Undergraduate / Polevaulting problems, the Junior Varsity team - common app [3]

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Imagine flinging yourself eight feet straight up into the sky with every intention of plummeting back down to Earth. This is what I do every spring as a pole-vaulter. I joined track when I was a junior, for the second year. The year prior, I had participated in long jump and triple jump, neither of which I was passionate about. I felt as though the other athletes in the event had an advantage because they had been jumping for several years, whereas I had only just begun. They, naturally, received more attention and training from the coaches, and improved terrifically because of it. I, on the other hand, received little to no training because I was not the one the coaches believed would win the meets. I did not enjoy feeling unusable, so I decided to find an event where I could have fun and actually participate in meets.

Pole-vaulting is not a popular event in track at my school; there are maybe five or six girls participating per year. It looked very interesting and potentially fun, so I decided to try it. Because there were so few participants, I thought that I would get the most individual training from the coaches, and therefore have the best chance of succeeding. I was extremely intimidated by the thought of flinging myself into the air, supported only by a thin pole, only one inch in diameter. The returning vaulters attempted to teach me the misleadingly complex stages. As you count your steps according to a pre-set rhythm, you must simultaneously position your pole with a spot on your body in accordance to the stage you are on. For example, at stage three, your pole should be near the middle of your stomach and your right hand should be in the process of lifting the pole towards your ear. If you lower the pole too early, you will lose momentum and will not be able to go as high. If you lower the pole too late, you risk missing the metal base at the end of the runway where you stabilize your pole and flinging yourself backwards onto the runway. I know from experience that it is extremely painful. I had a very difficult time mastering these steps. I would consistently almost fly into the metal side poles because I was so afraid of pole-vaulting at full speed. You need a great deal of momentum to fly straight, so you have to sprint down the runway as fast as you could. I was very fearful about this because I felt as though I would simply fall over and land flat on my face. I did not conquer this fear until the season was half over and the championship meets were beginning.

I was placed on the Junior Varsity team because I could only get over very low heights. My record after the JV Championship meet was a mere six feet, the height at which most meets begin. I was disappointed that I could not do any better. I told myself that I had to overcome the fear of pole-vaulting at full speed because I would not be able to go any higher if I continued to let fear control my performance. I knew my game was completely mental and I had to change the way I thought about competing in order to do well. Running slowly would not help me succeed. It could, in fact, injure me quite severely. I realized to pole vault well, I had to attack the vault. I had to sprint as fast as I could, shove my pole down into the ground with as much force as possible, and kick my legs into the air as hard as I could in order to do well. The next week, at the Varsity Championship trial meet, I flew over eight feet, high enough to qualify for the State Championship meet. I was beyond excited because I had never participated in a State's meet, nor had I ever done well in an athletic event. I was very proud because I had earned that spot in the State's meet entirely on my own. I did not break my record of eight feet at the Varsity Championship, but that did not matter to me. I had overcome my fear and had become a decent pole-vaulter. I plan to break my record this upcoming season and hopefully qualify for the State Championship meet one last time.

I work through problems in life by changing my mindset because I realize that though I cannot change the situation, I can change the way I look at it. I do not mope about hardships because I know that solving the problem will give me much more satisfaction than giving up. My grandmother, a refugee from Vietnam who became a self-made millionaire, taught me that I could do or be anything as long as I put a sufficient amount of work into reaching my goals. I try to apply this work ethic to everything I do, from schoolwork to paid work to personal or social problems. I believe that being successful is based almost entirely on what you believe you are able to and how much work you are willing to put in to achieving your dreams.

Undergraduate / UC App, USA & Vietnam (world you come from) + "my own spot" (personal quality) [3]

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

My world is huge and widespread. I have lived in Kentucky, Guam, and Hawaii, and have been shaped by all three different cultures.
I am the United States of America and Vietnam combined, quite literally. My father's family is from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They have been in America for countless generations and are even undocumented descendents of an American Indian tribe in New York. My family in Kentucky is the epitome of the southern family, and I spent my first five years soaking up the southern hospitality. I was born in Georgetown, Kentucky, a small town about an hour away from the nearest big city. I lived with my parents and grandparents on 11 acres of farmland next to two cattle and horse farms. It was a peaceful life; the only sounds outside were the sounds of the creek, the breathing of horses, and the occasional putter of an old pickup truck. My family is very close. This environment instilled in me the value of love and compassion. I was taught how to treat another human being with decency and respect. They showed me it is never acceptable to renounce morals for material goods.

When I was a toddler, my parents divorced, but my mother stayed in Kentucky to keep me close to the family. When it became too much of a hassle to continue living in Kentucky, she moved us to Guam. There, I was surrounded by Vietnamese culture; my grandmother was born and raised in Vietnam. My grandmother is a self-made millionaire, in both Vietnam and America. My grandmother lost everything she owned when she fled Vietnam during the Vietnam War. She was moved to Guam, and made her money over again, by herself. She literally went from nothing to everything twice. She instilled in me the value of hard work. I work three jobs now, by choice, because I want to be self-sufficient. If I spend money, I'd rather it be my own. I am less willing to spend on material things I don't need.

We made the move to Hawaii in 1999. What makes Hawaii so magical is the extreme focus on acceptance. We have "aloha spirit," meaning that we don't really discriminate. Life is laid back and relaxed. We are aware of race or sexual orientation, but I find that people in Hawaii don't really act upon those distinctions. I naturally look past these things now because it was never emphasized in my youth.

I have wanted to be a doctor since I was six years old, although that fluctuated between President and astronaut as well. However, physician was the only career that stayed with me past elementary school. I have always been interested in science; my favorite show growing up was Bill Nye the Science Guy. This wasn't a realistic dream for me, however, until I entered high school. In high school, I become conscious of the amount of work I would have to do to get a medical degree. Four years of undergrad, medical school, residency, and, my "inner grandmother" realized, I'd have to be able to pay for those years of schooling. I find the human body so interesting, however, that I am completely willing to work through twelve years of college payments in order to reach my goal of graduating medical school. I can only live the life I want if I am willing to work for it.

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?

This past year, I was on the track team. I had previously done long jump and triple jump, but I wasn't passionate about either. I felt like the other athletes in my event had an advantage because they had been jumping for several years, whereas I had only just begun.

My junior year, I decided to try something new. Pole-vaulting is not a popular event in track at my school; there are maybe five girls participating per year. I wanted to try this event because I figured I would get the most individual training because there were so few participants. I was extremely intimidated by the thought of flinging myself into the air, supported only by a one-inch wide pole. The returning vaulters tried to walk me through the steps, which are more complicated you would think. As you count your steps according to a pre-set rhythm, you have to simultaneously position your pole to a position on your body in accordance to the step you are on. For example, at step three, your pole should be near the middle of your stomach and your hands should be in the process of lifting towards your ear. I had an difficult time mastering these steps. I would consistently almost fly into the side poles because I was so afraid of pole-vaulting at full speed. I couldn't get enough momentum to fly upwards. I didn't conquer this fear until the season was half over, and the championship meets were starting. I was placed on the JV team because I could only get over very short heights. My record after the JV Championship meet was 6 feet. I was really disappointed that I couldn't do better. I told myself that I had to overcome my fear because I wouldn't be able to do better if I continued letting fear control my performance. I knew my game was completely mental and I had to change my ideas. The next week, at the Varsity Championship meet, I got over 8 feet, high enough to qualify for the State Championship meet. I was beyond excited because I had never gone to a State's meet. I had earned that spot entirely on my own.

I work through problems by changing my mindset because I realize that though I cannot change the situation, I can change the way I look at it. I don't mope about hardships because I know that solving the problem will give me much more satisfaction than giving up. I believe that being successful is based almost entirely on what you believe you can do.

Undergraduate / From Hawaii to Boston - Boston University Supplement. [3]

Required Short Essay: In five or six sentences, tell us how you first became interested in BU and what steps you have taken to learn more about us.

Growing up on an island (Hawaii) far away from the continental US, I want a radical change in culture. The city of Boston has that radical change in culture and atmosphere that I crave. Not only is Boston University right in the heart of Boston, it has a great study abroad program and outstanding pre-medical programs. Boston University has programs, specifically MMEDIC program, that will allow me to enroll in BU's medical school early, which is really exciting. I plan on participating in these two programs as fully as I possibly can. Through research from various websites, college counselors, and friends who attend BU, I have found that it is absolutely the perfect school for me.

Feedback, constructive critism? :)