1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
I was part of my church’s mission and outreach group for most of my life. Our group would take mission trips to other countries to help communities in need by helping build schools and houses, donating food, and educating young children. We also did work with our local community, donating food and clothes around the holidays through our local Food Banks. Last year, as mission group leader, I contacted the local Food Bank and together with the help of the church, donated over 600 pounds of canned food for Thanksgiving. We received overwhelming gratification from the Food Bank since it was a record amount of donated food, and no other church in that community had done something like that.
Additionally, I am a part of my high school’s leadership council where I have spent many hours outside of my classes preparing for and facilitating New Student Orientation, Homecoming, and Grad Night, among many other programs. Seeing a gap in our care of the student body, I also expanded the New Student Lunches Program to include not just freshman, but all new transfers, regardless of grade level.
I enjoy leading large groups and making big decisions that have impact on many people. I have learned how to make tough decisions by weighing in all sides of the issue and considering how each decision would impact everyone involved. It forces me to constantly weigh the pros and cons of how I carry myself, how I speak, and how I listen at every single event we put on for the student body and my church. Sometimes decisions can be tough to make and leave me feeling vulnerable or stressed out, but in the end, it has made me a better person.
Leadership has shown me how important it is to listen to others, not just hear them speak, and to include everyone in actions that become much bigger than themselves.
Additionally, I am a part of my high school’s leadership council where I have spent many hours outside of my classes preparing for and facilitating New Student Orientation, Homecoming, and Grad Night, among many other programs. Seeing a gap in our care of the student body, I also expanded the New Student Lunches Program to include not just freshman, but all new transfers, regardless of grade level.
I enjoy leading large groups and making big decisions that have impact on many people. I have learned how to make tough decisions by weighing in all sides of the issue and considering how each decision would impact everyone involved. It forces me to constantly weigh the pros and cons of how I carry myself, how I speak, and how I listen at every single event we put on for the student body and my church. Sometimes decisions can be tough to make and leave me feeling vulnerable or stressed out, but in the end, it has made me a better person.
Leadership has shown me how important it is to listen to others, not just hear them speak, and to include everyone in actions that become much bigger than themselves.
2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
I speak multiple languages. Coding languages, that is. To me, HTML is intricately beautiful and has grammar and usage rules just like English, Spanish, or Chinese. If poetry in English can be considered art, so too can programming. Just as every sentence in English has a meaning and purpose, every line of code invokes a function.
Coding is like having a conversation with computers, directing them to do what you want them to do. Since computers can’t think or have imagination, they required that users be very precise in every word and sentence they write. Code can be used in creative ways to make websites, computer games, computer-based art, and much more.
I once helped my school’s athletes and their families by building a website to help families stay connected to their children while they were overseas competing in sports games. This was significant because, since Singapore is incredibly small, our athletes travel overseas quite often to play agains other schools, and can sometimes feel alone and homesick without their family.
I formed a team to work on the website, and we brainstormed how to create something nicely designed and simple while still keeping people connected. Using flowcharts and diagrams, I created design principles to make something visually appealing and then helped to write the code and build the site and its features. In the end, we built a site that supported the athletes where guests could leave comments, get live scores, and see videos of the games.
The site helps parents and friends cheer on their students even during the most important tournaments and games, which often define a high school athlete’s career. I learned during this project that creativity can serve many functions, and that I enjoy using my creative side to help bring people closer together.
Coding is like having a conversation with computers, directing them to do what you want them to do. Since computers can’t think or have imagination, they required that users be very precise in every word and sentence they write. Code can be used in creative ways to make websites, computer games, computer-based art, and much more.
I once helped my school’s athletes and their families by building a website to help families stay connected to their children while they were overseas competing in sports games. This was significant because, since Singapore is incredibly small, our athletes travel overseas quite often to play agains other schools, and can sometimes feel alone and homesick without their family.
I formed a team to work on the website, and we brainstormed how to create something nicely designed and simple while still keeping people connected. Using flowcharts and diagrams, I created design principles to make something visually appealing and then helped to write the code and build the site and its features. In the end, we built a site that supported the athletes where guests could leave comments, get live scores, and see videos of the games.
The site helps parents and friends cheer on their students even during the most important tournaments and games, which often define a high school athlete’s career. I learned during this project that creativity can serve many functions, and that I enjoy using my creative side to help bring people closer together.
3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
I am an accomplished surfer who has been riding waves since I was very young. I’ve won a handful of surf competitions throughout my life, some in my local hometown and I’ve also placed second and third a few times in statewide competitions in my age group. When I was little, my dad and mom, who are also surfers, would sometimes let me ride on their surfboards with them. During long summer days as a young kid, I would paddle out and spend hours in the ocean perfecting my skills and just having fun.
At that time, however, I wasn’t really trying to perfect my talent. Later, I took surf lessons with teachers who showed me how to understand tides and to determine what surf spots were the best, and how to be safe in the water while paddling out and interacting with other surfers in the lineup.
They also taught me how to catch waves at just the right time, use both long boards and short boards, and perfect my technique. I used these skills when I started competing at the age of 15 and started winning competitions in my age group.
Although I’m definitely proud of being able to compete and win competitions, I’m more grateful for the life lessons that surfing has taught me. Searching for the best wave break, spending the energy to paddle out, and timing myself to catch the wave when it comes, all require skills, patience, and lots of knowledge. Being a surfer requires great discipline, and although surfers look effortless while they’re in the water, it’s an extreme sport that requires a lot of both physical and mental fitness.
Surfing has also brought me closer to nature and showed me that the ocean, while beautiful, can be powerful and deadly if not respected. I have learned to have more respect for our world and the elements, and I ultimately want to turn my passion into a career by studying environmental science at university. Above all, surfing has also taught me that patience and practice can bring great rewards over time.
At that time, however, I wasn’t really trying to perfect my talent. Later, I took surf lessons with teachers who showed me how to understand tides and to determine what surf spots were the best, and how to be safe in the water while paddling out and interacting with other surfers in the lineup.
They also taught me how to catch waves at just the right time, use both long boards and short boards, and perfect my technique. I used these skills when I started competing at the age of 15 and started winning competitions in my age group.
Although I’m definitely proud of being able to compete and win competitions, I’m more grateful for the life lessons that surfing has taught me. Searching for the best wave break, spending the energy to paddle out, and timing myself to catch the wave when it comes, all require skills, patience, and lots of knowledge. Being a surfer requires great discipline, and although surfers look effortless while they’re in the water, it’s an extreme sport that requires a lot of both physical and mental fitness.
Surfing has also brought me closer to nature and showed me that the ocean, while beautiful, can be powerful and deadly if not respected. I have learned to have more respect for our world and the elements, and I ultimately want to turn my passion into a career by studying environmental science at university. Above all, surfing has also taught me that patience and practice can bring great rewards over time.
4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
In 10th and 11th grade, my classmates and I explored the country of China through different cultural events. We had feasts of mapo tofu, folk games and calligraphy. The class became a chance to discover myself. As a result, I was inspired to take AP Chinese.
However, my school did not offer an AP Chinese course at the time. First, I asked my AP advisor to see if there were other Chinese courses at nearby schools, but he did not have any information on other schools’ offerings or their advisors’ contacts. The College Board also could not help my predicament, so instead I visited the websites of dozens of other high schools and tried to find the contact information of advisors willing to let me test that their schools.
Unfortunately, even that effort did not yield positive results. I wasn’t able to take the AP Chinese test at any other schools near me. I had put so much effort into finding those contacts, but no one was willing to help me out.
I asked myself: Why was I trying so hard to take an AP test? I then realized that I actually just wanted to experience the culture myself and feel more close to my family and other Chinese people. I’d traveled to Beijing in the past, but felt like an outsider because I could not properly communicate with anyone. I wanted to connect with other Chinese people and learn more about my culture, and ultimately enrich my own life.
I realized that if I truly wanted that, I’d have to depend on myself and not others. I ended up emailing ten more advisors, one of whom said that I would be able to register for the exam as a late tester. I was finally able to realize a dream that I had had for months. Language is not just a form of communication for me. Through, Chinese I connect with my heritage, my people, and my country.
However, my school did not offer an AP Chinese course at the time. First, I asked my AP advisor to see if there were other Chinese courses at nearby schools, but he did not have any information on other schools’ offerings or their advisors’ contacts. The College Board also could not help my predicament, so instead I visited the websites of dozens of other high schools and tried to find the contact information of advisors willing to let me test that their schools.
Unfortunately, even that effort did not yield positive results. I wasn’t able to take the AP Chinese test at any other schools near me. I had put so much effort into finding those contacts, but no one was willing to help me out.
I asked myself: Why was I trying so hard to take an AP test? I then realized that I actually just wanted to experience the culture myself and feel more close to my family and other Chinese people. I’d traveled to Beijing in the past, but felt like an outsider because I could not properly communicate with anyone. I wanted to connect with other Chinese people and learn more about my culture, and ultimately enrich my own life.
I realized that if I truly wanted that, I’d have to depend on myself and not others. I ended up emailing ten more advisors, one of whom said that I would be able to register for the exam as a late tester. I was finally able to realize a dream that I had had for months. Language is not just a form of communication for me. Through, Chinese I connect with my heritage, my people, and my country.
5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
My sister has always had an awful temper. Sometimes she smiles at you one moment, and flies into a rage at the next. This became a great deal of stress and pressure for the rest of my family, especially when we did something or suggested something she would not agree with. We would never know for sure when she would become angry next, and how she would potentially use our words and actions against us in future arguments. Name calling, manipulation, bringing up past events, and many other tactics are not beneath her when it comes to getting her way.
My sister’s personality is part of the reason why I have a hard time with relationships and friendships outside of my family. Sometimes I feel like she is never satisfied with the things we try to do for her, and that any effort to be warm and friendly to her usually backfires. Because of this, I feel like I have had trouble becoming close to my classmates and friends from school, since I felt for many years that there was no point in trying to be positive and loving towards someone else when they may not return the favor.
I struggled for many years trying to change my behavior to accommodate hers. However, whenever I changed my behavior, she always seemed to still find something to be angry about. This continued until I learned how to deal with her bad temper.
For a long time, I would blame myself for my sister’s issues. This was an exhausting experience to repeatedly go through. However, I have begun evaluating myself by my own standards of effort and achievement to determine whether I have reached my goals or not. I have learned to step back and allow her some personal space. I have learned that people make their own choices, and I’m not responsible for something that someone else does or says. This has helped me adapt in many ways, and I still hope that one day, she will learn not to give others a hard time just to get what she wants.
My sister’s personality is part of the reason why I have a hard time with relationships and friendships outside of my family. Sometimes I feel like she is never satisfied with the things we try to do for her, and that any effort to be warm and friendly to her usually backfires. Because of this, I feel like I have had trouble becoming close to my classmates and friends from school, since I felt for many years that there was no point in trying to be positive and loving towards someone else when they may not return the favor.
I struggled for many years trying to change my behavior to accommodate hers. However, whenever I changed my behavior, she always seemed to still find something to be angry about. This continued until I learned how to deal with her bad temper.
For a long time, I would blame myself for my sister’s issues. This was an exhausting experience to repeatedly go through. However, I have begun evaluating myself by my own standards of effort and achievement to determine whether I have reached my goals or not. I have learned to step back and allow her some personal space. I have learned that people make their own choices, and I’m not responsible for something that someone else does or says. This has helped me adapt in many ways, and I still hope that one day, she will learn not to give others a hard time just to get what she wants.
6. Describe your favorite academic subject and explain how it has influenced you.
Music is a subject that has always impressed me. Unlike other forms of art, music is the art of time. Unlike painting or sculpture, which are aesthetic snapshots of beauty, music flows, continues, and carries audiences into different moods and atmospheres. One thing that inspires me about music is the fact that different people have such different feelings or interpretations from the same piece of music.
I started studying violin in the first grade of elementary school, joining the school string orchestra shortly thereafter. There, I found friends similar to me, who enjoyed music a lot and would play songs with me during breaks. These interactions gave me a sense of fulfillment and motivated me to join the New Taipei City Youth Symphony in the 6th grade and enroll in music class in junior high school. Playing in a symphony so large, I was awestruck; it was exciting and humbling to play my part in a bigger group to produce great music.
Due to my formal training, for a long time I had disdain for those who had poor technical skill when playing their instruments. However, when I visited Taiwanese tribes while on community service trips during high school, I found music in its original form— it existed in the sounds children randomly made, it existed in the songs we sang for fun, it existed everywhere. Music was inseparable with dance and other kinds of performing art, and was not something sacred and unapproachable. These trips made me totally reevaluate my perception of music, and refreshed my interest in the subject.
When I attend university next year, I would like to join the school symphony or community music clubs to make a positive contribution with my ability. I am also interested in taking some elective music classes. For me, it is a great way to be a part of something bigger and make a contribution. Although I do not plan on pursuing a career in music, it is a hobby which I find personally fulfilling, and one that I would like to keep exploring during the rest of my life.
I started studying violin in the first grade of elementary school, joining the school string orchestra shortly thereafter. There, I found friends similar to me, who enjoyed music a lot and would play songs with me during breaks. These interactions gave me a sense of fulfillment and motivated me to join the New Taipei City Youth Symphony in the 6th grade and enroll in music class in junior high school. Playing in a symphony so large, I was awestruck; it was exciting and humbling to play my part in a bigger group to produce great music.
Due to my formal training, for a long time I had disdain for those who had poor technical skill when playing their instruments. However, when I visited Taiwanese tribes while on community service trips during high school, I found music in its original form— it existed in the sounds children randomly made, it existed in the songs we sang for fun, it existed everywhere. Music was inseparable with dance and other kinds of performing art, and was not something sacred and unapproachable. These trips made me totally reevaluate my perception of music, and refreshed my interest in the subject.
When I attend university next year, I would like to join the school symphony or community music clubs to make a positive contribution with my ability. I am also interested in taking some elective music classes. For me, it is a great way to be a part of something bigger and make a contribution. Although I do not plan on pursuing a career in music, it is a hobby which I find personally fulfilling, and one that I would like to keep exploring during the rest of my life.
7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
Living in a boarding school is not always the pleasant experience. Many times the living conditions or regulations are substandard and can be improved. In this type of situation, the small details that decrease the quality of living can be very frustrating.
Being one of the student who was unsatisfied to many things about the school, I complained much to my roommates, schoolmates, even people outside of school. Of course, this really didn’t change anything. However, after two years I decided I had complained enough. Instead, I went straight to the office of school principal and asked to speak with him.
I told the principal that the rules in the dorms were too strict; that the food in the cafeteria was terrible; and that many things in our living quarters remained broken and out-of-order for months on end. I also explained that the school, which is isolated in the mountains, should provide more opportunities to the students to have interactions with the external world instead of only staying within the confines of the campus. To my and my friends’ surprise, he did not chastise me for being disrespectful; rather he listened patiently to what I had to say. I can confidently say now that this was the foundation on which my relationship with the school principal was ultimately built. In the end, he listened to my ideas and implemented solutions to fix these problems. The school brought in more guest speakers from outside campus, and the living quarters were maintained more regularly.
My friends and I were shocked that I was actually able to make a difference. Rather than being dismissed as a whining student, my voice was actually heard. I learned from this that I had a voice, and I could use it to make change that had a concrete effect for myself and others. What had started out as simple dissatisfaction became something positive for my peers and I. Today, I still go to his office and complain, sometimes relaying other students’ complaints, and he always lends me a patient ear.
Being one of the student who was unsatisfied to many things about the school, I complained much to my roommates, schoolmates, even people outside of school. Of course, this really didn’t change anything. However, after two years I decided I had complained enough. Instead, I went straight to the office of school principal and asked to speak with him.
I told the principal that the rules in the dorms were too strict; that the food in the cafeteria was terrible; and that many things in our living quarters remained broken and out-of-order for months on end. I also explained that the school, which is isolated in the mountains, should provide more opportunities to the students to have interactions with the external world instead of only staying within the confines of the campus. To my and my friends’ surprise, he did not chastise me for being disrespectful; rather he listened patiently to what I had to say. I can confidently say now that this was the foundation on which my relationship with the school principal was ultimately built. In the end, he listened to my ideas and implemented solutions to fix these problems. The school brought in more guest speakers from outside campus, and the living quarters were maintained more regularly.
My friends and I were shocked that I was actually able to make a difference. Rather than being dismissed as a whining student, my voice was actually heard. I learned from this that I had a voice, and I could use it to make change that had a concrete effect for myself and others. What had started out as simple dissatisfaction became something positive for my peers and I. Today, I still go to his office and complain, sometimes relaying other students’ complaints, and he always lends me a patient ear.
8. What is the one thing that you think sets you apart from other candidates applying to the University of California?
Living in various countries has shaped me into a multicultural student who appreciates diverse perspectives, a trait that I know is important to life at the University of California. I enjoy learning from others’ cultural experiences, and I can work well with those who have vastly different views from my own. Learning from others’ experiences enriches my own education.
My global perspective has shown me the value of diversity, and I am convinced that this adds to the learning environment both inside and outside the classroom. International dialogue at the University of California can help tackle the issues we face in our world today, and I look forward to collaborating with students and professors from many different cultures and backgrounds at the University of California. I think this helps me stand out from other applicants because my views on the world have also helped me become a great team leader in my extracurricular activities, which is something that not all students possess. I’d like to continue to find leadership positions at UC where I can help change the campus environment and the world.
My perspective on the world also comes from my innate tendency to be curious about everything around me. I think curiosity has shaped me into the person I am today, and my strong desire to learn from others and the world around me helps me embrace unfamiliar situations and even create new opportunities for myself. I love asking ‘why’ when I am faced with different problems and situations, and I have an innate tendency to get to the bottom of whatever problems are facing me. I think this is a core principle of success at UC, and also drives me to keep exploring the world around me. The UC needs curious and open-minded students such as myself to continue its mission.
My global perspective has shown me the value of diversity, and I am convinced that this adds to the learning environment both inside and outside the classroom. International dialogue at the University of California can help tackle the issues we face in our world today, and I look forward to collaborating with students and professors from many different cultures and backgrounds at the University of California. I think this helps me stand out from other applicants because my views on the world have also helped me become a great team leader in my extracurricular activities, which is something that not all students possess. I’d like to continue to find leadership positions at UC where I can help change the campus environment and the world.
My perspective on the world also comes from my innate tendency to be curious about everything around me. I think curiosity has shaped me into the person I am today, and my strong desire to learn from others and the world around me helps me embrace unfamiliar situations and even create new opportunities for myself. I love asking ‘why’ when I am faced with different problems and situations, and I have an innate tendency to get to the bottom of whatever problems are facing me. I think this is a core principle of success at UC, and also drives me to keep exploring the world around me. The UC needs curious and open-minded students such as myself to continue its mission.
No matter if you are a transfer student, or an upcoming freshman...
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