Undergraduate / "My frugality clashes distastefully with the lavish materialism of..."- UC prompt 2 [2]

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?

It hung over the mannequin like a silken waterfall, glimmering in all its royal blue glory. "It's perfect," I thought, "there couldn't be a more beautiful dress for me to wear to homecoming." My friends' encouraging nods of approval confirmed to me that my usual crude fashion sense hadn't steered me the wrong direction this time.

But then something caught my attention. I gazed up at the bright red 30 percent off sign hanging above the mannequin. Immediately, my heart sank. My conscience exclaimed: "Do you REALLY think it's worth it to spend all that hard-earned internship money to pay OVER HALF PRICE for some lousy dress? 30 percent off is nothing!" My hand clenched tightly around my wallet. It's true, I thought, I could definitely find a more discounted dress that was just as decent.

And, I did end up wearing a very nice gown which I borrowed from my cousin. However that didn't ease the embarrassment of making some last minute excuse to my friends revolving around how the fabric of the original dress didn't complement my skin tone. That shopping excursion with my friends is one of only a couple I've reluctantly attended in all my adolescent years. My frugality clashes distastefully with the lavish materialism of many other teenage girls.

At my house, beneath a cornucopia of coupons and a pile of bright orange discount labels, proudly stands my mom, who so firmly instilled in me her values. Raised in a poor village in China where ten hours of labor barely yielded a bowl of rice and half a pound of meat for the family, my mom worked tirelessly and cherished each penny as if it were gold. From the day my 5-year-old mind held a preference for a "pretty" (expensive) skirt over an "ugly" (final sale) skirt, my mom had lectured me on the importance of saving money and fully appreciating all that I had.

Although a frugal lifestyle certainly deprives me from spur-of-the-moment shopping sprees with my friends, it also emphasizes a diligent work ethic and practicality which hold much greater value than any designer dress. I am able to discern wants from needs-and willingly put in that extra hour of work if necessary to satisfy my needs. Ultimately, through hard work and frugality, I gain more but need less.

And plus, catching hottest sales with my good ol' ma isn't too shabby either.

Undergraduate / Short Answer: Department which appeals most to you- biological/biomedical engineering [3]

Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? (*) (100 words or fewer)

Like every other crazy teenage kid on a Saturday night, I am, of course, at home engrossed in Watson and Crick's "Nature" article describing the helical structure of DNA. But while my eyes sparkle marveling at scientific wonders as I am alone in my room, a greater part of me aspires to apply molecular biology in a way that affects millions of people. The Biological/Biomedical Engineering department at MIT will give me the opportunity to collaboratively work with passionate students, world-class professors, and pioneering researchers to channel the magic of biology to the world at large.

Does it seem...too generic? Any suggestions?

Undergraduate / Short Essay- "Time management has been the hardest skill to learn" [5]

Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (*) (200-250 words)

I smiled as I floated down the bright pink river which smelled like strawberries...

BAM! My head suddenly jolted backwards as I felt a heavy kick next to my legs. My eyes opened to meet Mr. Berman's deadly gaze. Oh no...I had fallen asleep in History. Again. Come the advent of high school, the numbing pang of exhaustion crept up on me multiple times a week during class. Because I was still accustomed to inefficient working habits from previous years, it meant staying up until the crack of dawn almost everyday in order to master class material and finish other tasks. Thus hardest skill to learn in high school has not been integrating trigonometric functions or cross-breeding fruit flies, but time management.

Gradually, and at first grudgingly, I've grown fond of the crisp white, lined "to do" pages of my agenda book. Though, I may just as well call it my holy grail as it contains the neat ink scrawls which discreetly but surely keep me sane: "Finish calculus homework by 5:30; change out violin strings on Saturday; sow button back onto blouse before concert." As overwhelming as a long to-do list may initially seem, setting time goals to finish my tasks gives me a sense of self-discipline and motivation. This "discipline" needn't take away life's simple pleasures however. With careful planning, I know I'll have enough time left to squeeze in another enthralling chapter of "Einstein For Dummies" after homework AND stay awake for Mr. Berman's class the next morning.