I have always wanted to attend this amazing summer program and this scholarship will provide me this opportunity. I am a science student and I really love science. I am among the top students in my class and I have got exceptional grades in O'levels(This does not necessarily make you unique.) . This scholarship will enable me to further advance my knowledge in this field. I am most interested in engineering preparation program as it will provide me with insight on different engineering fields and help me select one when I get into college. The curriculum taught in this program will give me a foretaste of the topics covered in college. Apart from this, I will improve my spoken English skills as I will get a chance to interact with students from all over the world. Moreover, I will be required to follow the schedule on my own which will create a sense of responsibility in me and make me well organized. Overall this program will provide me with a lifetime experience of a college life.

To Spank or Not to Spank ?

Spanking is one of the largest problems that children face in the world (Ummm... Poverty? War? Even bullying or low self-esteem? Don't start off with such an exaggeration. There's a better way to take a stance against spanking.) . This problem has become an enormous issue for parents. When it comes to raising a child, there is more than one method. Spanking and hitting the child is the worst method and it mostly impacts children in negative ways . There are many of kinds of children. Some are quiet, some are loud but obedient, and some are simply out-of-control. Some impatient parents believe that they are forced to spank their children because they don't have any choice. For too many parents, they are not pretty good with using words with children; that is why they end up using the corporal punishment. Even though, many parents and supporters are for spanking children just because it takes less time, Iview spanking as a form of child abuse, unhealthy for children, and increasing child violence.

(I think you need some more reasons why spanking children is bad, as well as some more understanding about why parents spank their children. To say that parents only spank their kids because they are "not good with using words" or "feel forced to do it" because their children are too bad, or because spanking takes "less time" (for what?) is a BIG generalization that isn't true. Some parents do it in the context of religion, and others only use it as a progression (warning, time-out, spanking) to reinforce their rules, for example.)

Some parents claim that spanking is what a misbehaving child really needs (Try and find some quotes to support your claims.) . They say that when they were their children's age, they used to be spanked by their parents too, and turned out just fine, so why not use the same strategy that their parents did?

Other supporters claim that spanking their children leads to positive results. They assume that it works actively since the child will not misbehave again. Some parents believe their children are more well-behaved than those who do not get spanked. Theythink that children are not aware of what is right and wrong, so they are more likely to misbehave and have an attitude.

Parents' last resort is spanking their children, but how will our nation move forward if they keep taking the old nation's steps of raising a child? (I don't think that how people discipline their children has that big an impact on how our nation moves forward...) The thing is, it may lead to serious issues in children and it could cause a child abuse(Spanking kids as discipline is different from child abuse, and spanking kids does not make parents start abusing their children. I agree that the boundary between what is discipline and what is abuse is a very fine and blurry line, but you cannot claim that all spanking is child abuse) . Moreover, children will lose their self-esteem if their parents keep spanking them constantly (What proof can you give to support this statement?) . Toddlers feel humiliated when they get spanked (Do they? How do you know?). They do not need to be treated like animals just for parents to prove their point(I didn't know people spanked animals...) . As a sign of notice, children are easy to convince(Then why don't they listen the first time asked?) . It is completely inhumane to raise a child like it was a kind of a pet, not to mention that pets are valued like humans to some people.

(I understand that you feel very strongly about not spanking kids, but comparing it to animal abuse could be offensive to readers, not to mention that you really can't compare those two things at all.)

I assume(Never assume in an essay) that corporal punishment leads to child abuse because itmakes the child feels insecure and terrified. Although, parents who avoid spanking do so, it increases the violence in a child. It also increases the risk of child mortality(?!),which seems to be a controversial issue. Why should children lose their self-respect? The answer may be in the back of your mind, but it is actually in front of your eyes once you take the blurriness out.(Just take this sentence out.) Toddlers only get to know what they did is wrong, therefore the children will merely avoid those situations. Why don't they get the chance of having a reasonable clue(This is confusing to me) ? They need a parent that doesn't feel impatient and terribly angry just because they did something they shouldn't do in the first place!

To summarize , each one of us has made foolish mistakes during his/her childhood. Whether society noticed that this major problem might cause so many different problems to children starting with child abuse and violence, and ending with physical, mental, and emotional issue. Not only should parents focus on the whole issue, but also society . Reaching the roots of the dilemma and trying to find the perfect solution to go forward also redefining the problem won't help if you didn't face it now. Anyways, children ; flavor of the life , Are you really proud of giving them an insulting corporal punishment that humiliate them as humans?(These last sentences get progressively more confusing, and the last one, using "You" as the subject, sounds like you're directly insulting the reader.)

Expect the unexpected

It was the first day of spring of my junior year. I woke up earlier than usual that day because I was too excited; I could not wait to get to school. Every year my school throws a huge beneficent competition where they divide the school in three teams, and they were going to choose the teams that day. The car ride to school seemed to take forever, and I only stopped jumping up and down in my seat when my mom was almost losing her patience.

When I sat on my desk, all I could hear was people talking about the team selection that was about to happen. As the school principal walked inside of the classroom, everybody went silent. It did not take long until they started to choose the teams. "Priscila: green team". I could not be happier. By the end of the selection, all of my friends were on my team. But the tension was not over yet. Each team is assigned a counselor, and each counselor chooses a team leader. Seniors were always the ones chosen as leaders, since it is their last year competing. However, that year the unexpected happened. I was chosen as the leader of my team. I was so confused. As I walked down the hallways after class, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. When I stopped to talk with my best friend, Lucas, who happened to be a senior, he turned his back and walked away. My excitement was starting to fade away.

On the following day, I looked for Lucas everywhere. Since he was also on my team, I was hoping he could help me manage all the tasks I had to take care of. He was nowhere to be found. Our first team meeting was set to happen that day after school and I was beyond nervous. When I entered the auditorium that afternoon, my eyes were everywhere looking for Lucas. I was so relieved when I saw him seated in the last row. I waved to him, but he just pretended he did not see it. Although I could see people were not happy that I was chosen as the leader, they eventually gave in and got involved in the meeting. Things were starting to finally get better.

After the meeting was over I ran into Lucas on our way out of the auditorium. Again, he pretended he did not see me. I got really mad because I could not understand why he was avoiding me. I grabbed his arm and shouted:

I'd start with the most powerful part of your story, then explain the rest:

"What is wrong with you?" I had shouted at Lucas, frustrated. He had been ignoring me all day, ever since I was announced as the captain of one of the three teams for my school's annual benefit competition.[This is the part where you explain, something like: "I guess he was jealous, and he had always had a pretty bad temper.]But I had never expected my best friend since _________ to react the way he did. All I remember was the pain I felt when his fist hit my face . I was knocked off my feet onto the tiles of the hallway . As I lay on the ground , I could feel blood coming out of my nose. I was speechless and paralyzed with fear.Other studentsgathered around to see what had happened; they stared at me, but did nothing . Since we had just come from our first team meeting, it was a few hours after school, and few teachers were around.(Is that what happened?)Feeling weak and humiliated , I picked myself off the ground and started to walk towards the bathroom, covered in blood. "You don't deserve to be a leader.You're a weak loser! " he called after me . I did not know what to think, what to do. I had never felt so alone in my entire life.

"What happened to your face?" my mom asked me when she picked me up from school later that day. I was so scared that I could not tell her; instead, I told her I fell down the stairs running to class. I spent the entire night crying and trying to figure out what I should do about what hadhappened. After hours of thinking it through, I decided not to tell my parents or the school. My plan was to pretend nothing happened;I convinced myself that by the next day, everyone would forget about it . No such luck.Everybody was talking about it the next day . I went to the team meeting that afternoon holding my head high, because I could not let my teammates think that I was weak. When I thought things could not get worse, Lucas showed up right in front of me. "Did you like the taste of my fist?" That was enough. I was disgusted by what he was doing to me. I started crying. I crashed. (What do you mean by crashed? Did this happen before or after the meeting? Did he walk away after he said this, or did you run away? I get that it's a hard thing to talk about, but try to at least give enough details so we know what happened to you.)

Finally, I decided to act (How long was it in between that last paragraph and the time you decided to act?) . It was not right for me to feel threatened in school grounds, so I went to the principal's office and told (him/her) everything that was going on. Unfortunately, the school did not punish him, only gave him a warning. Although I knew I would still see him around school, I finally felt better. However, I still had one more challenge to face: telling my parents. I rehearsed the whole thing in my head over and over during school. When I sat down and talked to them, they were shocked. My father was furious.

Even though I felt like a failure at first, I ultimately felt like I was doing the right thing. I truly regret not telling my parents before and reporting the incident to the police. Maybe if I had dealt with the situation differently I would have avoided part of what happened. After everything was over, I finished the benefit competition with my team in first place. I had proved to myself and my peers that I was strong enough to put everything behind me and move on . Later that year, I started to give advice to girls that suffered from the same situation as I did (Like, abuse victims? Was this in your school? Or with a hotline/organization?) . Today, when I look back, I see that I have learnt valuable lessons. I am sure going to deal more seriously with the problems I encounter with people and think what would be a healthy choice for me.

I met people who strengthened the benchmarks I had set for myself and, with the experiences I pursued, I continued to set new ones.

Who will cry when I die? My parents? My brothers and sister? My friends? Millions of people? No one? I always ask myself this question.

I wonder whether anyonewill remember me, or how long it will take people to forget about me. I wonder whether I would have helped people or made their lives worth living. But Irealized that I am not asking questions that have no answer. I will know the answers to those questionsbecauseIwhat I spend my life doing will answer them . WhatI will make in the next few years will answer them .

I thought again and again about what I could do with my life. How can I help people make many things right?Only one thing related to all their problems.Whetherthey don't havefood, clean water, health care, shelter, or jobs , everything is related to education . (I don't understand how education will prevent homelessness and solve food shortages. You need to make that connection clearer)

My country's government(What country is this? Egypt? Say so.)believes that based on the high percentage of student in schools, they have a good education system.But how many students can really read and write?How many students get excited aboutgoing to school every day? How many students leave school with a sense of creativity or innovation?(Two things. One: I took the "tasting art with your soul" part out; it sounded... awkward. Two: Instead of asking so many questions, you need to answer them. How many students in Egypt can read and write? How do students feel about going to school?)I care about education because it can change the lives of millions of people (How?) .

I know that I have a relatively short time left on Earth, so I got a job during high school.(Is this correct? The way you worded your sentence was unclear.)Iwork withOne Laptop Per Child (OLPC) in Egypt. Theprogram aims to give every child in the worldhis or her own laptop(Every child? Or just children who can't afford their own?) . Nicholas Negroponte , the founder of the MIT Media Lab that designed and manufactured XO laptops, started the organization . XO laptops change the method of education children get. They are fun and entertaining, so children can get all the information they have to know (What kind of information?) without being bored. The first hundred XO laptops will reach Egypt next May. After we collected 30000 dollars(Did you already collect the money or do you still have to do that?)in donations, organizations, and companies, we will travel to one of the poorest places in Egypt, Ezbt Alzaballen,and givefirst-grade children and their teacher laptops and teach them how to use them. Meanwhile,we will continue to collect donations for buying thousands of XO laptops that will nearby change Egypt.

My friends and I also created a program called EDU. When we found out that our schools do not have any information on their computers - such as students' names, grades, and schedules - like most Egyptian schools. Wefound that all the information the schools have are written on sheets of paper, tons of paper, so we made an online program on which schools can put students' names, addresses, phone numbers, grades, class schedules, and textbooks. Every student has his or her own account, which is connected to his or her Facebook, so students can receive notifications about homework.They can also do assignments on EDU and send them to teachers.We are marketing the program now. Any school can use it for free, and so far, ten schools are using EDU.

passionless drive for success powered by paternal pressure and a stunted sense of individuality

Despite the day of her re-diagnoses being the vilest days of my life

rubbing my sister's back and consoling her as she retched over buckets

However, if I can one day look at a child and know that he or she is able to live the full life they deserve because of my devotion, I will feel just as glorified.

It was this insight that enabled me to endure faking my happiness in high school while watching my grades dwindle under stress, rubbing my sister's back and consoling her as she wretched over buckets, and having to forfeit a year of my youth when we moved countries to receive specialized, more intense treatment.