Undergraduate / Colgate short answer; most meaningful piece of advice - "Chin up and smile" [6]

Is the my butt part a bit ... inappropriate?
Though I did really think that at the time I don;t know if I should put that...

What has been the most meaningful piece of advice you have ever received? Who gave you this advice and what ways have you put it to use? (250 words or less)

I couldn't believe my mom could be so evil to trick me like this. Chucky Cheese's, my butt; this was definitely not Chucky Cheese's. The noxious smell of medicine and chemicals filled my little nine-year old nose as I frantically searched for a possible exit. Eerie posters of toothy kids stared down at me from all sides of the room, boring holes through my very soul. I couldn't take it anymore. I busted out into tears.

"Oh, hush now, April," my mom whispered, "You won't feel a thing. It's just a teensy weensy needle."

I clamorously whimpered at the word 'needle'. With a sigh my mom suddenly straightened me up and looked at me directly in the eye.

"April. There will be times in life when you have to fight through your fears and keep your head up high. Now, can you do this for me? Chin up and smile."

She held her chin up high, tapped her chin, then tapped my chin, and smiled.

"April -------."

A monotonous female voice called out my name. My mom softly clutched my hand and as proudly as I could, I jutted out my chin, smiled a great big smile, and rubbed the last tears with the back of my hand.

Ever since this little incident, whenever I felt embarrassed or scared I constantly and softly mumbled this mantra to myself, and surprisingly, I would succeed phenomenally in my task. I have learned that confidence can virtually mold a person into a whole different being.

Undergraduate / Bowdoin Short Essay [3]

Bowdoin is a liberal arts college that is unusually vibrant intellectually. Some students enter Bowdoin with a clear commitment to a particular course of study; others come considering a broader range of academic possibilities while seeking the intellectual path that most excites them. What all students will share is exposure to the breadth and depth the Bowdoin curriculum provides.

Describe what you expect your academic journey at Bowdoin to include. (Suggested length 250-500 words.)

Just as most students going to college will probably feel, college will be a new environment that involves a new setting, new people, and new experiences. In such a situation, it would be the preference for most students to make the transition easily and full of excitement. That is precisely what I expect from a prestigious college like Bowdoin. In other words, I would like to experience the full range of intellectual activities as well as the extracurricular ones, since having a variety of opportunities and choices can lead to the most excitement in a new college experience. Specifically, I would like to start by seeing what the student clubs have to offer. Because college life, for me at least, will be secluded; since I will not be living at home, clubs and extracurricular activities will be all I have to help keep me content and healthy. I also realize that my college experience will be all that I make it to become, so I know that I should try to experience all that Bowdoin has to offer. Whether it be the Bowdoin College debate Team or the Taiko Club, I'd like to seek a path that most excites my inner personality. Being a shy student all my life, I believe this is my chance to express myself the way I really am. At Bowdoin, I hope to break free from my shell and join those who share common interests and goals.

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Something just seemed really off when I reread my essay...
Can someone please help?
Thank you in advance!!

Undergraduate / Rochester Short Answer ("There's no more toilet paper!") [4]

Rochester students represent many different points of view. Each student constructs an independent study and research plan. Describe what you will contribute to Rochester's diversity of ideas, experiences, and identities. If you can, incorporate a positive past experience where you chose your own learning path, or a negative experience where you wanted to exercise more independence.

My mom. My dad. My grandma. My little sister. My two brothers. Me.
This is my family.
As the second oldest child and the oldest daughter in the family, responsibilities are blindly and continuously thrown at me from all sides.
Wash the dishes! I'm hungry! There's no more toilet paper! Take the dog out for a walk!
In such a constricted environment, independence is something I don't have much of.
In result, my outlook on life and everything in general is quite unique. I tend to approach a problem as a challenge; much like how I confront a tower-like pile of unwashed dishes. Additionally, due to this environment, I have learned how to make right decisions quickly and concisely. Listening to younger siblings whine about either wanting to go to a person's house or eating a particular outdated bag of potato chips, decision-making has become like a newfound instinct. Such characteristics may be essential in contributing to an extraordinary college community such as Rochester.

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Thank you in advance!!

Undergraduate / Lehigh Short Essay ("What a stupid crybaby..") [6]

What values do you believe are important in fostering a cohesive, successful, and supportive campus community? Please provide us with details from an experience that you had that has shaped these values.

"Yah, yah, yah, yah, yah!" ("Yah" means "hey" in Korean.)
My mom came stomping angrily at me, steam spewing out of her mouth and ears.
"Ouch..." I managed to breathe out.
"You will not, and I repeat will not, ever do something like that again! Got that?" My mom's voice was like a blow horn blasting away right next to my poor little 6 year old ear.

The stout chubby boy, defended by his equally chubby mom, was holding his nose with crimson hands, bawling like the cry baby he was.
"What a stupid crybaby," I whispered under my breath.
A huge fist came flying down, making direct contact with my head.
"Ow! Mom!"
Then I started to cry.

How did it end up like this? Well, being the valiant toddler I was, I socked the classroom bully right on the nose when he intentionally tripped a happily skipping kindergartener, causing her to scrape her knees and ruin her lacy white skirt. Then the evil little devil started to cackle right in front of the sniffling kindergartener! The little super hero voice in my head couldn't withstand it anymore, and so it took over my body and, yes, directed my clenched fist right on to Mr. Bully's nose. It felt quite uplifting to say the least. The taste of revenge was unbelievably sweet.

That night, my mom, after finishing a bedtime story, made me scooch over for her to snuggle up with me in my bed.
"Hae Jin," she softly whispered into my ear, "Do you know what the moral of this story was?"
I furrowed my eyebrows and pursed up my lips with deep thought.
"Ah," giving up within a few seconds, "No idea," I sighed.
"Revenge and violence is never the answer."
"Revenge and violence...is never the answer," I repeated.
"Good, good. Later on, when you think back on what happened today, you punching that boy, do you know how horrible and dumb you'll feel?"

"But that guy deserved it, and you punched me at the end too!"
"No matter how much a person deserves it, Hae Jin, the only thing revenge and violence will ever do for anybody is bring more violence and unwanted trouble. Oh, and I did not punch you at the end. It was more of a pat." She chuckled and tickled my belly. "You mustn't ever resort to violence or revenge, promise?"

I nodded in defeat, still giggling.
She smiled, hugged me tightly, whispered good night, and quietly tip-toed out my room.

From then on, neither revenge nor violence has ever reared its ugly head into my life. I must admit, there were a few close cases, such as when my friend lost my favorite necklace or when a random guy at a mall threw a piece of balled up paper at my head, I held true to my promise with my mom. Revenge and violence is never the answer. I just forgave and forgot. Over the years I have realized that this mantra my mom taught me has benefited me in so many unexpected ways. Likewise, I believe that such a mantra would do wonders for a college community. If every student at Lehigh stayed true to this short little saying, wouldn't chaos become virtually nonexistent? Students wouldn't try to get back at each other; thus, resulting in a complacent student body. Students would act in a peaceful manner; thus, resulting in a harmonized community. Yes, sports rivalry would decrease drastically; however, shouldn't rivalry be based on pride and not on revenge? I am aware that trying to force the student body to strictly follow such a mantra is a nearly impossible task; however, by possibly promoting the idea in student groups or organizations there might be some evident changes, resulting in a successful, cohesive, and supportive campus community.

Undergraduate / Trinity Supplement ("Life isn't all about money, fame, and fortune") [2]

Please write a one page essay in response to one of the following questions:
Trinity's Integrity Contract articulates our expectations of honesty, personal responsibility, active consideration of others, and respect for our community. What personal "integrity contract" do you employ in your own life? (To view Trinity's Integrity Contract, please visit trincoll.edu/StudentLife/DeanOfStudents/student_handbook.htm)

My mom once told me that, "Life isn't all about money, fame, and fortune; it's about the good deeds that one do in life that builds one up into a real person." Ever since I could remember, my parents have always put the betterment of others before themselves. They would let senior citizens cut them in line. They would donate to the Salvation Army even when they can't even afford to fill up their gas tanks. They would laugh it off when someone would roughly, and quite rudely, bump into them. They would even give Christmas gifts to all our neighbors in the cul-de-sac exclaiming that "Christmas needs to be celebrated by everyone," for Pete's sakes! They amazed me. Witnessing such pure altruism at such a young age affected me enormously. I wanted to become just like my parents; they became my idols.

Now, at school, at work, and pretty much everywhere I go, I always remember to employ such altruism in my everyday tasks. Whether it's holding the door for a person behind me or dumping my wallet full of change into the UNICEF box, I manage to fit something minisculy noble into my schedule. One may think, "Ah that girl. She probably does such nice things because she feels the pressure to become just like her parents", or "Yes, yes, her. She's just kind to everyone because she feels sorry for those she helps." Oh, quite the contrary. I do such deeds because over the years I have built a passion for helping others. In turn, I think this "integrity contract" that I have signed with myself enabled me to discover my deepest passion: Volunteering. A significant part of my "integrity contract" is the requirement of volunteering in some shape or form everyday. Luckily, I can do this easily since there are numerous volunteer clubs in my school, including the National Honors Society and the Beta Club, which both require extensive amounts of volunteering (50 hours and 30 hours, respectively).

So, it all boils down to this. Number one: Always put others first. Number two: Volunteer at least once every day. Number three: Share your wealth with those in need. And finally, number four: Help others for the sake of helping, not for the sake of money, fame, or fortune.

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Thank you!

Undergraduate / Scripps Short Essay - 'all-girls college' gossip [5]

How did you first learn about Scripps college, and why have you chosen to apply?

Quite honestly, the first time I've ever heard or learned about Scripps College was when my friends were gossiping about how unglamorous an all-girls college would be like. Well, even though boys are virtually the only thing on my mind 24/7, I still wanted to know about this curious women's college in California; and I am very glad that I decided to learn more. I have chosen to apply to Scripps primarily due to the fact that Scripps is simply an extraordinary school. Ranked as one of the top five best women's colleges in the U.S. and included in the renowned Claremont Colleges, I know Scripps will prepare me for any arduous challenge I might have to face in the future. I would also love to have a conversation with any of the spectacular professors in the International Relations Department at Scripps. Specifically, I would be thrilled to have a chance to discuss my views on specific Korean policies with Mr. Thomas Kim, the Associate Professor of Politics & International Relations.

Undergraduate / 'I will succeed and thrive like no other' - Northwestern Statement [5]

Northwestern Statement
What are the unique qualities of Northwestern - and of the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying - that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?

Who wouldn't want to attend the great and all-mighty Northwestern University? Probably someone who wouldn't like to stare in awe at the vast college campus, get their groove thing on at the annual Dance Marathon, converse with Pulitzer Prize-winning and Templeton Prize-winning faculty members, leave their mark on the Rock, or maybe even cheer on the Wildcats as they valiantly charge into a well-deserved victory. Northwestern has everything and anything a college freshman yearns for. I know when I first heard of all the things that Northwestern had to offer, I was practically blown away. Specifically, I think that the Freshman Adviser program at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences is an absolutely phenomenal idea. As an anxious yet skittish freshman, I know guidance will be the exact thing I will desperately need.

At Northwestern, I hope to use all such positives to my advantage. Whether it's getting into a deep, intellectually arousing conversation with my professors or shouting away all my stress at a Wildcat football game, I know at Northwestern's outstanding university I will succeed and thrive like no other. Northwestern has got what it takes to make a prospective student wish that they themselves were a part of such an extraordinary community.

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My friend said he inwardly barfed when he read this...
and I don't think he meant it in a "I'm kidding" way...
Is it really that bad? :(

Undergraduate / "Money is a villian" - Notre Dame Supplement Essay [4]

1. The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., President of the University of Notre Dame, said in his Inaugural Address that, "If we are afraid to be different from the world, how can we make a difference in the world?" In what way do you feel you are different from your peers, and how will this shape your contribution to the Notre Dame community?

Ever since I was a child, money has been like a shady, ominous villain in the background waiting to strike at the precise moment. My dad declared bankruptcy when I was eight years old and again when I was fourteen years old. It was like a double whammy, totally unexpected and inhumanely tragic. As one could easily assume, my personal development matured quite painfully and laboriously. Although I am rather content with the person I am today, it has taken these harsh incidents to mold me.

As a person who has endured through such experiences, I am certain that I have the know-how to help anybody who may be going through the incidents that I have already experienced. I know, in harsh economic times like these, many students have or will experience hardships. When I become a part of the Notre Dame community, I'd like to help fellow students get through their own hard times by being the sturdy shoulder to lean on, the one who could give them the comfort and advice they need. By either forming a club or a small discussion group, I could reach out to certain students who would like to talk about their problems. This particular club could be seen as a close-knit, student-to-student counseling group; we could help each other get through our own hard times. By doing so, many Notre Dame students may be helped by my sharing my story and by my being compassionate and understanding.

Thank you in advance! :D