Undergraduate / My UChicago Essay: You are you and your beliefs [3]

I will gladly accept any kind of criticism.

In a famous quote by José Ortega y Gasset, the Spanish philosopher proclaims, \"Yo soy yo y mi circunstancia\" (1914). José Quintans, master of the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago, sees it another way: \"Yo soy yo y mi microbioma\" (2012). You are you and your..? (Suggested Limit 500 Words, I wrote 582 Words)

Simply put, you are you and your beliefs. Notice how I did not use thoughts or opinions, as they are not the same things as beliefs. Thoughts exist only in the mind and opinions are merely the communication of thoughts. However, for something to be a belief, action and conviction must be a part of the picture. To prove my point, I'm going to bring in Mr. Example. He hears someone recounting the tale of an unfortunate event in which a group of white teenagers beat-up a younger Hispanic kid and thinks to himself, That's horrible. Later on, he gets into a discussion with a friend about racism and voices how horrible he thinks it is. However, when he runs into a situation involving racism, Mr. Example does absolutely nothing to stop the situation. Did he think racism was wrong? Yes. Did he showcase his opinion about racism? Yes. Did he believe that racism was wrong? No. Mr. Example did not believe that racism was wrong because when faced with an opportunity to take meaningful action, he avoided it. In the end, he lacked the conviction necessary to turn his thoughts and opinions into a living, breathing belief.

Based on this example, it's apparent that a belief is not made up of thoughts or opinions, but action. Behind a belief, however, there is something else; a driving force. For a long time, I had a difficult time understanding what that was. What makes someone believe in one thing and not believe in another? I finally got a glimpse of it when I was forced to evaluate my own beliefs.

Leading into my junior season of baseball, everything was going great. I had a fairly successful football season, my grades were where they should have been, and my play on the diamond had never been better. This was going to be the year that I would finally show everyone just how good I really was. However, disaster struck in the form of an injury before I even got the chance to strut my stuff. I was powerless to do anything but sit in the dugout and watch my teammates play the game I loved. If that wasn't bad enough, I could hear the whispers, "He might not be able play again" or "He'll be a lot worse when he gets cleared."

At that point, I decided to take a good, long look at myself. I could tell by the way my teammates acted towards me that they honestly believed the things they were saying about me, but did I believe it? Did I believe that my injury would make me worse or did I believe that I could come back in the best shape of my life? Well, I knew one thing; proving people wrong was fun. At that point, I decided to take every opportunity to improve myself. So I battled through weakness, pain, rehab, weight training, and tedious mechanical corrections to make it work. As a result, I shattered everybody's expectations. Just because I believed I could.

After that experience, I gained a greater understanding of what a belief really is and what it can reveal about a person. It shows what a person is committed to and just how far they will go to prove their commitment. More importantly, it gives you a glimpse into a person's heart, as a belief is one of the few things that can strip away the false blockades society corrals us into putting up.

Undergraduate / A reputable business school and college search - My UPenn/Wharton Essay [3]

I'll be the first to admit that this essay is pretty rough. However, I really want to get into Wharton, so this essay is really important to me. Anyway, I'll take any form of criticism you decide to dish out.

College Search

When I began my college search, I was looking for a business school that offered a rigorous, relevant course of study and great opportunities to develop my leadership abilities. True to its reputation, The Wharton School of Business has that and many more attractive qualities, such as great diversity, a flexible curriculum, and an outstanding international initiative. I would keep going, but I need start talking about myself.

In the first place, I am a strong believer in a system that stresses the importance of a global education. Recently, in my AP Macroeconomics class, we covered the basic facets of international trade. Up until that point, I had a half-baked understanding of this aspect of economics and I got a genuine kick out of learning the ideas behind it. More importantly, I began to grasp ahold of how important even the smallest country is in the grand scheme of things. A place as large as the United States can benefit from trading with a small place like the Ivory Coast if the terms are right. Because of this, I gained some exposure to an idea that I had only heard of before-global citizenship. I would love the opportunity to take advantage of Wharton's international initiatives to expand on my knowledge in this area. Also, I am certain that, with the proper education, I, myself, could be a highly effective global citizen.

On top of that, I have dealt with good-old Mr. Hardship. When everything was riding high for my family, he decided to make himself a constant visitor to our household. At first, I became scared that our new and difficult set of circumstances would render it impossible for me to be successful. However, when I got up every morning, the sun would still shine and the sky was no closer to the ground than it had been the day before. I came to the realization that, with a few exceptions, nothing had really changed. I could still do the things that were closest to my heart; this time with more determination. How does this apply to Wharton? I have seen many a high school student get flustered and bent out of shape when dealing with any kind of difficulty. It was a new experience for them. While I do not pretend to have dealt with the level of rigor offered at a school like Penn/Wharton, I do know that my course in Hardship 101 has enabled me with the ability to thrive in just about every situation.

Another thing about me that fits well with the Wharton system is my desire to become a leader in the business world. When I envision myself ten or twenty years from now, I do not see myself as a typical nine-to-five guy who looks for every opportunity to slack-off at the office. I see a man who isn't satisfied with a comfortable job and a good salary; someone who is constantly striving to do everything to the best of his ability and someone who is confident enough to take the reins and lead his company in the direction he deems most fit. That being said, I have pushed myself in this direction by taking on roles of responsibility on the baseball and football teams at my school. While my positions are unofficial, they still have been highly beneficial in my development. I now know that as a leader, I must be able to listen as well as command and make decisions based on what's best for the group instead of what will make me look best. Also, I'm aware that there are many more qualities I need to obtain before I can truly call myself a leader. However, I plan to use the numerous leadership opportunities offered at Wharton to change that.

In conclusion, I believe that my skillset, though unrefined, is a good fit for the Wharton School of Business.

Book Reports / UVA Supplemental "Unsettling" Essay: The Picture of Dorian Gray [5]

I'm going to say beforehand that this essay needs some serious work, and I am gladly taking any form of criticism.

When I found out that our summer reading assignment was The Picture of Dorian Gray, I expected it to be a fairly simple assignment. I had already seen the black-and-white 1945 movie version and I had been reading pre-1900 texts since seventh grade. However, the story was not at all like I thought it would be. I scanned the pages for something even remotely close to a positive statement, but there was none to be found. That got under my skin a little because the kind of literature I enjoy usually includes some degree of happiness. As I read further, I came to hate, loathe, and despise every character in the story, especially Lord Henry. It seemed like he didn't do anything, except come up with one epigram after another or go on about his principle of hedonism. Then there's good old Dorian Gray, the willing pupil of Lord Henry. Whenever it looks like he will do the right thing, he does the opposite, bringing ruin to the people who really care about him. What bothered me about this is the fact that anyone could be so weak as to allow themselves to become essentially "a face without a heart." On top of that, I can't quite comprehend Oscar Wilde's purpose in writing such a tale. Even after delving into an in-depth analysis of the central themes and motifs, I still don't understand what he was trying to prove. Was it really just to point out that art is useless?

Undergraduate / The not-so-age-old question ; UVA Supp; "To tweet or not to tweet?" [4]

Will gladly welcome any criticism.

To tweet or not to tweet?

Ah, the not-so-age-old question on the merits of social media. It seems that every day you hear about or see someone posting things that should never be in public. Also, it appears that many pop icons are notorious for their lewd, irreverent, and inappropriate posts on Twitter. However, saying that social media should be done away with because it's a possible platform for the spread of negative influence is entirely false. Just as easily as it can be used to spread bad things, social media can be used to spread very positive things. For example, if someone wants to point out a wrong that needs to be righted, then all he or she has to do is take it to Twitter or Facebook and the people who see that post can share it with others, who in turn share it with even more people. Eventually, the topic becomes well known and brings up the possibility of change. Also, when negative things are posted, such as inappropriate racial comments, drunken escapades, and sexually suggestive pictures, the blame does not fall on the social medium they decide to use. That would be like saying that the microphone is at fault for recording an inappropriate statement or that the camera is at fault for taking a suggestive picture. At the end of the day, it's up to the individual to decide whether or not to post something positive or something negative.

Undergraduate / "Optional" Why Duke? Short Answer: Undergraduate Economics [9]

I'm fairly certain that there aren't any grammatical errors, but I don't think I did a good enough job of explaining myself or "showing" why I'm interested in Duke. Will gladly welcome any kind of criticism.

If you are applying to Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something particular about Duke that attracts you?

There are a number of things that attract me to Duke, like its excellent academics, great student community, and notoriously nutty basketball fans. However, it is the outstanding undergraduate economics program that really puts in the top of my list. Apart from the top-notch teaching, it's the fact that they allow students to concentrate on finance, which would be great for me, since I plan on getting an MBA in Finance somewhere down the road.

Undergraduate / Why Brown? Essay: "Freedom, Challenge, Writing, Diversity, and Providence" [3]

Will gladly accept any kind of criticism.

Why Brown?

Brown is the point of equilibrium where freedom to explore meets discipline and rigor. On one hand, you have one of its defining qualities, an open curriculum that allows students to follow whichever path they desire. On the other hand, you have the extremely high level of challenge that's expected of an Ivy League school. I feel that these two traits will give me the opportunity to truly find out what I want to do with my future and forge a base for a highly successful life. However, Brown has many more things that make it a desirable place for me. Strangely enough, even something as simple as the writing requirement attracts me. For many years now, writing has been one my passions and Brown's commitment to the craft makes it seem that much better. Also, on the website, I counted over a hundred countries that are represented in the student body. I'll have to admit, the prospect of sharing a room with someone who grew up on the other side of the world is quite intriguing. Lastly, I've always wanted to see what life on the East Coast is like and Providence looks like a good place to start.

Undergraduate / Brown University Short Answers: Why I'm drawn to economics and writing/My Asian Heritage [2]

As always, welcome to any kind of criticism.

Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated?

My primary interests are Economics and Writing. Where economics is concerned, my interest began when I was twelve. One time, I had to watch my dad's stocks and the constant up-and-down patterns captured my curiosity. During my research, I was introduced to the field of economics and I discovered many intriguing things, especially how the USD's value is entirely dependent on faith. When it comes to writing, I can't say enough about how much enjoy it. I like writing essays, philosophical papers, poetry, and most of all, fiction. There's something special about molding words together to breathe life into what would otherwise be a blank piece of paper that really gets me going. In some cases, I spend up to an hour working on a paragraph until it comes out the way I want it to. If given the opportunity, I would gladly double major in these fields.

We all exist within communities or groups of various sizes, origins, and purposes; pick one and tell us why it is important to you, and how it has shaped you.

There are a lot of good things that come with being Asian; the home cooking is awesome, orderliness is basically an inherent trait, and everyone automatically assumes that you are a genius. I am very proud of my heritage, but make no mistake, I am not your stereotypical Asian. For one thing, I have made it a point to not allow other people's perception of what an Asian should be like to limit my pursuits. They told me I wasn't supposed to be interested in writing, but I still want to be a writer. They told me I wasn't supposed to be an athlete, but I have earned varsity letters in two sports. Aside from that, having others predetermine my interests based on my ethnicity has taught me something very important. It has taught me to look at who a person is instead of what a person is.