Undergraduate / UT Topic A -- Influential Person (My Parents) [6]

My eyes stared wide as the buildings drew closer and closer, then started whizzing by at a hundred miles per hour. And then, there was touchdown, and the beginning of my new life in the city of Hong Kong. That first flight from my old home India to my new home Hong Kong is one of my earliest memories. 3 years ago, my father came here with a vision to provide a better life for his family. Ever since those early years, my parents had shown me the value of family and of excelling in every endeavor I undertook.

I soon began attending school in Hong Kong. Excitement was high. But soon those positive feelings and big anticipations that in those beginning days quickly faded. I realized that, in my class, not only did I look different from my classmates but also I did not speak or understand the language they spoke. Also, they were leaps and bounds ahead of me in terms of academics.

Undergraduate / "I faced my fears" - College Admission Test Essay [5]

clark,

I think you should show instead of stating the facts.

Like when you wrote,

As i was a kid, i lack the confidence to reach what i aim for.I was shy and silent, i was the kid who never started conversations.

When i grew Older,I improved my self esteem and increase my confidence by facing my fears, forgetting all failures and learning from them

ok. here. How did you change from a shy, introvert, weak to a confident, strong person. There must be a
cause to bring about that significant change. Elaborate on that.

Undergraduate / About Athletics, Undergrad Common App Short Essay - one of you activities [5]

I tensed myself and looked ahead, concentrating on my track and waiting for the starters gun to go off. I had done this so many times, but each time I do it, it becomes a new experience. God i love this feeling.

Athletics has been an integral part of my life. Ever since I was a kid, i loved running. As i grew older, this love became ...

Graduate / Quick Fix: Opening Paragraph, School of Medicine interest [13]

I burst out laughing at the oddity of the scene: twenty or more residents of the drug rehabilitation center in Yunnan, China were watching TV with fierce concentration they have not shown since the detox program began - the American show, "Prison Break," was on. My determination to explore social issues in medicine and the physician's role in the bigger world had taken me afar to Southwest China for a heroin dependency research project, and the same reason has led me to XSM. As an individual with a genuine passion in practicing medicine and a strong will to better understand the subject, I believe XSM is where I can mature and grow to my fullest potential as a physician.

The individualized medical pursuit at XSM is precisely what ...

Scholarship / College scholarship essay - Who are you? [4]

I was born into a family of strict, traditional, Catholic intellectuals in Saigon, Vietnam. My parents were both engineers and leaders in their companies and my aunts and uncles were teachers in the top schools in the city. their fields. That engendered certain expectations from me. I was raised on books and the Asian doctrine that education is the only way to success. As the only child, I was spoiled and pampered, protected in a glass bubble. I did everything that was asked of me; getting straight A's and ranking first in all my classes. In return, my parents took care of me, teaching me and buying me the very best clothes and toys. I lived a very happy life.

Shortly before my eighth birthday however, life as I knew it drastically changed. On March 17, 2001, my parents decided to move the family to America, halfway across the globe. At first, I was excited and was looking forward to a new life. However, by the end of my first week, whatever anticipation I had had quickly turned into resentment.

I started school as soon as I arrived at the end of second grade. I didn't know any English, I had no friends, and I was constantly picked on for the way I dressed and talked. I could not complete any of my schoolwork because I didn't understand anything. Every day my teacher would return papers with the word "COPIED" stamped across the top. I was so ashamed of myself. Worse, I was lonely and overwhelmed, and I felt so utterly lost.

Meanwhile at home my parents were pushing me to learn English, bringing home worksheets and books from their ESL classes to teach me. My shame became my source of motivation, forcing me to work and relearn the basics until I mastered the language. As I began to grasp the mechanics of English, I made friends and my school life greatly improved. With my parents' encouragement and my own perseverance, within a year, by the end of third grade, I was getting straight A's and even surpassing many of my classmates. In 5th grade, I entered the Gifted and Talented Education program which I stayed with for two years. From that day on, the language barrier became nonexistent.

Looking back now, I fully appreciate everything that my parents did for me those first few months. While I was struggling to learn a language and to fit in, my parents were working even harder to learn a new lifestyle and to assimilate to a country whose values and culture are were so drastically different from their own. For them, their entire lives were in Vietnam. They had grown up in that land, established successful careers, and made a name for themselves. In moving to America, they gave all that up in the hopes that I, their only child at the time, would have a chance at a better life. Both my parents were attending school and my dad was working late shifts to provide for the family. They sacrificed so much for me and even now, with my brother added to the family, they continue to put aside their own interests and wants, to provide for the two of us. They allow me to live the life of comfort that I do today.

From my parents, I have learned the true meaning of hard work, integrity, and compassion. I truly believe that my drive, determination, and dedication in everything I do come from them, because I see it in them every single day. I respect my parents tremendously and I work hard to become successful to repay them for all they've done. Of course, our relationship is not perfect. I am always used to be frustrated and angry with their unreasonably high expectations, their endless comparisons, and overbearing protectiveness. However, But, now, I have learned to fuel that anger into motivation to motivate myself to try harder and prove to them that I am good enough.

Today, I work for my dreams, to become a world-class neurosurgeon and cancer researcher, to provide for myself as an independent woman, and to travel the world and get lost in the chaos of busy cities. I work to give back to my family, to my friends, to my community, and to America, all of which have made me the person I am. I want to leave my mark on this world, to make a name for myself, and to become a somebody. Jack Nicholson in The Departed once said, "I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me." I am out to change the world and I hope to find a place where I will not only belong, but also be able to make a difference.