Here's my prompt: What work and non-work experiences, academic interests, and career goals influenced your decision to study hospitality management? How will these contribute to your success at the School of Hotel Administration?
Below is my essay. Thank you!
I am pretty sure that I have fallen in love with this feeling since my fourth grade in elementary school -the feeling of wearing a headset and carrying a notepad, busily walking around assigning others tasks on the backstage, when all of us were focused on preparing a great New Year's Eve Show for the school. I could even remember my look that day: I was wearing a pink overcoat, blue jeans and a pair of little brown boots, with sweats shining on my face even though it was winter. The reason why that day was so vivid to me is that my heart was filled with happiness and satisfaction because I had the chance to do something that I actually loved. I got the opportunity to implement my ideas in the whole arrangement of the backstage, and I was thrilled. From that day on, I cannot stop imagining me one day being the administrator of a large cooperation and owning the full ability to manage and to organize.
Another event that can indicate my ability to plan and organize as a whole was the choreography in 2007. As the vice president of the League, I summoned 19 other classmates to participate in a dance show for the New Year's Party.
I was the organizer and the choreographer of this dance, consisting of 20 classmates, the theme of which is Unity. We used the song "We're all in this together" from "High School Musical Soundtrack" as our dancing music, and created a whole new series of movements. It was not easy at first. After writing a checklist of things we got to do, I found that finishing all of these was nearly impossible! After all, we only have one hour for practice everyday. The performing details included movements, costumes, lights, special make-ups, divisions of dancer groups, etc. All of us spent weeks arguing about the best plan and weeks rehearsing the whole dance. We spent so many hours repeating the complicated movements in the hope of achieving perfection that many of us got uncomfortable when hearing the music "We're all in this together". However we made it -we did not simply want a dance, we wanted a great hit.
On that big night, everybody was nervous and excited. Wearing red and white costumes, in darkness we posed on the stage. Then the spotlight slid in, and seconds later all the shining lights were on. We stood up in turn and started to dance. With the inspiring music we all became unleashed and tried to give our best to the audience. The audiences were obviously affected by our exhilarating atmosphere and we could hear the cheering and the acclaim. While we danced, I secretly peeked at other dancers, and I found the kind of looks that I had never seen on their faces before -the look that made them glow like someone brimming with hopes and wishes, and I could find the expressions in their eyes permeated with the expectations for the future. The lyrics of the song lit us up: We're all in this together. When we reach we can fly. Know inside we can make it. Once we see there's a chance that we have, and we take it.
After we took the curtain, we could see many audiences stood up and applauded for us. We went off the stage, and my heart was filled with the sensation, so new, so strange, that I found tears crowded in my eyes. All of us hugged and jumped. This was the final show after our four months of diligence, and we made it.
In retrospect, this dance has made me into a completely different person. I organized this dance, I was responsible for it. From the moment we decided to do this, I had been carrying a burden which had made me laugh and cry. Whenever a problem occurred, I was the first to step out and solve it. If someone in my team had a quarrel, I had to be the fence-straddler and try to form a harmonious atmosphere. What's more, feedbacks came straight to me, whether they were constructive propositions or destructive slander. Trust me: this dance was soaked with my sweats and tears, although the tears only came out secretly at late night.
Nevertheless, everything I did was worthwhile. The four months have been a personal grow. I have gained invaluable experiences that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Laughter still dominated the whole process. I got to know people around me and I could feel that we were truly on the same boat, chasing a mutual goal of achieving excellence. While working with all these friendly classmates, I discovered some really great personalities in them that I had never found before, and learning the merits of them made me a better person. These are all amazing people -the friendships I have formed during that four months proved to be the most valuable relationships in my school days. We would make fun of one another yet we were there for each one the whole time: one person got moody, and the whole team would surround him and encourage him until a smile showed up on his face. And whenever I encountered a problem that concerned our whole team, my teammates would all support me to face the problem, or think of solutions to help me out. Each of us could feel a strong bond fixed among persons, and it was this strength that tied us together to overcome any difficulties. We communicated in a way like never before, and ideas sparkled through our constant arguments.
Another significant thing I have learned were the art of leadership, the art of dealing with different types of people, hardships and the art of looking on the bright side. Forty people could form a big team on a stage and it was obvious tough to manage. Forty people meant forty minds and forty mouths; putting them in unity required a strong centripetal force. At first I came across a dilemma: I had to choreograph the dance while some dancers were dissatisfied because they had little to do; and their discontent quickly spread over the dancing group. I ended up suggesting that they all should participate in the decision making process and unexpectedly created a friendly, democratic atmosphere. Different situations came up and they really challenged me to be a leader, solve the problem and make everybody love me. It was easy sometimes and tough at other times, but I survived and succeeded. Now, I could feel the feeling of confidence inside my heart. Admittedly, I would not have been the same without this dance -the fruit of contemplation, cooperation and hard work.
"We're all in this together" is now the favorite of many dancers. This song constantly reminds me of all the happy hours we spent together and of the important things I gained from this experience. That memory may not sound so significant to the whole world, but it sure is one of the most significant stories of my life.
Therefore I believe it is my inborn nature and inquired interests that lead me to apply to the school of hotel administration in Cornell.
Below is my essay. Thank you!
I am pretty sure that I have fallen in love with this feeling since my fourth grade in elementary school -the feeling of wearing a headset and carrying a notepad, busily walking around assigning others tasks on the backstage, when all of us were focused on preparing a great New Year's Eve Show for the school. I could even remember my look that day: I was wearing a pink overcoat, blue jeans and a pair of little brown boots, with sweats shining on my face even though it was winter. The reason why that day was so vivid to me is that my heart was filled with happiness and satisfaction because I had the chance to do something that I actually loved. I got the opportunity to implement my ideas in the whole arrangement of the backstage, and I was thrilled. From that day on, I cannot stop imagining me one day being the administrator of a large cooperation and owning the full ability to manage and to organize.
Another event that can indicate my ability to plan and organize as a whole was the choreography in 2007. As the vice president of the League, I summoned 19 other classmates to participate in a dance show for the New Year's Party.
I was the organizer and the choreographer of this dance, consisting of 20 classmates, the theme of which is Unity. We used the song "We're all in this together" from "High School Musical Soundtrack" as our dancing music, and created a whole new series of movements. It was not easy at first. After writing a checklist of things we got to do, I found that finishing all of these was nearly impossible! After all, we only have one hour for practice everyday. The performing details included movements, costumes, lights, special make-ups, divisions of dancer groups, etc. All of us spent weeks arguing about the best plan and weeks rehearsing the whole dance. We spent so many hours repeating the complicated movements in the hope of achieving perfection that many of us got uncomfortable when hearing the music "We're all in this together". However we made it -we did not simply want a dance, we wanted a great hit.
On that big night, everybody was nervous and excited. Wearing red and white costumes, in darkness we posed on the stage. Then the spotlight slid in, and seconds later all the shining lights were on. We stood up in turn and started to dance. With the inspiring music we all became unleashed and tried to give our best to the audience. The audiences were obviously affected by our exhilarating atmosphere and we could hear the cheering and the acclaim. While we danced, I secretly peeked at other dancers, and I found the kind of looks that I had never seen on their faces before -the look that made them glow like someone brimming with hopes and wishes, and I could find the expressions in their eyes permeated with the expectations for the future. The lyrics of the song lit us up: We're all in this together. When we reach we can fly. Know inside we can make it. Once we see there's a chance that we have, and we take it.
After we took the curtain, we could see many audiences stood up and applauded for us. We went off the stage, and my heart was filled with the sensation, so new, so strange, that I found tears crowded in my eyes. All of us hugged and jumped. This was the final show after our four months of diligence, and we made it.
In retrospect, this dance has made me into a completely different person. I organized this dance, I was responsible for it. From the moment we decided to do this, I had been carrying a burden which had made me laugh and cry. Whenever a problem occurred, I was the first to step out and solve it. If someone in my team had a quarrel, I had to be the fence-straddler and try to form a harmonious atmosphere. What's more, feedbacks came straight to me, whether they were constructive propositions or destructive slander. Trust me: this dance was soaked with my sweats and tears, although the tears only came out secretly at late night.
Nevertheless, everything I did was worthwhile. The four months have been a personal grow. I have gained invaluable experiences that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Laughter still dominated the whole process. I got to know people around me and I could feel that we were truly on the same boat, chasing a mutual goal of achieving excellence. While working with all these friendly classmates, I discovered some really great personalities in them that I had never found before, and learning the merits of them made me a better person. These are all amazing people -the friendships I have formed during that four months proved to be the most valuable relationships in my school days. We would make fun of one another yet we were there for each one the whole time: one person got moody, and the whole team would surround him and encourage him until a smile showed up on his face. And whenever I encountered a problem that concerned our whole team, my teammates would all support me to face the problem, or think of solutions to help me out. Each of us could feel a strong bond fixed among persons, and it was this strength that tied us together to overcome any difficulties. We communicated in a way like never before, and ideas sparkled through our constant arguments.
Another significant thing I have learned were the art of leadership, the art of dealing with different types of people, hardships and the art of looking on the bright side. Forty people could form a big team on a stage and it was obvious tough to manage. Forty people meant forty minds and forty mouths; putting them in unity required a strong centripetal force. At first I came across a dilemma: I had to choreograph the dance while some dancers were dissatisfied because they had little to do; and their discontent quickly spread over the dancing group. I ended up suggesting that they all should participate in the decision making process and unexpectedly created a friendly, democratic atmosphere. Different situations came up and they really challenged me to be a leader, solve the problem and make everybody love me. It was easy sometimes and tough at other times, but I survived and succeeded. Now, I could feel the feeling of confidence inside my heart. Admittedly, I would not have been the same without this dance -the fruit of contemplation, cooperation and hard work.
"We're all in this together" is now the favorite of many dancers. This song constantly reminds me of all the happy hours we spent together and of the important things I gained from this experience. That memory may not sound so significant to the whole world, but it sure is one of the most significant stories of my life.
Therefore I believe it is my inborn nature and inquired interests that lead me to apply to the school of hotel administration in Cornell.