Undergraduate / "What it means to be a volunteer" - UC Prompt [5]

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

I think that judgment is a part of human nature; it is a tendency and characteristic that we are born with. Whoever we meet and how we interact with that person, we are prone to subconscious judgment, evaluation, and discriminate logic. We are sometimes reluctant to admit this, because we are well aware that judgment can be perceived as a vice. Nevertheless, I have come to refine this observed definition and eliminate the negative ties this particular trait holds. I am grateful for the opportunity to become part of the heartwarming community and welcoming environment of the Children's Hospital in Seoul and to myself for having made the decision I would not hesitate to reconsider if I had to.

Children's Hospital in Seoul serves as a home for abandoned, physically and/or mentally disabled children. Within this home there exists an interconnected network of human bonds with the residents representing the conduit for the support and encouragement delivered to the children, and needless to say, I became one of them. As a volunteer in the hospital, as a resident in this home, I learned something. Being a volunteer requires one to understand what it means to volunteer. Airing, feeding, bathing, and changing diapers-these are only the writings in the Bible; anybody can read what's in Bible but truly understanding what it means to devote faith to God is limited to a number. Understanding meant to erase the stains on the lens, to magnify the view, to widen the scope, and I did simply that. The disabilities and deformities of the children that initially intimidated me were no longer visible; the barriers that deterred me from understanding and drew out my tendency to discriminate were broken.

Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Altruism is an essence and a virtue, and a principle I believe one can adopt to produce the mentality that can compromise selflessness and discrimination, with the latter being the reactant that undergoes a reaction to become the product, the former. My experience has transformed me, and I am conscious of that change. My diffidence and selectiveness have emerged as the indiscriminate kindness and benevolence that I display in my daily life today.

Undergraduate / "Did God who gave us flowers and trees, also provide the allergies?" - Common App [3]

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

Why are doctors so important? What has bestowed them the status as one of the most respected and praised members of society? Without them, the world would be a catastrophic, unbearable, intolerable, and disastrous place to live in. Essentially, they give life by providing the most direct and critical type of help; they are the supplies of air and oxygen in a medical ventilator. For that reason, doctors play an incontrovertibly vital role in society. There is whom I spent years with in Korea, and he is the one who taught me this and brightened the path to my future.

After a time-consuming allergy test, I learned that I was diagnosed with countless allergies-one of which would later become a barrier in my life: allergic rhinitis. On top of that, the nasal bone shaping my nasal airway was bent, inferred to be genetically inherited down my father's line of generation. Breathing through my nose became extremely uncomfortable and a cumbersome activity when symptoms arose, especially during seasonal changes. I thought I would not be able to bear with it any longer until I was introduced to the otolaryngologist working a few blocks away from where I lived. As a compassionate middle-aged man with a benign smile and friendly attitude, he exemplified my image of a doctor.

He was a busy man. Every visit, regardless of what time and day, the clinic inundated with patients. The pages of the logbook continued on and on until I could find an empty space to record my checkup appointment. While I was sitting in the lobby waiting for my name to be called, my doctor was examining, diagnosing, and treating countless patients. Whether it was a little baby crying in his mother's arms, teenagers coming to visit after classes, adults or the elderly, anybody who came out his office I knew they had less to care about; their burdens were lessened.

As a permanent condition, otherwise treated by changing environments to reduce exposure to allergens, allergic rhinitis became a burden in my life. Visits to the clinic became more frequent, and I gradually developed familiarity with the employees and a bond with my doctor. Checkups, minor treatments, and prescribed pharmaceuticals comprised most of the visits. I left the clinic refreshed and gratified every visit, and days became months and months became years. He performed the many operations I had to undergo, ranging from laser surgeries to remove the swelling as a result of accumulative inflammatory responses to allergens I was exposed to to the partial nasal bone removal to widen the nasal airway. He made my life easier and more comfortable. Simultaneously, he gradually established my dreams and aspirations; he became the catalyst in my chemical reaction.

If I were to be that man on his chair, grinning as he converses with his patient, assuring the patient that there is a solution and nothing to worry about, there would be no other wish. I want to be the one talking to the patient, the former me, desperate to be treated, and provide that help. I know what it is like to deal and be diagnosed with one of the most common, distressing allergies and comprehend the surge of gratitude and joy after being treated. This time I want to learn and augment the qualities of what a doctor should acquire, teach the patients the values of generosity and kindness, convey them the meaning and essence of hospitality, and experience the healing aspect of doctors and praise from people. This time I want to be the one hugged by a child who has been freed from the hands of a natural malice. Having made me decide this path, my doctor is and will always remain my hero.

This is only my first draft, and I'm looking for feedback. If you have the time, please look over my essay. Thanks.