HJK9292
Oct 12, 2009
Undergraduate / 'Not settling for medicore any more' - UF ESSAY meaningful experience [7]
UF meaningful experience number 2
I decided my old one was not a good topic
completely new essay
please read and critique
I may not be my school's smartest student or the best athlete. Neither am I the best looking nor the funniest. Then, how is it almost all 3,133 students can recognize both my name and face? It is a simple answer. I am Asian. If you were to go up to any of the Oviedo High School students and asked them if they knew a Hyung-jin Kim, the stereotypical answer will start off with "oh that one Asian kid who _____." Not "the kid who is on the announcements" or "the senior with glasses who plays volleyball". No, the answer will almost always start with the Asian kid. They call America the world's largest melting pot, where all nationalities and ethnicities blend into one big nation. This may be true on a large scale, but in a small town in Central Florida, especially one that is nicknamed the "hick town of Seminole County", that phrase does not apply. Here I stick out like a yellow corn kernel in a big bowl of white flour, literally. My life has been greatly altered by my experience as an Asian American. It has forged a personality and attitude that keeps me open and optimistic.
I was born in Seoul, South Korea on September 2nd, 1992. My family immigrated to the U.S. when I was 5 years old. Living in a new country to a five year old is like moving to a different planet. I didn't know the language, the people looked much different, and I was just plain scared. I can recall many nights when I cried to my mom begging her to move back home. As a child growing up I was shy and extremely self-conscious. To exacerbate problems, I was terrorized by jokes about my facial features, which were often followed by chants of ching chong chang. Half the time I didn't even understand what they were saying, I just knew it was something bad. But thankfully not all my peers were callous towards me, many were quite benevolent, particularly a pair of twins that lived across the street. They became my best friends, and we forged a friendship that is still strong today. They helped me cope with the teasing and helped with my English. I slowly became completely fluent in English and graduated from ESOL in the fourth grade. Now as a senior in high school, friends and teachers laugh at the thought of me not talking and being shy. Because of the tribulations I was able to contend with, I realized that life has much more meaning and depth to what it seems. At first life in America resembled a land of hardships and obstruction, but as I matured my eyes were opened to the actuality of the situation. Although it is somewhat of a cliché it is true, America is where opportunities are endless and dreams can be fulfilled.
The challenges and blockades I was able to surmount created a character that is open to any challenge. The once feeble child is now a completely different headstrong individual. My ability to cope with confrontations will benefit my college experience by keeping me pushing toward achievement even when it seems I will falter. The road is not always gleamed with gold. There will always be some potholes in the way. Just because there is a little dent in the path doesn't mean you have to stop. My experiences throughout my life has taught me to keep on pushing even though the road seems to be rough and beaten up. On my road in life, I hope that the University of Florida is one of the pit stops along the way to success.
UF meaningful experience number 2
I decided my old one was not a good topic
completely new essay
please read and critique
I may not be my school's smartest student or the best athlete. Neither am I the best looking nor the funniest. Then, how is it almost all 3,133 students can recognize both my name and face? It is a simple answer. I am Asian. If you were to go up to any of the Oviedo High School students and asked them if they knew a Hyung-jin Kim, the stereotypical answer will start off with "oh that one Asian kid who _____." Not "the kid who is on the announcements" or "the senior with glasses who plays volleyball". No, the answer will almost always start with the Asian kid. They call America the world's largest melting pot, where all nationalities and ethnicities blend into one big nation. This may be true on a large scale, but in a small town in Central Florida, especially one that is nicknamed the "hick town of Seminole County", that phrase does not apply. Here I stick out like a yellow corn kernel in a big bowl of white flour, literally. My life has been greatly altered by my experience as an Asian American. It has forged a personality and attitude that keeps me open and optimistic.
I was born in Seoul, South Korea on September 2nd, 1992. My family immigrated to the U.S. when I was 5 years old. Living in a new country to a five year old is like moving to a different planet. I didn't know the language, the people looked much different, and I was just plain scared. I can recall many nights when I cried to my mom begging her to move back home. As a child growing up I was shy and extremely self-conscious. To exacerbate problems, I was terrorized by jokes about my facial features, which were often followed by chants of ching chong chang. Half the time I didn't even understand what they were saying, I just knew it was something bad. But thankfully not all my peers were callous towards me, many were quite benevolent, particularly a pair of twins that lived across the street. They became my best friends, and we forged a friendship that is still strong today. They helped me cope with the teasing and helped with my English. I slowly became completely fluent in English and graduated from ESOL in the fourth grade. Now as a senior in high school, friends and teachers laugh at the thought of me not talking and being shy. Because of the tribulations I was able to contend with, I realized that life has much more meaning and depth to what it seems. At first life in America resembled a land of hardships and obstruction, but as I matured my eyes were opened to the actuality of the situation. Although it is somewhat of a cliché it is true, America is where opportunities are endless and dreams can be fulfilled.
The challenges and blockades I was able to surmount created a character that is open to any challenge. The once feeble child is now a completely different headstrong individual. My ability to cope with confrontations will benefit my college experience by keeping me pushing toward achievement even when it seems I will falter. The road is not always gleamed with gold. There will always be some potholes in the way. Just because there is a little dent in the path doesn't mean you have to stop. My experiences throughout my life has taught me to keep on pushing even though the road seems to be rough and beaten up. On my road in life, I hope that the University of Florida is one of the pit stops along the way to success.