Undergraduate / My family, The world I come from. MIT essay. [17]

Help please! Tell me what do you think? Any suggestion is welcome.
Btw, some ideas are the same as in essays for other colleges, just in case you have read them.

Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs,school,community,city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?(*) (200-250 words)

Knock knock...
She ran in direction to the unknown man. As the postman left the envelope, he returned walking... it was a small city. The girl had lived there her whole life.

It was one where people can go walking almost everywhere, as she did to school. Predictably, her school was not very large; one of those where the teachers get very familiar with each person sitting in front of them when giving a class. This is how one of her teachers noticed her delight in Mathematics and led her to participate in the national Olympiad; then she was selected to participate in a Math program, which became an important part of her world. It gave her a lot of opportunities and shaped many of her aspirations; among those opportunities, the most exciting experience in her life: represent her country in international competitions. She became part of the history, a woman in Math competitions; besides that, they also brought her many remarkable moments. They were much more than the mere competitions: true friendship and cultural and scientific interchange define them as well. Diversity was a profit.

There she could compare her small country with many other high developed places. She understood the importance of sciences in the development of a society. She became aware of the necessities of her country, but also what it certainly has: people with capacity. She knew then what they have to do: believe in it, work for it.

Her dreams took a clear shape; she promised herself somehow she would contribute to make her country a better place.

I hope one day that girl who ran to receive the confirmation of acceptance from MIT will be me. That day, my dream will start to come true.

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About 291 words.
Is the word count a big deal? :S

Any comment or suggestion will be appreciated! :)
Thank you in advance! :)

Undergraduate / 'love for my country' - Stanford essay: intellectually engaging idea. [4]

I would really appreciate editing of grammar, spelling, punctuation, or any critique.

Do you think it is boring?
Do you really feel I am engaged with the idea presented?

Thank you in advance. :)

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Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging.

Looking at the blue and white of my flag waving in my hands and in the hands of three of my friends, in front of many other delegates from different countries, my mind was invaded with many images which made me remember El Salvador, my people, our situation. Images of our daily life: children selling candies or cleaning cars in traffic lights, complete families sleeping under a bridge, murders, crimes and extortions which affirm once again that El Salvador is the country with highest level of violence in the region. In that moment I thought: what do other countries have? What do they do that make them flourish and that we donït do? I was there, standing on the stage, happy to represent my country in a Math competition where we had the honor to get seventh place among Iberoamerica, and I thought why our country canït compete in other aspects as lowest level of poverty, or violence, good level of economy or tourism or other things that make other countries better than ours. Maybe I am not able yet to answer these questions fully, but after long meditation, I reached some conclusions: It is us, the new generation, who have the big challenge to transform our country, to make it a better place to live. In order to do that, one word came to my mind: LOVE. Whatever we want to do, we must to do it with love. After all, is love for my country what made me think in all those images that day, is love what make people to live in peace, to care about others, to pursue a safer world, where everybody has opportunity of development and where human rights are respected. Love is the key word. Now that I am asked about an engaging idea, I can say nothing engages me more than that: the improvement of my country and the usage of love as a weapon to change my country and thus the world.

Undergraduate / designing innovative aircrafts -which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? [9]

Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? (*) (100 words or fewer)

Dreams about designing innovative aircrafts and developing new technologies to improve them have always been at the forefront of my mind. Every time I do a personal navigation through aeronautics, either by internet, documentaries or magazines, my interest grows and my enthusiasm confirms that Aeronautics is my destined path. It is a passion! I am sure MIT AeroAstro department is the right place for me; its world's leading aerospace teachers and its many research opportunities create a learning atmosphere that matches perfectly with my eagerness for investigation and for making significant contributions to this discipline and to the entire world.

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100 words!

Do you think it answer the question clearly?

Every suggestion is welcome.
Thanks in advance! :)

Undergraduate / Math. I have been part of the Talented Youth Program of El Salvador [14]

Editing of grammar, spelling, punctuation, or any critique would be really appreciated.

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We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it. (100 words or fewer)

When I read this part of the application, I inmediatly knew which activity I would write about. One that has captivated me until now: Math. I have been part of the Talented Youth Program of El Salvador since 2001. This is a program for students who enjoy Math and Sciences just by the pleasure their study brings. It takes place in the National University, so I traveled two hours every saturday to go to classes, and "to sacrifice my day of rest" -as some of my friends describe it. Instead, I see it as one of the most delightful activities in my life.

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103 words.
I am afraid of adding something else because of the number of words.

Do you think it answer the question accurately?

Thank you so much for your time! :)

Undergraduate / 'I have three very close friends'; an ethical dilemma that challenged you. [6]

Hello!

Could you please help me with my essay! It's the first draft, so any comment or critique will be very helpful!
Thank you

Members of the Caltech community live, learn, and work within an Honor System with one simple guideline, 'No member shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community.' While seemingly simple, questions of ethics, honesty, and integrity are sometimes challenging. Share an ethical dilemma that challenged you. What did you do?

I have three very close friends. I have known them since we were in kindergarten. They are my classmates, my confidants, my support, and the co-conspirators who have shared my crazy ideas.

The last year at school, we had a problem. Two of them acquired the habit of cheating: they did not study and they would ask me to help them during the tests. I was in such an awkward position because they were my friends, and when seeing them desperate in the exams, I felt I could not say no. It is really difficult to do the right thing in that situation, when feelings are involved. However I was aware it was wrong; consequently I talked to them to make them understand their error: they were fooling the teachers, their parents, and also they were being unfair with those who did study. I said I could explain everything to them if they had doubts or problems understanding the class, but they did not listen to me and continued doing the same. Then I tried changing my position during the exams, I sat in a place far from them, but it did not work either; they got mad at me and they kept cheating off other classmates. I had to do something to fix the situation, I gave them another opportunity. I said, "If it continues, I will be bound to tell the teacher what happens". Finally, they became aware of the error and stopped (or at least, that's what I could perceive). After some days we were friends again. I think with the time they understood I was doing a good thing for them, because I love them.