Undergraduate / 'the importance of education' - STANFORD- intellectually engaging experience. [5]

Describe an intellectually engaging experience.
Limit=1800 characters

THANKS A LOT !!

Last year, I was called into the assistant principal's office. On my way there, my palms began to sweat, "am I in trouble?" I thought to myself. To my surprise, I was welcomed with a sunny smile, which greatly relieved my stress. The assistant principal wanted me to translate for a student who recently moved to the United States from Taiwan. I thought it would be easy, but the task turned out to be much more difficult than I had expected.

On top of translating for administrative purposes, I also had to translate class curriculums and assignments to him. I was very afraid at first because many terms in English do not have direct translations into Mandarin Chinese, so I had to link many seemingly unrelated Chinese words together in order to explain difficult topics like the Holocaust.

This experience was very intellectually engaging in that I was not only required to used my previous knowledge in the language of Chinese, but I also applied other knowledge I have learned in school to improve my explanations. For example, in order to explain the Holocaust, I had to teach him about World War II, Hitler, and Russia. Without learning all that before, I would not have been able to provide a sufficient explanation; I might just confuse him even more.

This experience made me realize the importance of education. By devoting effort in school, I will not only achieve personal academic success, but also be able to help those people in need. This encouraged me to focus during class and pay more attention to seemingly unimportant matters, because I know that they may someday come into great importance.

Undergraduate / RICE UNIVERSITY - why medicine? Hospitals are my vacation homes [5]

Why do you want to study your intended major ?
Limit : 3000 characters.

Thanks a lot !

Hospitals are my vacation homes, except my vacations are not always fun or exciting. When I was born, I was diagnosed with severe asthma and allergies to numerous substances. Due to my weak immune system, I spent a considerable amount of my childhood going in and out of hospitals. I hated getting shots and taking large pills, so I thought of my visits to hospitals as vacations because I always returned home as a happier and healthier person. Because of my asthma, I couldn't play outside like other kids, I couldn't eat ice cream or drink anything cold, and I couldn't participate in any sports. Having lived through such painful experiences, I aspire to become a doctor who can help other people achieve better health.

I was born a premature baby with very weak immune system; in order to keep me alive, doctors prescribed large doses of Prednisolone and other supporting medicines. Possible side effects include fluid retention of the face, acne, and constant mood swings. I was kept in the hospital for a month after I was born because my weight was below average for newborns and my lungs were not functioning correctly. After I was taken home, my health did not improve, so I entered the hospital again six months later after a severe asthma attack. For the years succeeding, I visited the hospital regularly due to my unstable health. My stays would last for weeks and sometimes even months. I hated it.

During my stays in the hospital, I would observe other patients that were in the same room. Some were in there for the same reason, but others were experiencing more pain than I could have imagined. I was often wakened during my sleep because someone was crying due to the pain he or she was suffering. I wanted to help them, but I couldn't. Other than asthma, I also encountered two seizures when I was younger. To this day I still don't know why I had seizures, but I want to find out.

After moving to the United States, my health conditions have improved dramatically; I am now able to participate in sports and other activities. With my improved health, I want to help others in need and relieve them from illness and related troubles. I believe that my past experiences with asthma and other sicknesses will help me in becoming a better doctor because I know how it feels to be kept away from experiencing all the fun that life is meant for.