I'm a Chinese student , and I would really like some help on my Common Application essay! Thanks!
When you meet new people, they often ask you where you come from. It is a simple question, and yet it is one that I have never been able to answer easily. Every time I enter a new class or school, or take part in a new activity, my self-introduction would be the longest in the group. For, I have quite an international background. I was born in Holland, went to the primary school in the UK and finished middle school in China--while my parents pursued their PhD degrees and teaching careers.
Having such an experience has its complications (keeping saying goodbye to friends for one), but it certainly has its perks too. Unlike most other Chinese parents, my parents always encourage me to explore new hobbies, interests and areas of knowledge instead of cramming my head with exam-preparatory books. Consequently, I have been able to freely develop a diversity of skills and abilities, ranging from archery, drama, foreign language speaking (French and Spanish), building bikes to playing the piano. My parents' encouraging attitude in education helped me develop the ability to achieve almost anything I set my mind to. For instance, when I was 10, I got interested in Rubik's cubes, so I spent half of my summer holiday learning their rules on the Internet. By the end of that summer, I could already solve all 6 cubes from the 2x2x2 to the 7x7x7.
More importantly, my parents' encouragement helped me find my greatest passion, computer programming. I got fascinated by what a computer could do when my father taught me how to send emails when I was 4. Later, when I got my own PC, I could not get enough of it. I started searching for all kinds of computer-related stuff on the Internet, and as my knowledge progressed, I began installing all sorts of computer operating systems. I also spent a great deal of time upgrading my computer hardware when I discovered that it was possible to do so. Inevitably, I came across a mysterious language when I was twelve: C++. Amazed by what I could do with it, I immediately got attracted to this computer language. Since that day, my dream has been to become a world class programmer. Clutching this dream, I spent most of my free time in middle school learning the Pascal programming language, browsing cool websites searching for algorithms, and solving programming problems on websites like Codevs.cn (then known as Wikioi). These years of practice have made me quite fluent in solving math problems in C++ and Python and making websites using HTML. I believe that to master anything requires devotion and practice, and this is even truer with programming. I do not think that I would have learnt so much if my parents did not encourage me to pursue my goals.
In his speech delivered at Stanford University, Steve Jobs said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." Looking backwards, I see how my parents' encouragement has helped groom my passion for computer programming, and realize how my efforts have paid off for my knowledge and skills in programming. I hope that the solid dots I draw and connect in the future will one day lead me to becoming an influential computer expert who will create helpful products to solve real-life problems.
When you meet new people, they often ask you where you come from. It is a simple question, and yet it is one that I have never been able to answer easily. Every time I enter a new class or school, or take part in a new activity, my self-introduction would be the longest in the group. For, I have quite an international background. I was born in Holland, went to the primary school in the UK and finished middle school in China--while my parents pursued their PhD degrees and teaching careers.
Having such an experience has its complications (keeping saying goodbye to friends for one), but it certainly has its perks too. Unlike most other Chinese parents, my parents always encourage me to explore new hobbies, interests and areas of knowledge instead of cramming my head with exam-preparatory books. Consequently, I have been able to freely develop a diversity of skills and abilities, ranging from archery, drama, foreign language speaking (French and Spanish), building bikes to playing the piano. My parents' encouraging attitude in education helped me develop the ability to achieve almost anything I set my mind to. For instance, when I was 10, I got interested in Rubik's cubes, so I spent half of my summer holiday learning their rules on the Internet. By the end of that summer, I could already solve all 6 cubes from the 2x2x2 to the 7x7x7.
More importantly, my parents' encouragement helped me find my greatest passion, computer programming. I got fascinated by what a computer could do when my father taught me how to send emails when I was 4. Later, when I got my own PC, I could not get enough of it. I started searching for all kinds of computer-related stuff on the Internet, and as my knowledge progressed, I began installing all sorts of computer operating systems. I also spent a great deal of time upgrading my computer hardware when I discovered that it was possible to do so. Inevitably, I came across a mysterious language when I was twelve: C++. Amazed by what I could do with it, I immediately got attracted to this computer language. Since that day, my dream has been to become a world class programmer. Clutching this dream, I spent most of my free time in middle school learning the Pascal programming language, browsing cool websites searching for algorithms, and solving programming problems on websites like Codevs.cn (then known as Wikioi). These years of practice have made me quite fluent in solving math problems in C++ and Python and making websites using HTML. I believe that to master anything requires devotion and practice, and this is even truer with programming. I do not think that I would have learnt so much if my parents did not encourage me to pursue my goals.
In his speech delivered at Stanford University, Steve Jobs said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." Looking backwards, I see how my parents' encouragement has helped groom my passion for computer programming, and realize how my efforts have paid off for my knowledge and skills in programming. I hope that the solid dots I draw and connect in the future will one day lead me to becoming an influential computer expert who will create helpful products to solve real-life problems.
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