Share an experience through which you have gained respect for intellectual, social, or cultural differences. Comment
on how your personal experiences and achievements would contribute to the diversity of the University of Michigan.
It is a known fact that there are stereotypes everywhere. Ever since entering the harsh world of the American school system, I encountered every stereotype possible. Being the only Chinese American child in a predominately Caucasian school did not help either. I did not want to be judge for who I am just based on my heritage. In order for me to achieve this, I thought that I had to position myself away from the common stereotypes so people can realize who I am as a person.
The struggle against my culture and my identity continued on to high school. My school, Bronx Science High School, is known for our diverse school population. Entering such a diverse school was shocking at first. I found myself surrounded by people who openly expressed their pride for their heritage. Everyone was so in tune with themselves and their culture that they did not care about the negative stereotypes. Seeing this made me want to experience peace between my culture and myself. I decided to join Lunar New Year Productions, a club that prepares an Asian-related performance every year. Joining Lunar was like a whole new whole altogether. I was irritated by how dedicated other club members were at first. But somehow, I caught up in teaching underclassmen traditional Chinese fan dancing and by the time Lunar performance for the school came, I was intensely obsessed with the club. It was not because I suddenly realize how wonderful being Chinese was or that I learned to completely embrace my Asian self. Just seeing how the auditorium was filled to capacity for a little performance surprised me. This was just an Asian culture assembly. This was a performance to showcase everyone's talents. Instead of labeling my peers as Asian, Hispanic or African American, they were just people. And that is what I want to be seen as. Not Asian, not a High School student, just a person
What led you to
choose the area(s) of academic interest that you have listed in your
application to the University of Michigan? If you are undecided, what
areas are you most interested in, and why?
History to me is not just a regular class in high school. It is a passion. I let my friends have their math and sciences. But history is a subject where all subjects are wrapped into one. You get your sciences from Curie and Einstein, your math from Pythagoras. But to me, history is beyond memorizing facts and names. History encompasses everything, anywhere from our lives to our daily habits. I realized where I was living in could one day be History for other people. Perhaps I do not fully understand military strategy or, but the everyday lives and decisions people make as they struggle through their lives and circumstances around them- that interested me. History to me is not only about events but it is about the people that make it.
My passion towards History will not only guide me to excel in my major, but will allow to look beyond the text books and to explore the past my own way. I wish to see the old forgotten churches of yore and the torn pages of past scrolls. I became closer to reaching this goal last summer at my internship for the Museum of Natural History in New York. Everyday, I was immersed in wall to wall artifacts and displays. I would read the descriptions over and over again until I memorized the facts. I wish to see and learn about the treasures of the past again. Not through glass but through my own eyes. Attending Michigan University will allow me to achieve my goals. I can move away from my sheltered life at home and into the world of reality.
Describe a setback that you have faced.How did you resolve it? How did the outcome affect you? If something similar happened in the future, how would you react?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a "New Yorker" as resident of New York. However if you ask me, I believe that a New Yorker is someone who appreciates the city for what is. Even though I was born and raised 3000 miles away from New York in Seattle, Washington, I still consider myself as a New Yorker because it is the only place where I felt like I belong. While many people may agree with me that New York is one of the best places to live, they are shocked by the sacrifices my family and I had to give up. Leaving and convincing my parents to let me stay in New York is the biggest and most important obstacle I had to overcome. Yet, if I were to go back to that summer of 5th grade, I would not change it for the world.
I came to New York for summer vacation in 5th grade by myself to stay with my aunt and uncle. The moment I stepped out of LaGuardia Airport, I knew New York was nothing like Seattle. As I sat in the car, I would try to bend my neck down as far as possible in order to see the tops of the skyscrapers. When we arrived in Chinatown for dinner, I grabbed my aunt's hand because I was scared that I would get lost through the narrow alleyways and unfamiliar signs. The only Chinatown I knew of was the one back in Seattle, which composed of 3 blocks of restaurants and a quaint little supermarket. The size and grandeur of New York did not really mean much to me though. After all, I had read and seen pictures of the largest city in America. The books however failed to mention the impact New York would have on me.
For the first time, I was able to experience true freedom. With my handy Metrocard, I could ride the bus or subway anywhere, anytime by myself. No longer was I bounded down in suburbia Seattle. I had the ability to go search and explore and I felt that nothing could stop me. My new found freedom made Seattle seem like a forgotten nightmare, until I realized that summer was ending soon and I had to go back.
I knew my parents, my mother especially would not approve of my desire to stay in New York. When the last week was swiftly approaching I mustered up the courage to mention the prospects of staying in New York. As I expected, my mother said "No" the moment I suggested this and that was the end of the conversation. I was not about to give up that easily though, so every night I would call to talk about how great and exciting New York was and every conversation ended with "No". I became frustrated, and angry at my parents for not letting me stay. Perhaps it was the rage and frustration, but I told my parents one night that if I went back to Seattle, I would never be able to forgive myself and them for preventing me from living the life that I wanted. This was the one decision where I knew I had to do.
Hearing this, my mother broke down in tears. She asked how I could leave my parents alone in Seattle. But I asked how she could let me leave the place I love and belonged. I made a promised that I would return to Seattle the moment my grades dropped and if I did not get into a specialized high school. Yes, it was a big promise but I knew that being able to stay in New York was worth it. My mother realized that I was as stubborn as she was and that nothing she could say would convince me otherwise.
Now that I have lived in New York for so long, it may be a surprise to some, but my relationship with my parents has gotten stronger. Being away from them has made me realize how much I missed them. I learned the value of our conversations over the phone and the yearly visits from them. And while I had to give up seeing my parents on a daily basis, I gained the meaning of independence. Now that I am heading off to college, my parents will know that I will still keep in contact with them, no matter how far I may be from them.
I'm sorry that there is so much. Its just that I procrastinate ALOT and finally was able to finish all three of them. Thanks a bunch
on how your personal experiences and achievements would contribute to the diversity of the University of Michigan.
It is a known fact that there are stereotypes everywhere. Ever since entering the harsh world of the American school system, I encountered every stereotype possible. Being the only Chinese American child in a predominately Caucasian school did not help either. I did not want to be judge for who I am just based on my heritage. In order for me to achieve this, I thought that I had to position myself away from the common stereotypes so people can realize who I am as a person.
The struggle against my culture and my identity continued on to high school. My school, Bronx Science High School, is known for our diverse school population. Entering such a diverse school was shocking at first. I found myself surrounded by people who openly expressed their pride for their heritage. Everyone was so in tune with themselves and their culture that they did not care about the negative stereotypes. Seeing this made me want to experience peace between my culture and myself. I decided to join Lunar New Year Productions, a club that prepares an Asian-related performance every year. Joining Lunar was like a whole new whole altogether. I was irritated by how dedicated other club members were at first. But somehow, I caught up in teaching underclassmen traditional Chinese fan dancing and by the time Lunar performance for the school came, I was intensely obsessed with the club. It was not because I suddenly realize how wonderful being Chinese was or that I learned to completely embrace my Asian self. Just seeing how the auditorium was filled to capacity for a little performance surprised me. This was just an Asian culture assembly. This was a performance to showcase everyone's talents. Instead of labeling my peers as Asian, Hispanic or African American, they were just people. And that is what I want to be seen as. Not Asian, not a High School student, just a person
What led you to
choose the area(s) of academic interest that you have listed in your
application to the University of Michigan? If you are undecided, what
areas are you most interested in, and why?
History to me is not just a regular class in high school. It is a passion. I let my friends have their math and sciences. But history is a subject where all subjects are wrapped into one. You get your sciences from Curie and Einstein, your math from Pythagoras. But to me, history is beyond memorizing facts and names. History encompasses everything, anywhere from our lives to our daily habits. I realized where I was living in could one day be History for other people. Perhaps I do not fully understand military strategy or, but the everyday lives and decisions people make as they struggle through their lives and circumstances around them- that interested me. History to me is not only about events but it is about the people that make it.
My passion towards History will not only guide me to excel in my major, but will allow to look beyond the text books and to explore the past my own way. I wish to see the old forgotten churches of yore and the torn pages of past scrolls. I became closer to reaching this goal last summer at my internship for the Museum of Natural History in New York. Everyday, I was immersed in wall to wall artifacts and displays. I would read the descriptions over and over again until I memorized the facts. I wish to see and learn about the treasures of the past again. Not through glass but through my own eyes. Attending Michigan University will allow me to achieve my goals. I can move away from my sheltered life at home and into the world of reality.
Describe a setback that you have faced.How did you resolve it? How did the outcome affect you? If something similar happened in the future, how would you react?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a "New Yorker" as resident of New York. However if you ask me, I believe that a New Yorker is someone who appreciates the city for what is. Even though I was born and raised 3000 miles away from New York in Seattle, Washington, I still consider myself as a New Yorker because it is the only place where I felt like I belong. While many people may agree with me that New York is one of the best places to live, they are shocked by the sacrifices my family and I had to give up. Leaving and convincing my parents to let me stay in New York is the biggest and most important obstacle I had to overcome. Yet, if I were to go back to that summer of 5th grade, I would not change it for the world.
I came to New York for summer vacation in 5th grade by myself to stay with my aunt and uncle. The moment I stepped out of LaGuardia Airport, I knew New York was nothing like Seattle. As I sat in the car, I would try to bend my neck down as far as possible in order to see the tops of the skyscrapers. When we arrived in Chinatown for dinner, I grabbed my aunt's hand because I was scared that I would get lost through the narrow alleyways and unfamiliar signs. The only Chinatown I knew of was the one back in Seattle, which composed of 3 blocks of restaurants and a quaint little supermarket. The size and grandeur of New York did not really mean much to me though. After all, I had read and seen pictures of the largest city in America. The books however failed to mention the impact New York would have on me.
For the first time, I was able to experience true freedom. With my handy Metrocard, I could ride the bus or subway anywhere, anytime by myself. No longer was I bounded down in suburbia Seattle. I had the ability to go search and explore and I felt that nothing could stop me. My new found freedom made Seattle seem like a forgotten nightmare, until I realized that summer was ending soon and I had to go back.
I knew my parents, my mother especially would not approve of my desire to stay in New York. When the last week was swiftly approaching I mustered up the courage to mention the prospects of staying in New York. As I expected, my mother said "No" the moment I suggested this and that was the end of the conversation. I was not about to give up that easily though, so every night I would call to talk about how great and exciting New York was and every conversation ended with "No". I became frustrated, and angry at my parents for not letting me stay. Perhaps it was the rage and frustration, but I told my parents one night that if I went back to Seattle, I would never be able to forgive myself and them for preventing me from living the life that I wanted. This was the one decision where I knew I had to do.
Hearing this, my mother broke down in tears. She asked how I could leave my parents alone in Seattle. But I asked how she could let me leave the place I love and belonged. I made a promised that I would return to Seattle the moment my grades dropped and if I did not get into a specialized high school. Yes, it was a big promise but I knew that being able to stay in New York was worth it. My mother realized that I was as stubborn as she was and that nothing she could say would convince me otherwise.
Now that I have lived in New York for so long, it may be a surprise to some, but my relationship with my parents has gotten stronger. Being away from them has made me realize how much I missed them. I learned the value of our conversations over the phone and the yearly visits from them. And while I had to give up seeing my parents on a daily basis, I gained the meaning of independence. Now that I am heading off to college, my parents will know that I will still keep in contact with them, no matter how far I may be from them.
I'm sorry that there is so much. Its just that I procrastinate ALOT and finally was able to finish all three of them. Thanks a bunch
