Undergraduate / 'volunteering experience at the dental office' - Stanford - INTELLECTUAL VITALITY [4]

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.

Amongst the many inspirations that I have, one of them has always been to assist others in need. I have always seen people around me who are less fortunate and I feel that it is my duty and responsibility to aid those who need it. I was interested in this field at a young age, when I was about 8. I noticed that the dentist who I used to go to was very friendly and he was always willing to take care of his patients and I became interested. I want to major in biology because it will help me fully understand human anatomy, and it will help me to become a better orthodontist if I know how the human body functions.

I began to volunteer at the local dentist office just to get hands-on experience of how it would feel like to work in a dentist's office. I understood what was essential in order to be able to help patients as a daily part of life, and it was truly an enlightening experience. I found out that I wanted to take care of people even more and that by following such a career would enable me to do so. The professional environment gave me a glimpse of what was expected in a professional workplace. During my involvement, I worked on learning to be safe by wearing appropriate clothing, maintaining a presentable environment, teaching patients how to floss, and assisting anyone who needed assistance. I gained valuable experience working alongside dentists, and I found a passion for helping others and a possible career choice.

I may have been lost when I entered high school, but after the first year, I had established myself and accepted high school as a source of help and preparation. I became more independent by working and performing tasks on my own time. Given the opportunity to follow path in medical field and the volunteering experience at the dental office has taught me to push myself even if the situation seemed difficult. Alongside this new motivation, I developed a passion for science and for assisting others, and it is this passion that inspires me to learn more.

I'm not sure whether this is a good essay or not and ANY help would be greatly appreciated!

Undergraduate / 'constantly keep improving myself' - Stanford - what matters to you? [2]

I need to have this revised, and I dont know if it is specific enough and whether it answers the question clearly or not, please help

What matter to you, and why?

What matters to me is the urge to constantly keep improving myself. The improvement could be from reading a book to learn more, or to practicing squash to improve my skills. The drive is what motivates me to go to the library and pick a random book and just read it, and it is what gives me courage to play against any opponent, even if he is better than me. Without motivation, I would not have been able to successfully compete in all the tournaments that I have. And I most certainly would have not taken my father's challenge of reading any book that he picked, and they were not simple books either. It was this push that helped me push through my intense training in the summer, even with an extremely injured hand with which I was supposed to play, and through the extreme heat with a limited supply of cold water. I know that by taking on these challenges, even though they are difficult, I will come out as an improved person in the end. This strive to improve myself helps me push myself through tough situations, and it also inspires me to try new things that I have not done before, no matter what obstacles they may present. This dedication I have to improving myself is important because it enables me to grow as a person and it pushes me through tough situations. Without this urge to constantly improve myself, I cannot set the same goals, nor work towards them with the same intensity that I would if I had the urge. The urge is important to me because it keeps me going and it provides a sense of satisfaction when I know that I have learned or gained something.