lot from it.

During my summer break, I have had the opportunity to work at Accenture, which is one of the world's largest consulting companies. I was part of the marketing and analytics team and was supervised by two senior and seasoned employees. It was a great learning experience for me and I learned many things about the office lifestyle and the workload behind it that one does not learn in a classroom. My first assignment was to research Accenture's recent projects and present it in my own way. I had researched about their recent startup on quantum computing because it is very interesting to me and closely related to my subjects at school. The task was heavily researched based, and I learned a lot about how research is carried out in professional environments. I got constructive feedback that further helped me understand how to research thoroughly. Having to meet many deadlines for tasks allowed me to develop my organizational skills. The second assignment was to analyze and collect data on Accenture's social media platforms and compare it with their competitors, as well as suggesting improvements. This was one of the most challenging yet exciting assignments because there were so many variables to be considered, such as Facebook and Instagram following, user interactions, and user-company communication. They wanted to make their social media direct more towards a younger demographic to attract younger employees. Being in my late teens, I was able to contribute ideas that were relevant to this task. This improved my analysis skills as well as my creativity, since I had to contribute ideas that were unique and far-fetched. I also attended the Fintech event which was a 3-day event organized by some banking and tech companies. During my time at Accenture, I had to attend several meetings and conferences. This was a great experience as I became more confident in public speaking and leading some of the meeting which further improved my leadership skills. It was a great experience to work at Accenture and I gained a lot from it.

Just like many other grade 12 students planning out their future, I like to see the best results out of everything I put my effort in doing; whether it be school sports, extracurricular activities, or academics. Hence, my friends, family, and the people that know me well would describe me as goal-oriented because I always try to finish whatever I set my mind to. I first joined my highschool's cross country team in grade 8. I wasn't any "prodigy" runner, but I did run a couple of races back in elementary school. Throughout that season, I kept on trying to train and become faster, however, zones came around and unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to qualify for provincials. I then realized that if I ever wanted to make provincials, I had to set this as my goal, and train hard enough to improve myself and reach that goal. My coach at that time really inspired me as an athlete and helped me to train in a better mental space. With this determination to overcome physical and mental barriers, I was able to qualify for BC Cross Country Provincials for each of the next 4 years of my highschool life, with each year the hard work paying off.

Just like many other grade 12 students planning out their future, I like to see the best results out of everything I put my effort in doing; whether it be school sports, extracurricular activities, or academics. Hence, my friends, family, and the people that know me well would describe me as goal-oriented because I always try to finish whatever I set my mind to. I first joined my high school's cross-country team in grade 8. I wasn't any "prodigy" runner, but I did run a couple of races back in elementary school. Throughout that season, I kept on trying to train and become faster, however, zones came around, and unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to qualify for provincials. I then realized that if I ever wanted to make provincials, I had to set this as my goal, and train hard enough to improve myself and reach that goal. My coach at that time really inspired me as an athlete and helped me to train in a better mental space. With this determination to overcome physical and mental barriers, I was able to qualify for BC Cross Country Provincials for each of the next 4 years of my high school life, with each year the hard work paying off.

Growing up witnessing countless inequitable situations not only on TV but also in life, I've gradually become accustomed to the state of always getting myself in troubles only to help people out, just like what my peers often described: "a real-life Wonder Woman who couldn't sit still whenever it came to unfairness". I once prevented a transfer student, who was constantly harassed due to her visual appearance, from sinking into depression by handing a video that I had secretly filmed when the seniors were abusing the poor girl to the principal. As a result, they were all expelled from school despite their parents' ceaseless wailing. Another time, I dared to expose the principal's daughter on the internet who was praised as an angel but in fact a bully, always using her dad's power and money to get away with the consequences. Her targets varied from a newcomer to someone who was about to graduate so a great deal of people have severely suffered because of her, including my close friend. Even though I didn't only lose the "excellent student" title but also attacked verbally by her gang, I was exceedingly proud of myself for being able to stand up on behalf of everyone else to offer other teachers, especially the principal insights into the true nature of his beloved daughter. I did undergo a tough time always being faced with contemptuous looks and loathsome comments from her "fans" but I still didn't regret what I had done, even until now.

Growing up witnessing countless inequitable situations not only on TV but also in life, I've gradually become accustomed to the state of always getting myself in troubles only to help people out, just like what my peers often described: "a real-life Wonder Woman who couldn't sit still whenever it came to unfairness". I once prevented a transfer student, who was constantly harassed due to her visual appearance, from sinking into depression by handing a video that I had secretly filmed when the seniors were abusing the poor girl to the principal. As a result, they were all expelled from school despite their parents' ceaseless wailing. Another time, I dared to expose the principal's daughter on the internet who was praised as an angel but in fact a bully, always using her dad's power and money to get away with the consequences. Her targets varied from a newcomer to someone who was about to graduate, so a great deal of people have severely suffered because of her, including my close friend. Even though I didn't only lose the "excellent student" title but also attacked verbally by her gang, I was exceedingly proud of myself for being able to stand up on behalf of everyone else to offer other teachers, especially the principal insights into the true nature of his beloved daughter. I did undergo a tough time always being faced with contemptuous looks and loathsome comments from her "fans" but I still didn't regret what I had done, even until now.

I am a passionate, hardworking and determined student who puts a great amount of effort into everything he does. Not only do I give importance to my academics but also to my health and well-being. Though I hate going to the gym, I balance that out by playing sports such as badminton and swimming. My parents would describe me as a focused and outgoing person. As they have been with me my whole life, they see me as someone who loves to take on challenges. They have seen me at my highest and they have seen me at my lowest and they would definitely say that I am not one who would shy away from failure, but instead one who would overcome those failures and use them as an experience to learn from. My friends would describe me as someone who puts relationships, honesty and transparency above all else. They would say that I have a very charismatic personality and that I never fail to offer help to others. They think of me as a very adaptive person who can be independent or dependent when the situation requires. I am proud of the fact that I have been able to surround myself with people that value me and never hesitate to point out my mistakes. I am proud of the fact that I abide by my own values and morals. I am proud of the fact that I can think for myself and make my own decisions.

I am a passionate, hardworking and determined student who puts a great amount of effort into everything he does. Not only do I give importance to my academics but also to my health and well-being. Though I hate going to the gym, I balance that out by playing sports such as badminton and swimming. My parents would describe me as a focused and outgoing person. As they have been with me my whole life, they see me as someone who loves to take on challenges. They have seen me at my highest, and they have seen me at my lowest, and they would definitely say that I am not one who would shy away from failure, but instead one who would overcome those failures and use them as an experience to learn from. My friends would describe me as someone who puts relationships, honesty and transparency above all else. They would say that I have a very charismatic personality and that I never fail to offer help to others. They think of me as a very adaptive person who can be independent or dependent when the situation requires. I am proud of the fact that I have been able to surround myself with people that value me and never hesitate to point out my mistakes. I am proud of the fact that I abide by my own values and morals. Furthermore, I am proud of the fact that I can think for myself and make my own decisions.

Im almost positive that i have to change my entire essay as it does not answer the question clearly but since everyone (including my family and friends) were describing me as caring, i thought this would be interesting. However, i understand that im not answering the question the way they want it to be answered i guess. Let me know what you guys think anyways. Thank you. "Why is everyone saying caring?""Because you are!""Sure, I care about you guys but I'm not that caring""You got the school janitor a get-well card""She was going through a rough time!""Exactly! Most people including the janitor has shared a piece of their life with you solely because we think you're the only person that actually cares". She was right. I cared for most people. It didn't matter if it was a classmate, the school bus driver or my favourite janitor. I was simply frustrated because the word "caring" seemed cliche and I was looking for something unique to stand out. Nonetheless, I decided to start embracing my empathy rather than turning away from it. Throughout elementary I remember making birthday cupcakes for kids who didn't have friends to celebrate with because I hated the feeling one gets when left behind. This mindset clearly stuck with me long-term as I initiated a project to fund the education for the less-fortunate children simply because It killed me to think they might feel forsaken. However, people around me made me feel as if this empathy was futile. They told me buying a birthday cupcake for the lonely kid will not get me anywhere. However, if my sensitivity on human emotion begun with that one cupcake and lead me to my future path of psychology, then my only regret is not making more cupcakes in an effort to make everyone around me feel more acknowledged and validated.

I'm almost positive that I have to change my entire essay as it does not answer the question clearly but since everyone (including my family and friends) were describing me as caring, I thought this would be interesting. However, I understand that I'm not answering the question the way they want it to be answered I guess. Let me know what you guys think anyway. Thank you. "Why is everyone saying caring?"" Because you are!"" Sure, I care about you guys, but I'm not that caring""You got the school janitor a get-well card""She was going through a rough time!"" Exactly! Most people including the janitor has shared a piece of their life with you solely because we think you're the only person that actually cares". She was right. I cared for most people. It didn't matter if it was a classmate, the school bus driver or my favorite janitor. I was simply frustrated because the word "caring" seemed cliché, and I was looking for something unique to stand out. Nonetheless, I decided to start embracing my empathy rather than turning away from it. Throughout elementary I remember making birthday cupcakes for kids who didn't have friends to celebrate with because I hated the feeling one gets when left behind. This mindset clearly stuck with me long-term as I initiated a project to fund the education for the less-fortunate children simply because It killed me to think they might feel forsaken. However, people around me made me feel as if this empathy was futile. They told me buying a birthday cupcake for the lonely kid will not get me anywhere. However, if my sensitivity on human emotion begun with that one cupcake and lead me to my future path of psychology, then my only regret is not making more cupcakes in an effort to make everyone around me feel more acknowledged and validated.

One sunny day, the peculiar kid knocked the class's door and asked whether he came in. All students wanted to know who he was, then the teacher introduced him that he transferred in my class. Actually, my class was quite hard to get into because we were the mathе-egos and i was quite surprised that he would manage this class with ease. After a few months, I noticed that he always wanted to be nice with anyone even some of them trying to tease him. I honestly somehow felt loneliness from him even though he was always smiling to everyone. After one year, i found out that he was orphan and lived in fosterling where was far away from my school. More and more I talked with him, i felt that i wanted to help him. One day i asked about his misery, he just wanted to ignore me, and that moment i felt that he never confident with share his emotions and true feeling with others because he might afraid of judgements. I tried to be nice with him because i know that how loneliness feels like and how it is hard to go along with, but i did not know how to deal with it. I remember this quote whenever i saw him " No one could possibly understand the depths of you". Yes! I would never fully understand him, but at least i can try it. One day, he came to me and started to talk about his life to me how it feels like being in this world alone and how he work hard in every single thing, but mostly he failed because he had never financial background or someone who supports and loves him from their bottom of heart. However, i felt ashamed of myself being so arbitrary to my family. Ever since that time, we both knew that we can trust with each other and today we are still best friends. All in all, I would honestly say that he has changed my life forever. It has been always great pleasure to having a such person who always understand me and i deeply understand that if i really want to understand someone, i do not have to be smart or experience same situation, but more importantly, i have to have true desire to understand him or her.

One sunny day, the peculiar kid knocked the class's door and asked whether he came in. All students wanted to know who he was, then the teacher introduced him that he transferred in my class. Actually, my class was quite hard to get into because we were the mathе-egos and I was quite surprised that he would manage this class with ease. After a few months, I noticed that he always wanted to be nice with anyone even some of them trying to tease him. I honestly somehow felt loneliness from him even though he was always smiling to everyone. After one year, I found out that he was orphan and lived in fostering where was far away from my school. More and more I talked with him, I felt that I wanted to help him. One day I asked about his misery, he just wanted to ignore me, and that moment I felt that he never confident with share his emotions and true feeling with others because he might be afraid of judgements. I tried to be nice with him because I know that how loneliness feels like and how it is hard to go along with, but I did not know how to deal with it. I remember this quote whenever I saw him" No one could possibly understand the depths of you". Yes! Furthermore, I would never fully understand him, but at least I can try it. One day, he came to me and started to talk about his life to me how it feels like being in this world alone and how he work hard in every single thing, but mostly he failed because he had never financial background or someone who supports and loves him from their bottom of heart. However, I felt ashamed of myself being so arbitrary to my family. Ever since that time, we both knew that we can trust with each other, and today we are still best friends. All in all, I would honestly say that he has changed my life forever. It has been always great pleasure to having a such person who always understand me and I deeply understand that if I really want to understand someone, I do not have to be smart or experience same situation, but more importantly, I have to have true desire to understand him or her.

The fascinating process of using datum to touch the lives of millions and even change the way society develops is always what interests me in data science. My passion for problem-solving, persistence and optimization drew me to the path to become a data scientist. In the home of the largest concentration of math and computer science talent in the world, data science is the combination of two best courses in Waterloo, which differentiate it in data science in other universities. This allows me to grow my passions by teaching me how to analyze the data efficiently using most advanced algorithms to help to solve real-world issues. Also, Waterloo's world's largest co-op programs will provide me with a wide range of opportunities and work experiences, enables me to apply my knowledge in the classroom and accomplish my dream of becoming a data scientist.

The fascinating process of using datum to touch the lives of millions and even change the way society develops is always what interests me in data science. My passion for problem-solving, persistence and optimization drew me to the path to become a data scientist. In the home of the largest concentration of math and computer science talent in the world, data science is the combination of two best courses in Waterloo, which differentiate it in data science in other universities. This allows me to grow my passions by teaching me how to analyze the data efficiently using most advanced algorithms to help to solve real-world issues. Also, Waterloo's world's largest co-op programs will provide me with a wide range of opportunities and work experiences, enables me to apply my knowledge in the classroom and accomplish my dream of becoming a data scientist.

Answer: My friends and family both agree that I am a smart, helpful, and responsible person with a well organized, fit lifestyle. However, where my friends consider me merely a positive and daring person who takes risks, my parents would call me a daredevil. My parents told me that when I was a kid I used to drink boiling hot tea and jump between furniture and do other dangerous activities. Since I was that brave my dad decided to take me to work with him occasionally and let me dismantle electronic devices, which nurtured my thinking skills. My mom noticed that I have changed and she told me that I turned the characteristics of a daredevil into a driving force behind my actions. My friends explained to me how they do not see me being daring is a bad thing because a lot of people waste opportunities resisting change. And taking risks does the opposite, which is creating opportunities like when I chose to get a job in the summer instead of studying yet ended up studying at breaks. One of my friends' parents did not allow him to study abroad, but he decided to try getting a full scholarship to a Japanese university. Later he told me that I was the inspiration. I am truly proud of that trait of mine. However, what I am most proud of is my little sisters' progress in coding since I am the one who introduced her and helped her in learning the concepts.

Answer: My friends and family both agree that I am a smart, helpful, and responsible person with a well organized, fit lifestyle. However, where my friends consider me merely a positive and daring person who takes risks, my parents would call me a daredevil. My parents told me that when I was a kid I used to drink boiling hot tea and jump between furniture and do other dangerous activities. Since I was that brave my dad decided to take me to work with him occasionally and let me dismantle electronic devices, which nurtured my thinking skills. My mom noticed that I have changed, and she told me that I turned the characteristics of a daredevil into a driving force behind my actions. My friends explained to me how they do not see me being daring is a bad thing because a lot of people waste opportunities resisting change. And taking risks does the opposite, which is creating opportunities like when I chose to get a job with the summer instead of studying yet ended up studying at breaks. One of my friends' parents did not allow him to study abroad, but he decided to try getting a full scholarship to a Japanese university. Later he told me that I was the inspiration. I am truly proud of that trait of mine. However, what I am most proud of is my little sisters' progress in coding since I am the one who introduced her and helped her in learning the concepts.

I am from parents who run their life by the small-scale agricultural business. I am the first child for my parents and entirely we are nine family members. Currently, all of my brothers and sisters are attending their school whereby my parents face economic and financial difficulties to finance the school expenses so that my parent's income is not enough to pay my school fees after covering other school fees. In my primary, secondary and tertiary school, I do chicken farming and small agricultural business during my vacation to cover my school expenses and I have worked hard ever since to relieve pressure from my family. I am compassionate and always trying to see other people's perspectives and understand them. Believing in God, hard work, tolerance, and hope help me to see the frontiers of tomorrow's shine day. My family's moral support and encouragement was also contributed to the person who I am today. I am genuinely happy and caring. I admit I sometimes think I should put my feelings aside and be more rational, but the feel is what I am supposed to do and is the thing I do best. I believe that compassion, trust, and love are very important in all of the relationships and these make us human. In my opinion, it is essential that we get to know ourselves, even if we do not know what exactly makes us the people we are. Generally, based on my personal criteria as a person I am committed, organized, energetic, disciplined, sympathetic, feel positive and negative, have emotions, self-control and believing in God, tolerance, hope, moral support of my family and fellow friends and able to make a decision makes me the person who I am today.

I am from parents who run their life by the small-scale agricultural business. I am the first child for my parents, and entirely we are nine family members. Currently, all of my brothers and sisters are attending their school whereby my parents face economic and financial difficulties to finance the school expenses so that my parent's income is not enough to pay my school fees after covering other school fees. In my primary, secondary and tertiary school, I do chicken farming and small agricultural business during my vacation to cover my school expenses and I have worked hard ever since to relieve pressure from my family. I am compassionate and always trying to see other people's perspectives and understand them. Believing in God, hard work, tolerance, and hope to help me to see the frontiers of tomorrow's shine day. My family's moral support and encouragement was also contributed to the person who I am today. I am genuinely happy and caring. I admit I sometimes think I should put my feelings aside and be more rational, but the feel is what I am supposed to do and is the thing I do best. Furthermore, I believe that compassion, trust, and love are very important in all the relationships and these make us human. In my opinion, it is essential that we get to know ourselves, even if we do not know what exactly makes us the people we are. Generally, based on my personal criteria as a person I am committed, organized, energetic, disciplined, sympathetic, feel positive and negative, have emotions, self-control and believing in God, tolerance, hope, moral support of my family and fellow friends and able to make a decision makes me the person who I am today.

I've never written an College Application essay before and this is my first attempt, so I would like some advice. Thank you in advance Two years ago, I was absolutely fascinated by a Volleyball match between Japan and Brazil featured on Television. It was around this time that I have developed an avid interest in Volleyball and began playing the sport. Soon after, Volleyball has become one of my favorite recreational activities to relieve stress that are bound to come with schoolwork; and often play it after school. Eventually, I have founded my High School's Volleyball team and became the team captain. Through playing Volleyball, I have acquired great teamwork skills, efficiently coordinating with my teammates to score. I am also greatly inspired by the philosophy of Volleyball: a Volleyball player must always look up, regardless of where he or she is; helping me to realize that it is important to stay positive, no matter dreadful the situation. If given the opportunity, I would continue to play Volleyball during my University year and join the University's Volleyball team.

I've never written a College Application essay before and this is my first attempt, so I would like some advice. Thank you in advance Two years ago, I was absolutely fascinated by a Volleyball match between Japan and Brazil featured on Television. It was around this time that I have developed an avid interest in Volleyball and began playing the sport. Soon after, Volleyball has become one of my favorite recreational activities to relieve stress that are bound to come with schoolwork; and often play it after school. Eventually, I have founded my High School's Volleyball team and became the team captain. Through playing Volleyball, I have acquired great teamwork skills, efficiently coordinating with my teammates to score. I am also greatly inspired by the philosophy of Volleyball: a Volleyball player must always look up, regardless of where he or she is; helping me to realize that it is important to stay positive, no matter dreadful the situation. If given the opportunity, I would continue to play Volleyball during my University year and join the University's Volleyball team.

I am as messy and noisy as it gets. So the fact that I became one of the best graduates from high school came as a shock to many. In fact, I even heard someone gasp at the news. I stood there among a math genius, a physics maniac, a prodigy coder and received the same workplace invitations as them. My parents were crying too. We had a big fight about me graduating without learning anything the night before. So naturally I would've went "Ha! Now you see why I was behind that computer all the time?". In reality I was playing games as they suspected but who cares? As it turned out, I cared. A few days later I started asking myself if I really was worth being the best graduate. Maybe I just got lucky there. Maybe my parents cried over a valueless title. I had to ask myself what I've done to deserve such an award? After all, I never got an International Olympiads medal like the others on that stage. Then I started regretting over the time I spent playing on that computer. Who knows? I may have had an international bronze at least? The computer, though, came at a great price. I had been asking my parents to buy me one ever since second grade when they finally bought one for me in 9th grade. I had told them I would make movies, music, Youtube videos, programs, artificial intelligence and video games. Don't let my passionate tone confuse you, these were nothing but a big cover-up for playing video games. But the only way I could keep playing video games was if I lived up to those cover-ups. I never really saw them as strenuous work though; to me it was just the part of playing video games. The first thing I did was making a Harry Potter movie. Green thingies coming out from little kids' pencils, me defeating everyone at the same time in the end, the whole shabang. It must've took over 120 hours for me to make that 5 minute video. I could make a much better looking Harry Potter movie now just in case you see it. This was my first Youtube video followed by a 40 more. There are exactly 3 diss tracks from those. But that happened 2 years ago, my English improved exponentially since then. Anyways, that was a bit embarrassing part of my life (that I'm likely to get back to later). Not so much for the artificial intelligence though. All I managed to do was making a moving triangle that can respond to different greetings. I'm still proud of it though. Looking back at the stuff I did to play video games, I may have found the answer to my question. I don't know the exact reason why they chose me as the best graduate, but I would guess it was because of my passion and determination. These cover-ups ended up growing into other passions of mine and that's just how things went with me. All of a sudden my extreme confidence was back, I deserved to be on that stage. Don't get me wrong, my passion didn't only show in video games. It was everywhere: I came to this school without any English and became the best, won a history debate against my history teacher, became one of the most respected members of our debate club, learnt to play the guitar, the piano, and this thing called launchpad. However, as cocky as I may sound, I didn't think of anything negative as I stood on that stage. Looking at my parents cry on my graduation day filled me with pride, and all I could think of was how they fought so hard to make me who I was. I started tearing up but managed to hold on because all my friends were looking at me.

I am as messy and noisy as it gets. So the fact that I became one of the best graduates from high school came as a shock to many. In fact, I even heard someone gasp at the news. I stood there among a math genius, a physics maniac, a prodigy coder and received the same workplace invitations as them. My parents were crying too. We had a big fight about me graduating without learning anything the night before. So naturally I would've gone "Ha! Now you see why I was behind that computer all the time?". In reality, I was playing games as they suspected but who cares? As it turned out, I cared. A few days later I started asking myself if I really was worth being the best graduate. Maybe I just got lucky there. Maybe my parents cried over a valueless title. I had to ask myself what I've done to deserve such an award? After all, I never got an International Olympiads medal like the others on that stage. Then I started regretting over the time I spent playing on that computer. Who knows? I may have had an international bronze at least? The computer, though, came at a great price. I had been asking my parents to buy me one ever since second grade when they finally bought one for me in 9th grade. I had told them I would make movies, music, YouTube videos, programs, artificial intelligence and video games. Don't let my passionate tone confuse you, these were nothing but a big cover-up for playing video games. But the only way I could keep playing video games was if I lived up to those cover-ups. I never really saw them as strenuous work though; to me, it was just the part of playing video games. The first thing I did was making a Harry Potter movie. Green thingies coming out from little kids' pencils, me defeating everyone at the same time in the end, the whole shebang. It must've taken over 120 hours for me to make that 5-minute video. I could make a much better looking Harry Potter movie now just in case you see it. This was my first YouTube video followed by a 40 more. There are exactly 3 disses tracks from those. But that happened 2 years ago, my English improved exponentially since then. Anyway, that was a bit embarrassing part of my life (that I'm likely to get back to later). Not so much for the artificial intelligence though. All I managed to do was making a moving triangle that can respond to different greetings. I'm still proud of it though. Looking back at the stuff I did to play video games, I may have found the answer to my question. I don't know the exact reason why they chose me as the best graduate, but I would guess it was because of my passion and determination. These cover-ups ended up growing into other passions of mine and that's just how things went with me. All of a sudden my extreme confidence was back, I deserved to be on that stage. Don't get me wrong, my passion didn't only show in video games. It was everywhere: I came to this school without any English and became the best, won a history debate against my history teacher, became one of the most respected members of our debate club, learned to play the guitar, the piano, and this thing called launchpad. However, as cocky as I may sound, I didn't think of anything negative as I stood on that stage. Looking at my parents cry on my graduation day filled me with pride, and all I could think of was how they fought so hard to make me who I was. I started tearing up but managed to hold on because all my friends were looking at me.

At least that is my definition of it... In front of me are a pack of dumpling wrappers, a pack of shredded pork, fresh vegetables, and sauce. These are the ingredients needed to make dumplings. However, many other ingredients can be added to give the dumpling a twist. Having seen people cook dumplings time and time again, I felt like I knew how to prepare my ingredients but, I still had my doubts. I cut the vegetables - to add color, flavor, texture, and depth, seasoned the pork - the base of the filling, and added sauce - to incorporate more flavor and zest, and mixed it all together. It took some time to finally get the taste I was looking for - the taste of my ideal dumplings. Every flavor complemented each other; every bit of the filling encapsulated a different chapter of a book - each with its own unique quality. But, when eaten as a whole, the pieces become a dumpling - the chapters become a book. Now that the filling is made, I had to wrap the dumplings, to give it shape. I took a bite-sized scoop of filling and placed it in the center of the dumpling wrapper. I carefully folded the dumpling wrapper to the best of my ability to ensure no filling escapes. The dumplings may not look the best, but practice makes perfect. I take out my dumplings and they are hot. As I wait for them to cool, I begin to think about the process it took for me to make my dumplings, then it hit me... I realized that a dumpling could mean so much more than just food itself - it can be a symbol of my own life. I began to realize that I am the dumpling. I am the one preparing myself - I am the one making me who I am. The questions I tend to always ask myself now is: What can I add into my life to make it "taste" better, to make it more enjoyable? Did I add all the right amount of ingredients to my life? I want my dumpling to taste good, not only to me but to others as well. Throughout my life, it was hard for me to understand why I went through so much. While kids were excited to go home, I was excited to be at school. Growing up I was always pressured by my parents to be the "smart" kid or to be like my older sister - I felt like a disappointment. But during my life, I learned that life is not fair and I cannot let others make me who I am. The mistakes while making my dumplings represented the struggle I experienced in my life - the struggle that makes me who I am today; and, although I may not be the best dumpling in the pot, I know I can always try again. I can make myself into my ideal dumpling if I work hard - I am in control of my life... For that reason, I decided to study nursing, to give help to others - the kind of help I never got while growing up. Every moment, struggle, failure, and success has made me into the person I am today. Through all of it, I put it behind me and used it to improve myself and how I could possibly be helpful to others. Dumpling (my continuation):Me

At least that is my definition of it... In front of me are a pack of dumpling wrappers, a pack of shredded pork, fresh vegetables, and sauce. These are the ingredients needed to make dumplings. However, many other ingredients can be added to give the dumpling a twist. Having seen people cook dumplings time and time again, I felt like I knew how to prepare my ingredients but, I still had my doubts. I cut the vegetables - to add color, flavor, texture, and depth, seasoned the pork - the base of the filling, and added sauce - to incorporate more flavor and zest, and mixed it all together. It took some time to finally get the taste I was looking for - the taste of my ideal dumplings. Every flavor complemented each other; every bit of the filling encapsulated a different chapter of a book - each with its own unique quality. But, when eaten as a whole, the pieces become a dumpling - the chapters become a book. Now that the filling is made, I had to wrap the dumplings, to give it shape. I took a bite-sized scoop of filling and placed it in the center of the dumpling wrapper. I carefully folded the dumpling wrapper to the best of my ability to ensure no filling escapes. The dumplings may not look the best, but practice makes perfect. I take out my dumplings and they are hot. As I wait for them to cool, I begin to think about the process it took for me to make my dumplings, then it hit me... I realized that a dumpling could mean so much more than just food itself - it can be a symbol of my own life. I began to realize that I am the dumpling. Furthermore, I am the one preparing myself - I am the one making me who I am. The questions I tend to always ask myself now is: What can I add into my life to make it "taste" better, to make it more enjoyable? Did I add all the right amount of ingredients to my life? I want my dumpling to taste good, not only to me but to others as well. Throughout my life, it was hard for me to understand why I went through so much. While kids were excited to go home, I was excited to be at school. Growing up I was always pressured by my parents to be the "smart" kid or to be like my older sister - I felt like a disappointment. But during my life, I learned that life is not fair, and I cannot let others make me who I am. The mistakes while making my dumplings represented the struggle I experienced in my life - the struggle that makes me who I am today; and, although I may not be the best dumpling in the pot, I know I can always try again. I can make myself into my ideal dumpling if I work hard - I am in control of my life... For that reason, I decided to study nursing, to give help to others - the kind of help I never got while growing up. Every moment, struggle, failure, and success has made me into the person I am today. Through all of it, I put it behind me and used it to improve myself and how I could possibly be helpful to others. Dumpling (my continuation):Me

I decided to write about my cultural identities and my names. But I'd love advice and some help on cutting down my word count. "What's your name?" The admissions officer smiled as she looked up from her papers. For most people, the answer comes as easy as breathing. But as I struggled to choose between "Noelle" and "Nok Hei," this question seemed to pick apart my identity. Since the British colonisation of Hong Kong, it's become a cultural norm to gift children with two names at birth: a Chinese and English name. Chan Nok Hei was my former. My mother told stories of hardships during labour and the rich golden hues of a sunrise illuminating the hospital after I was born. "No matter how dark times are, there's always the promise of a rising sun every day,'' she would say. Thus, the characters of my name "諾晞" translates into "a promising dawn." I was given the endearing nickname of 'Hei Hei' by my family and close friends. This name signifies a precious time of childhood and home--blowing chui pou gaos (popular plastic bubbles for children), lighting lanterns during the Dragon Boat Festival, and of towering skyscrapers decorating a glittering city skyline. However, such sentiments in my name, captured by the rhythmic Cantonese phonetics, feel lacking in English. Summer of 2007, I attended kindergarten in California. My name stuck out like a sore thumb when the teacher introduced me to the class. "Say hello to your new classmate, Nok." "It's Nok Hei..." I tried to correct her. With my limited vocabulary, I didn't know how to tell her my name consists of more than one character. I didn't understand the jokes my classmates made made at me, but I knew enough to know that they were laughing at my name. Feeling left out of the class full of 'normal American' names, insecurity about my name emerged for the first time. My second name came a little later. My parents eventually named me Noelle from 'Noël,' the French word for Christmas--my birthday. When I consider life's many blessings, my family's ties to America rank at the top. My aunt's house in Hayward is like my second home. My frequent visits meant inevitably forming deep ties with the community; from hanging out with kids in my cousin's neighbourhood to attending youth group in the local church. There, I only made use of my English name, the lingering hesitance of using my real name clung to me like an ugly stain, in fear that these American friends would mock me as well. I decided that Nok Hei was reserved for Hong Kong--for childhood, family, and a different self. It was in Hayward that I was graced with a French priest from my church who I knew as Father Jean. He introduced me to the legends of French Santa Claus, Papa Noël, and of the star that marked the birth of jesus on christmas day. As I devoured these tales and scriptures, an appreciation for the meaning of my English name bloomed. I returned to Hong Kong and attended a British school where English was the primary language of instruction. There, everybody went by their English names. Even if Noelle wasn't my legal name, that was what everyone knew me as. For nine years, Noelle was the only name I associated with outside of my family. The neatly framed art awards proudly displayed on living room shelves belong to "Noelle Chan". To me, my mark on the world in everything but legalities was as "Noelle." When I enrolled in high school in California, things were different. I found myself having to match emails and IDs with the name printed on my passport. I actively tried to correct people and started introducing myself as Noelle- the name I identified with, and the name I know people can pronounce. The deeper my journey to adulthood went, the more I came face to face with my other identity. Bank accounts, green card, and college applications, however, all demanded the resurgence of my legal name. As Nok Hei gradually returned to my life, I felt an aura of home and a buried childhood wash back over me. So what's my name, you ask? I can proudly say I have two. I am both Chan Nok Hei and Noelle Chan, stretched between two vastly different cultures and places. I'm finding a place between my two identities--between teachers who struggle during roll call, lantern festivals, loving parents, and everything in between. I am learning to appreciate the names that tell stories of a guiding star in the night sky and a blooming sun that rises at dawn.

I decided to write about my cultural identities and my names. But I'd love advice and some help on cutting down my word count. "What's your name?" The admissions officer smiled as she looked up from her papers. For most people, the answer comes as easy as breathing. But as I struggled to choose between "Noelle" and "NOK Ha," this question seemed to pick apart my identity. Since the British colonization of Hong Kong, it's become a cultural norm to gift children with two names at birth: a Chinese and English name. Chan NOK Ha was my former. My mother told stories of hardships during labor and the rich golden hues of a sunrise illuminating the hospital after I was born. "No matter how dark times are, there's always the promise of a rising sun every day,'' she would say. Thus, the characters of my name "諾晞" translates into "a promising dawn." I was given the endearing nickname of 'Hei' by my family and close friends. This name signifies a precious time of childhood and home--blowing chew POU gas (popular plastic bubbles for children), lighting lanterns during the Dragon Boat Festival, and of towering skyscrapers decorating a glittering city skyline. However, such sentiments in my name, captured by the rhythmic Cantonese phonetics, feel lacking in English. Summer of 2007, I attended kindergarten in California. My name stuck out like a sore thumb when the teacher introduced me to the class. "Say hello to your new classmate, NOK." "It's NOK Ha..." I tried to correct her. With my limited vocabulary, I didn't know how to tell her my name consists of more than one character. I didn't understand the jokes my classmates made at me, but I knew enough to know that they were laughing at my name. Feeling left out of the class full of 'normal American' names, insecurity about my name emerged for the first time. My second name came a little later. My parents eventually named me Noelle from 'Noel,' the French word for Christmas--my birthday. When I consider life's many blessings, my family's ties to America rank at the top. My aunt's house in Hayward is like my second home. My frequent visits meant inevitably forming deep ties with the community; from hanging out with kids in my cousin's neighborhood to attending youth group in the local church. There, I only made use of my English name, the lingering hesitance of using my real name clung to me like an ugly stain, in fear that these American friends would mock me as well. I decided that NOK Ha was reserved for Hong Kong--for childhood, family, and a different self. It was in Hayward that I was graced with a French priest from my church who I knew as Father Jean. He introduced me to the legends of French Santa Claus, Papa Noel, and of the star that marked the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. As I devoured these tales and scriptures, an appreciation for the meaning of my English name bloomed. I returned to Hong Kong and attended a British school where English was the primary language of instruction. There, everybody went by their English names. Even if Noelle wasn't my legal name, that was what everyone knew me as. For nine years, Noelle was the only name I associated with outside my family. The neatly framed art awards proudly displayed on living room shelves belong to "Noelle Chan". To me, my mark on the world in everything but legalities was as "Noelle." When I enrolled in high school in California, things were different. I found myself having to match emails and IDs with the name printed on my passport. I actively tried to correct people and started introducing myself as Noelle-the name I identified with, and the name I know people can pronounce. The deeper my journey to adulthood went, the more I came face to face with my other identity. Bank accounts, green card, and college applications, however, all demanded the resurgence of my legal name. As NOK Ha gradually returned to my life, I felt an aura of home and a buried childhood wash back over me. So what's my name, you ask? I can proudly say I have two. I am both Chan NOK Ha and Noelle Chan, stretched between two vastly different cultures and places. Furthermore, I'm finding a place between my two identities--between teachers who struggle during roll call, lantern festivals, loving parents, and everything in between. Furthermore, I am learning to appreciate the names that tell stories of a guiding star in the night sky and a blooming sun that rises at dawn.

The things that caught my interests in purdue are the academic diversity, the general environment and the high respect of its degrees.The academic diversity will expose me to diverse people and perspectives in and out of the classroom. Learning communities like the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) will help further my interests, knowledge, and innovation. Social groups like the African Students' Association (ASA) will help me establish meaningful relationships and connections with other students.Purdue degrees are respected by employers and other universities around the world. Having a degree from such a reputable institution will be fulfilling.

The things that caught my interests in Purdue are the academic diversity, the general environment and the high respect of its degrees. The academic diversity will expose me to diverse people and perspectives in and out of the classroom. Learning communities like the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) will help further my interests, knowledge, and innovation. Social groups like the African Students' Association (ASA) will help me establish meaningful relationships and connections with other students. Purdue degrees are respected by employers and other universities around the world. Having a degree from such a reputable institution will be fulfilling.

My enthusiasm for physics is on-going. My first intervention to physics was when I was studying for SAT 2 subject test in physics. Since I was a strong mathematician representing the school in various competitions, many teachers assumed I would also do the same in science. However, I experienced a complete failure. I didn't understand anything, and thought I had no talent in physics. However, one day, my whole view on the beauty of physics opened. I was walking in a street with my friend, and noticed a car passing me made a higher pitched sound when it was near me, and then made a lower pitched sound as it passed by. A concept I learned, the Doppler effect, suddenly struck my mind. I shouted at my friend, "That's the DOPPLER EFFECT!!". My friend obviously had no idea what I was talking about, but I was incredibly excited and happy that physics was something interesting. It might seem like a trivial event, but after that day, I started to understand concepts that I wasn't able to do so previously. I started to gain knowledge rapidly, and started to self-study and research more about physics. As I was doing this, I completed studying and taking tests of AP physics 1, C-M, calculus BC, and chemistry in half year; I became the school physics ambassador, which enabled me to interact and discuss more with the physics teachers; I started to run a physics club, running physics experiments. It wasn't a specific event that created my will and passion for physics, but the accumulation of the joy of understanding and applying the ideas of physics in real life. Now, I'm ready to learn more physics, whether it's more in depth or more new concepts, and to enjoy it.

My enthusiasm for physics is ongoing. My first intervention to physics was when I was studying for SAT 2 subject test in physics. Since I was a strong mathematician representing the school in various competitions, many teachers assumed I would also do the same in science. However, I experienced a complete failure. I didn't understand anything, and thought I had no talent in physics. However, one day, my whole view on the beauty of physics opened. I was walking in a street with my friend, and noticed a car passing me made a higher pitched sound when it was near me, and then made a lower pitched sound as it passed by. A concept I learned, the Doppler effect, suddenly struck my mind. I shouted at my friend, "That's the DOPPLER EFFECT!!". My friend obviously had no idea what I was talking about, but I was incredibly excited and happy that physics was something interesting. It might seem like a trivial event, but after that day, I started to understand concepts that I wasn't able to do so previously. I started to gain knowledge rapidly, and started to self-study and research more about physics. As I was doing this, I completed studying and taking tests of AP physics 1, C-M, calculus BC, and chemistry in half year; I became the school physics ambassador, which enabled me to interact and discuss more with the physics teachers; I started to run a physics club, running physics experiments. It wasn't a specific event that created my will and passion for physics, but the accumulation of the joy of understanding and applying the ideas of physics in real life. Now, I'm ready to learn more physics, whether it's more in depth or more new concepts, and to enjoy it.

I posted this a few days ago and got no response, but since I have updated and edited my essay, so I have removed the previous post and made a new thread. Any suggestions andor advice would be greatly appreciated. I can feel the cold air brush against my cheek from the frosty, autumn morning, and the soft humidity of morning dew fresh in the air. A school building peeks into my view from the foggy distance and a tinge of excitement buzzes through my veins as we drive closer. It was finally here, the day of the TSA (Technology Student Association) State competition. As we inch closer, ever so slightly towards the school, I can suddenly envision the next few hours of my life: All of my group's blood, sweat, and tears for the past six months would come to a head at this moment. Our greatest creation yet, a hunk of metal lovingly named, "Robot 02618" would be going up against another competitor's creation in a fierce, jaw-clenching battle of the ages. Parameters of the duel? Who can chuck plastic balls at a target better. As I walked in, I spotted my group in the far corner; the same people that I worked with week to week, meeting every Thursday afterschool, to build our VEX robot. There, behind my group, sat my dazzling robot, 02618, in all of its glory. Isn't there something so beautiful seeing months of hardwork all in one place, in one polished product? I stopped in my tracks to admire the amalgamation of my group's creativity and brilliant ingenuity when I hear my groupmate say the fateful words: "Uhhh I think our robot is broken"Besides being unable to compete and having 02618's cold, soulless body lying in my hands, I found myself that day.All my life, I had feared failure. And now, there it was, on the floor with its dead, cold aluminum skeleton. While sitting there thinking of everything I could've done differently, everything I could've planned, everything I could've checked beforehand, I realized I was delving into useless antics. Something clicked. What was this going to do for me? It was at this moment that I realized failure is not a sentence to perdition, but instead a means to find the right step. Having failure as not a deterrent, but a motive, I couldn't help but strive to do more. I turned to other opportunities that weren't apparent before, once covered by a veil of fear, but now, something to look forward to. I reached outside of TSA, taking my failure to heart, I looked to other places, other clubs, other chances that I once thought was too scary to pursue. Not willing to fall under the weight of rejection, I tackled different opportunities to see how far I could go. Whether that be trying to make an impact in my community through working hand in hand with the local American Red Cross to set up blood drives or tackling personal weaknesses like public speaking by delivering speeches to hundreds at the TSA State conference, I pushed farther with what I could do, knowing that even if I were to fail, I would only learn from that failure. While these opportunities have garnered recognition and scholarships, I feel more pride in knowing that I seized these opportunities without a shred of apprehension and, ultimately, drove to make an impact. Having lived a duality of fearing fear and facing it head on, I've learned to find a balance in not only trusting myself to avoid getting lost in ambition, but to also look back and find the flaws in my mistakes. To find out who I am not by confining to social expectations or personal doubt, but to move forward and only forward. Everyday, I pass by the very same engineering classroom where my robot was assembled. Everyday, I replace the footsteps of a once hesitant person with those of someone who can take pride in his own actions and call defeat, a triumph. As I pass that classroom once more, my eye catches a laminated poster that reads "Fail forwards". And as soon as I turn my head, five little numbers pop into my head: 02618.

I posted this a few days ago and got no response, but since I have updated and edited my essay, so I have removed the previous post and made a new thread. Any suggestions ardor advice would be greatly appreciated. I can feel the cold air brush against my cheek from the frosty, autumn morning, and the soft humidity of morning dew fresh in the air. A school building peeks into my view from the foggy distance and a tinge of excitement buzzes through my veins as we drive closer. It was finally here, the day of the TSA (Technology Student Association) State competition. As we inch closer, ever so slightly towards the school, I can suddenly envision the next few hours of my life: All of my group's blood, sweat, and tears for the past six months would come to a head at this moment. Our greatest creation yet, a hunk of metal lovingly named, "Robot 02618" would be going up against another competitor's creation in a fierce, jaw-clenching battle of the ages. Parameters of the duel? Who can chuck plastic balls at a target better. As I walked in, I spotted my group in the far corner; the same people that I worked with week to week, meeting every Thursday after school, to build our VEX robot. There, behind my group, sat my dazzling robot, 02618, in all of its glory. Isn't there something so beautiful seeing months of handwork all in one place, in one polished product? I stopped in my tracks to admire the amalgamation of my group's creativity and brilliant ingenuity when I hear my group mate say the fateful words: "HHH I think our robot is broken"Besides being unable to compete and having 02618's cold, soulless body lying in my hands, I found myself that day. All my life, I had feared failure. And now, there it was, on the floor with its dead, cold aluminum skeleton. While sitting there thinking of everything I could've done differently, everything I could've planned, everything I could've checked beforehand, I realized I was delving into useless antics. Something clicked. What was this going to do for me? It was at this moment that I realized failure is not a sentence to perdition, but instead a means to find the right step. Having failure as not a deterrent, but a motive, I couldn't help but strive to do more. I turned to other opportunities that weren't apparent before, once covered by a veil of fear, but now, something to look forward to. I reached outside TSA, taking my failure to heart, I looked to other places, other clubs, other chances that I once thought was too scary to pursue. Not willing to fall under the weight of rejection, I tackled different opportunities to see how far I could go. Whether that be trying to make an impact in my community through working hand in hand with the local American Red Cross to set up blood drives or tackling personal weaknesses like public speaking by delivering speeches to hundreds at the TSA State conference, I pushed farther with what I could do, knowing that even if I were to fail, I would only learn from that failure. While these opportunities have garnered recognition and scholarships, I feel more pride in knowing that I seized these opportunities without a shred of apprehension and, ultimately, drove to make an impact. Having lived a duality of fearing and facing it head on, I've learned to find a balance in not only trusting myself to avoid getting lost in ambition, but to also look back and find the flaws in my mistakes. To find out who I am not by confining to social expectations or personal doubt, but to move forward and only forward. Every day, I pass by the very same engineering classroom where my robot was assembled. Every day, I replace the footsteps of a once hesitant person with those of someone who can take pride in his own actions and call defeat, a triumph. As I pass that classroom once more, my eye catches a laminated poster that reads "Fail forwards". And as soon as I turn my head, five little numbers pop into my head: 02618.

Following is only a first draft of mit prompt "Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (250 words)" I would really appreciate if someone can give me feedback in regard to the content of the essay. Once I am able to get the content going that is answering the prompt properly, I will start improving my overall phrasing and grammar etc. When my dog died, I was feeling very depressed. Over the next few months, my grades declined by a few percentage in my academics and my participation decreased in extracurricular activities, my parents decided to take me to a vacation for to cheer me up. After the vacation, I started performing well in everything and was back on track. My parents were happy with my performance. My grades were up, and my participation increased in chess, karate and other tournaments. But I still had the feeling of emptiness inside of me. I always felt unhappy, but I did a good job of hiding it from my parents, my friends and other people. I would pretend to be normal, attend social events, joke around. What I would feel is content for short periods of time followed by raw emptiness feeling inside of me. I decided to act on this and started improving myself. I started learning music, exercising regularly and eating healthy. Nothing seemed to work, and I constantly found myself wondering the meaning of life and death. I was asking myself what my purpose is and how do I matter in this vast universe. Until one day when I was sitting on a dark night alone in a park just staring at a sky. Suddenly I saw a shooting star. This was the first time I have ever seen one. This was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I also felt the feeling the feeling of "light" inside of me which I haven't felt in a while. I started seeking out more places outside of the city where I could observe the sky without light pollution. I even bought a telescope. When I looked through the telescope, I was wonderstruck by the beauty that lies within our universe. I have never seen such a beautiful sight before in my life. The more I looked at this, the more I realized the meaning behind everything. I realized how little piece I was in this vast board game people call "Universe". There is so much to know yet we know next to nothing. The mysteries of this universe excite me. Since that night, everyday I wake up to with a purpose to learn as much as I can. Everything I have done, I have done with that purpose in my mind. The most amazing part is the more I learn, the more I get inspired to learn even more and I can never get enough of this. I don't know where I will be from 5 or 10 years from now, but all I know is that I will never stop my thirst for knowledge.

Following is only a first draft of MIT prompt "Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (250 words)" I would really appreciate if someone can give me feedback in regard to the content of the essay. Once I am able to get the content going that is answering the prompt properly, I will start improving my overall phrasing and grammar etc. When my dog died, I was feeling very depressed. Over the next few months, my grades declined by a few percentages in my academics and my participation decreased in extracurricular activities, my parents decided to take me to a vacation for to cheer me up. After the vacation, I started performing well in everything and was back on track. My parents were happy with my performance. My grades were up, and my participation increased in chess, karate and other tournaments. But I still had the feeling of emptiness inside me. I always felt unhappy, but I did a good job of hiding it from my parents, my friends and other people. I would pretend to be normal, attend social events, joke around. What I would feel is content for short periods of time followed by raw emptiness feeling inside me. I decided to act on this and started improving myself. I started learning music, exercising regularly and eating healthy. Nothing seemed to work, and I constantly found myself wondering the meaning of life and death. I was asking myself what my purpose is and how do I matter in this vast universe. Until one day when I was sitting on a dark night alone in a park just staring at a sky. Suddenly I saw a shooting star. This was the first time I have ever seen one. This was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I also felt the feeling of "light" inside me which I haven't felt in a while. I started seeking out more places outside the city where I could observe the sky without light pollution. Furthermore, I even bought a telescope. When I looked through the telescope, I was wonder struck by the beauty that lies within our universe. I have never seen such a beautiful sight before in my life. The more I looked at this, the more I realized the meaning behind everything. I realized how little piece I was in this vast board game people call "Universe". There is so much to know, yet we know next to nothing. The mysteries of this universe excite me. Since that night, everyday I wake up to with a purpose to learn as much as I can. Everything I have done, I have done with that purpose in my mind. The most amazing part is the more I learn, the more I get inspired to learn even more and I can never get enough of this. I don't know where I will be from 5 or 10 years from now, but all I know is that I will never stop my thirst for knowledge.

It wasn't until recently that I saw the military academies as a viable college option. I happened to stumble upon the Air Force Academy when researching colleges with my intended major, aeronautical science. As I did more research into the Academy, I realized it was everything I wanted in a college experience. I wasn't looking for a traditional college experience with parties and temptations that would distract my studies. I was looking for structure and a school that would challenge my limits mentally and physically. I wanted a school that would help me to be the best version of myself and one that would equip me with the skills to overcome the obstacles in my future. For as long as I can remember, I have served my community by volunteering at events such as placing Christmas wreaths on veterans graves, serving Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless, and teaching vacation bible school at church. Participating at these events has had a big influence on my decision to serve my country. They've opened my eyes to how fortunate I am for the countless opportunities my country has given me. Men and women have given the ultimate sacrifice so that I can wake up every day, receive a quality education, and work towards becoming anything I want. As a United States citizen, it is my duty to honor those American heroes by standing for the national anthem and placing flags on their graves on Memorial Day. About a year ago, I realized that I wasn't doing enough and that my heroes and country deserved more. This is when I decided that I was going to serve as an officer in the Air Force, whether it be through the Air Force Academy or AFROTC. When I think of an officer in the United States military, I think of someone who has strong morals and excellent leadership. I have been raised to follow these traits in all aspects of my life. I have been in leadership roles since I was in seventh grade, whether it was being treasurer of student council in middle school, captain of my soccer team, holding leadership positions in my Boy Scout troop, or coordinating events for the Livermore Municipal Airport. Through my extensive leadership experiences, I have learned how to adapt to the situation and the people I am leading. This has become an invaluable trait that I am using while I complete my Eagle Scout project and will allow me to excel in leadership roles at the Air Force Academy. Growing up, my parents held me to very high standards of behavior, discipline, and moral ethics. I continue to improve upon and use these three standards to guide me through my senior year and college applications, and I intend to use them to make me a strong and compassionate officer in the United States Air Force. With your help, I hope to combine the skills I have acquired through my youth with my passion for aviation and use them to become a strong and moral officer at the United States Air Force Academy.

It wasn't until recently that I saw the military academies as a viable college option. I happened to stumble upon the Air Force Academy when researching colleges with my intended major, aeronautical science. As I did more research into the Academy, I realized it was everything I wanted in a college experience. I wasn't looking for a traditional college experience with parties and temptations that would distract my studies. I was looking for structure and a school that would challenge my limits mentally and physically. Furthermore, I wanted a school that would help me to be the best version of myself and one that would equip me with the skills to overcome the obstacles in my future. For as long as I can remember, I have served my community by volunteering at events such as placing Christmas wreaths on veterans graves, serving Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless, and teaching vacation bible school at church. Participating at these events has had a big influence on my decision to serve my country. They've opened my eyes to how fortunate I am for the countless opportunities my country has given me. Men and women have given the ultimate sacrifice so that I can wake up every day, receive a quality education, and work towards becoming anything I want. As a United States citizen, it is my duty to honor those American heroes by standing for the national anthem and placing flags on their graves on Memorial Day. About a year ago, I realized that I wasn't doing enough and that my heroes and country deserved more. This is when I decided that I was going to serve as an officer in the Air Force, whether it be through the Air Force Academy or AF ROTC. When I think of an officer in the United States military, I think of someone who has strong morals and excellent leadership. I have been raised to follow these traits in all aspects of my life. I have been in leadership roles since I was in seventh grade, whether it was being treasurer of student council in middle school, captain of my soccer team, holding leadership positions in my Boy Scout troop, or coordinating events for the Livermore Municipal Airport. Through my extensive leadership experiences, I have learned how to adapt to the situation and the people I am leading. This has become an invaluable trait that I am using while I complete my Eagle Scout project and will allow me to excel in leadership roles at the Air Force Academy. Growing up, my parents held me to very high standards of behavior, discipline, and moral ethics. I continue to improve upon and use these three standards to guide me through my senior year and college applications, and I intend to use them to make me a strong and compassionate officer in the United States Air Force. With your help, I hope to combine the skills I have acquired through my youth with my passion for aviation and use them to become a strong and moral officer at the United States Air Force Academy.

In my country, Korea, there are orders in life. People who are falling behind these orders, they might continue to feel inferior. Following these orders, however, doesn't mean they have confidence, yet, they remain unsure of themselves. If you ask why? They believe, of course, everyone else is doing it. Growing in this environment, I also had a similar perspective. When I was 25, I first learned about riding a bike. When I went to the park, even 5 years old children could ride a bike. I was about 20 years later than them. All my friends and acquaintances asked me, "You still don't know how to ride a bike?" At first, I was ashamed and embarrassed. I felt like I'm stupid that I was the only one who can't do what others can. At the beginning, I only practiced early in the morning since it was difficult for me to admit in front of others that I have never learned to ride a bike until now and also felt fearful of failure and of showing myself up. However, I realized learning could bring happiness and nothing to be ashamed of. Others might laugh at me, struggling with a bike as big as my body size, but my face was beaming with smiles and people could also see me as having fun. After repeated falling off and got back up for a thousand times, I had a feeling that might succeed in riding a bike. That feeling was the one keep stimulating me to try, but not to quit. At one point, I stopped feeling self-conscious and enjoyed the moment. The time I finally succeed, I could get a sense of pride and my heart was full. It could be a trivial experience to someone, but to me, it changed the way I think. Thus, I went a little further, made a new goal, a bike trip. While on a bicycle trip, I could enjoy the familiar scenery from a different view. It was not so grand, but experiencing new things had tangible functional benefits in the way I think and act. Through any experience, even trifling one, I could be grounded and materialized in the real world. By doing so, I could make my life more meaningful and better plan for myself. I do not doubt that people will also have "You still can't do" things as well. In that case, let's say "I still have something to learn and that is a good thing." People don't have to have any sense of inferiority even when they can't do what others can.People don't have to be arrogant even when they can do what others cannot do.People don't have to take for granted their accomplishments even when everyone achieved.In this way, I can be myself, light up my life, and feel alive, not just be alive.

In my country, Korea, there are orders in life. People who are falling behind these orders, they might continue to feel inferior. Following these orders, however, doesn't mean they have confidence, yet, they remain unsure of themselves. If you ask why? They believe, of course, everyone else is doing it. Growing in this environment, I also had a similar perspective. When I was 25, I first learned about riding a bike. When I went to the park, even 5 years old children could ride a bike. I was about 20 years later than them. All my friends and acquaintances asked me, "You still don't know how to ride a bike?" At first, I was ashamed and embarrassed. I felt like I'm stupid that I was the only one who can't do what others can. At the beginning, I only practiced early in the morning since it was difficult for me to admit in front of others that I have never learned to ride a bike until now and also felt fearful of failure and of showing myself up. However, I realized learning could bring happiness and nothing to be ashamed of. Others might laugh at me, struggling with a bike as big as my body size, but my face was beaming with smiles and people could also see me as having fun. After repeated falling off and got back up for a thousand times, I had a feeling that might succeed in riding a bike. That feeling was the one keep stimulating me to try, but not to quit. At one point, I stopped feeling self-conscious and enjoyed the moment. The time I finally succeed, I could get a sense of pride and my heart was full. It could be a trivial experience to someone, but to me, it changed the way I think. Thus, I went a little further, made a new goal, a bike trip. While on a bicycle trip, I could enjoy the familiar scenery from a different view. It was not so grand, but experiencing new things had tangible functional benefits in the way I think and act. Through any experience, even trifling one, I could be grounded and materialized in the real world. By doing so, I could make my life more meaningful and better plan for myself. I do not doubt that people will also have "You still can't do" things as well. In that case, let's say "I still have something to learn and that is a good thing." People don't have to have any sense of inferiority even when they can't do what others can. People don't have to be arrogant even when they can do what others cannot do. People don't have to take for granted their accomplishments even when everyone achieved. In this way, I can be myself, light up my life, and feel alive, not just be alive.

Even though the people around me have supported me, only a few believed in me. My beliefs were dismissed, and I was told to not ask questions. When I started questioning religion and god, I was told to shut up and that I would never succeed in life if I question god. Similarly, when I questioned everyone's pursuit of wealth instead of knowledge, I was told I was naïve and young. At every step, I and several other young girls like me are held back by the stigma in Indian society. I have been told numerous times by everyone around me that going abroad is a waste of time and money and I should just get a degree in IIT in India if I want to earn a lot of money. What they fail to understand is, I am not trying to pursue wealth or religion but instead I am trying to pursue knowledge and science. The reason why I want to study at MIT is that I want to learn from the best. I want to get a better understanding of the working of our world while breaking barriers for not only my sisters and cousins but also the countless other young children whose dreams are shattered by the people who tell them to just keep their heads down and not to dream.

Even though the people around me have supported me, only a few believed in me. My beliefs were dismissed, and I was told to not ask questions. When I started questioning religion and god, I was told to shut up and that I would never succeed in life if I question god. Similarly, when I questioned everyone's pursuit of wealth instead of knowledge, I was told I was naïve and young. At every step, I and several other young girls like me are held back by the stigma in Indian society. I have been told numerous times by everyone around me that going abroad is a waste of time and money and I should just get a degree in IIT in India if I want to earn a lot of money. What they fail to understand is, I am not trying to pursue wealth or religion, but instead I am trying to pursue knowledge and science. The reason why I want to study at MIT is that I want to learn from the best. I want to get a better understanding of the working of our world while breaking barriers for not only my sisters and cousins but also the countless other young children whose dreams are shattered by the people who tell them to just keep their heads down and not to dream.

Common App Prompt 3:Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea.What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? My child mind found life simple. Without question, I soaked up the instructions my parents told me. Don't steal, don't cheat, don't make others sad. Do study for school, do make friends, do love your family. I found no problem with these instructions. When glimpsing a spare pencil on a desk, I stifled the urge to snatch it up; I left for school in the morning with shouted 'I love you's to my parents. Slowly, I internalized the "do's and don'ts" as positives and negatives. There seemed no good reason for acting otherwise. At age ten, I lived in a stereotypically "perfect" family. It consisted of a hard-working father, a loving mother, an intelligent elder brother, and myself, the ever-naïve and carefree younger sister. Life was good. At least, I told myself life was good. I didn't notice the business trips, the increasingly infrequent visits home-which gradually escalated into screamed arguments and violently thrown objects. However, over years of conflict, I slowly started to see the fissures beneath the superficial appearance of my family. After all, to myself as a child, everything was either "good" or "bad"-and I chose seeing a good, united family rather than a bad, crumbling one. Finally came the ultimate blow: the divorce. Had I not lived through the aftermath of my parents' divorce, I think I would have gone on believing divorces were uniformly and definitively, "bad," just like all my other "don't"s. Divorce was bad because it splits up a family meant to be loving and happy and together. Even after divorce split up my together family, we healed, albeit scarred. My mother took care of both my brother and me, settling into a nearby neighborhood, while my father moved out-of-state. But I could see my mom's happiness rise on a daily basis, and on my father's occasional visits, he seemed lighter too. Moving past the incredibly provincial assumption that all divorce was bad, I saw how it ultimately sprouted into happiness. And on the other hand, I recognized just how much my parents' marriage restricted them both. Through the next few years, my eyes opened to the world of ambiguity between positive and negative; it transformed my extremely restricted view of "good" and "bad," taking into consideration the broader picture surrounding those things. It wasn't about looking on the bright side; it was discovering how to look at both sides of the coin. Meeting the man who would become my stepfather tested my newfound "philosophy." Stepping into his house, I first noticed the cloying smell of smoke. Even during the introductions, that pungent odor repulsed me. But, while driving home, I realized I fell into the very same pattern I followed before: I assumed smoking defined him as a "bad" person. Whenever I visited my stepfather after the first day, I asked him more about his life and his history, and learned more about what made up his identity, such as serving as a professor at Leiden University in Amsterdam for almost a decade, harboring a severe sweet tooth, and zealously supporting the North Carolina Tar Heels. And although I will never approve of his smoking, learning more about him helped me redefine him as a multifaceted person. Honestly, I still have trouble looking beyond the rigid boundaries I had imposed on the world. Despite this, I strive to stay as open as possible to other concepts and people, not fixating on their detracting features, but observing their redeeming ones as well.

Common App Prompt 3:Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? My child mind found life simple. Without question, I soaked up the instructions my parents told me. Don't steal, don't cheat, don't make others sad. Do study for school, do make friends, do love your family. I found no problem with these instructions. When glimpsing a spare pencil on a desk, I stifled the urge to snatch it up; I left for school in the morning with shouted 'I love you's to my parents. Slowly, I internalized the "dos and don'ts" as positives and negatives. There seemed no good reason for acting otherwise. At age ten, I lived in a stereotypically "perfect" family. It consisted of a hard-working father, a loving mother, an intelligent elder brother, and me, the ever-naïve and carefree younger sister. Life was good. At least, I told myself life was good. I didn't notice the business trips, the increasingly infrequent visits home-which gradually escalated into screamed arguments and violently thrown objects. However, over years of conflict, I slowly started to see the fissures beneath the superficial appearance of my family. After all, to myself as a child, everything was either "good" or "bad"-and I chose to see a good, united family rather than a bad, crumbling one. Finally, came the ultimate blow: the divorce. Had I not lived through the aftermath of my parents' divorce, I think I would have gone on believing divorces were uniformly and definitively, "bad," just like all my other "don't’s. Divorce was bad because it splits up a family meant to be loving and happy and together. Even after divorce split up my together family, we healed, albeit scarred. My mother took care of both my brother and me, settling into a nearby neighborhood, while my father moved out-of-state. But I could see my mom's happiness rise on a daily basis, and on my father's occasional visits, he seemed lighter too. Moving past the incredibly provincial assumption that all divorce was bad, I saw how it ultimately sprouted into happiness. And on the other hand, I recognized just how much my parents' marriage restricted them both. Through the next few years, my eyes opened to the world of ambiguity between positive and negative; it transformed my extremely restricted view of "good" and "bad," taking into consideration the broader picture surrounding those things. It wasn't about looking on the bright side; it was discovering how to look at both sides of the coin. Meeting the man who would become my stepfather tested my newfound "philosophy." Stepping into his house, I first noticed the cloying smell of smoke. Even during the introductions, that pungent odor repulsed me. But, while driving home, I realized I fell into the very same pattern I followed before: I assumed smoking defined him as a "bad" person. Whenever I visited my stepfather after the first day, I asked him more about his life and his history, and learned more about what made up his identity, such as serving as a professor at Leiden University in Amsterdam for almost a decade, harboring a severe sweet tooth, and zealously supporting the North Carolina Tar Heels. And although I will never approve of his smoking, learning more about him helped me redefine him as a multifaceted person. Honestly, I still have trouble looking beyond the rigid boundaries I had imposed on the world. Despite this, I strive to stay as open as possible to other concepts and people, not fixating on their detracting features, but observing their redeeming ones as well.

To me, education is important. Regardless of what I do in the future, the information I have learned and whatever I learn next will always be with me. My education is very important to me, as the information and skills I learn are very valuable to my future career, but the education of others is also important to me. Everyone benefits from a well-educated population and helping each other learn more leads us towards a better society. For this reason, in addition to the focus I have on my education, I have developed an eager willingness to assist those around me. Alongside being a peer tutor in Digital Media Development 12, I strive to help fellow students around me in other classes as well as outside of school during other activities. Doing this has enabled me to grow as an individual as I learn about differences in people through working with them. This has benefitted me as I have developed into a person that can comprehend others and their individual needs. As the people I help come to see me as a role model they can rely on for help, I can see that I have made a positive impact on those around me. Seeing the success achieved by others as I work together with them towards achieving their goals has brought joy to myself. Furthermore, it has also allowed me to realize the importance of education not just for oneself, but also for others.

To me, education is important. Regardless of what I do in the future, the information I have learned and whatever I learn next will always be with me. My education is very important to me, as the information and skills I learn are very valuable to my future career, but the education of others is also important to me. Everyone benefits from a well-educated population and helping each other learn more leads us towards a better society. For this reason, in addition to the focus I have on my education, I have developed an eager willingness to assist those around me. Alongside being a peer tutor in Digital Media Development 12, I strive to help fellow students around me in other classes as well as outside of school during other activities. Doing this has enabled me to grow as an individual as I learn about differences in people through working with them. This has benefitted me as I have developed into a person that can comprehend others and their individual needs. As the people I help come to see me as a role model they can rely on for help, I can see that I have made a positive impact on those around me. Seeing the success achieved by others as I work together with them towards achieving their goals has brought joy to myself. Furthermore, it has also allowed me to realize the importance of education not just for oneself, but also for others.

Please review my short paragraph. It's a rough draft but I have no idea where to take it! I dream of becoming the woman who puts human back into humanity. But first, here's a little backstory. The hardest part of my college journey had been choosing a major. I've always been decisive, so my uncertainty was a struggle for both me and my family. A family friend of mine suggested speech therapy. I will not forget the expressions on her face, tears in her eyes, and gratefulness in her voice as she was telling me about her daughter's therapist. It was so heartfelt that at that moment I decided my dream is to be someone who could solicit that reaction out of people. I know I wanted to choose a path where I could benefit others. But I also realized that I didn't have to limit myself by only helping people through my career. There are other ways such as volunteer work, donations, and raising awareness. I believe Syracuse University can help me achieve my dream not only by providing extraordinary academics but also by giving me the skills and abilities necessary for leadership and management through which I can be the humanitarian I strive to be.

Please review my short paragraph. It's a rough draft, but I have no idea where to take it! I dream of becoming the woman who puts human back into humanity. But first, here's a little backstory. The hardest part of my college journey had been choosing a major. I've always been decisive, so my uncertainty was a struggle for both me and my family. A family friend of mine suggested speech therapy. I will not forget the expressions on her face, tears in her eyes, and gratefulness in her voice as she was telling me about her daughter's therapist. It was so heartfelt that at that moment I decided my dream is to be someone who could solicit that reaction out of people. I know I wanted to choose a path where I could benefit others. But I also realized that I didn't have to limit myself by only helping people through my career. There are other ways such as volunteer work, donations, and raising awareness. I believe Syracuse University can help me achieve my dream not only by providing extraordinary academics but also by giving me the skills and abilities necessary for leadership and management through which I can be the humanitarian I strive to be.

Syracuse University's efforts towards enhancing multicultural affairs is what influenced me to apple. Coming from a multicultural background, it's important that whichever institute I consider, also considers me. I was born in Columbus, Ohio, raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and originally from Karachi, Pakistan. I believe everyone deserves equal respect and opportunity no matter their race, religion, gender, or social class. Unfortunately, the environment I grew up in was unsupportive of my values. Job offerings were tendentious, schools were segregated, and most religious institutes, including those within the realm of the predominant religion, were banned. Personally, I spent most of my Thursdays awaiting a text from an appointed messenger informing me where the next Friday sermon would take place. It was held in a different location every week since my community's version of Islam was not acceptable in the country. Luckily however, after attending one of SU's diversity sessions for new students, I found my values reflected at Syracuse University. All the clubs, organizations, and events directed towards promoting inclusivity at Syracuse are exactly what I had been looking for! At Syracuse, I see myself being part of the MLLC and attending C.A.R.E dialogue circles. I wish to encourage multicultural competence and interfaith dialogue while expressing myself in ways most true to myself. Whether it may be my studies in Human Development or just watching one of Syracuse's many basketball games, I believe that Syracuse can give me the right environment to do what I previously could not, to help grow my interests.

Syracuse University's efforts towards enhancing multicultural affairs is what influenced me to apple. Coming from a multicultural background, it's important that whichever institute I consider, also considers me. I was born in Columbus, Ohio, raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and originally from Karachi, Pakistan. I believe everyone deserves equal respect and opportunity no matter their race, religion, gender, or social class. Unfortunately, the environment I grew up in was unsupportive of my values. Job offerings were tendentious, schools were segregated, and most religious institutes, including those within the realm of the predominant religion, were banned. Personally, I spent most of my Thursdays awaiting a text from an appointed messenger informing me where the next Friday sermon would take place. It was held in a different location every week since my community's version of Islam was not acceptable in the country. Luckily however, after attending one of SU's diversity sessions for new students, I found my values reflected at Syracuse University. All the clubs, organizations, and events directed towards promoting inclusivity at Syracuse are exactly what I had been looking for! At Syracuse, I see myself being part of the MLLC and attending C.A.R.E dialogue circles. I wish to encourage multicultural competence and interfaith dialogue while expressing myself in ways most true to myself. Whether it may be my studies in Human Development or just watching one of Syracuse's many basketball games, I believe that Syracuse can give me the right environment to do what I previously could not, to help grow my interests.

My career goal after university is to work as a software engineer for tech companies and contribute to projects that could change lives positively. An additional career goal of mine is to follow this career path in China. This program will allow me to learn the skills I need to be a good software developer as I will be studying in two top universities, one here in BC and the other being in one of the C9 universities of China. I will also be able to apply my skills learned to real-world scenarios as I participate in co-op opportunities at home and abroad. These coop opportunities will also allow me to make connections, which will help me find employment in the future. For my second goal, this program will help me achieve it by allowing me to study in China. This experience abroad will allow me to achieve a degree of fluency in the Mandarin language which will help me with getting around, living and working in China. Immersing myself in Chinese society and culture will also allow me to have a great understanding of the country and people living there. Also, those opportunities will allow me to experience what it's like to work for a Chinese company, giving invaluable experience that will help with adjusting to any future job with Chinese companies. The co-op opportunities in China will help me with this, as the connections with Chinese companies could help me in the future with employment in China.

My career goal after university is to work as a software engineer for tech companies and contribute to projects that could change lives positively. An additional career goal of mine is to follow this career path in China. This program will allow me to learn the skills I need to be a good software developer as I will be studying in two top universities, one here in BC and the other being in one of the C9 universities of China. I will also be able to apply my skills learned to real-world scenarios as I participate in co-op opportunities at home and abroad. These coop opportunities will also allow me to make connections, which will help me find employment in the future. For my second goal, this program will help me achieve it by allowing me to study in China. This experience abroad will allow me to achieve a degree of fluency in the Mandarin language which will help me with getting around, living and working in China. Immersing myself in Chinese society and culture will also allow me to have a great understanding of the country and people living there. Also, those opportunities will allow me to experience what it's like to work for a Chinese company, giving invaluable experience that will help with adjusting to any future job with Chinese companies. The co-op opportunities in China will help me with this, as the connections with Chinese companies could help me in the future with employment in China.

I am interested in this program because of my interest in both Computer Science and Chinese culture. As an ethnic Chinese born outside of China, immersing myself in the culture of my ancestors and learning Mandarin is something I'd love to do. I recognize that the technology sector of China is growing at a fast pace, and I would like to take advantage of the opportunities I can get to study in China to immerse myself and learn from Chinese education and culture. I also find appeal in living in a foreign country, as I will be stepping out of my comfort zone like never before. I hope this experience will allow me to grow and mature as a person. Furthermore, studying Computing Science in two top universities in two countries will allow me to gain the skills I need for my career in a globalized world. Having degrees from both universities will also help me in job searching. I have been passionate about technology and have wanted to pursue a technology-related career since I was young, and I believe this program will be very beneficial to me as I participate in it and learn more. I also hope to gain work experience through the opportunities for co-op in China and make connections there. As it has been my dream to pursue education and possibly a future career in China, this program will allow me to succeed in one of my goals and launch me towards reaching my next goals.

I am interested in this program because of my interest in both Computer Science and Chinese culture. As an ethnic Chinese born outside of China, immersing myself in the culture of my ancestors and learning Mandarin is something I'd love to do. I recognize that the technology sector of China is growing at a fast pace, and I would like to take advantage of the opportunities I can get to study in China to immerse myself and learn from Chinese education and culture. I also find appeal in living in a foreign country, as I will be stepping out of my comfort zone like never before. Furthermore, I hope this experience will allow me to grow and mature as a person. Furthermore, studying Computing Science in two top universities in two countries will allow me to gain the skills I need for my career in a globalized world. Having degrees from both universities will also help me in job searching. I have been passionate about technology and have wanted to pursue a technology-related career since I was young, and I believe this program will be very beneficial to me as I participate in it and learn more. I also hope to gain work experience through the opportunities for co-op in China and make connections there. As it has been my dream to pursue education and possibly a future career in China, this program will allow me to succeed in one of my goals and launch me towards reaching my next goals.

I am a dedicated student with a never-ending curiosity and a passion for technology and its potential to shape the future. Throughout my life, as I discovered new things, the question of "How does it work?" has always been the first to come to mind. Through attempts to find the answers to these questions, I discovered a craving to learn more about computers, software and their implications for the future of the world. As an immigrant, watching my parents gain so much in Canada inspires me to work hard and make the most of my opportunities to improve myself and the world. My friends would describe me as a persistent and insightful individual that loves to share new information. While appreciating what I add to discussions, they admire that I am always working towards goals without yielding. Additionally, my teachers characterize me as responsible and independent. They describe me as someone always on task, working well individually and in groups. My parents recognize me as confident and open-minded, noting that I listen to various opinions and have a strong faith in myself and my ability to succeed. I am most proud of overcoming my inhibitions. From my childhood to early teenage years, I had always been shy and quiet. In the past few years, I have intentionally stepped out of my comfort zone, challenging myself to be more outgoing. I have changed as a person for the better, and I hope I can continue to improve myself.

I am a dedicated student with a never-ending curiosity and a passion for technology and its potential to shape the future. Throughout my life, as I discovered new things, the question of "How does it work?" has always been the first to come to mind. Through attempts to find the answers to these questions, I discovered a craving to learn more about computers, software and their implications for the future of the world. As an immigrant, watching my parents gain so much in Canada inspires me to work hard and make the most of my opportunities to improve myself and the world. My friends would describe me as a persistent and insightful individual that loves to share new information. While appreciating what I add to discussions, they admire that I am always working towards goals without yielding. Additionally, my teachers characterize me as responsible and independent. They describe me as someone always on task, working well individually and in groups. My parents recognize me as confident and open-minded, noting that I listen to various opinions and have a strong faith in myself and my ability to succeed. I am most proud of overcoming my inhibitions. From my childhood to early teenage years, I had always been shy and quiet. In the past few years, I have intentionally stepped out of my comfort zone, challenging myself to be more outgoing. I have changed as a person for the better, and I hope I can continue to improve myself.

At eight, in Korea, our financial circumstances forced us to live in a 50 sq ft. office attached to a gaming cafe for four years. Every morning, I dragged my fatigued body up the stairs with my half-closed eyes to the gym attached to the same building to take a shower - undoubtedly, there was no private bathroom at my home. At night, I tried to go to bed, bu, the 'PEW-PEW!'game sounds alarmed me. This place was definitely not a wonderful home for an 8~11-year-old child who was going through a crucial period of growth. Whenever a friend asked "Where do you live?", I couldn't say a thing. I just muttered with an ambiguous response of "...I live near the Galma Library." It wasn't until the day of Korean Thanksgiving that my response to that question changed. As always, I was left alone in my grandparent's house, waiting for my dad to come back from work. A few hours later, the underlying cricket's sounds and spreading smell of grease across the house indicated the dinner was almost ready. My dad never misses the dinner with family; he was about to come. Entering the door with beads of sweat, showing his deep dark circles, his face was yet wreathed in smiles. I couldn't understand why he did not rap out a single complaint about our hard circumstances. The next day, when we were walking back home, the sleeping curiosity finally sprung up and flowed out of my mouth. "Isn't work hard? Aren't you tired?" With his gentle smiles as always, he replied, "Of course I am if I'm a human being.". Confusion exploded. "Then, how are you always smiling? I've never seen you complain." He then replied, "You know what? If I can't avoid, I just enjoy it." His words were pretty shocking to an 8-year-old who was always complaining. From that day, slowly but surely, I learned how to step towards positive thinking. I just stopped complaining, and inconvenience turned into familiarity. Every stair steps to the gym became a simple morning exercise and the game sounds every night weren't actually that louder than I thought. Within those familiarities, positive aspects which never caught my sight started to appear. Wooden shelves packed with snacks and jellies, refrigerators filled with sodas and drinks, fancy computers displayed as if it is a computer museum, I started to like my house. The time I stayed in the gaming cafe was getting longer and longer. Because, this place was definitely a wonderful home for an 8-year-old child who was going through a crucial period of growth. Changing my perspective, I answered the question about my house, positively and confidently. I was who I was regardless of what negative circumstances I had. Belief toward me soared, and any negative circumstances couldn't fear me. I now believed that those hard situations 'made' me grow. When my dad changed his job and stayed out-of-city and just came home only at the weekends at my age 13, I utilized the situation to become more independent and used the benefit of having my own time for studying. Adapting to hard situations and actively controlling myself resulted in my personal growth that led me to start 'challenging' new things - different from merely just overcoming hard situations. And this thought process changed my life. Adjusting and developing my newfound skills, I slowly became the leader of my peers. Surprisingly, my peers followed me and made me a class president, and finally the school's vice president. I undertook as much work as I could do by participating in a competition, a english debate, or any other things that possibly made me grow. All my experiences turned to valuable experience whether it was a success or a failure - just like the absolute value. Experience was something that remained always positive even though its a negative(-) experience just as the absolute value. And today, I'm still running to get another absolute value which will add up in my life.

At eight, in Korea, our financial circumstances forced us to live in a 50 sq ft. office attached to a gaming café for four years. Every morning, I dragged my fatigued body up the stairs with my half-closed eyes to the gym attached to the same building to take a shower - undoubtedly, there was no private bathroom at my home. At night, I tried to go to bed, by, the 'PEW-PEW!'game sounds alarmed me. This place was definitely not a wonderful home for an 8~11-year-old child who was going through a crucial period of growth. Whenever a friend asked "Where do you live?", I couldn't say a thing. I just muttered with an ambiguous response of "... I live near the Gamma Library." It wasn't until the day of Korean Thanksgiving that my response to that question changed. As always, I was left alone in my grandparent's house, waiting for my dad to come back from work. A few hours later, the underlying cricket's sounds and spreading smell of grease across the house indicated the dinner was almost ready. My dad never misses the dinner with family; he was about to come. Entering the door with beads of sweat, showing his deep dark circles, his face was yet wreathed in smiles. I couldn't understand why he did not rap out a single complaint about our hard circumstances. The next day, when we were walking back home, the sleeping curiosity finally sprung up and flowed out of my mouth. "Isn't work hard? Aren't you tired?" With his gentle smiles as always, he replied, "Of course I am if I'm a human being.". Confusion exploded. "Then, how are you always smiling? I've never seen you complain." He then replied, "You know what? If I can't avoid, I just enjoy it." His words were pretty shocking to an 8-year-old who was always complaining. From that day, slowly but surely, I learned how to step towards positive thinking. I just stopped complaining, and inconvenience turned into familiarity. Every stair steps to the gym became a simple morning exercise and the game sounds every night weren't actually that louder than I thought. Within those familiarizes, positive aspects which never caught my sight started to appear. Wooden shelves packed with snacks and jellies, refrigerators filled with sodas and drinks, fancy computers displayed as if it is a computer museum, I started to like my house. The time I stayed in the gaming café was getting longer and longer. Because, this place was definitely a wonderful home for an 8-year-old child who was going through a crucial period of growth. Changing my perspective, I answered the question about my house, positively and confidently. I was who I was regardless of what negative circumstances I had. Belief toward me soared, and any negative circumstances couldn't fear me. I now believed that those hard situations 'made' me grow. When my dad changed his job and stayed out-of-city and just came home only at the weekends at my age 13, I utilized the situation to become more independent and used the benefit of having my own time for studying. Adapting to hard situations and actively controlling myself resulted in my personal growth that led me to start 'challenging' new things - different from merely just overcoming hard situations. And this thought process changed my life. Adjusting and developing my newfound skills, I slowly became the leader of my peers. Surprisingly, my peers followed me and made me a class president, and finally the school's vice president. I undertook as much work as I could do by participating in a competition, an English debate, or any other things that possibly made me grow. All my experiences turned to valuable experience whether it was a success or a failure - just like the absolute value. Experience was something that always remained positive even though it's a negative(-) experience just as the absolute value. And today, I'm still running to get another absolute value which will add up in my life.

My family and friends would describe me as resilient, passionate, ambitious, and driven. They see someone who is always striving to be the best version of themselves and has come a long way in the past couple years. This is not just in terms of growing up but also healing and overcoming obstacles internally. My family in particular would say that I can be independent to a fault and somewhat closed off at times. Whereas my friends would describe me as someone who is accepting of help and open to vulnerable conversations as well as constructive criticism. Throughout my life I have suffered with various mental health conditions which had a tremendous impact on my day to day life and most notably my academic career. During my high school years, I found it very difficult to continue attending my regular classes which ultimately made me question my ability to earn my diploma. Despite this, I refused to give up as it was a very important goal of mine to officially graduate no matter how hard it would be. I took some time to focus on my health and healing so I would be mentally fit enough to put my all into my classes and continue on to university. I am incredibly proud of myself, the work I have done, and the journey I have been on. After learning how to cope with my mental health and learning about myself I began to thoroughly enjoy my classes and the idea of university now fills me with excitement rather than anxiety.

My family and friends would describe me as resilient, passionate, ambitious, and driven. They see someone who is always striving to be the best version of themselves and has come a long way in the past couple years. This is not just in terms of growing up but also healing and overcoming obstacles internally. My family in particular would say that I can be independent to a fault and somewhat closed off at times. Whereas my friends would describe me as someone who is accepting of help and open to vulnerable conversations as well as constructive criticism. Throughout my life I have suffered with various mental health conditions which had a tremendous impact on my day-to-day life and most notably my academic career. During my high school years, I found it very difficult to continue attending my regular classes which ultimately made me question my ability to earn my diploma. Despite this, I refused to give up as it was a very important goal of mine to officially graduate no matter how hard it would be. I took some time to focus on my health and healing, so I would be mentally fit enough to put my all into my classes and continue on to university. I am incredibly proud of myself, the work I have done, and the journey I have been on. After learning how to cope with my mental health and learning about myself I began to thoroughly enjoy my classes and the idea of university now fills me with excitement rather than anxiety.

Since young, the thoughts of "if I do not understand something that others do, it means that I am dumb" and "asking things that others know is asking stupid questions" have been embedded in me, which led me to be timid and not ask when in doubt. He always insisted that "if there is nothing to lose but face (being embarrassed), just ask." He would tell us this every now and then; it is one lessons that I will never forget. When I started secondary school, I decided to step out of my comfort zone to start asking. Initially, I was overly concern of asking stupid questions but later overcame it as I realized many others actually had the same question but were afraid to ask. Because of this, I became more independent and not afraid to just ask around. He has been urging me to think of my ambition and consider my study options since I was 12 years old. He brought me to education fairs, sent me to workshops and encouraged me to talk to others to know more about different professions or education systems. From these exposures, I was introduced to the US education system which was quite foreign to my family members. He supported my choice to go to US even though it is at the other side of the Earth. Also, he did not mind at all that I change my ambition as frequent as the weather changes, but he assured me that it is normal. If not for him, I would not have been constantly seeking out for my interest and may be lost among the sea of choices. Because of him, I like to have discussions and listen to other people's views. He always likes to share many issues he saw or heard such as politics, science or social issues. As a young girl, I did not understand a lot but I was intrigued by them, so I would just listen to whatever he shares. As I grow older, instead of just him talking, I would give my opinion and start a discussion with him. I like this kind of discussions, it allows me to see a specific issue from another prospective, thus being able to analyse the whole issue better. This prompts me to sometimes ask my lecturers about out-of-syllabus topics. I just want to know their views based on their knowledge and experience and also share my view to let them correct any faults in my assumption or explanation. He was the one who helped me find my passion. He is not an engineer but whenever he repairs the appliances around the house, he would invite me to see. He even allowed me to tear apart the broken appliances to see the components. Sometimes, we would discuss ways to repair some appliances and he would occasionally take my suggestions. He never once forced me to do "more feminine" things or forbid me from doing "boyish" things. His fair treatment allowed me to find my true interest through the different exposures. Even when I told him my decision of becoming an engineer, he did not oppose my decision but supported me and warned me of the unfair treatment I may receive for working in a male-dominated field. He is the one who gave me life and also the one who made me who I am now; he is my father.

Since young, the thoughts of "if I do not understand something that others do, it means that I am dumb" and "asking things that others know is asking stupid questions" have been embedded in me, which led me to be timid and not ask when in doubt. He always insisted that "if there is nothing to lose but face (being embarrassed), just ask." He would tell us this sometimes; it is one lesson that I will never forget. When I started secondary school, I decided to step out of my comfort zone to start asking. Initially, I was overly concern of asking stupid questions but later overcame it as I realized many others actually had the same question but were afraid to ask. Because of this, I became more independent and not afraid to just ask around. He has been urging me to think of my ambition and consider my study options since I was 12 years old. He brought me to education fairs, sent me to workshops and encouraged me to talk to others to know more about different professions or education systems. From these exposures, I was introduced to the US education system which was quite foreign to my family members. He supported my choice to go to US even though it is at the other side of the Earth. Also, he did not mind at all that I change my ambition as frequent as the weather changes, but he assured me that it is normal. If not for him, I would not have been constantly seeking out for my interest and may be lost among the sea of choices. Because of him, I like to have discussions and listen to other people's views. He always likes to share many issues he saw or heard such as politics, science or social issues. As a young girl, I did not understand a lot, but I was intrigued by them, so I would just listen to whatever he shares. As I grow older, instead of just him talking, I would give my opinion and start a discussion with him. I like this kind of discussions, it allows me to see a specific issue from another prospective, thus being able to analyze the whole issue better. This prompts me to sometimes ask my lecturers about out-of-syllabus topics. I just want to know their views based on their knowledge and experience and also share my view to let them correct any faults in my assumption or explanation. He was the one who helped me find my passion. He is not an engineer but whenever he repairs the appliances around the house, he would invite me to see. Furthermore, he even allowed me to tear apart the broken appliances to see the components. Sometimes, we would discuss ways to repair some appliances, and he would occasionally take my suggestions. He never once forced me to do "more feminine" things or forbid me from doing "boyish" things. His fair treatment allowed me to find my true interest through the different exposures. Even when I told him my decision of becoming an engineer, he did not oppose my decision but supported me and warned me of the unfair treatment I may receive for working in a male-dominated field. He is the one who gave me life and also the one who made me who I am now; he is my father.

Any feedback will be appreciated First Draft"You are a girl, you can't ... ." I cannot begin to recount the number of times I have heard that phrase. Either because I wanted to play a particular sport or because of my choice of major. As a child, I didn't even realize that there were some things I was not allowed to do because of my gender. However, as I grew up, I began to realize the disparity between the sexes. I have always wondered why my gender should serve as a basis for people to automatically decide what I can or cannot do. I was chatting online with someone one day and he asked me what I wanted to become, I didn't hesitate to reply, 'Mechanical Engineer'. He replied, 'I thought you are a girl' to which I told him I am. He then expressed his shock. This wasn't such a surprise as even my teachers are surprised and at times discouraging when they learn about my interest in such a field. Should this really be such a surprise? Aren't there great women making waves in that field? Why does what I want to become have to rely on my gender? In my opinion, the capability of the female gender has been downplayed. Growing up, I was expected to mainly learn how to cook, clean and take care of children. I was even taught that without these skills, I would be useless to my society. Although these are important life skills, I'm yet to understand how they reduce my value and importance. I eventually learnt that girls my age in my country do not even get an education, instead they are trained and groomed for marriage. I will be forever grateful to my parents for not denying the basic right to education over something I cannot control. Although, this is not a trivial matter that can be easily solved, it is one that is important to me. I refuse to let my gender define me. I strive to continue to rise above the odds and prove my worth; irrespective of my gender. I refuse to let society define me and stop me from pursuing my dreams. For us to begin to even tackle this problem, our mentality needs to change. At home, parents should not segregate chores and make them gender based; anybody can do any chore. At school, teachers should not be biased and instead treat boys and girls as equals. As a result of my passion for this cause, I joined the Save A Princess organization, a girl child empowerment group, who organize seminars with the sole aim of enlightening the girl child about her rights. I have endeavored to spread the word of female empowerment to anyone who would listen, and managed to bore those close to me with it. With sincerity, I have made it my mission to stand against any form of inequality. I wish I could have a broader platform to express my views even further, but this will do for now. I hope to push the gender boundaries and rise to join the league of inspiring women everywhere.

Any feedback will be appreciated First Draft"You are a girl, you can't ...." I cannot begin to recount the number of times I have heard that phrase. Either because I wanted to play a particular sport or because of my choice of major. As a child, I didn't even realize that there were some things I was not allowed to do because of my gender. However, as I grew up, I began to realize the disparity between the sexes. I have always wondered why my gender should serve as a basis for people to automatically decide what I can or cannot do. I was chatting online with someone one day, and he asked me what I wanted to become, I didn't hesitate to reply, 'Mechanical Engineer'. He replied, 'I thought you are a girl' to which I told him I am. He then expressed his shock. This wasn't such a surprise as even my teachers are surprised and at times discouraging when they learn about my interest in such a field. Should this really be such a surprise? Aren't there great women making waves in that field? Why does what I want to become have to rely on my gender? In my opinion, the capability of the female gender has been downplayed. Growing up, I was expected to mainly learn how to cook, clean and take care of children. I was even taught that without these skills, I would be useless to my society. Although these are important life skills, I'm yet to understand how they reduce my value and importance. I eventually learned that girls my age in my country do not even get an education, instead they are trained and groomed for marriage. I will be forever grateful to my parents for not denying the basic right to education over something I cannot control. Although, this is not a trivial matter that can be easily solved, it is one that is important to me. I refuse to let my gender define me. I strive to continue to rise above the odds and prove my worth; irrespective of my gender. Furthermore, I refuse to let society define me and stop me from pursuing my dreams. For us to begin to even tackle this problem, our mentality needs to change. At home, parents should not segregate chores and make them gender based; anybody can do any chore. At school, teachers should not be biased and instead treat boys and girls as equals. As a result of my passion for this cause, I joined the Save A Princess organization, a girl child empowerment group, who organize seminars with the sole aim of enlightening the girl child about her rights. I have endeavored to spread the word of female empowerment to anyone who would listen, and managed to bore those close to me with it. With sincerity, I have made it my mission to stand against any form of inequality. I wish I could have a broader platform to express my views even further, but this will do for now. I hope to push the gender boundaries and rise to join the league of inspiring women everywhere.

As a kid I have always been taught to be a quiet and obedient girl. Whenever people would tell me stay quiet in a discussion, I felt like my voice was gone. Every Time I was told to never play with my best guy friend, I felt like my freedom was snactehed from me.As a high school student I would go to classes, or have a meeting with board members from the club I'm in and I always felt silenced. During one instance, I had a project with two guys in my group, and they would never listen to my ideas. They acted as if they were too smart for me. During a board member meeting I was always tasked the easy tasks, or even clean up tasks never a fulfilling productive task. All these instances made me feel like I am a girl who should follow the social norms.Even Though my highschool offered me opportunities such as teaching kids about science or having my own club all made me strong but my own peers were letting me down. My own peers made me feel like I'm a girl who should follow the social norms. But that is not who I am! I am a person who is a strong, independent, and understanding human being. One way I would contribute to the UIC honors college is by joining the Women's Leadership and Resource Center. At the UIC honors college this would be a perfect baby step to show the community that women who are any race or ethnicity is able to be a leader and accomplish what they desire. In this organization I would like to be a part of is "Shake It Up! Critiquing Gender-Based Violence Prevention from Women of Color Perspectives ``.I would like to show my struggle as women of color and ways that I have overcome barriers that lead me to be the person that I am. Another way that made me the person I am today is by kids and peers that I tutor. Kids that I have taught showed me be happy for the person I am today. Also, tutoring gives me a sense of accomplishment of helping something. One day a certain sophomore girl came up to me in the middle of junior year and said you are a great tutor, you help me understand the material by making fun and easy way to understand it. This girl not only made my day but also made me realize that I am helping my community. This is what I want to continue doing. At UIC Honors College, I would also contribute in being an Honors College Tutor to help people understand the material they're struggling in a fun and easy way. As I help the university by showing awareness of women and tutoring, I hope that the university helps me show make me even stronger and fearless women that will make me prosper a women in STEM.

As a kid I have always been taught to be a quiet and obedient girl. Whenever people would tell me stay quiet in a discussion, I felt like my voice was gone. Every Time I was told to never play with my best guy friend, I felt like my freedom was snatched from me. As a high school student I would go to classes, or have a meeting with board members from the club I'm in, and I always felt silenced. During one instance, I had a project with two guys in my group, and they would never listen to my ideas. They acted as if they were too smart for me. During a board member meeting I was always tasked the easy tasks, or even clean up tasks never a fulfilling productive task. All these instances made me feel like I am a girl who should follow the social norms. Even Though my high school offered me opportunities such as teaching kids about science or having my own club all made me strong, but my own peers were letting me down. My own peers made me feel like I'm a girl who should follow the social norms. But that is not who I am! I am a person who is a strong, independent, and understanding human being. One way I would contribute to the UIC honors college is by joining the Women's Leadership and Resource Center. At the UIC honors college this would be a perfect baby step to show the community that women who are any race or ethnicity is able to be a leader and accomplish what they desire. In this organization I would like to be a part of is "Shake It Up! Critiquing Gender-Based Violence Prevention from Women of Color Perspectives ``. I would like to show my struggle as women of color and ways that I have overcome barriers that lead me to be the person that I am. Another way that made me the person I am today is by kids and peers that I tutor. Kids that I have taught showed me be happy for the person I am today. Also, tutoring gives me a sense of accomplishment of helping something. One day a certain sophomore girl came up to me in the middle of junior year and said you are a great tutor, you help me understand the material by making fun and easy way to understand it. This girl not only made my day but also made me realize that I am helping my community. This is what I want to continue doing. At UIC Honors College, I would also contribute in being an Honors College Tutor to help people understand the material they're struggling in a fun and easy way. As I help the university by showing awareness of women and tutoring, I hope that the university helps me show make me even stronger and fearless women that will make me prosper a woman in STEM.

I heard my dad downstairs, talking to my mom on the phone. I knew what had just happened. My first US visa had been delivered. My heart dropped. I was excited to the point where it turns into terrifying. A couple of hours later I was on my way to the airport, booking a ticket to New York City in the cab. I got to the gate just as they were closing the door. I was heading to my first New York Fashion Week. I was 18 years old and a couple of years earlier, while at a music festival in Sweden, ironically at the worst of my eating disorder, I was asked by three model agencies to start modeling. I never wanted to be a model, I wanted to be a journalist and had journalism as my main focus in high school. Modeling was supposed to be a quick break, a chance to earn money and travel before going to University. "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." Six years later I am still in New York, the city I now call my home, with a solid modeling career. A career that I am thankful for, but isn't fulfilling to me. Three years ago I had a "what the heck am I doing" moment. I wanted to do more, go back to being the hard-working student I once was and challenge myself. My undeniable skills in walking in high-heels and fitting into a size 0 just weren't enough. I started to reach out to people in other industries, asking for advice and internships and started to code. To my surprise, people responded and I started an internship at VendorBD, run by Chris Keif (Head of Technology at 360i) and Dan Murphy (then a producer at Google's creative lab, now EVP, Director of Digital at Deutsch). Dan has since then been my mentor and has offered me a job on two occasions at Deutsch. Both falling through due to visa issues. The first time I decided to try a different path and started working as a junior producer at MONROWE magazine, organizing shoots in NYC and LA, managing their social accounts and their website, with no budget whatsoever. I learned a lot there, but when the founder moved to LA and the team was pretty much just me, I decided to look for something else. I got an interview with the founder of ATTCK, a web design, and development agency. I followed up with him an embarrassing amount of times before he got back to me saying that I should meet the team. I have now been a Marketing Manager at ATTCK for over a year. I manage their social accounts, creating case studies, client reviews, paid advertising, newsletters and content updates for their website. Working with the team at ATTCK has taught me so much about working in marketing, how to communicate with different types of clients, and internally with my team and come up with ideas for how to market ourselves. The founder of ATTCK recently gave me the opportunity to be in charge of market research, marketing, sales, tracking and analytics for his new side project, Sourcery, an AI website generator. An amazing project, but once agin I found myself feeling stuck, knowing neither Sourcery or ATTCK would be able to sponsor my visa. The growth is limited, and my model agency here in NYC will always have the last word on how my days look like. I reached out to my mentor Dan, asking for guidance. The timing was perfect, and he wanted to bring me on board as the media producer for one of Deutsch accounts. Full time, sponsor my visa, the whole deal. I was so excited. Once again, the lawyers didn't feel they had enough evidence to sponsor the visa I need.This time I decided to apply to FIT.I haven't been this sure about anything in my life. A degree from FIT will help me to finally be able to stop modeling and create a career where I'm able to develop and secure my future. No matter where I decide to go in life. It gets me excited to the point where it's terrifying. Last time that happened my whole life changed for the better and I can't wait for that to happen again. Thank you for your consideration.

I heard my dad downstairs, talking to my mom on the phone. I knew what had just happened. My first US visa had been delivered. My heart dropped. I was excited to the point where it turns into terrifying. A couple of hours later I was on my way to the airport, booking a ticket to New York City in the cab. I got to the gate just as they were closing the door. I was heading to my first New York Fashion Week. Furthermore, I was 18 years old and a couple of years earlier, while at a music festival in Sweden, ironically at the worst of my eating disorder, I was asked by three model agencies to start modeling. Furthermore, I never wanted to be a model, I wanted to be a journalist and had journalism as my main focus in high school. Modeling was supposed to be a quick break, a chance to earn money and travel before going to University. "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." Six years later I am still in New York, the city I now call my home, with a solid modeling career. A career that I am thankful for, but isn't fulfilling to me. Three years ago I had a "what the heck am I doing" moment. I wanted to do more, go back to being the hard-working student I once was and challenge myself. My undeniable skills in walking in high-heels and fitting into a size 0 just weren't enough. I started to reach out to people in other industries, asking for advice and internships and started to code. To my surprise, people responded, and I started an internship at Vendor BD, run by Chris Kay (Head of Technology at 360i) and Dan Murphy (then a producer at Google's creative lab, now EVP, Director of Digital at Deutsche). Dan has since then been my mentor and has offered me a job on two occasions at Deutsche. Both falling through due to visa issues. The first time I decided to try a different path and started working as a junior producer at MONROE magazine, organizing shoots in NYC and LA, managing their social accounts and their website, with no budget whatsoever. I learned a lot there, but when the founder moved to LA and the team was pretty much just me, I decided to look for something else. I got an interview with the founder of ATTACK, a web design, and development agency. Furthermore, I followed up with him an embarrassing amount of times before he got back to me saying that I should meet the team. Furthermore, I have now been a Marketing Manager at ATTACK for over a year. Furthermore, I manage their social accounts, creating case studies, client reviews, paid advertising, newsletters and content updates for their website. Working with the team at ATTACK has taught me so much about working in marketing, how to communicate with different types of clients, and internally with my team and come up with ideas for how to market ourselves. The founder of ATTACK recently gave me the opportunity to be in charge of market research, marketing, sales, tracking and analytics for his new side project, Sorcery, an AI website generator. An amazing project, but once again I found myself feeling stuck, knowing neither Sorcery nor ATTACK would be able to sponsor my visa. The growth is limited, and my model agency here in NYC will always have the last word on how my days look like. I reached out to my mentor Dan, asking for guidance. The timing was perfect, and he wanted to bring me on board as the media producer for one of Deutsche accounts. Full time, sponsor my visa, the whole deal. I was so excited. Once again, the lawyers didn't feel they had enough evidence to sponsor the visa I need. This time I decided to apply to FIT. I haven't been this sure about anything in my life. A degree from FIT will help me to finally be able to stop modeling and create a career where I'm able to develop and secure my future. No matter where I decide to go in life. It gets me excited to the point where it's terrifying. Last time that happened my whole life changed for the better and I can't wait for that to happen again. Thank you for your consideration.