Undergraduate / Princeton essay: fear of death [3]

i need a lot of help on this essay
do i need to rewrite this maybe?

Option 3 -
''Some questions cannot be answered./ They become familiar weights in the hand,/ Round stones pulled from the pocket, unyielding and cool.''1
- Jane Hirshfield, poet, Princeton Class of 1973

Almost everyone has a touchy subject that burns their heart when mentioned. For me, that subject was death. When I thought about it, terror would struck me and keep my heart pounding like a hammer on a stubborn nail; hard enough that I could feel it from my chest to the tips of my fingers and toes.

Perhaps what scared me the most about death was the uncertainty it carries. After a hard day at school, I love sitting with my family at the dinner table eating mom's home made cooking, and laughing about a joke from school retold. But what if moments like this is gone forever in a matter of seconds during a car crash? six years ago, I had my first and only car accident. It was a bright sunny day when nothing bad was expected to happen. Then the car suddenly shook from an impact, sending a powerful serge of pain down my back. After the violent shaking stopped, I looked over my shoulders and saw my brother half unconscious. I looked at the driver's seat and saw that my mother had her head down. That was the first time I thought about dying and losing someone dear to me. Fortunately, no one was badly hurt in that accident. But what if?

Why do people have to die? Where do they go afterwards? Such questions began to cascade into my head one after another. No matter how hard I reasoned, I can't seem to concoct a logical answer. I gathered enough courage to ask a few people for their opinions, but no one could give me a satisfying response. These questions became constant scratches on the head and "familiar weights in the hand, round stones pulled from the pocket, unyielding and cool."

As I got older and experienced life a little bit more, my fear caught my dad's attention. From him I learned that process is more important than the ultimate fate when we think about life and death. We all die eventually, but how do we live when we are alive? I slowly realized that death is a question that cannot be and probably will not be answered. Perhaps it is not even meant to be answered. Rather than looking at death as a ponderous burden, I realized that life, the greatest gift of all, should be placed in the centerfold.

Why should we wait for our inevitable fate when we could live with great passion? Knowing that the precious moments could be lost makes me treasure and enjoy them to the fullest. I try everything that life has to offer and do my best every day so that I can live to the full extent and without regret.

Undergraduate / my philosophies on "gross national happiness" [4]

The former king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, has expressed a philosophy of "Gross National Happiness" as a measurement of the success of the country. What is your personal philosophy? Tell us why you believe it could be used to evaluate a country's success.

In my opinion, the people's level of happiness is not always a fair indicator of the country's success because there are many outside factors that could affect "happiness". However, I agree that a country's conditions could potentially impact the happiness of the people to a certain degree. A country's purpose is to serve and protect its people. If the people are living well in comfortable and fearless conditions, then it would increases the probability that the people will be in good moods because there are less troubles to be worried about. For example, the great depression, civil war, and the civil rights movement. During those times, people are in constant worry, fear, and sadness. In such cases, a country's success in serving and protecting its people is low, and the people's level of happiness reflects that. On the other hand, when the country is in good times, the level of happiness does not represent the country's conditions as truly. Other factors such as financial status, marital problems, health issues, family relationships, and psychological problems, could potentially affect the "happiness" of the people. A large proportion of the population is affected by some type of crisis. In these cases, even if the country is doing well overall, the people's happiness level could still be substantially low. I think half of the success of the country should be measured based on how well the government is doing in maintaining social order, regulating economic balance, and keeping peace in foreign affairs. The other half should be measured based on the people's happiness. This way, during good or bad times, the "happiness" overall would be balanced.

Undergraduate / 'Passionate professors, rigorous education' - my reasons for applying to Penn [5]

Which of the academic communities and social communities that now comprise the University of Pennsylvania are most interesting to you and how will you contribute to them and to the larger Penn community?

Passionate professors, rigorous education, and diverse student population. These are what Penn will certainly bring to her students. However, other colleges may have them too. I am interested in Penn not only for the top 10 reasons listed on the Penn website, but also for the qualities and connections that, to me, only Penn's communities can accommodate.

Penn is a university that had an inspirational effect on me. The social panorama formulated by each of Penn's unique community constitutes a creative atmosphere that serves as an attraction. Legends, history, and traditions all contribute to the overall effect. An interesting legend was created about the Franklin statue in front of the Fisher Fine Arts Library. Supposedly, when Franklin sat down in his chair, the button on his vest pocket popped off, rolled across Locust Walk, and broke in halves, resulting in the giant split button sculpture. This phenomenon is located in the middle of the library circle. I can imagine myself sitting in one of those libraries brain-blocked on a subject, and something amazing comes to mind when I look out of the window and see Franklin in his chair, one vest button missing. It is like a spark that could prompt a sequence of fiery imaginations, ideas, and visions.

The Penn community contains a silent but strong motivation that I find valuable and unique. Learning in a historically magnificent environment is different from learning in just a school. The university's long history reflects the hard work that has been put into the development of each of the academic communities. In 1740, even after initial funds fell through for the first attempt, Franklin's persistent effort in advocating higher education pulled through, resulting in the first building that led to the esteemed Penn of today. Isn't this a motivation to study hard for each person who is so fortunate to be a Penn student? Also, personally, going to Penn would be an absolutely amazing feeling because it is a school built by the person I have admired since childhood. I believe the experience at Penn will help me to achieve my ultimate goal: to become a great contributor to the society just like Benjamin Franklin.

The Penn hospital is a commendable establishment. The workers there all have passion, dedication, and perseverance. I learned this from my personal relationship with the Penn hospital. My grandmother was rushed to one of the Penn hospitals when she had an unexpected stroke. We left her in the trustworthy hands of the doctors and nurses there, and without a doubt, they had taken good care of her until the very last breath she took. Even though her condition was grave, the doctors tried hard to save her. I can't imagine a better hospital she could have been sent to. I thought if I went to Penn, I could be part of the hospital and contribute to it. I want to help Penn hospital's future patients like the people there have helped my family. I want to give back a little of what I have received. If I go to Penn, service at Penn hospital is at the top of my to-do list.

Of course, the 10 reasons listed on the Penn website are also great characteristics of the university. Passionate professors can excite the students in learning the materials and make the classes fun and interesting. A rigorous education is necessary in preparing the students well to be ready for the society in the future. Exposure to different cultures and studies from a diverse student population can increase awareness and broaden our knowledge. All these good characteristics combined with inspiration and motivation creates a perfect education and social community. I think it is the best choice of college for me personally to go to.

does my essay answer the question?
i'm not sure about this one...
but i don't know how to make it better.

Undergraduate / My relationship with my grandparents had always been rough. Common app essay [10]

In elementary school, I used to be jealous of my friends who got birthday gifts from both sides of their grandparents. They always bragged in a loud pretentious voice "My grandparents got me the new edition of Barbie doll, and lots and lots of new cloths." Then someone else would play a counterpart "Well my grandpa got me a new trampoline, and a new remote controlled car!" During these kinds of conversation, I had always stayed quiet because I had nothing to say. I couldn't brag like them since I didn't get anything. Back then, I felt embarrassed about it. Since bragging about gifts is a privilege, and it showed how much you are loved and how special you were to your family. At least that's what my childish immature brain used to think.

My relationship with my paternal grandparents had always been rough. This is because I am a girl born into a traditional Chinese family. Being traditional Chinese citizens who follows all the ancient traditional doctrines and conduct, my grandparents thought only boys can accomplish great deeds and carry on the family name, which was extremely important to them. In their eyes, me being a girl is almost like a crime. No matter how hard I tried to please them by getting marvelous grades or outstanding awards, they didn't bother acknowledging them. When my younger brother got a red shiny star sticker on his shirt from good participation in class, my grandparents were happy and pleased to see that he is progressing well. They were filled with pride and boasted about him to the neighbors. They were always very protective of him and left me in the cold. They gave him the better of everything and treated him like a treasure. As a kid, I was deeply hurt and started to develop resentment towards them.

My dad understood our relationship, and understood our mutual feelings towards each other. One day, I was crying because my grandparents falsely blamed me for breaking the chair that my brother had broken. I couldn't cry loud because my grandparents would say something nasty about it. With suppressed sniffles, I sat in the corner of my room quietly detesting them. My dad somehow found me. He came to me, gave me a hug, and said "don't cry, I will give you three times the love to compensate for their mistake. Their vision is just clouded. They just can't see how good you are yet." "yet" he had said. It was a droplet of hope that cured my young broken heart. from then on, I didn't hate or blame them any longer, but tried hard to tolerated everything they did.

I just thought it was a pity, and kept hoping maybe someday they'll come to realize that I am just as good as a boy, and perhaps better than some. My grandpa had told me "you don't have the brains." however, I definitely have the dedication and effort to make up for what they called my "missing brain". I studied long hard hours to show them that I'm capable. I started to develop a desire to prove myself not only to my grandparents, but also to the world. Eventually, my persistent effort will get through.

The first time they took me into account was a big break for me. It was the day when report cards went out. Me and my brother had sat side by side talking about it, when my grandpa walked in. He went directly to my brother's side and asked him "did you make the honor roll?" my brother responded "nope." I didn't dare look into his eyes, but I know he is disappointed. Then there was a long silent pause. He said in a deep low voice "and you?" I was shocked because he had never inquired about me. I responded with almost an out bursting enthusiasm "of course! I always do! And there's a lot more of me to come! "

Undergraduate / page 217 of your 300-page autobiography. (holland memories) [3]

please correct this and tell me what you think.
i'm trying to expose some of me and who i am.

here it is:

I lived in Europe for a while. It was in the suburban area of Holland the Netherlands. I was young then and my memories from that time are now vivid. To me, those memories are like a mosaic puzzle. I can't particularly pin point the story of every little piece, but the general big picture is there. Luckily, photographs exist, and each of those photos is a piece of the puzzle and a clue to my nostalgic mystery that's been covered up exceptionally well by time.

For some reason, this one photo reminded me of a certain event. It was a picture of me running on a snow covered road. I had wore red shoes, red pants, a big red hat, and an oversized brown sweater. It had been a very cold winter that year. So cold that the rivers froze thick enough to skate on. So on one of the cold winter days, my parents took me skating on the river. The picture was of me on my way there. I remember my parents putting on white skates, and putting me on a platform. They skated around while dragging the platform. It was such a fun time, and I remember not wanting to leave when the day started to get dark.

Perhaps this is nothing special to some people, but to me, it's worth more than gold. Every memory of Holland that I can find is precious. Someday, I will revisit Holland, and perhaps more memories will find its way back to me. For now, I will have to rely on the pictures. Even though I wasn't born there, Holland, to me, is my hometown, and some of the best days of my youth were spent there.

Undergraduate / common app: elaborate on one of your activities (a summer job) [4]

it's supposed to be maximum 150 words, i have exactly 150 words.

is this ok?
what should i delete/add?
are there unnecessary details in there?

here it is:

I held a summer job at the Main Line Chinese Cultural Center. It is a camp where american born Chinese children are given exposure to the Chinese culture and language. Therefore, since I was fluent, I was required to speak Chinese as much as possible. I held the position of head junior counselor and teaching camper. As head junior counselor, it is my responsibility to keep track of the attendance and to monitor the performance of the junior counselors, and report it to the advisor. As a teaching camper, I assisted the teacher in the arts and craft class by preparing material or helping the children. During my time at the center, I helped build a book corner and donated up to fifty children's books. I also helped organize the talent shows at the end of the season by gathering ideas from the counselors and giving them to the advisor.