Undergraduate / My reality after my best friend committed suicide; Common App/ Significant Influence [18]

The essay prompt is: Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

I will appreciate any help and comments. Thank you. (This is really urgent)

My reality after my best friend committed suicide was cruel from a lack of information. I didn't know why. I didn't know where. But I was convinced he was gone.

I'll say first thing that he survived, miraculously with only a broken arm. But this story is focused on the three days after his attempt, when I was oblivious to his vitality. Curiously, it never crossed my mind that he wasn't dead. I don't know why I was so certain but it was this morbid conviction that led me to wholeheartedly mourn and reflect.

I thought about the time of my grandfather's passing and how the words and tears flowed but he was perfectly silent, brimming with compassion and comfort. I thought of him finally telling me that the reason he never celebrated his birthday was because it was the day his grandmother passed away. I ran through all the conversation that took place on the roof of my house this summer. I ran through all the conversations that ever took place. In fact, I combed through the contents of every single day since the first day I met him.

My reward for working through this painful process was of course more pain, sadness because I still didn't know why, but most horrifyingly, an overwhelming sense of regret because I realized that all these years, I had never told him how much he meant to me. There was the occasional "thank you" and "you're the best", but even these are rare pleasantries, as it seems that niceties have an inverse relationship to a growing friendship. Thus disregarding the hasty and the superficial, I had never really expressed my gratitude. Believing him gone, the thought of this haunted me because I realized we were always too busy. Busy to the point I never could even find a moment to tell him he meant the world to me. Chilling irony shrouded me like a mist, a constant reminder that it was too late now.

Those three days really felt like three eternities. By the first, I had decided that I would never let something like this happen again. And by the third, I swore I would make sure to find time every single day to tell the people I care about how much they mean to me. This was the conviction I reached as my third eternity ended, and on the fourth day, I was given my miracle.

He didn't die but I did keep my promise. From that day on, I have told him, my family and all my other friends that I love and appreciate them everyday. I intend to do so for as long as I live because never again do I want to regret words unspoken.

Undergraduate / "Cultural Interaction Community Project"; Common App: Extracurricular Activity [4]

The essay prompt is: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (1000 character maximum).

I will appreciate any help and comments. Thank you. (This is really urgent)

Local charity organizations serve their purpose well but have led many of the Beijing international community to mistakenly believe that giving and receiving can only be a linear, directional process. In creating the Cultural Interaction Community Project, I wanted interaction between the international and the local to become a symbol of unity and the diversity within the group to become a source of knowledge we can draw from to facilitate even greater achievements.

Our group of thirty has become just this. Reaching out to a Chinese high school revealed local knowledge that proved invaluable in creating successful community service events. And as we cleaned up parks, volunteered at charity shops, and established a student exchange program that allows us to gain insight into each other's lives, my dreams were exceeded by the relationships I developed with these local students I would otherwise never have met. Over the years, we became much more than co-workers, we became friends.

Undergraduate / Dream of becoming a CMU Tartan; Carnegie Mellon Application: Why Carnegie Mellon [4]

Carnegie Mellon first attracted my attention in grade school because I really like to eat melon. Probably not the most conventional reason but it did spark an interest that over the years has gradually developed into a dream of becoming a CMU Tartan. I believe that Carnegie Mellon's highly reputable undergraduate courses and dedication to research and innovation will not only facilitate further understanding of my chosen program, but also offer me the opportunity to pursue my own ideas. With the availability of support due to the small class sizes and passionate professors that are experts in their field, I will have ample guidance to create, the dream of a child that spent hours and hours making cities with Lego.

Of all the programs at Carnegie Mellon, I have particular interest in economics. Having witnessed the incredible economic growth in China as live demonstration of the subject's relevance, I found myself fascinated by the workings of these invisible forces. Likewise, the highly charged economic world since the global market failure in 2008 has further highlighted the important role of economics in the modern world. And economics with it's unique position at Carnegie Mellon as the only joint undergraduate program of the Tepper School of Business and the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will allow me access to an extensive database of resources, complementary to the subject's diversity. Moreover, as part of the Dietrich College I will be able to declare psychology as a secondary major, another interest of mine that has great relevance to Economics. With a strong foundation in the liberal arts and the freedom of the creative Dietrich College as well as the excellent research resources and innovation of the Tepper School of Business, I will receive a world-class undergraduate education.

Furthermore, as a lover of the subject branch but undecided in a specific job pursuit, the interdisciplinary nature of Carnegie Mellon and the particularly liberal position of the economics program will not forcefully limit the development of my other interests, instead allowing me to integrate them to enhance my overall education. In addition, the plethora of available internships supplements classroom knowledge and will help me gain invaluable experience in preparation for my future in economics.

The steep slope of improvement in my grades throughout high school demonstrates maturation and my true capabilities. Thus, being part of the prestigious economics program at Carnegie Mellon University is the perfect next step in reaching my full potential. From the liberal arts dedication to the vast innovative and research opportunities, I would be honored to attend Carnegie Mellon University.

Undergraduate / Boredom is not an option ; NYU Supp : Why NYU? [4]

Prompt: Tell us why you have chosen the above campus (using a maximum of 700 characters-spaces and punctuation included).

It's New York City. Boredom is not an option in the city that never sleeps. It is where careers are built, cultures fuse, and everything is at your fingertips. And NYU New York embodies the very best of this bustling city. With the city as its extended campus, NYU New York is the dream of somebody that one day decided to explore every single stop on Beijing's local subway. Together with opportunities ranging from the internships at the most prestigious companies in the country to involvement at Catherine B. Reynolds program for social entrepreneurship, the experience is a merging of institution and city to create a unique integration that smoothly transitions classroom to the real world.

All comments and feedback appreciated. Thank you!

Undergraduate / Puke sky? Carnegie Mellon Supplementary Essay [11]

Please be as critical as you like. ALL comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. If you like I would be glad to help with yours.

"Mommy where'd the corn go?"

"Ew why does the sky look like puke?"

When my mom tried to explain China's economic growth with something involving houses, factories, and GDP portrayed through an impressive carnival analogy, my five-year-old brain was completely boggled but fascinated. Though it wasn't until much later did I start to develop an inkling of this economic growth, my desire to explain the changing environment persisted throughout the years and upon having the opportunity of learning economics as I entered the IB diploma program in 11th grade, developed into a passion for economics.

Finally having a name for the mystical workings that vanished all the corn and yellowed the sky, I came to quickly appreciate its relevance, its invisible laws dictating the workings of modern society. Live demonstration of the delicate balance between recovery and economic disasters since the global market failure in 2008 further emphasized the importance of the subject and strengthened my desire to pursue it.

In choosing a university program to deepen my understanding of economics, I looked for one that not only offered excellent teaching, but also emphasize and celebrated the diverse nature of economics. In short, this led me straight to the doors of the Carnegie Mellon economics program. With it's unique position as the only joint undergraduate program of the Tepper School of Business and the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, it offers a much more extensive database of resources. Together with the feature of a secondary major and a minor from Dietrich College, I feel there is a definite acknowledgement for the subject's diversity. Personally, I would like to pursue psychology as a the secondary major or minor due to its close entwinement with economics that would facilitate greater understanding of both subjects and give me a cutting edge to the average undergraduate economics degree. In addition, the plethora of available internships supplements classroom knowledge and will help me gain invaluable experience in preparation for my future in the branch.

The steep slope of improvement in my grades throughout high school demonstrates maturation and focus. Thus, being part of the prestigious economics program at Carnegie Mellon University is the perfect next step in reaching my full potential. From acknowledgement and celebration of the relevance of economics to the vast innovative and research opportunities, I would be honored to attend Carnegie Mellon University.

Undergraduate / NYU economics program; NYU sup/ Academic Interests [10]

Hey guys please help me with this answer. Do you think I fully answer the question? Please be as harsh as you can. All comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

A. NYU's global network provides students with hundreds of academic areas of interest for students to cultivate their intellectual curiosity and to help achieve their career goals. Whether you are entirely undecided about your academic plans or you have a definitive program of study in mind, what are your own academic interests? Feel free to share any thoughts on any particular programs or how you might explore those interests at NYU on any of our campuses. (1500 characters)

Growing up in Beijing, the capital of one of the world's fastest developing countries, the dynamics of the city changed with breathtaking speed. Miles of cornfield disappeared as the coal burning factories popped up and spewed out blackness into the once brilliant blue skies. Shopping malls sprouted all over the city and soon the streets filled with bicycles were traded for shiny new cars.

These were childhood observations that with the opportunity of enrolling in HL economics finally began to make sense. And with the models and explanations, came the full appreciation of the subject's real world relevance and a conviction to pursue economics. I realize that it is the laws of economics that invisibly dictate the workings of modern society and for this reason I thirst for more understanding.

With the relevancy of economics as the main reason to further my study, my criteria for choosing a program is one that not only has excellent teaching, but also emphasizes and celebrates the diversity of the subject. These principles are representative of the NYU economics program. In addition to the honor of working with passionate professors, the liberal arts foundation through MAP enriches the study of economics and interlaces it with other disciplines. All the while, the array of opportunities for research, internships and innovation keeps the subject relevant to the real world. With such features and the prestige of the campus and the city itself, I would be honored to attend NYU.

I will be glad to help with your essay if you like.