Undergraduate / The Language of Life and Education - USC Essay [3]

I would appreciate any comments, concerns, or any suggestions of how to improve this essay. Thank you.

USC's speaker series "What Matters to Me and Why" asks faculty and staff to reflect on their values, beliefs, and motivations. Presenters talk about choices they have made, difficulties encountered, and commitments solidified. Write an essay about an event or experience that helped you learn what is important to you and why it is important.

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Helen Keller once said, "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it."

For me, preschool to 5th grade has been the most difficult school years that I have ever endured in my entire life. Why? Reading and writing is considered to be the most esoteric subjects to certain children; however I was not part of this statistic. Immigrating to the United States can take its toll on new students, especially their parents. Even though I was only one year old, I should have been able to master the English language as I got older. Wrong. Unfortunately, my parents could not speak one word of English; instead their fluent conversation in Korean began to sink into me. Instead of learning English, I chose to master the Korean language. Although memories of my younger years appear to be bleak and forgotten, I did know for sure that I struggled during these years.

Attending ESL classes was embarrassing for me, because I could barely speak a word in English without stuttering or getting the pronunciations correct. However, this class was necessary for me. In this class, I tried reading and writing exercises to help improve my English skills. Time after time, my skills in reading and writing in English have improved. This slow momentum gave me the confidence to fully understand English, but most importantly, I have upgraded myself into my original class. But this was just the beginning.

At each grade level, we learn something new and depend our past teachings to help us achieve a good grade. But my mind was stuck in one particular state and could not improve myself to my teachers and my grades. As hard as I tried to understand the readings and the lectures, the curriculum was very cryptic. Teachers thought of me as an inept student due to my poor grades. It was a miracle that I kept passing each grade, even though I knew for sure I shouldn't. Child psychology will tell you that once a child is burdened with failing homework and tests, they try to compensate by "showing off" or "acting out". In my case, I "showed off" by being a troublemaker. My presumptuous attitudes towards education, teachers, and adults made me the bane of their existence. My parents knew what I was doing at school via parent-teacher conferences. Once we reached home, the fighting and the yelling began.

Children tend to get yelled and scolded at numerous times throughout their childhood, because parents believe that yelling is an effective tool for children to learn from their mistakes. In this case, this principle was the turning point of my life. After minutes of fighting of why I am not competent at school or why am I not trying my best, I finally conceded to my parents that I will do my best and to achieve graduating grade school. Amusing that scolding is a tool for greatness and achievement. From that moment on, I have worked hard and went to after-school tutoring for my studies. I have realized that every time I study hard, good grades will be given to you and they have. I received numerous awards from my school for academic achievements and won the respect of my teachers. I constantly kept studying and read books and this has helped me graduate from the 6th grade. Grade school made me realize that a working experience will help you achieve your goals. I have changed and matured as a student and have grown with ethics and morals.

Grades K-12 was just training me for what the future has in store for me, and this is just the beginning. College is going to be the ultimate test and how well I do is going to reflect upon my future. Throughout the rest of my life, I will continue to learn through my own experiences and what life has given me, and I will also offer my own unique perspective to the world around me.

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Undergraduate / 'college is harder and is nothing like high school' - CommonApp Essay [NEW]

Hi, Guys! I was wondering if you can help me edit this essay. And does this make sense?

Please provide a statement (250 words minimum) that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve.

High school counselors and teachers have warned all their students that college is harder and is nothing like high school, and they were absolutely right. Without taking heed of this warning, I have dug myself a hole that seems to be difficult to get out of. As a former student of the University of California, Santa Barbara, I have received mediocre grades from that school because of my less-than-stellar performance. I have always thought that college was going to be just as simple as high school, but they are worlds apart. College teaches you about the pressures of real life, and unfortunately, it got the best of me. Since freshman year, my grades have been slipping tremendously that my average GPA yielded with less than a 2.6. With grades like these, I would be lucky if I could find a decent job with my background. With failing grades I realized that I have to start fresh at a different college, and the best place to start is at a local community college.

When I dropped out of UCSB, I remembered what my old teacher said to me back at high school. He said that I lack the experience and the knowledge to survive in a 4-year institution, and that I wasn't ready. I was insulted when he told me this, but looking back at my failures, he was absolutely right. They say that you should always listen to your mother because they know what's best for you, but in this case, you should also listen to your teachers. He told me that in order for me to understand how college operates, I needed to attend community college, where they can give me the information I need in order to transfer to a 4-year institution. I followed his advice, and started taking classes at community college. Transitioning from a 4-year institution to a lower-level institution hurt my parents' pride, because they expected so much from their child. When your parents put their faith and trust in you, they expect that you succeed. If things had gone right, I would have been the first son ever to graduate from college in time, but unfortunately that has to be postponed for now.

While I was at community college, it provided many advantages for me. The class sizes were small and the teachers helped me to slowly transition myself from high school to college. Also, my time there has helped me improve on my studies, which in turn, increased my GPA. My intended major has always been Computer Science, because this subject is a huge passion of mine. I have always been fascinated about computer coding and wondered how that can assist in our everyday lives. Currently, my goal is to transfer to a college where they can help me answer this mystery, and to help me gain a better understanding about this subject. I know that I can succeed with a degree in my hand and I want to make my parents proud of me. After graduating from college, I want to be a programmer in the future either working for Microsoft, Cisco, or a game designer company. When you're a college student, you try to think long-term, and I believe this is going to come true. Even though I have made mistakes, I know that by transferring, it can give me a second chance. The error of my past is the wisdom of my future.

Transferring to another college is difficult; especially since this country is still in a recession even to this day, which makes securing a position at a school to be very difficult. Even though my GPA is lower than I expected, I can assure you that my passion for college is undeniable. Finding a major that I am interested in, I know that I can be successful in the future, now that I know what I am doing. My teacher in high school warned me about this situation, and I ignored his advice. First comes the test, second comes the lesson. Now that I have learned my lesson, I know that I can do things the correct way. I would like to think that I have achieved many, but my experience with education does not end with completing elementary, middle, and high school, in fact it is only the beginning. College is going to be the ultimate test and my future is going to reflect upon my actions during this time. My mistakes have held me down, but my resolve to learn the correct way has helped me pick myself up. Throughout the rest of my life, I will continue to learn through my own experiences, learn what life has given me, and I will also offer my own unique perspective to the world and the people around me.

Undergraduate / "Viewing Life Beyond Your Home" - Pepperdine U. Essay Prompt [4]

Hi guys! I was wondering if you could help me edit this essay. I'm not sure if this essay answers this question. Please, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Pepperdine University is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. How are you prepared to contribute to Pepperdine's mission and community of faith, learning, and service?

Spending the summer at Oxaca, Mexico, a third world town, can be very difficult, for there is neither technology nor enjoyment. While Oxaca may not be as enjoyable in the United States, spending time here has caused me to view life differently.

I was extremely hesitant to sign up for this mission trip, because I do not like to travel much. But the real reason was that I heard that you could get killed while spreading the word of God throughout dangerous territories. I guess the fear of death has made me not sign the permission slip in the first place. No matter how many people pressured me into going on this mission, I kept saying "no" to them. Eventually, I said, "Yes"; not because I wanted to go, but because I made a deal with my parents. In exchange for going on this mission, I would receive an expensive gift when I get back. Without hesitation, I flew to Mexico. Who knew that the fear of death could be overcome by an expensive gift?

While I was down in Mexico, I prayed to God that I would return home safely. I guess you could say that I am a selfish person, whose sole desire is to live. But while I was in Mexico, something happened. While my team and I were spreading the word of God, singing praises with the children, or doing fun activities with them, the fear inside my mind and heart was gone instantly. Seeing the children happy has made me become happy too. Spreading the word of God in a miserable place has opened my eyes, for there are people in this world suffering, while I and many others have been living in a safe environment. My heart goes out to these poor people and I wish I could do more for them, but I realized that educating these people about the word of God is the greatest gift that you could give them.

I would like to think that I have achieved much on this mission, but this one-week experience is not enough for me to learn about the realities of life. Being part of the Mexico missions, I have gained a new perspective on how I should live. Knowing that people are suffering worldwide, I plan to put my faith in God, teach people about the word of God, and serve them with humility and humbleness. I plan to serve more once I graduate from college. My goal is to expand my Christian belief unto desolate areas that need God, and I plan to start at Los Angeles while I am attending school. I know that I can be an asset because my enthusiasm is contagious and has grown ever since Mexico. Throughout the rest of my life, I will continue to learn through my own experiences, learn what life has given me, and I will also offer my own unique perspective to the world and the people around me.

Undergraduate / USC Viterbi Q/A -- 1) Experience In/Out of Class, 2) Embrace as a geek? [2]

Hello everyone! Here are my two USC short answer questions. I appreciate your comments, questions, or concerns. Thank you very much, in return I will critique yours! Thank you!

1) Engineering leaders do more than just solve technical problems. What kinds of experiences, inside and outside of the classroom, would you want to explore to enhance your studies?

In the field of science, we live in an age where collaboration is the key. I have always been a firm believer that collaboration can bring about a sudden change in this world. Scientists today, must collaborate with one another, be creative, and take risks together in a non-competitive and supportive way in order to achieve the greater good. This same ideal also applies to students as well. As a result of my passion for computers, I would like to further my education as a computer science major at USC. Inside of the classroom, my fellow students and my teachers are my greatest assets, for they are the ones that can help shape my future into a successful life. In order for a student to succeed, they must be able to work in conjunction, the same way as scientists do. Since USC is dedicated to nurturing its students to become a success, I would like to start things off in a classroom or in a computer lab, where I want to keep myself busy and to take in all of the intellect that my fellow peers offer to me. I will implement this idea to areas outside of the classroom, where I want to be involved in computer science related clubs, the Korean-American organization at USC, and to study abroad in Seoul, Korea, where they are considered to be very well-known in the computer industry. No matter where I am or what organizations that I belong to, I know that by teamwork and collaboration, we can achieve many.

2) Engineers have sometimes been stereotyped as "nerds" or "geeks." Do you embrace or reject that stereotype? Why?

Going beyond the appearance of a "geek", I view them as a simple individual that uses their gifted intelligence, passion, and determination in order to help achieve the good in this world. Though geeks wear big, thick glasses, I wish I could see beyond the world just as well as they have. If knowledge is power, then I truly believe that scientists, or in this case engineers, can use their "power" to help people in this world. Take for instance, Thomas Edison and his invention of the light bulb. After a thousand experiments, Edison managed to succeed and brought light into this world while we have lived in darkness. If not for him, further experiments with electricity and other engineering applications would not have been possible. His level of determination and passion has made him well known in the scientific community, and the fact that he has helped people, I would call him a "geek". Calling men like Thomas Edison "geeks" is considered to be a compliment. I believe that geeks are considered to be our lifeline, and future generations will look up to us and motivate others to continue down this path of humanitarian and scientific endeavors. Applying to the Viterbi School of Engineering, I hope that I can achieve something just as successful that Thomas Edison had done for us in the past. If being labeled as a geek or a nerd helps achieve my goals in the future, then I embrace those terms with open arms as I walk proudly into USC.