Undergraduate / 'An image of American life' - COMMON APP main [3]

Taking a deep breath, I plastered a smile on my face, quickly stepped forward, handed the donation form to the cheerful store clerk, and explained my cause. Her sweet expression turned sour when I uttered the word "donation." The cold answer, "No, we don't do that," left my heart thumping with disappointment once again. For weeks I had been asking for money from what felt like half of the county's businesses as I attempted to secure funds to pay for a mandatory choir tour far beyond my family's budget. Alas, however hard I worked, I did not receive a single dime and I was on the brink of giving up.

When I dragged myself home from fundraising, my mother was already anxiously awaiting my arrival outside our one-bedroom apartment. She greeted me with the aroma of fried potstickers, but I had no appetite.

"How was it?" mother asked with concern and a touch of guilt.
"Not that bad," I muttered, not wanting my mom to feel "that bad."

That night, I could not fall asleep. Lying in bed, my thoughts flashed back to only two years ago when I had left China. Peeping out of the car window, gazing at the grand houses surrounded by unbelievable greenery, and gasping at the huge sky so stunningly clear and blue, I longed for a fairy-tale life in this land of opportunities.

Such an image of American life was soon shattered as time revealed that living here is often arduous and lonely. My mother's delicate health did not permit her to work full-time. My father, therefore, bore the pressure of supporting us three. Broken English became a handicap for him as he struggled to find a job. My parents' once-happy union became anything but united as they argued more frequently. To ward off my parents' worries and concerns, I engrossed myself in my music. Whenever arguments were raised, I would put on my headphones and let the music sooth my nerves, drowning myself in the passionate rhythms. At school, loneliness characterized my life. Peering into the mirror, I saw a girl with short hair, slanted eyes, and a foreign accent. She was so utterly different from the blond haired, big-eyed girls surrounding her every day. In order to blend in, I filled my day to the brim with part-time jobs, choir practice, community service, and club activities. Forgoing sleep in order to make more time for studying, I held firm and ended sophomore year at the top of my class. A gush of tears welled up in my throat when I reflected upon my year.

Eventually, my father found a job. Although the pay was minimal, his daily labor kindled our family's hopes of better days. Reflecting upon my fundraising experience, I became aware that, like my father who faced relentless rejections when finding a job, I ought to push myself to my boundaries and endure all the rejections in the world to realize my own dream of singing in choir. For a long time, I had been eagerly pursuing my passion for choir even as an amateur singer. To be sure, my beginning was fraught with difficulties as I had never received any formal vocal training from a teacher; therefore, I quickly enrolled in my own choir boot camp, asking my peers to correct me when out of tune, practicing Italian Art Songs while doing chores, and listening to pitches on my way to school. The memory of opening up the mail box and spotting the mail from the Honor Choir and All-State Choir is still vivid. Tearing open the envelope, I clenched my hand and shouted out a "Yes!" as I noted the boldly printed words, "Congratulations Yuanyuan." At that moment, I knew my efforts had not proven futile. Now I just had to pay for the mandatory trip.

Early the next day, I set out once again with my fundraising goal in mind. When I opened the doorknob to a small fitness center and addressed the store owner, the response that flowed out of her mouth was what I had been waiting for for months. "Sure, I would love to help." Holding my first check firmly in my hands, I hugged the lady tightly and let out tears of joy. Through my persistence, I received more aid from the community. One shop owner found an alternative way of helping me out--she hired me. Through this job, I not only got the funding for my choir tour, but also got the chance to pay back my community.

Taking a deep breath, I smiled as I got ready for a new day at work, knowing I was earning money for my future.

Undergraduate / 'bustling city life - piano' - Questbrdge National College Match [3]

Prompt: "We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations, and accomplished your academic success. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors caused you to grow?" (800 words)

From the very first moment I sat on the piano bench and touched the black-and-white keys, I instantly felt in my heart that my future would be irretrievably bonded to this magical instrument.

Growing up in a city, I enjoy the irresistible chaos of a bustling city life: hucksters crying above the traffic noise along the street and the garish neon light beaconing the sky until midnight. he metropolitan setting changed the mode when my family moved to the United States two years ago and rented an one-bedroom apartment in the city of Poway, a quiet place with virtually no sound made at night besides the chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs. How many nights I quietly lay on the carpet floor, contemplating how lonely in this new land I was. As time cycled on, more problems arose. My parents were forced to start their lives from scratch. My once amicable dad grew grumpy as he struggled to find a job; my parents' once happy union became anything but united as they argued more frequently. In these trying situations, I began to confine myself in my own world. Due to our tight budget, I went without the piano that had accompanied me for over ten years. I missed it desperately and struggled to let go of my depression without it. However, this bleak moment turned out to be valuable as I seized an outlet for my musical pursuits through choir.

Being selected into Women's Ensemble helped me regain self-esteem. Despite the fact, I independently took on challenges, fully embracing "carpe diem". Serious progression in singing didn't happen overnight, and I soon enlisted in my own choir training boot camp: utilizing every second that I could find to practice, listening to different pitches on my way to school, and asking my peers to correct me when I was out of tune. I cannot remember how many days I got out of bed while the world was still asleep, and started practicing "Oh Wha-T-Beautiful-Day" until my lips dried up. Moreover, the heavy workload from school, and the responsibilities I shouldered at home such as helping my parents pay bills or accompanying Dad to the auto-shop as an interpreter did not stop my daily regimen. Problems had a way of staying around, changing their shape but retaining their complexity. Attending choir was expensive. How could I turn to my parents who were also struggling to earn a living for the family? I meticulously counted the money that I earned from tutoring and cafeteria job; however, saving alone was not enough. To finance my passion, I turned to my community for help. I went from door to local stories trying to persuade the owners to help me pay the fee by placing an advertisement into program. Some showed willingness to help, but failed to keep promises; others displayed outright contempt, rolling their eyes and coldly saying they were not interested. After toiling around what felt like half of the county's businesses, I finally got some owners' contributions; although they were not a lot, I still deeply appreciated their efforts and generosity.

Meanwhile, one of the business owners, an amiable lady, found an alternative way of helping me out: she hired me. Through this job, I not only got what I needed, but also paid back to the community. My neighbors, Aunt Aida and Rose, realizing my concerns, aided me with money by offering me a kitchen-cleaning job despite their tight budget.

Over a year of training, my journey with vocal music became immensely agreeable as my skills honed and loneliness vanished. Singing in front of thousands of people on stage, as I unraveled the melody with the ensemble, has brought me contentment; music has transported me to another realm in which I am filled with enthusiasm and positive energy. I have to give credit to my journey with vocal music. It is because of choir experience that I found my passion, made my most precious friends, and discovered the helpful hands in our society, without which I could not easily live my dream. As a low-income student, I fervently aspire to found my own organization where I can raise money to help other disadvantaged students realize their dreams in college.That's why I have just started opening up a web store as a charity, where I sell the antiques that I collected from weekend estate sell in an effort to make some profits from that, so I will be able to donate them to those children. I hope more people can join my cause, so we can successfully benefit the lives of others.