Undergraduate / How the zeigeist of my class has shaped me. [3]

How has your world shaped you?

I wrote this pretty quickly. As with my other essay, PLEASE BE HARSH. You hate me. You hate my essay. Now take it apart. :)

The fives years of my high school career were spent in an enriched program called 'Mini School' at XXXX Secondary. My time there has taught be valuable life skills such as leadership, goal setting and multitasking. Receiving my education in a learning environment where I was constantly being challenged allowed me to develop into a person with big dreams and high standards.

The Mini School is a program that consists of one hundred and fifty pupils from grades eight through twelve. Each year, thirty students are selected from over three hundred applicants in the XXXX School District. During classes, our curriculum is a fortified version in that we are encouraged to participate in discussions that delve deeper into the subject. As an enthusiastic contributor to the heated debates, I have been able to formulate my personal opinions on my lessons as opposed to simply committing them to memory. Aside from working with advanced material, our many overnight trips also demand that I work efficiently to keep up with the fast paced flow of information.

Part of the enrichment material of The Mini comes from our many overnight trips. Each year, students attend functions such as Mini Orientation, XXXX Ski-trip, XXXX Marine Station and XXXX Shakespeare Festival, just to name a few. During these trips, the students are always placed in groups of mixed grades to that we could develop a sense of community as well as hone our leadership skills. On the education based trips such as XXXX Marine Station and The XXXX Shakespeare Festival, I've had the chance to experience the lesson in a hands-on manner that no classroom would be able to provide. Parts of - and sometimes the entirety - these Mini trips are actually organized by the students. The roles start small, but by the time pupils reach grade twelve, they have hefty responsibilities.

My high school education, however, did not come solely from this program; it also came from my peers. I realized soon after entering that class that I was amongst the crème de la crème of XXXX(city) adolescents. Everyone was intelligent, curious and talented. My classmates and I not only studied together, we also learned from one another. Each moment of everyday, we challenged, encouraged and pushed each other to be better than we were yesterday.

In the competitive atmosphere of the Mini School, I learned to set goals and work efficiently to achieve them. Because of these skills, I was able to maintain a high GPA while finishing my Piano Performer's Diploma (ARCT), running my own art studio, gaining more than three hundred hours of work and volunteer experience at American Eagle Outfitters, XXXX Church and XXXX Animal Shelter respectively and singing in various choirs. One of the ensembles I am in - XXXX Honour Youth Choir - will be singing at the Olympics and Paralympics of 2010.

Over the past five years, the Mini School has provided me with a place to study and grow, in more ways than one. While the curriculum demanded that I manage my time and work hard, the student body also challenged me to step up and take initiative. The pressure of being surrounded by greatness has lead me to strive for greatness in my own future.

Undergraduate / UC Essay Prompt #2 Personal Quality - How does it relate to who you are? [4]

Please be harsh! Please mention ANY issues you see.

I made my career choice at the age of nine. My decision to become a veterinarian didn't surprise anyone as I'd always been an avid animal lover, but no one took the declaration seriously. After all, I was at the age when dreams and goals shift on the hour, so why should this one be any different?

Looking back to Elementary school, I was not the typical animal-obsessed girl. I won't deny that I was one of those pesky kids who insist on petting a person's dog for an annoyingly long time, but I was also mesmerized by open heart surgeries and compound fracture casts. When the rest of the kids were watching Scooby-Do and Clifford on Teletoon, I was glued to Animal Planet on the Discovery channel.

In high school, I graduated from animals on print and TV to real ones. I volunteered for a summer at a veterinary clinic to experience the job firsthand. It was nothing like what I'd read and seen. The days weren't filled with lifesaving surgeries or dramatic procedures. Instead, I cleaned kennels, prepared fecal samples and washed bloody dental pliers. Everyone thought I was insane when I recounted my gruesome days with a megawatt grin on my face. I had enjoyed every moment of it. Truth is: I'm not looking to become a veterinarian in order to do exciting rescues everyday. I just want to be able to go home knowing that I had made an animal's life a little more comfortable somehow.

Where my time in the clinic showed me what to expect on the job, my time spent volunteering the local animal shelter has helped me obtain a better understanding of how to work with an animal's distinct personality. During one of my first few weeks at the shelter, I was paired with a Pit-bull, Rottweiler cross named Farrah. While on our walk, Farrah jumped up at me, scratching and bruising my arms. I forgot one of the first rules of animal handling: I panicked. Once she felt my distress, Farrah pulled away from me and ran down the street. Half an hour of searching later, I found Farrah waiting for me by the shelter gate, innocently wagging her tail. She knew that her wise act of tough love taught me that even when I'm in a difficult situation, I need to trust in my abilities to take hold of the issue and resolve it effectively.

When it comes to my future, I am a stubborn, spoiled person. While these qualities might not be desirable in most aspects of life, I believe they are very valuable in terms of goal setting. I decided to become a veterinarian when I was nine years old, and since then, there hasn't been a single day when my resolution has wavered. It's the career that I want, and therefore, I will get there. I have been questioned, I have tasted the labour and I have experienced the risks. Still, no other path has ever been an option for me and nor will they ever be.