Undergraduate / A passion for reading, writing, and science - MIT short essay [4]

1. 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)

Despite my strong attraction towards science, I have also developed a passion for reading and writing.

I like to read. To write. To experience the thrills of vicarious adventure through works of fiction. To put form into my ideas and imaginations . I often find myself immersed in thoughts, thinking about either a poem, a story, or just a short, insightful sentence. On other occasions, I may opt to wander inside the various worlds contained in my books, or translating my favorite short shories from Japanese to English.

Reading and writing are simply my way of relaxing and enjoying myself.

This essay is exactly 100 words. Phew. May I have some comments, please? Thank you very much!

Undergraduate / Most significant challange - Short essay, 200-250 words [7]

5. 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?(*) (200-250 words)

My breathing was ragged.

I fought to push all distracting thoughts away from my mind and kept on running forward. Five minutes had barely passed, yet I was already panting hard. I constantly switched my sprint to a walk, taking deep breaths to ease away the fatigue that seized me.

Physical activities had never been my forte. Mine was to fiddle around with numbers, to ponder the complex yet fascinating theories of science, and to solve problems demanding logic and critical thinking. I almost never lost a battle fought on paper. Yet it was in the ordinary PE sessions where I had come to face my trial.

Three minutes left.
I remembered how two weeks ago, I only scored 11 laps out of the expected 14 in the nine-minutes sprint.

One minutes left.
I had lost count of how many laps have I ran. Feeling that this was my final minute, I ran without slowing down. My chest felt like it was going to burst - yet I heed none of the warnings issued by my body. I steeled my will against the throbbing protests of my lungs, and ran until the last second.

A sudden nausea struck me after I had stopped my dash. However, my teacher revealed something that immediately cleared the pain away. I had, to my disbelief, run 14 laps! It was a major improvement and sweet victory I take pride on. I won a bout against someone I didn't want to lose to:

Myself.

What do you think about this essay? Is it good enough, or is it weak? I've reached the 250 wordcap. Thanks all!