Undergraduate / Why Rice_This was when I first learnt about Rice, as I watched the YouTube video of Joe Wong [6]

How did you first learn about Rice University, and what motivated you to apply? (250 word limit)

"I came to the United States when I was 24 to study at Rice University in Texas- that wasn't a joke -until now."

This was when I first learnt about Rice, as I watched the YouTube video of Joe Wong's comedy performance and could not help laughing. After further research on the unorthodox comedian's old school, I was fascinated by Rice's unconventional elements-its curriculum system, the residential college and the Unconventional Wisdom.

The flexible curriculum system enables me to take courses not only from my chosen school, but from all the eight schools. I can take courses by Professor John Alford from School of Social Sciences and even join his current research to analyze people's political behaviors from the perspective of biology. When studying with Professor Steven Lewis from School of Humanities, I can delve into current Chinese policy with the consideration of government propaganda campaigns.

Also, the special residential college system would give me an unconventional experience. In the self-governed college, I can practice my knowledge to the student-run government. If I can join the college basketball team, I may along with my teammates fight with other teams and together win the coveted President's Cup.

With the experience of studying at Rice, I will be able to apply the special thinking way to my future career, get involved into the policy-making process and find new solutions to further improve Chinese policy.

Undergraduate / Personal Statement--My childhood dream...was a luxury to me [6]

Hi everyone! Here's my personal statement of common application, and any suggestion is strongly welcomed!

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.

My childhood dream was to sit in a circle with my parents and watch TV together after dinner on an ordinary Saturday night, or every night-to be so immersed in happiness that nothing else seemed to matter. Yet such a humble wish, to be with my parents, was a luxury to me.

I was born in a small village in the mountains in Hunan, China. Unlike normal nuclear families where children lived with their parents, my parents were working in Guangzhou, a city on the south coast, leaving me in the care of my grandparents. Only once a year during Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year, was I reunited with my parents. The wait for them to come home was a time of both extreme excitement and utmost torture. For nights I would lie in bed wide awake buzzing with joy, occasionally peeking through a crack in the window as the buses passed by, hoping that it was my parents, only to be disappointed by strangers getting off.

When my parents finally greeted me through the doors with armful of new toys, I would rush to their side and cling to my mother's leg like a koala clings to a tree, following her step by step. For the few days that my parents stay with me, the new toys were of minimal significance compared to their companion. However, such happiness always ended abruptly when my grandparents pull me away from my mother's arm and out of the bus to Guangzhou. I then returned to my life of playing in the village and hoped for our next reunion. But every night I would fall asleep missing my mother's soft arm and my father's bedtime stories. The cycle of reuniting and departing with my parents lasted until I finally moved to Guangzhou. Surrounded by the love of my parents, I found happiness even when I had to overcome the obstacles of adapting to a new environment.

However, not all families were like ours. When I returned to my hometown years later, I found that many of my old playmates remained separated from their parents. This separation not only led to their emotional breakdowns, but also caused them to become disoriented about life. As more and more of my friends began smoking, drinking, and dropping out of school, I could not help but wonder about the reason that I was able to live with my parents while my friends could not. I then learned that I could stay with my parents only because I became a legal citizen of Guangzhou city after my father got promotion in his new job. Apparently, university graduates in the 1989's China were forced to work as factory workers or farmers without promotion chances, whose children were unqualified for citizenship of the city that they worked in, and thus families had to split.

Gradually, I realized that it was the awful public policy that had torn so many families apart, and had such negative effects on these people's lives. Although my family got reunited due to my father's endeavor, other families were not so lucky like ours, and I wished to do more for them. While I could not reunite their families, I hoped that by giving the left-behind children access to some of the resources that villages lacked, I could alleviate their pain from the absence of their parents. I have collected over 3,000 books to construct libraries, tutored over 60 children from various villages, and even organized a special donation event for left-behind children. However, my efforts are only minimal compared to what is necessary to actually change the lives of these kids. In order to make bigger contribution, I determine to learn how our government operates and how to improve decision-making of public policies to address the problem fundamentally. I want to make sure that no children will be left behind again.

Undergraduate / Why Washington and Lee_"Is Lee the General?" [2]

Please elaborate on how you have familiarized yourself with Washington and Lee University and what led to your decision to apply. This is an optional question but if you choose to answer this question there is a 100-word minimum and 250-word maximum.

"Is Lee the General?"

As I discussed liberal arts colleges with my friends, I learnt about Washington and Lee University. We wandered the Internet out of the curiosity for Washington and Lee's namesakes, only to find out how much the spirit of engaged citizenship in society fits me.

Because of my childhood experience, I realized how politics can influence so many families' lives --there are still 60-million left-behind children who are separated from family. As I tried to help them, I realized how little I could do. Thus, I aspire to study politics in order to optimize policy to reflect contemporary needs in society.

The education of Washington and Lee fully prepares me to pursue my wants. Led by the motto "Not Unmindful of the Future," Washington and Lee University grants the Shepherd Program, which let me use my political knowledge to address poverty problems of disadvantage communities. Also, Washington and Lee's proximity to D.C. area enables me to reach valuable internships in which I even have the chance to work in the government, not only to learn useful experience through directly involving in political system, but also to have valuable opportunities to interact with many elite politicians and open my minds.

Since I hope to become an extraordinary politician to truly participate in the basic level of policy-making process and improve local people's lives, I really desire to grasp the chance to study at Washington and Lee.

Any suggestion welcomes!!