Undergraduate / 'family of accountants / Not knowing my dreams' - UCs#1 - My dreams and aspirations [6]

Prompt #1: 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.

I'm not sure which topic of my essays would be better for my application. For the first one, I wrote on what my parents wanted me to write about, my major. I personally don't like this essay but my parents say that it's best that I write about why I'm choosing this specific major. For the second essay, I wrote my honest thoughts on the prompt (still unfinished). Although I prefer this essay, I feel that I might be going off topic. I would really appreciate some advice.

Essay 1: I come from a family of accountants. My grandmother, my parents, my aunts, and even my cousins are all accountants. Although it may seem like a boring major, accounting is actually very practical. It's not restricted by industry, economy, location, etc. For example, every business, no matter how small, needs an accountant to set up bank accounts, manage business expenses, generate financial statements, and file tax returns. I will use my family as an example. Both of my parents came to the United States as foreign students. After pursuing their Master degrees, my parents got their first jobs with basic salaries. A year and a half later, they bought their very first house. Couple years after that, we moved from our smaller home to a larger one. During the next ten years, they have acquired three investment properties, a piece of land, and two vacation homes. I asked them how they did it. They told me as long as you can budget your income and expenses ahead, you will have a pretty decent life. That's why I decided to choose finance and accounting major. My plan is to pursue BS and MBA degrees, get a CPA license, then work in a big 4 firm to get working experiences. Finally, my dream is to open my own CPA firm. I will use my knowledge to teach people to handle their money wisely.

Essay 2: To be completely honest, I don't know what my dream is. Ever since I was little my dreams changed. When I was four, I wanted to be a pianist, but later I despised the instrument after years of mandatory practice. At age five, I wanted to be a ballet dancer, but then I discarded the dream after seeing the bruises and blisters on the ballerinas' feet. At age ten, I wanted to be an artist, but that dream grew to be nothing more than just a hobby as I learned from my parents that I could never make proper living that way. At age twelve, I wanted to try singing after viewing the bright and cheerful choir performances from the nearby high school; however, that desire faded as well when my mother told me that that dream was impossible and unrealistic. Most of my dreams and aspirations have been shaped by my parents' ideals. They want me to be well-educated and have a well-paid job. Although their ideals seem boring, they aren't wrong.