Undergraduate / 'Roommate and science', 'Music Conservatory Battle' - 2 Stanford Supplements [2]

1. Roommate letter:
Hey roommie,
I just received the admission notice from Stanford, telling me that I've got admission into the very best university in the world. I am excited and curious about what our college life at Stanford will be like. Congratulations!

I'm aware that we won't have enough time to explore every single thing at Stanford because there are too many great offers. Therefore, I don't plan to be in our dorm much. Of course, I have to do homework and sleep, but that's pretty much it. No pressure! I'm not an antisocial chick who is happy being alone. In fact, I'd love for you to join my mission. If you think it's rather difficult to experience every corner of Stanford just by staring out from our room's window, you'd be my perfect partner. If not, it's okay. In case you forgot your room key or need me when I'm away and you can't call me (yes, I usually forget my cellphone), you can find me in these places:

Labs: I hope to convince a future professor of mine to let me work with him or her so I can make the most of Stanford's world-class faculty and research facilities. I don't know where my pursuits will land me yet, but because I'm looking to study microbiology, try the Sherman Fairchild Science Building.

Practice room: I love science, but I'm also passionate about music. I can be in Braun Music Center, practicing piano, or shaking my head while screaming aloud a new Taylor Swift song.

Sport events: You probably won't find me on a college varsity team but I'm an avid sport fan. I'll watch any game; your best bets are the Stanford Stadium or Taube Tennis Center. I might spend some time underwater too (hint: I won't be driving to the beach though).

Libraries: You can try Falconer Library. I could be browsing there to fuel my ambitions. (I have this obsession with the library cubicle!) It gives me a sense of privacy and protection.

If you join me, perhaps you can learn to love some of the things I do. Of course, this experience is mutual; I'm open to your passions too.

2. What matters to you? Why?
Time is the powerful force that aims to control every word I utter, every step I take, and every decision I make. Simply put, making the most of time is what matters to me.

My battle against this abstract, yet finite, concept started on my first day of 2nd grade. Instead of napping when I got home from school, I would attack my To Do List. That evening, I would have to go to my first class at the Music Conservatory. I discovered that the only way to accomplish all I set out to do was through effective "time management", a phrase I had never heard at age of 7.

In spite of my compulsive planning, I may lose the battle against time, or so I thought. Due to a language barrier, I have to pull all-nighters many times to catch up with assignments. With an effort of trying to disprove stereotypes of immigrants' abilities, I spend days and months studying hard to show people that newcomers have an equal chance to thrive. Many adults said: "It takes time to get used to a new language. Going to a community college is good enough for now." I'm impatient, so their comment really worried me. Would I still be able to pursue my passion? Ever since I was small, I dreamed of becoming a physician; therefore, I trained myself to fight and overcome time's challenges. Patients in poor countries like Vietnam don't have the time to wait for medical help. In fact, my grandma forever left me, alone in my bed at night, because the ambulance just couldn't win the battle against time while trying to rush her to the hospital. So I thought: "Someone has to be quick enough. I want to be that person!"

I still have a long battle to fight, and time is never going to back down. But I will not surrender either, not because I now live in a different country. In fact, that passion of being able to defeat time to save patients' lives is burning inside me, stronger than ever. With Stanford education, I'm positive that time will finally have to surrender my enthusiasm and determination.

Thanks. Any criticism is welcomed.

Undergraduate / Common App (How Different Can An Education Be?) [5]

Hey I just came here recently so English is still a huge problem. All criticism is appreciated. Thanks :)

How Different Can An Education Be?

Saying goodbye to the life I've known for sixteen years was not easy. Those first days of October 2010 marked a milestone of my life. Coming to the United States as a Vietnamese immigrant was both exhilarating and challenging to think about how I would adapt to this new environment. Two years later, I discovered that America has broadened my horizons and greatly affected how I now view the world.

Growing up in a relatively poor country, I was familiar with an education where teachers preached the importance of learning, but it was implicitly obvious that the utmost concern was regurgitation. Everyday, teachers wrote notes on blackboards, and we scrambled to copy them down, as neatly and quickly as possible. Teachers checked notebooks frequently and would phone parents if there were at all sloppy. Because of this strictness, I am thankful to have at least decent handwriting! There, memorization would earn anyone an A, not comprehension. When American friends asked how I study for exams, my answer was always: "Go memorize the entire notebook!"

The teachers dictated what the government wanted us to believe. Hence, the truth was sometimes disregarded. Questions and counter-arguments were discouraged because they were disrespectful. Although these teaching methods were inadequate, the Vietnamese education system stressed morality. Students are trained to dress and to behave earnestly at all times; diligence and courtesy were highly regarded.

Sometimes, I cannot fully understand what people try to tell me since, to me, this language and educational system is still new. However, school has become a whole different realm for me. Sheldon High School impressed me with its huge campus, almost the size of a university in Vietnam. Because teachers are sincerely caring and enthusiastic, they ask me how my day is. They genuinely believe that learning is the most importance objective and deeply encourage us to collaborate with each other and make use of all resources that we may find. Whether in Chemistry or English, I am required to approach all problems and ideas independently and creatively from multiple aspects, rather than simply regurgitating the teacher's words. Discussion becomes the main portion of American education; therefore, I never have to secretly yawn in class. School communities transform me from a timid sophomore into a confrontational and exuberant senior. If I have an opinion, it is more wrong not to voice it. My goal is to become a master of communication and to listen to others' thoughts in order to thoroughly understand the problem. Nevertheless, I do not mean to imply that American schools always produce perfect students-- no education system is without flaws. I have seen some disrespectful behaviors that are not well addressed. Hence, students are sometimes impolite toward teachers.

I am fortunate to have the unique opportunity to live in and to experience both societies and educational systems. I truly admire the American teaching methods that have helped me become a forward thinker. Creativity and teamwork have become essential factors for me to thrive in life. Indeed, this matter of "thinking" has been one of the most important aspects of my immigration experience. Yet, I will always treasure the Eastern values of absolute respectfulness, gratefulness, and diligence.

Choosing to change means that I must accept challenges. However, it is worth being able to discover new values of life. The key here is to preserve the virtues of Vietnamese culture and receive the suitable American methods in order to form my own individuality.

Quynh Tran