Undergraduate / a liberal arts education anchored in Christian values - Pepperdine's common app [4]

Pepperdine's scholarly community equips students with a liberal arts education anchored in Christian values. Our commitment to integrating faith and learning challenges our students to understand that the gift of knowledge ultimately calls for a life of service. With this commitment in mind, please respond:

Tell us how the integration of faith and learning can prepare you for a life of service, and discuss the impact service-learning can have on the renewing of your mind, spirit, and community.

Being the Student Chair of Benjamin Franklin High School's only school wide Fundraiser: "Ben Franklin High School International Festival" or otherwise known as Fruhlingsfiere; I have discovered just how big an impact a small group of dedicated volunteers can make on a community. I have learned through out my two years of overseeing the festival that it was not only the hard work each volunteered put out that made the event possible, but also the faith and trust the community put in the leaders of the festival that made the celebration possible. While I am not a Christian and do not have a particular faith (in the religious sense), I do believe in faith in the sense of self assurance, devotion, and loyalty. Attending a nationally ranked high school for the past four years, I discovered that faith and learning is the combination for a successful life outside of school.

A particular event stuck to me; I remember listening intensely as my English teacher shared an anecdote about one of his Turkish friends starting a program in Turkey to help underprivileged kids. As he continued on in his story, filling it with detailed descriptions and vivid imageries, I realized he was not telling this for the sake of our entertainment; He was teaching us both how to stylize a narrative and to understand the impact one can make on a community by initiating a program for others to volunteer in. His story moved so many of his students and after the bell rang that day, I heard many of my peers discussing the values of helping out others. By integrating faith and learning, my English teacher planted the seed of philanthropic thinking in his students. While that one story is not going to inspire my peers to spend their weekends doing charitable work, it is going to instigate my peers to start thinking about reasons to spend time reaching out and giving back to their community.

I feel that giving back to society is not only improving the community but also improving myself in multiple ways. After dedicating hours each week to Fruhlingsfiere for two years, I have developed in to a more mature and cultured person. I have become more aware of what I value most in my life, how fortunate I am, and discovered that participating in a community building event brought me more in touch with how I want to spend my life after school.

any suggestions on improving it? are there any grammatical errors?

Undergraduate / "The focus and dedication" - George Washington University Common App. Supplement [2]

The topic is What influenced you to apply to George Washington University?
The focus and dedication of George Washington University to its undergraduate students influenced me to apply. I feel attending GW will open multiple opportunities of leadership, exploration, growth, and research in my field of study. Additionally, I believe college should not only be about furthering my academic interests but also be about expanding my understanding of the world and gaining perspective into other cultures. I believe GW University's numerous internship and study abroad programs will provide me with these chances to explore and learn beyond what I can experience in a classroom setting. Moreover, GW University's expert faculty members teaching in assorted settings from small classes and seminars to large lecture halls influenced me to apply to GW. I want to be a part of the varying learning environments and the opportunity to engage in research in my undergraduate years, both of which are unique to George Washington University.

Also, while talking with my college counselor, she mentioned the exceptional business program at George Washington University and suggested I look into it. Through my exploration of George Washington's school of business, I learned of its state of the art classrooms, the capital market trading room, and of the world renowned faculty dedicated to teaching not only the concepts and practices of business; but, also the understanding of the ethics surrounding business. As I discovered it was a top fifty business school and has a career center with the ability to place graduates into fortune 500 companies, I fell even more in love with GW. Not only does the school provide an excellent education to its undergraduate students, GW makes sure their students succeed after earning their degrees. The commitment of George Washington University demonstrates to its students is unparalleled and is a major factor in why I am applying to GW.

George Washington University is the perfect school in my opinion because it combines a rigorous academic environment with a diverse student body located in our nation's capital. Its compassionate faculty and staff and close student and alumni community is exactly the type of environment I want to be in for the next four years. I am applying to George Washington University because I know this university cares more than just providing an excellent undergraduate education to its students. It also aims at opening doors for their graduates in the real world and making sure their students are successful in achieving their goals.

Do you guys think this is too generic? is it interesting? anything i can improve?

Undergraduate / My name and it's influences on me: COMMON APP ESSAY: [5]

My name and it's influences on me

Digging for a study snack on Wednesday night, I came upon a carton of orange juice. Stuck on was a note reading "drink your juice Juese." By now, I'm use to clever twists like this involving my name. From third grade on, when I moved to the United States from China, I was introduced as Juese Wang instead of Jue Se Wang. This change indefinitely altered my name's original meaning to nothing more than a fruit beverage. However, this adjustment shaped the way I am today. My name has served as an ice-breaker in unfamiliar environments. It has saved me from making tedious and uninteresting small talk while opening up an easy approach for strangers to strike up conversation. With a name like mine, I am essentially required to be gregarious.

My peers identify me as the outgoing socialite with an exceptionally creative mind set on achieving my goals. Junior year, I sought to build a fundraiser for Benjamin Franklin High School. Following discussions with the CEO of Franklin, I became Student Chair and part of an honorary committee consisting of Ben Franklin faculty and administration members on a developing festival called Fruhlingsfiere. Through multiple committee meetings, the mission statement of Fruhlingsfiere developed into creating an event that would expand funds school wide. Additionally, it also developed into a community building event that celebrates the achievements of a distinguished network of teachers, students, parents, and alumni. This event is symbolic of me because I love contributing my time to philanthropic causes and discovering innovative and fun ways to get everyone involved. It's an excellent way to channel my gregarious nature.

Being friendly and outgoing, I introduce myself to everyone around me. While I have made many great friends, I have also experienced many immature taunts and jokes made at my name's expense. I've experienced responsible adults slip out inappropriate jokes about my name, observed my peers gradually adjust to the queerness of calling a person "Juese", and have gone through multiple banters with toddlers about the "awesome-ness" of my name. Ultimately, I recognized maturity is not measured in years but in how one responds to a situation and what one learns as a result. I have accepted that my name will be seen as an invitation to open fire with inappropriate jokes by some individuals. However, I learned that these taunts are trivial and inconsequential because they contain no meaning. They do not relate to who I am and what my interests and achievements are. I feel fortunate to have a unique name that immediately distinguishes me from everyone else. My name indirectly provided me with valuable life lessons, introduced me to a loving group of friends, and trained me to be outgoing. My name, in a way, is my safety net, and unlike many peoples' safety net; it is not ephemeral. When a daunting situation arises, I always have a backup plan to diminish the tension. "Hello, my name is Juese Wang."

Any suggestions?

Undergraduate / "Born in China, immersed into a new culture" - Boston University Essay [7]

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

I was born in China and moved to the United States in the third grade where I was immersed into a new culture. Growing up in a vastly different culture than the one I grew up in, I am more diverse than many of my peers.

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Its all i have so far. any help and suggestion would be appreciated. thanks you guys!