Undergraduate / UC Prompt 2 - Music Molds My Mission [6]

Prompt: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

Music Molds My Mission

I developed a strong personal attachment to music ever since the very first time I moved my hand over the soft, smooth wood of a guitar and I have not looked back since.

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Any and all criticism is welcome!

Undergraduate / 'Grandpa no longer with me' - UC Prompt 1 - Patience, Perseverance, Passion [3]

Prompt #1
Describe the world you come from ï for example, your family, community or school ï and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

If I were to generalize my take on life, I can say that it is filled with challenges much as it is filled with joys and opportunities.

I was born and raised in Mumbai, India till I was eight. I was blessed by being a part of a family which foundationally believed in the principles of love and respect. Given that, everything was always well. Hmm, mostly true, but not entirely.

My earliest memories are from being somewhere between five to seven years old. They include me having an early understanding of the reality that while living an amiable life, everyone around me seemed to be coping with some sort of a challenge or struggle. I observed the 'normal' challenges: stress at work, traffic, and the like, common to a life in a rusty metropolis of a developing nation. And then I observed the not-so-normal case with my dear grandpa.

My grandpa is no longer with me; he died when I was merely seven. See, at age 30, he was diagnosed with Advanced Muscular Dystrophy, which translates to a slow and progressive death. He was bedridden during his last 13 years, seldom moving beyond a few inches. His body parts failed one at a time. Painfully, slowly, yet surely. Nevertheless, he lived an enriched life till his last breath, one filled with smiles, love, and compassion while secretly enduring pain and never succumbing to sorrow. Patience and perseverance were his strongest set of virtues. My grandma says these enabled him to fulfill his passion of embracing simple living, high thinking and doing everything to make others happy.

My lesson from my experience in growing up with my grandpa was simple, yet one which strongly molded my character and approach to life. Challenges and struggles are inevitable when following a passion. But with patience and perseverance, one can surmount them and succeed!

At eight, I immigrated to the United States with my parents. During my initial time here, I coped with the culture changes and challenges with living in a new country and different environment. These included making new friends and adapting a completely different learning style at school. The later stage also saw me growing in the highly academically challenging Monta Vista High School. All through this time, my mind related these challenges to those of my grandpa. I obtained comfort, even courage, in believing that I will succeed with patience and perseverance. And I did!

Since many years, my heart has set on a medical profession. It's mainly an outcome of my experience living with my grandpa. Having seen him suffer so long, my goal is to reach out and make a difference in the lives of those ailing. I plan on succeeding based on my own virtues of patience and perseverance while following this passion closest to my heart.

I think somewhere along this journey is my grandpa waiting to hold my hand and see me through. And together, we will succeed!

Any and all criticism is welcome! Thank you in advance.

Undergraduate / UC Prompt 1 - "Only Child" [4]

Any and all criticism is helpful! Thanks in advance. Word Count: about 500
The prompt is to describe the world you come from and how it shaped your dreams.

On November 20, 1992, I was born in Mumbai, India and blessed with a mother and father at my side. But I was scared and didn't know what to expect of this new world. Little did I know that this is the way I would feel throughout my childhood.

As an only child, or a "lonely" child as I like to call it, I was left to fend for myself. I did not have anybody to look up to or guide me except for my busy parents. Both my parents have been working full time and I have often been left alone I needed to devise solutions on my own as my family immigrated to the United States at age eight. Not only did I have to adapt to the new culture, but I had to face the several adolescent issues unescorted.

However, facing these fears alone culminated in a very beneficial outcome. I gradually learned to make decisions independently. I was a living example of Darwin's "survival of the fittest," as I struggled in unfriendly circumstances but came through successfully. These struggles slowly shaped me into an introspective and an intuitive man. I have slowly learned to develop a sixth sense of thought as I got into the habit of thinking through the situation before making any decisions.

My parents, though they guide me in making wise choices, allow me plenty of freedom. They will support me in whatever career choice I choose to pursue. This sense of liberty forces me to be responsible for my actions. Though both my parents have studied finance, numbers are too dry for my taste. I require more flavor. I have always been an emotional person and want my career to reflect my personality. I want to touch and feel life. Being the first generation in my family to attend college in the United States, I have chosen to pursue a career as a doctor.

Reflecting back on my past, as an only child, I have had to work and make most decisions independently. I know what it is like to be alone and aidless. This is why I want to reach out to people in pain and anguish. I want to put a smile on lone faces, to put the old and ailing out of physical misery, to give hope to terminally ill children, and to touch mankind with the best of my ability.