Undergraduate / Medicine/ volunteer/ Visual Art ; UW-MADISON - Academic/Extracurricular/ Research [5]

UW- MADISON : . Tell us why you decided to apply to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, share with us the academic, extracurricular, or research opportunities you would take advantage of as a student. If applicable, provide details of any circumstance that could have had an impact on your academic performance and/or extracurricular involvement.

ME : It was like love at the first sight when I first heard the name University of Wisconsin-Madison; I immediately felt an urge to know more about this institution. When I asked others about UW-Madison, they would definitely describe it as a wonderful and academically-diverse university. However, it was not enough to just hear the word-of-mouth from others; I wanted to see the real UW-Madison with my own eyes. My desire to go there was aroused even more with the fact that UW-Madison is one of the top-notch public research universities in the USA. Moreover, the UW-Madison system not only values the high achievers; it values the all-rounded ones as well. Since childhood, I have always used extracurricular activities as a way to balance my academic and to release my stress. This is why I would love to attend the UW-Madison as there are myriads of clubs and activities there that I could participate in without neglecting the quality of my education.

Medicine is definitely in my best interest, but I am more obsessed with the subject of immunology. Since I am really inclined to study the spread of infectious diseases, I planned to settle on Microbiology as my major if I were to be accepted into UW-Madison.

In terms of research opportunities, I would most definitely love to take advantage of the Entering Research Course Series organized by the Institute for Biology Education. With this program, I could learn, step-by-step, how to conduct an independent research with the help from a credible mentor. Although the Undergraduate Research and Mentoring Program is no longer accepting new participants, I really harbor great interest in this program and am particularly attracted to a research conducted by one of the URM Fellows, Momodou Jammeh under the guidance of his mentor, M Suresh. His current research project on the "Signaling requirements for the generation of CD8+ T cell memory" really intrigued my curiosity. It is a real wonder to get to learn how our bodies produce cells that can store immunological memory and allows the immune system to respond more vigorously to infectious pathogens that have been encountered previously. I have also envisioned a research project that is quite similar to Mr. Jammeh's, but with a focus on how viruses originated from animals can be transmitted to human and how they affect our immune system. This research is more realistically possible to be conducted at UW-Madison than any other universities as there are multiple of hospitals and medical schools nearby to obtain specimens for experiments.

As for extracurricular activities, I am really not good in sports, so I think I would be continuing to do what I do best: joining volunteer programs such as food drives for the homeless or welfare work to help the flood victims. I think UW-Madison would find me as a very beneficial asset academically and socially. I really hope that I will be given the chance to attend this wondrous university so that I can learn only from the best.

MICH STATE : 1. Michigan State University recognizes that an assortment of interests, viewpoints, and life experiences are important in student learning and enhance the university community. Describe an experience, passion, or characteristic that illustrates what you would contribute to the MSU community and how this will add to the overall richness of campus life.

ME : "Are you sure?" my friends asked me. While most of my classmates decided to leave the form empty, I was still wondering about taking Visual Art as my extra subject.

It was the start of a new school term and I was placed in a science-streamed class which was famous for its top rank and the workloads that came with it. Because of the tough curriculum, science-based students will usually refrain from taking extra subjects.

My friends kept on trying to talk me out of the idea, explaining how nonsense it was to take an extra 'burden' - I disagree with them. To me, learning was never a burden; it was a challenge that could help me to outdo myself. Without delay, I quickly wrote 'Visual Art' in the form and passed it to my teacher.

Being in the school art studio was surreally different from being in the school laboratory. There, I could explore and experiment with my own creativity without being 'bounded' by the laws of physics. I got to widen my social circle and meet various people with eccentric personalities. While my classmates were acquainted only with students of their own cliques, I was practically friend with almost everyone in school. Art had also opened the path for me to be active in extracurricular activities. Because of my unique background in science and art, my teachers would always hunt me down and get me to participate whenever there were competitions such as the Young Scientist and the Poster Drawing contests.

It was a year when I have to literally cramp everything in my waking hours, but at the same time, it was also the most eventful year of my life: I got to enjoy the best of both worlds that I love. My decision finally proved to be worthwhile when I was honored as the best student in both Science and Art subjects during the Academic Excellence Day.

This experience of mine had really instilled the zest in me and I wish to carry on my spirit and participate in various activities at Michigan State University. My passion in science and art, together with my bubbly personality, can be a great social bridge to connect the variously personalized students there. In addition, I also hope to acquaint my future friends at MSU with the rich and diverse cultures of my country, Malaysia.

feedback is very much appreciated! :D

Undergraduate / Diligent is the one word that describes me; PENN STATE / Personal statement [4]

please help me with my personal statement . i seriously need help fast! o.0"

penn state : Please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at Penn State. This is your opportunity to tell us something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. We suggest a limit of 500 words or fewer.

me: If there is one word that I could use to describe myself, it would be diligent. Not like my other friends, I do not really have a natural talent in numbers. In fact, Mathematics was the subject that my teachers would always frown upon when they looked at my report books. Back in elementary school, I was the worst in my class when it comes to multiplication tables. I could only remember up to level 2 when all my classmates have already memorized 12 multiplication tables. I was so embarrassed when my teacher scolded me in front of the entire class, saying that I do not have any chance for a good future with my bad grades. Being a girl, hearing those words from a teacher had really cut a deep wound in my heart that I ended up wanting to prove her wrong. From then on, I worked real hard and did a lot of exercises to improve my grades. I scrapped my shyness away and asked for help from my classmates who were great in Mathematics. If I did not understand what my teacher was teaching in class, I would quickly turn to my friends and ask them to do the explanation instead. I was really grateful for having such helpful friends. Some nights, I did not even sleep just so I could get more time to do plenty of mathematics exercises. Finally, I succeeded in improving my grades and got transferred to a better class. I was so delighted that time because not only I get to prove myself to my teacher but I was also spared from spending another year with her. Although I did not really like her way of teaching, I know that she was the one I should actually be saying thanks to. She made me realize how being a genius was not really the main factor to succeed; it was the amount of effort and perseverance you put in that will determine how successful you will be. It was thanks to her that I could proudly stand among the high achievers during my high school years. Up until now, her 'harsh words' still motivate me to keep on striving no matter how many times I would fail before achieving the success that I dream of.

This diligence to pursue what is desired without being afraid of any failures that might lie ahead is one of the many reasons why Penn State is the perfect university for me. Some students might be daunted by the intense competition present among the large number of students, but I take it as just another exhilarating challenge that I have to go through before achieving my dream. The endless number of clubs will also give me the opportunity to make new friends and explore their various personalities which adds more to the reason why Penn State is the definite choice for me to spend my next four years of learning and growing.

Undergraduate / My very first random act of kindness; U WISCONSIN-MADISON/ Unnoticed, but important [2]

hi guys! i'm a new member here and i need some serious help from u guys. i'm applying to wisconsin madison as international undergraduate and got this essay prompt:

1. Consider something in your life you think goes unnoticed and write about why it's important to you.

so i need u guys to help check my respond here (english is not my native language). please help me... TT^TT

Act of Kindness

When I was about 5 years old, I experienced my very first random act of kindness. I was sitting at the roadside on one evening, crying alone for some reason when suddenly, a boy came up to me and gave me a plastic rose. I remember the moment when I took the rose from his hand; I was smiling from ear to ear, whispering "I want to be like him" to myself as I watched him walking away. From then on, I made it as my life mission to do random acts of kindness whenever I can. I was very determined to make other people smile. That was the sole reason why I joined my school's Red Crescent Society and became a volunteer. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks in the same way I did. Whenever I do something nice to others, people around me will start to judge my actions. Often I will just keep quiet and ignore what they say, but every once in a while, they do drive me up the wall. These people like to complain on how humans nowadays are lacking of humanities and compassion. However, when they actually see somebody doing a good deed in front of them, they start to question and criticize that person's honesty. Nothing is ever right to these guys, but it does not mean that they are the bad people here. Perhaps it is the increasing crime rate and the never-ending rat race that caused them to be so suspicious to nice strangers -and any strangers at that too. In other words, people nowadays have lost sight of the real meaning of kindness and just let it go unnoticed. That is why I think random acts of kindness are really important. These selfless acts are not only capable of bringing joy to the recipients but also to the givers. Because of this, I want to help spread the idea of these random acts to the whole world. I want to show the people how the little things they give could make a big difference in someone else's life. I want everyone to experience the same kind of happiness I have once had. If everyone learn to give sincerely without expecting anything in return, it is possible for us to live in a world where we can share all the happiness in the world without the worries of paranoia between us. Hopefully, when that day comes, I will still be alive to experience it. For now, I just hope that I could keep on continuing my journey to bring smiles to other people's lives and maybe, along the way, I will get to meet that same boy I met 13 years ago.