Undergraduate / "my own personal definition of success for the future" - UC ESSAY #1 [7]

Describe the world you come from-for example, your family, community or school -- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations

My mother received the letter from the college she applied to, and she hid it from her parents. She didn't want to burden them because they had no money to send her to college. She was accepted to the school, but her dream wasn't in reach because of her parent's financial problems. Both of my parents came from different situations. They learned as time passed how important education really is. Their struggles and sacrifices have been etched into my heart as a reminder to achieve the best of my ability.

There were struggles involved living on a farm in rural Korea during the 1960's. Even though my father and his siblings spent a lot of their time on the farm than in school, an important lesson they learned is to not take things for granted. Consequently, plants are precious in my family- especially gardening plants, water is not wasted and all the food on my plate is consumed. My grandparents have an abundant garden in their backyard, and I believed that there is no other garden as vigorous as theirs. There has always been an appreciation of not taking things for granted. The end result of all the effort I put into something is always subjected to adjust, because dreams aren't granted, only wishes are.

Society demonstrates that success can only be a result of being educated. Though my aspirations and dreams have been strengthened as an active member of society, I am also molded by the routine of my father's past. There is only one adult in my family who has graduated from a college. That fact affects me in many different ways. Whether by receiving pressure from my parents, being the oldest sibling or demonstrating a good path for them or even the excitement of having my success at my fingertips, I could be the one to graduate. My father has taught me, "Success is what you do and being happy."

Throughout the years I learned that education is not just for more opportunities. Education is important to my family and me because it helps you reach your maximum potential.

That is when I aspired to achieve my own personal definition of success for the future. To be happy with what I am doing and looking forward to it every morning. The image of success in my mind is so clear. However, making those goals come true is a long journey ahead. Thinking about the difficult situation my father and mother went through encourages me to have dreams and be ambitious in achieving them. I want to give back to people less fortunate than I; and appreciate their ability to cherish the tiniest things. For those children living in third world countries or other poverty-stricken places, I hope to give them strength. From the world I come from, my aspiration to take part in the medical field has grown stronger.

PLEASE LEAVE ANY COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS.
its my first draft, so there needs to be more editing
i think it needs to be more clear??

Undergraduate / "giving social services to people" - Common Application Essay [7]

- Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

I'M WORKING ON THE LAST FEW PARAGRAPHS RIGHT NOW.
BUT JUST A PREVIEW, I WILL PROBABLY WRITE ABOUT HOW IT INFLUENCES ME BECAUSE I WANT TO PURSUE A HEALTH CARE/MEDICAL PROFESSION AND BLAH BLAH BLAH...

DEFINITELY NEED TO FIX THE INTRO. NOT TO HOOKY ;/

SORRY ONE LAST THING, I WANT TO CHOOSE A LOCAL ISSUE, BUT I CANT THINK OF ONE REALLY. AND I DIDNT WANT TO JUST RESEARCH ONE AND WRITE ABOUT IT IF I DONT REALLY KNOW ABOUT IT AND DONT CARE KIND OF THING...I WISH I CAN WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING HAPPIER

This year the national debate topic is about giving social services to people living in poverty. As I learned about the topic and the different people who are considered "living in poverty," I only thought about those individuals who earn an income at or below the poverty threshold. It didn't occur to me that such people like prisoners or sex trafficked victims are considered "impoverished." However, learning about the situations prisoners live under has convinced me that this specific group of people is destitute.

More than 100,00 prisoners infected with diseases are released in the United States every year. There is a major threat involved with this situation to hundreds of communities in the nation. For the past few years state prisons have been impermeable to renovation because of politics and fear. But there are so many unfortunate circumstances these people are going through that basic human rights are being violated. I believe that the federal government has a moral obligation to help them.

The situation in state prisons caught my attention because of the lack of health care prisoners receive. Many prisoners are untreated and some are even unaware of diseases they may have. Effectually, many citizens outside of prisons could be affected for that reason. Also, these diseases can potentially spread across U.S. borders. Containing diseases has its limits. The swine flu for example has spread over the nation. This flu has posed a threat in my household. And my mother even suggested wearing a mask to school; but it didn't happen.

In addition, there are underreported events of rape that occur within the prisons. Another issue that ultimately concerns morality. The psychological and physical effects of rape are dehumanizing. There is a gap trying to integrate back into society. The social withdrawal due to traumas, self blame and feelings of hopelessness are unfortunate circumstances. The imprisoned victims of rape have to rehabilitate themselves. But it is hard for me to imagine that. The resources and funding being enforced in prisons is blatantly inefficient.

Undergraduate / "demolishing the kitchen" - Common Application short response [10]

Common application short answer Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below or on an attached sheet (150 words or fewer).

"Hey, check if the cheesecake is ready!"
"Yes! It's perfect."
The kitchen was a mess. But today was a big day, and we were on the verge of demolishing the kitchen from our frantic behavior. Nonetheless, My friend Zara and I were about ready for our bake sale in front of the local grocery market. While we were setting up, I felt the curious eyes of early morning shoppers. And deep inside I was laughing because I knew that the aroma of freshly baked cheesecake bits and peppermint hot chocolate filling the crispy winter air would be tempting. It was a success. Our mission was to send socks to American soldiers stationed in Iraq. I purchased the 150 pairs of socks. We are epicures united for countries. We felt proud of our work, especially through a passion we have for cooking. The next challenge was purchasing mosquito nets for Africa.

SUGGESTIONS/CRITIQUES?

Undergraduate / And the boy loved the tree?/ Character in a fiction [13]

4) And the tree was happy. How sad, I used to think. I flipped back through the worn out pages, and noticed the faded black ink and the cranberry juice stain on page fifteen where there was a big white space next to the illustration of the tree. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein has been a short story I have been reading since I was in the third grade. I have grown up with this book, and every time I read it, as I grew older, there were things I didn't understand. I felt ambivalent towards the boy and the tree each time I opened the lime colored book. Sympathizing for the tree, but admiring it. And disappointment towards the boy, but understanding him. It just seemed natural for a while. However, I gained a new perspective of each character at the end that felt right. Moreover, the tree influenced me.

The little boy in the story starts as an innocent character. His desires are simple, but he had many. My innocence and child-likeness was paralleled with the little boy as a child. There are always many requests little kids can have. The first thought I had about the book was, "I wish I had a tree like that." If I had a giving tree, it would have given me everything it had: apples, shade, branches, leaves and even its stump to sit on.

But as time went on and I turned to the book again, a new thought came about the boy. A basic outline of his whole life was organized in one place, and it was easy for me to analyze aspects of his life. The second perspective came into my head, "the boy is selfish." It seemed like the boy only turned to the tree when he needed something and not just because he loves the tree for being the tree. I was annoyed with the little boy. It was interesting because throughout the book, even as the little boy grew older he was still referred to as the boy. He was not the teenager, young adult, grown-up or old man. The tree lived in its own timeless world while the boy grew older and older. There is a danger of narrow-mindedness the boy had. He remained needy as the years passed and there seemed to never be enough of something. But I concluded that I didn't like him.

More time passed, where I was in high school and probably to the time the boy had a girlfriend. And when I read it, a third perspective came in mind, "I want to grow up to be like the giving tree." The tree is a self-less character that is exceptionally patient and gives unconditional love. Unable to move from its lonesome spot, the tree succumbs to people who come to it. It is unable to move. I felt bad for the tree, but I was still attracted to it. I was influenced to become a more compassionate person. While listening to Barack Obama speak while he was still a candidate, he stated, "... we should talk more about our empathy deficit... when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others...it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help." His statement about the country's empathy deficit, made me think about The Giving Tree. The quote opened my mind; I realized the dangers of being narrow-minded like the boy. The tree became my model.

Undergraduate / Scary Daydream!!- supplement for Williams : ) [8]

Prompt: Imagine looking through a window at any environment that is particularly significant to you. Reflect on the scene, playing close attention to the relation between what you are seeing and why it is meaningful to you. Please limit your statement to 300 words.

- This is currently 414 words.
- Can you give me feedback on whether this was rather confusing or not? haha, i think it might be, but im not sure. I'm hoping people, especially the college admission people, will probably be able to understand....

-P.S. do you think its okay for me to write about myself looking at an environment in the future, like how i did here??

-Sorry, but last question. For prompts like these, its okay to interpret certain words in broad terms right? Like, for example, there are prompts about diversity, but you can interpret it to be about culture, people's perspectives, ideas etc....Because i think i did that with the word "environment"

- THANK YOU!!!!! sorry that was a long intro...

;]]]

She stood on the corner waiting. It was early in the morning, maybe even too early for her day to begin. Nonetheless, she stood there, with a lunch-pail at hand. Dawn rose with all its glory in plain sight across the street, and over the roofs of the two-story cookie-cutter houses. The girl lives in a quite neighborhood, mostly because senior citizens had invaded this secluded part of the town. But maybe there was a reason why her mother moved her here, as did mine. We have something in common. Looking at this girl gave me an ecstatic feeling; I felt nostalgic observing her. I lost track of time- until the cactus on my windowsill pressed a little too hard against my forearm. Our bus was late. A typical excuse for late students, but it's all part of the experience.

I remember a homey smell always lingers in school buildings when students return after summer break. It might be the wax on the floors, but whatever it is the familiar smell is a concrete sensation in my mind. I can tell that the girl is nervous, but at the same time excited for her first day in middle school. She reminds me of the joy and open-mindedness that should come with learning. Every year I would be anxious about entering the school campus ready to learn something new. I could see that this soon to be ripened individual, with a violin and tennis racquet be her side, is just a seed. Balancing the role of a student and an active member of society can be challenging, but she will become a sturdy plant capable of spreading her seeds beyond her picket fence and so will I.

I knew deep inside that this new neighbor of mine and I would become close friends.

Undergraduate / B.U.- "This is me, and Boston is where I would like to be" essay : )) [4]

In an essay of no more than 500 words, please select 3 words that describe you best and tell us how you will use these qualities/characteristics to contribute fully to the BU community.

There was a blank space on the shirt for you to fill in after the words "I am..." and a phrase that read, "Define your life" underneath it. It was an appealing shirt to purchase, but I thought about myself reaching over for a black permanent marker and contemplating for days what word I should write there. I couldn't think of an appropriate adjective. As the days, weeks, and months sailed by, the people in my life have helped me realize the impact I have on them because of who I am.

"Christie, I can hear your laugh across the campus!" It was actually an embarrassing thought at first, but then I learned to appreciate the fact that I can put a smile on someone's face. A noticeable characteristic of mine is one of contagiousness from my laughter. I have become well known for my boisterous and striking laugh. I receive comments about my laugh from my peers and teachers leave little notes in my yearbook at the end of the school year. I came across an article one day that explained how laughing increases your life span, and at the same time alleviates any sort of negative feelings. These positive affects can be spread through my peers because my laugh is infectious. A chain reaction will start from one person who can give off a hearty laugh.

I am a compassionate person towards others and their beliefs. Throughout my experiences in and out of school, I have learned that open-mindedness is always helpful. Simply taking others' ideas about novels we read in English class into consideration broadens my perspective on key themes the author tries to portray to the reader. It is a thirst for more information and insight about something that keeps my mind open to accepting new things. My body is always thirsty for subtraction soup. The more I consume, the hunger for knowledge is never ceased. Sometimes, there are situations I could be adamant in my beliefs. However, I believe that not being open-minded is like having an immovable and massive boulder in the middle of your path. I can contribute to the Boston University community by being a person that is always willing to listen and be intrigued by the diversity of people's opinions and cultures.

Some people may think that loyalty is a negative characteristic because in movies, and even in novels, the loyal ones are the first to die or the ones that look the weakest. Underneath the surface is much more than what appears to be submissiveness, but it is deep dedication and trustworthiness that remains stable in a loyal friend. I am not just that friend who has been on the scene for more than seven years; I am that friend who has been willing to make sacrifices to make relationships stronger. I can contribute to the Boston community by being a devoted student and a faithful friend.

definicion.myshopify.com/products/i-am-t-shirt

The "I am..." shirt that I am talking about- no pun intended : ) haha

In five or six sentences, tell us how you first became interested in BU and what steps you have taken to learn more about us.

I felt a sense of balance when I visited Boston two summers ago. The school colors, scarlet and white, reminded me of an association with blood and peace. Scarlet is earned through hard work and dedication. Within the bustling city of Boston there are many experiences that can be carried out as a college student. The Charles River campus, large diverse student body, distinctive seasonal weather and historical background of America that originates there, are all attractive characteristics of B.U. These aspects bring peace to my mind and soul- I can picture myself clearly in this university.

Thank you! : )