When I was a sophomore in high school, I was vice president of the Korean Club, an organization which sought to bring together Korean students, as well as educate others in Korean culture. The club was created in 2009 by myself and my friend, who acted as the president. While participating and running this club, I organized several activities to introduce Korean culture to the rest of my school and community. I taught basic Korean expressions and the Korean alphabet to my classmates and teachers. What's more, I served my fellow classmates traditional Korean foods, like Kim-Chi and Topokki. In my time at the club, I found many exciting relationships, and I had a lot of fun participating and organizing activities there. Throughout the school, interest in Korean culture was successfully expanded among the non-Korean members of the student body; I was glad to share my love for Korea with the people I had come to know well in high school.
ESSAY 1
Growing up in Korea, my family did not have a lot of money. My father was a policeman, and was very good at his job, but we still had to struggle to make ends meet. As a result, we often made sure to never waste anything, and never take anything for granted - aspects of my personality I carry with me to this day. My father taught me the values of hard work and perseverance; I also learned patience and compassion for my fellow man from him. I also vowed to work as hard as I could to make a better life for myself, and to try the best that I could at whatever I set my mind to.
With that in mind, I went to the United States to learn about American culture, and benefit from the amazing opportunities this country has to offer. In high school, I managed to acclimate well within the student body, despite a little hesitation and culture shock at first. While there, I found myself involved in many extracurricular and student activities, including cofounding a Korean Club which allowed me to bring a little slice of my home to America. Learning how to organize and advertise for this club and other activities turned out to be quite enjoyable, which has led me to seek a Marketing degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I feel as though I have been given an amazing chance to learn in this country, and one that I do not wish to give up soon.
ESSAY 2
One day growing up in Korea, I saw my policeman father come home with bruises, injuries and wounds. He looked really hurt, and so I came up to him to see if he was okay. Asking him what had happened that day, he replied that he had received a call for a robbery, and so he investigated. Arriving at the house, he caught the robber red-handed, right in the middle of the deed. Fighting vigorously to arrest him, he suffered all of these injuries, while still struggling to put the handcuffs on the perpetrator. Eventually, he was victorious, and the robber was taken down to the station.
I was in awe of my father; to think that he was so strong as to defeat a dangerous robber, and take such punishment and still consider it a day's work, was incredible to me. From that time on, I started to think about what I had done to my friends - I was the same kind of person that my father was dedicated to defeating. From that point on, I vowed to never again steal or perform bad deeds. My father was responsible for me, and for the people he was protecting; I admired him for that.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Short Essay: Boston University carries a large appeal for me due to the fact that it is one of the largest private universities in America; coming from smaller school experiences, I would like to see what a large college experience would be like. My emphasis for now is on business and marketing; As US News and World Report named Boston University one of the best business schools in the country, I think I could learn a lot at this institution.
ESSAY 1: CHOICE A
Growing up in Korea, my family did not have a lot of money. My father was a policeman, and was very good at his job, but we still had to struggle to make ends meet. As a result, we often made sure to never waste anything, and never take anything for granted - aspects of my personality I carry with me to this day. My father taught me the values of hard work and perseverance; I also learned patience and compassion for my fellow man from him. I also vowed to work as hard as I could to make a better life for myself, and to try the best that I could at whatever I set my mind to.
With that in mind, I went to the United States to learn about American culture, and benefit from the amazing opportunities this country has to offer. In high school, I managed to acclimate well within the student body, despite a little hesitation and culture shock at first. While there, I found myself involved in many extracurricular and student activities, including cofounding a Korean Club which allowed me to bring a little slice of my home to America. Learning how to organize and advertise for this club and other activities turned out to be quite enjoyable, which has led me to seek a Marketing degree from Boston University. I feel as though I have been given an amazing chance to learn in this country, and one that I do not wish to give up soon.
MICHIGAN STATE UNVIERSITY
Personal Statement
Briefly discuss an activity or organization that you have participated in or are currently participating in outside of your own cultural group.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I was vice president of the Korean Club, an organization which sought to bring together Korean students, as well as educate others in Korean culture. The club was created in 2009 by myself and my friend, who acted as the president. While participating and running this club, I organized several activities to introduce Korean culture to the rest of my school and community. I taught basic Korean expressions and the Korean alphabet to my classmates and teachers. What's more, I served my fellow classmates traditional Korean foods, like Kim-Chi and Topokki. The club proved very popular with the students of my school, in no small part due to the enjoyable activities we provided, and the welcoming atmosphere I and my fellow members tried to cultivate. In my time at the club, I found many exciting relationships, and I had a lot of fun participating and organizing activities there. Throughout the school, interest in Korean culture was successfully expanded among the non-Korean members of the student body; I was glad to share my love for Korea with the people I had come to know well in high school.
Participating in the Korean Club provided me with a sense of brotherhood and community in my school. Being one of but a few Koreans in a primarily American school, it was nice to have that feeling of home while still finding ways to incorporate it into the overall school culture. The building of relationships was paramount to me - I wanted to bridge cultural gaps between Americans and Koreans at my school, and further understanding of each other's cultures. The activities I helped organize as part of the Korean Club were a big part of making that happen. I was glad to have the best of both worlds - sharing my native culture with those who are familiar with it, while at the same time showing my American friends and classmates what it was like to be Korean. It was this participation in this club that made me feel good to provide intercultural activities to my community.
