Prompt: Tell us something about yourself or your interests that we wouldn't learn by looking at the rest of your application materials. (While you should still pay attention to sentence structure and grammar, your response is meant as a way for us to get to know you, rather than a formal essay.)
I remember when I was in elementary school, when the Gameboy became a huge sensation. All my friends got it, and they would talk about the games that they newly got, levels achieved, etc. I was left out of the conversation because my parents forbade me to get the Gameboy, saying that video games are a waste of time, bad for the health... After begging and promising good grades didn't work, I began to throw a tantrum. I was half-crying, half-yelling at them, insulting their parenting skills. I still did not get the Gameboy.
As I grew older and parents became more occupied by their work, I gained more freedom. By 7th grade, I had secretly collected enough money to buy the PlayStation Portable and two games: Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon. As I played more and more, my grades tanked and my health deteriorated. Fortunately, something clicked in 8th grade; whether it was the cultural upbringing or the productive mechanism inherent in me, I began to feel guilty about not being productive. As I moved away from the virtual worlds of Pokemon, I became more curious about the real world and got interested in subjects like history, chemistry and physics.
My parents' suppressive style did not work on me, but given the freedom, I was able to realize the dangers of video games. I'm the kind of person who thrives on independence. Because I am self-motivated and self-regulating, I'm ready to step away from my parents' shadows and go to college.
I remember when I was in elementary school, when the Gameboy became a huge sensation. All my friends got it, and they would talk about the games that they newly got, levels achieved, etc. I was left out of the conversation because my parents forbade me to get the Gameboy, saying that video games are a waste of time, bad for the health... After begging and promising good grades didn't work, I began to throw a tantrum. I was half-crying, half-yelling at them, insulting their parenting skills. I still did not get the Gameboy.
As I grew older and parents became more occupied by their work, I gained more freedom. By 7th grade, I had secretly collected enough money to buy the PlayStation Portable and two games: Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon. As I played more and more, my grades tanked and my health deteriorated. Fortunately, something clicked in 8th grade; whether it was the cultural upbringing or the productive mechanism inherent in me, I began to feel guilty about not being productive. As I moved away from the virtual worlds of Pokemon, I became more curious about the real world and got interested in subjects like history, chemistry and physics.
My parents' suppressive style did not work on me, but given the freedom, I was able to realize the dangers of video games. I'm the kind of person who thrives on independence. Because I am self-motivated and self-regulating, I'm ready to step away from my parents' shadows and go to college.