Undergraduate / "Catch! basketball game!" - common app [3]

Hey guys! I tried doing a flashback in my second paragraph but tried doing it in present tense...bu it sounds weird. can you guys help me???

The silence wakes me. My hand awkwardly touches the huge bandage on my left eye. My right eye hesitantly darts from my hospital gown to my sleeping parents slumped over my bed to the painfully bright lamp lights. I shut my eye again, feeling nauseous. What's happened to me?

It must have been the basketball game. "Catch!" Jenny Chu shouts as she thrust the ball. Thunk! I stand frozen, waiting for the rattling and dizziness in my head to fade away. But everything becomes even more confusing and the gym is filled with the distant echoes of indistinct voices which fade away. If I had known that being smacked on the head could cause retinal detachment, or blindness, I would have somehow twisted around and caught the ball. I wish I had caught that ball.

I open my eye again. I glance out the window to the bright Seoul city night vibrant with Christmas lights and honking cars. (and it goes on)

Undergraduate / "I thought I was a North Korean" - Northwestern, Why NU [4]

hi everyone...please help me see if there's enough content, grammer mistake, and a possible ending. i haven't finished it actually . thanks

Why northwestern?

When I was young, I thought I was a North Korean; I was utterly confused about the geographic split between North and South Korea. Yet growing up in the only nation still split over civil war, I gradually opened my eyes to the complicated, yet fascinating international relationship between the two nations. I desired to understand all the wars and political conflicts around me. As of now, my knowledge of international relations is lacking, but I want to delve into it from all aspects, be it political, economical, psychological, or cultural in Northwestern University.

Northwestern University has the quarter system, which will give me the opportunity to delve into international relations from different aspects as I had hoped. It will allow me to take more classes and build a solid foundation. The flexibility will allow me to experiment and explore eclectic classes. Moreover, the Weinberg College supports various internships and research. I was very impressed that the Weinberg College prepares its students majoring in International Studies for rare internship positions like The Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers or The International Legal Resource run by the United Nations. And I was riveted by the astounding research opportunities. I know for sure that not many colleges provide research opportunities like participating in the International Student Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in The Hague, Netherland. With world-renowned professors and supporting staff, I know the Weinberg College will help me reach my dream of working in non-governmental organizations.

In my excitement for the academic opportunities, I visited the Northwestern University campus. I can still hear the thundering roar of the Wildcats. I have never felt so much energy and school pride from a student body. I felt the dynamic and creative atmosphere around the campus. The Rock clearly was a canvas for student's opinion and creativity- the proof of the freedom and respect granted to its students.