Undergraduate / KAY Club. Making a Difference. -- Common App Short Answer [4]

Here is the prompt: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (150 words or fewer).

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Spoken by Winston Churchill, these words are my inspiration. Service has always been a major part of my life and I enjoy it. Before moving to the United States, the idea of community service was foreign to me. However, I was introduced to the Kansas Association for Youth (KAY) organization at the activities fair during my seventh grade year. KAY is a student association unique to Kansas. The state proudly offers this activity to students, through its member schools, as a means to "make a world of difference" for all. Through KAY, I have learned to love and be loved, to appreciate and respect all, to enjoy fun and laughter, to give myself to a cause, and to have something to live for, something that gives me purpose and meaning.

Please help me revise this essay and make it better in general as well as better in answering the prompt.

Thank you so so much!

Undergraduate / "What confuses you most about life? - people" - (KU Prompt) [2]

1. What confuses you most about life? Explain how you have approached resolving that confusion.

Isn't it funny how you think that you know someone but you really don't? You actually have no idea who they really are and what they are thinking. People are the most complex beings in existence. People should be themselves, and speak their mind. To not be afraid if something is not making them happy. People shouldn't have to feel as though they have to go behind other people's backs to vent their feelings. It's not really fair as that person is not there to defend themselves and it is a shame that they have to do that. People are confusing.

We pride ourselves in being intelligent and smart exquisite creatures of God, but we cannot learn to live in peace with one another. Instead we feverishly build barriers just to keep other people at bay. Essentially, people do not want to touch nor do they want to be touched. People often suspect others of anything, everything - culture, religion, policies, education, size, shape color, status, and everything else in between. Why?

Our society cannot honestly express our true sentiments over important issues without being subjected to doubts or suspicions or harsh judgments. It is seldom that people engage in friendly disagreements, which is not at all impossible. It is very possible only if we want to, but we choose not to, because people are confusing.

Nonetheless, in resolving this confusion, one must take it one at a time. All that is required is interest, attentive listening and appropriate responses. People converse for satisfying four common needs: the need for attention, the need for connection, the need for validation, and the need for belonging. Once we understand what drives interpersonal dissertation, it is easier to understand what people need and to respond appropriately. Through better understanding others, we better understand ourselves and can help create a more loving and receptive connection between people.

Furthermore, when we leave this world, all that we leave behind are memories, and other people whose lives we have affected. From all the things I have ever learned, is that for everyone in the world, there will only be five people who understand you. That is it. Five people who honestly and truly understand you, love you, and will be there for you no matter what.

At least one is a family member. Family cannot be told by genes, or DNA, or anything. It is told only by the connection between people, and the level they see each other at.

Another is a love, a true love, the one person who you were destined to spend the rest of your life loving. If you don't believe in destiny or that anything is planned, then call it coincidence that you have feelings that you cannot go without them and that your life is utterly and completely revolving around them.

The rest are friends. These people just completely understand you. Whether it's because they are very much like you, or the complete opposite, they can somehow understand your being, interpret your unspoken words and be able to listen when you need to talk, be a shoulder to lean on when you need support.

For most, this is how it is. For me, I have three absolute best friends who get me. I guess they qualify in all the three groups mentioned. They are my family, they are my ultimate friends, and I love them all.