Thanks for your time, and be harsh. I know I'm not a strong writer, but I want to improve.
"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."
As a kid, I grew up in a middle class family. Like many other families, we had our own dysfunctions. My parents fought often, which also contributed to my slow development as a person. My main struggle was overcoming my insecurities in order to become who I am today.
Ever since I started attending school, I had always felt that I was not normal compared to every American student in my classes, even though I was also American. I felt like the oddball since I grew up in a city that had a small Asian community. Although I felt different, I had still done exceptionally well in sports and was fully engaged in school sports until the end of 7th grade. That's when I was discouraged because I had seen myself inferior to the other ethnicities when it came to sports. The idea may have derived from my mother because she had always discouraged me from pursuing sports since she believed that "Chinese people cannot compete with larger Americans." She stood firmly by that belief and did not allow me to play for teams because I would not be strong enough and will get crushed by these "big Americans." Instead my mom wanted me to portray the typical Asian stereotype; that I must become a doctor and get straight A's in school. Thus resulted in constant scolding since I did not meet those expectations.
Along with lack of self-confidence, I was also very insecure because I had been diagnosed with eczema since I was an infant. That had also played a part in not being as active since I did not want parts of my body exposed to my peers and was very embarrassed by the scars, scabs and dry skin, so I isolated myself more. By the time I entered middle school, I was socially behind most of the students and tried to hide myself in my jackets. However I was not affected academically, but I was punished by lack of social skills. As years passed, my eczema slowly calmed and by sophomore year of high school I had finally been able to be more confident and less insecure. Finally by junior year, I was more comfortable in wearing t shirts and participating more in school. A t shirt may not seem like a big deal, but it was a huge step since I had finally embraced my eczema and put aside my insecurities. Now as a senior I have been actively engaging socially and am confident in most situations. I now realized that my insecurities and lack of self confidence stems from not having someone to talk to. My parents had no sympathy for my struggles and I don't blame them since they were constantly fighting, but worked hard to support me and my little sister to ensure that our family was financially secured. Not having a person to confide in and talk to about my problems had been a burden and slowed my progress in growing into the person I wanted to be.
In the future, I envision myself being a psychologist who helps children with their problems because I do not want them to have a worse future. I believe that everyone has the chance to live up to their full potential, and the first place to start is with children.
Thank you.
I have also revised my statement's intro and if anyone else can provide more feedback, it'll be great.
"Good job son, I believe in you," words I wished my parents would have said to encourage me. Instead, all I heard was the constant bickering between my parents which echoed through the halls every night. The majority of their energy was spent yelling over pointless issues rather than creating a peaceful home environment for my sister and I. Instead of taking the time to understand us, they invested their energy molding us into the stereotypical Asians: top of the class, mastering an instrument, and aspiring doctor. From then on, I struggled with my self-image. Dealing with insecurities ranging from cultural background to skin disorder, negatively impacted my growth as a person.
