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College essay 範文：哈佛大學
This past summer, I had the privilege of participating in the University of Notre Dame's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program . Under the mentorship of Professor Wendy Bozeman and Professor Georgia Lebedev from the department of Biological Sciences, my goal this summer was to research the effects of cobalt iron oxide cored (CoFe2O3) titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles as a scaffold for drug delivery, specifically in the delivery of a compound known as curcumin, a flavonoid known for its anti-inflammatory effects. As a high school student trying to find a research opportunity, it was very difficult to find a place that was willing to take me in, but after many months of trying, I sought the help of my high school biology teacher, who used his resources to help me obtain a position in the program.
Using equipment that a high school student could only dream of using, I was able to map apoptosis (programmed cell death) versus necrosis (cell death due to damage) in HeLa cells, a cervical cancer line, after treating them with curcumin-bound nanoparticles. Using flow cytometry to excite each individually suspended cell with a laser, the scattered light from the cells helped to determine which cells were living, had died from apoptosis or had died from necrosis. Using this collected data, it was possible to determine if the curcumin and/or the nanoparticles had played any significant role on the cervical cancer cells. Later, I was able to image cells in 4D through con-focal microscopy. From growing HeLa cells to trying to kill them with different compounds, I was able to gain the hands-on experience necessary for me to realize once again why I love science.
Living on the Notre Dame campus with other REU students, UND athletes, and other summer school students was a whole other experience that prepared me for the world beyond high school. For 9 weeks, I worked, played and bonded with the other students, and had the opportunity to live the life of an independent college student.
Along with the individually tailored research projects and the housing opportunity, there were seminars on public speaking, trips to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and one-on-one writing seminars for the end of the summer research papers we were each required to write. By the end of the summer, I wasn't ready to leave the research that I was doing. While my research didn't yield definitive results for the effects of curcumin on cervical cancer cells, my research on curcumin-functionalized CoFe2O4/TiO2 core-shell nanoconjugates indicated that there were many unknown factors affecting the HeLa cells, and spurred the lab to expand their research into determining whether or not the timing of the drug delivery mattered and whether or not the position of the binding site of the drugs would alter the results. Through this summer experience, I realized my ambition to pursue a career in research. I always knew that I would want to pursue a future in science, but the exciting world o f research where the discoveries are limitless has captured my heart. This school year, the REU program has offered me a year-long job, and despite my obligations as a high school senior preparing for college, I couldn't give up this offer, and so during this school year, I will be able to further both my research and interest in nanotechnology.
附：中文譯文
去年夏天，我有幸參加了聖母大學本科生研究體驗(REU) 項目。在生物科學系的Wendy Bozeman 教授和Georgia Lebedev 教授的指導下，我今年夏天的目標是研究以鈷鐵氧化物為核心的(CoFe2O3) 二氧化鈦(TiO2) 納米粒子作為藥物輸送支架的效果，特別是在輸送一種稱為薑黃素的化合物，一種以其抗炎作用而聞名的類黃酮。作為一個想找研究機會的高中生，很難找到一個願意收我的地方，但經過幾個月的努力，我找到了高中生物老師的幫助，他利用了他的資源幫助我在該計劃中獲得職位。
使用高中生夢寐以求的設備，在用結合薑黃素的納米顆粒處理後，我能夠繪製出宮頸癌系HeLa 細胞的凋亡（程序性細胞死亡）與壞死（損傷導致的細胞死亡）的圖譜. 使用流式細胞儀用激光激發每個單獨懸浮的細胞，來自細胞的散射光有助於確定哪些細胞是活的，哪些細胞死於凋亡或死於壞死。使用這些收集的數據，可以確定薑黃素和/或納米顆粒是否對宮頸癌細胞發揮了重要作用。後來，我能夠通過共焦顯微鏡對細胞進行4D 成像。從培養HeLa 細胞到試圖用不同的化合物殺死它們，
與其他REU 學生、UND 運動員和其他暑期學校學生一起住在聖母大學校園裡是另一種體驗，讓我為高中以外的世界做好了準備。在9 週的時間裡，我與其他學生一起工作、玩耍並建立聯繫，並有機會過上獨立大學生的生活。
除了量身定制的研究項目和住房機會外，還有關於公開演講的研討會、費米國家加速器實驗室的旅行，以及暑期研究論文結束時的一對一寫作研討會，我們每個人都被要求撰寫。到夏天結束時，我還沒有準備好離開我正在做的研究。雖然我的研究沒有對薑黃素對宮頸癌細胞的影響產生明確的結果，但我對薑黃素功能化CoFe2O4/TiO2 核殼納米綴合物的研究表明，影響HeLa 細胞的未知因素很多，並促使實驗室擴大他們研究確定藥物輸送的時間是否重要，以及藥物結合位點的位置是否會改變結果。通過這個夏天的經歷，我實現了從事研究事業的雄心。我一直都知道我想追求科學的未來，但令人興奮的研究世界有著無限的發現吸引了我的心。本學年，REU 項目為我提供了一份為期一年的工作，儘管我作為一名准備上大學的高中生承擔了義務，但我無法放棄這份工作，因此在本學年，我將能夠進一步加深我對納米技術的研究和興趣。
College essay 範文：哈佛大學
I believe that humans will always have the ability to rise above any situation, because life is what you make of it. We don't know what life is or why we are in this world; all we know, all we feel, is that we must protect it anyway we can. Buddha said it clearly: “Life is suffering.” Life is meant to be challenging, and really living requires consistent work and review. By default, life is difficult because we must strive to earn happiness and success.
Yet I've realized that life is fickler than I had imagined; it can disappear or change at any time. Several of my family members left this world in one last beating symphony; heart attacks seem to be a trend in my family. They left like birds; laughing one minute and in a better place the next.
Steve Jobs inspired me, when in his commencement address to Stanford University in 2005, he said “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma–which is living with the results of other people's thinking.” I want to make mistakes, because that is how I learn; I want to follow the beat of my own drum even if it is “out of tune.” The important thing is to live without regrets, so when my heart ceases to beat, it will make one last happy note and move on.
I want to live my life daily. Every day I want to live. Every morning when I wake up, I want to be excited by the gift of a new day. I know I am being idealistic and young, and that my philosophy on life is comparable to a calculus limit; I will never reach it. But I won't give up on it because, I can still get infinitely close and that is amazing.
Every day is an apology to my humanity; because I am not perfect, I get to try again and again to “get it right.” I breathe the peace of eternity, knowing that this stage is temporary; real existence is continuous. The hourglass of life incessantly trickles on and we are powerless to stop it.
So, I will forgive and forget, love and inspire, experience and satire, laugh and cry, accomplish and fail, live and die. This is how I want to live my life, with this optimistic attitude that every day is a second chance. All the time, we have the opportunity to renew our perspective on life, to correct our mistakes, and to simply move on. Like the phoenix I will continue to rise from the ashes, experienced and renewed. I will not waste time for my life is already in flux.
In all its splendor
The Phoenix rises
In a burst of orange and yellow
It soars in the baby blue sky
Heading to that Great Light
Baptized in the dance of time
Fearless, eternal, beautiful
It releases a breathtaking aurora
And I gasp at the enormity
附：中文譯文
我相信人類將永遠有能力超越任何情況，因為生活是你創造的。我們不知道生命是什麼，也不知道我們為什麼會在這個世界上；我們所知道的，我們所感受到的，就是我們必須盡我們所能保護它。佛陀說得很清楚：“生命是痛苦的。” 生活本來就是充滿挑戰的，真正的生活需要持續的工作和回顧。默認情況下，生活很艱難，因為我們必須努力獲得幸福和成功。
然而我已經意識到生活比我想像的更變幻無常；它可以隨時消失或改變。我的幾個家人在最後一首交響樂中離開了這個世界；心髒病發作似乎是我家的一種趨勢。他們像鳥兒一樣離開；笑一分鐘，下一分鐘在一個更好的地方。
史蒂夫·喬布斯（Steve Jobs）在2005 年斯坦福大學的畢業典禮演講中啟發了我，他說：“你的時間是有限的，所以不要把它浪費在過別人的生活上。不要被教條所困——這是與結果一起生活別人的想法。” 我想犯錯，因為那是我學習的方式；即使“走調”，我也想跟隨自己的鼓聲。重要的是生活沒有遺憾，所以當我的心臟停止跳動時，它會發出最後一個快樂的音符並繼續前進。
我想每天過我的生活。每一天我都想活下去。每天早上醒來時，我都想為新的一天的禮物感到興奮。我知道我很理想主義，很年輕，我的人生哲學堪比微積分極限；我永遠也達不到。但我不會放棄它，因為我仍然可以無限接近，這太棒了。
每一天都是對我人性的道歉；因為我並不完美，我會一次又一次地嘗試“做對”。我呼吸著永恆的平靜，知道這個階段是暫時的；真實的存在是連續的。生活的沙漏不停地流淌，我們無力阻止。
所以，我會原諒和忘記，愛和啟發，體驗和諷刺，笑和哭，成就和失敗，生與死。這就是我想要的生活，以這種每天都是第二次機會的樂觀態度。一直以來，我們都有機會更新我們對生活的看法，糾正我們的錯誤，然後繼續前進。像鳳凰一樣，我將繼續從灰燼中崛起，經歷和更新。我不會浪費時間，因為我的生活已經在不斷變化。
絢麗多姿
鳳凰升起
橙黃相間
它翱翔在淡藍色的天空
奔向那偉大的光明
在時間的舞蹈中受洗
無畏、永恆、美麗
它釋放出令人窒息的極光
我為浩瀚而倒吸一口涼氣
College essay 範文：杜克大學
As soon as the patient room door opened, the worst stench I have ever encountered hit me square in the face. Though I had never smelled it before, I knew instinctively what it was: rotting flesh. A small, elderly woman sat in a wheelchair, dressed in a hospital gown and draped in blankets from the neck down with only her gauze-wrapped right leg peering out from under the green material. Dr. Q began unwrapping the leg, and there was no way to be prepared for what I saw next: gangrene-rotted tissue and blackened, dead toes.
Never before had I seen anything this gruesome–as even open surgery paled in comparison. These past two years of shadowing doctors in the operating room have been important for me in solidifying my commitment to pursue medicine, but this situation proved that time in the operating room alone did not quite provide a complete, accurate perspective of a surgeon's occupation. Doctors in the operating room are calm, cool, and collected, making textbook incisions with machine-like, detached precision. It is a profession founded solely on skill and technique–or so I thought. This grisly experience exposed an entirely different side of this profession I hope to pursue.
Feeling the tug of nausea in my stomach, I forced my gaze from the terrifying wound onto the hopeful face of the ailing woman, seeking to objectively analyze the situation as Dr. Q was struggling to do himself. Slowly and with obvious difficulty, Dr. Q explained that an infection this severe calls for an AKA: Above the Knee Amputation. In the slow, grave silence that ensued, I reflected on how this desperate patient's very life rests in the hands of a man who has dedicated his entire life to making such difficult decisions as these. I marveled at the compassion in Dr. Q's promise that this aggressive approach would save the woman's life. The patient wiped her watery eyes and smiled a long, sad smile. “I trust you, Doc. I trust you.” She shook Dr. Q's hand, and the doctor and I left the room.
Back in his office, Dr. Q addressed my obvious state of contemplation: “This is the hardest part about what we do as surgeons,” he said, sincerely. “We hurt to heal, and often times people cannot understand that. However, knowing that I'm saving lives every time I operate makes the stress completely worth it.”
Suddenly, everything fell into place for me. This completely different perspective broadened my understanding of the surgical field and changed my initial perception of who and what a surgeon was. I not only want to help those who are ill and injured, but also to be entrusted with difficult decisions the occupation entails. Discovering that surgery is also a moral vocation beyond the generic application of a trained skill set encouraged me. I now understand surgeons to be much more complex practitioners of medicine, and I am certain that this is the field for me.
附：中文譯為
病房門一打開，我遇到的最惡臭就撲面而來。雖然我以前從未聞過它，但我本能地知道它是什麼：腐爛的肉。一位身材矮小、年邁的老婦人坐在輪椅上，身著病號服，脖子以下蓋著毯子，只有她裹著紗布的右腿從綠色材料下向外張望。 Q 醫生開始解開腿的包裹，我無法為接下來看到的情況做好準備：壞疽腐爛的組織和變黑的死腳趾。
我以前從未見過如此可怕的事情——相比之下，即使是開放式手術也相形見絀。過去兩年在手術室跟隨醫生對我堅定我追求醫學的承諾很重要，但這種情況證明，僅在手術室的時間並不能完全準確地了解外科醫生的職業。手術室裡的醫生們沉著冷靜，鎮定自若，以機器般的超脫精準做出教科書般的切口。這是一個完全建立在技能和技術基礎上的職業——至少我是這麼認為的。這種可怕的經歷暴露了我希望從事的這個職業的完全不同的一面。
感覺胃裡一陣噁心，我強行將目光從可怕的傷口上移到生病的女人滿懷希望的臉上，試圖客觀地分析Q博士正在努力做自己的情況。 Q 博士緩慢而明顯地困難地解釋說，如此嚴重的感染需要AKA：膝蓋以上截肢術。在隨之而來的緩慢而嚴肅的沉默中，我反思了這個絕望的病人的生命是如何掌握在一個畢生致力於做出這些艱難決定的人的手中。我對Q 博士承諾這種激進的方法將挽救該婦女的生命的同情心感到驚訝。病人擦了擦水汪汪的眼睛，露出一個長長的、悲傷的笑容。 “我相信你，博士。我相信你。” 她握了握Q 醫生的手，醫生和我離開了房間。
回到他的辦公室，Q 博士談到了我明顯的沉思狀態：“這是我們作為外科醫生所做的最困難的部分，”他真誠地說。 “我們為了治愈而受傷，而且很多時候人們無法理解這一點。然而，每次手術都在挽救生命，這讓我覺得壓力完全值得。”
突然，對我來說一切都到位了。這種完全不同的觀點拓寬了我對外科領域的理解，改變了我最初對外科醫生是誰和什麼的看法。我不僅想幫助那些生病和受傷的人，而且還想被委以職業需要做出的艱難決定。發現手術也是一種道德使命，超越了訓練有素的技能的一般應用，這讓我很受鼓舞。我現在明白外科醫生是更複雜的醫學從業者，我確信這就是我的領域。
College supplemental essay 範文：斯坦福大學
In most conventional classrooms, we are taught to memorize material. We study information to regurgitate it on a test and forget it the following day. I thought this was learning. But this past summer, I realized I was wrong.
I attended the SPK Program, a five-week enrichment program with New Jersey's best and brightest students. I lived on a college campus with 200 students and studied a topic. I selected Physical Science. On the first day of class, our teacher set a box on the table and poured water into the top, and nothing came out. Then, he poured more water in, and everything slowly came out. We were told to figure out what had happened with no phones or textbooks, just our brains. We worked together to discover in the box was a siphon, similar to what is used to pump gas. We spent the next weeks building solar ovens, studying the dynamic of paper planes, diving into the content of the speed of light and space vacuums, among other things. We did this with no textbooks, flashcards, or information to memorize.
During those five weeks, we were not taught impressive terminology or how to ace the AP Physics exam. We were taught how to think. More importantly, we were taught how to think together. Learning is not memorization or a competition. Learning is working together to solve the problems around us and better our community. To me, learning is the means to a better future, and that's exciting.
附：中文譯文
在大多數傳統的教室裡，我們被教導要記住材料。我們研究信息以在測試中反芻它並在第二天忘記它。我以為這是在學習。但在過去的這個夏天，我意識到我錯了。
我參加了SPK 計劃，這是一個為期五週的與新澤西州最優秀和最聰明的學生一起參加的充實計劃。我住在一個有200 名學生的大學校園裡，並且研究了一個主題。我選擇了物理科學。第一天上課，我們的老師在桌子上放了一個盒子，往上面倒了水，什麼都沒有出來。然後，他又往裡倒了些水，一切都慢慢的湧了出來。我們被告知要弄清楚發生了什麼，沒有手機或教科書，只有我們的大腦。我們一起工作，發現盒子裡有一個虹吸管，類似於用來抽氣的東西。在接下來的幾周里，我們建造了太陽能烤箱，研究了紙飛機的動態，深入研究了光速和太空真空的內容，等等。我們在沒有教科書、抽認卡或需要記憶的信息的情況下做到了這一點。
在這五周里，我們沒有學到令人印象深刻的術語或如何在AP 物理考試中取得好成績。我們被教導如何思考。更重要的是，我們被教導如何一起思考。學習不是記憶或競爭。學習是共同努力解決我們周圍的問題並改善我們的社區。對我來說，學習是通往更美好未來的途徑，這很令人興奮。
College essay 範文：賓夕法尼亞大學
When I was thirteen and visiting Liberia, I contracted what turned out to be yellow fever. I met with the local doctor, but he couldn't make a diagnosis simply because he didn't have access to blood tests and because symptoms such as “My skin feels like it's on fire” matched many tropical diseases. Luckily, my family managed to drive me several hours away to an urban hospital, where I was treated. Yellow fever shouldn't be fatal, but in Africa it often is. I couldn't believe that such a solvable issue could be so severe at the time—so I began to explore.
The exploration led me to the African Disease Prevention Project (ADPP), a non-profit organization associated with several universities. I decided to create the first high school branch of the organization; I liked its unique way of approaching health and social issues. Rather than just raising money and channeling it through third parties, each branch “adopts” one village and travels there to provide for its basic needs. As branch president, I organize events from small stands at public gatherings to 60-person dinner fundraisers in order to raise both money and awareness. I've learned how to encourage my peers to meet deadlines, to work around 30 different schedules at once, and to give presentations convincing people why my organization is worth their donation. But overall, ADPP has taught me that small changes can have immense impacts. My branch has helped raise almost $3,000 to build water sanitation plants, construct medical clinics, and develop health education programs in th e small village of Zwedru. And the effect doesn't stop there—by improving one area, our efforts permeate into neighboring villages as they mimic the lifestyle changes that they observe nearby—simple things, like making soap available—can have a big effect. The difference between ADPP and most other organizations is its emphasis on the basics and making changes that last. Working towards those changes to solve real life problems is what excites me.
I found that the same idea of change through simple solutions also rang true during my recent summer internship at Dr. Martin Warner's lab at UCLA. Dr. Martin's vision involves using already available digital technologies to improve the individualization of healthcare. By using a person's genome to tailor a treatment for them or using someone's personal smartphone as a mobile-monitor to remotely diagnose symptoms, everyday technology is harnessed to make significant strides forward. At the lab, I focused on parsing through medical databases and writing programs that analyze cancerous genomes to find relationships between certain cancers and drugs. My analysis resulted in a database of information that physicians can use to prescribe treatments for their patients' unique cancerous mutations. Now, a pancreatic cancer patient does not need to be the “guinea-pig” for a prototype drug to have a shot at survival: a doctor can choose the best treatment by examining the patient individually in stead of relying on population-wide trends. For the first time in my science career, my passion was going to have an immediate effect on other people, and to me, that was enthralling. Dr. Martin's lab and his book, Digital Healthcare: A New Age of Medicine, have shown me that changing something as simple as how we treat a disease can have a huge impact. I have found that the search for the holy grail of a “cure for cancer” is problematic as nobody knows exactly what it is or where to look—but we can still move forward without it.
Working with Project ADPP and participating in medical research have taught me to approach problems in a new way. Whether it's a complex genetic disease or a tropical fever, I've found that taking small steps often is the best approach. Finding those steps and achieving them is what gets me excited and hungry to explore new solutions in the future.
附：中文譯文
當我13 歲訪問利比里亞時，我染上了黃熱病。我見到了當地的醫生，但他無法做出診斷，因為他無法進行血液檢查，而且“我的皮膚感覺像是著火了”等症狀與許多熱帶疾病相匹配。幸運的是，我的家人設法開車幾個小時把我送到了一家城市醫院，在那裡我接受了治療。黃熱病不應該是致命的，但在非洲卻經常如此。我無法相信這樣一個可以解決的問題在當時會如此嚴重——於是我開始探索。
這次探索將我帶到了非洲疾病預防項目(ADPP)，這是一個與幾所大學有關聯的非營利組織。我決定創建該組織的第一個高中分支；我喜歡它處理健康和社會問題的獨特方式。每個分支機構不只是籌集資金並通過第三方渠道籌集資金，而是“收養”一個村莊並前往那裡滿足其基本需求。作為分會會長，我組織各種活動，從公共集會的小攤位到60 人的晚宴籌款活動，以籌集資金和提高認識。我已經學會瞭如何鼓勵我的同事按時完成工作，一次完成大約30 個不同的時間表，並通過演示說服人們為什麼我的組織值得他們捐贈。但總的來說，ADPP 告訴我，微小的變化可以產生巨大的影響。我的分支機構幫助籌集了近3,000 美元，用於在Zwedru 小村莊建造水衛生設施、建造醫療診所和開展健康教育項目。而且效果還不止於此——通過改善一個地區，我們的努力滲透到鄰近的村莊，因為他們模仿他們在附近觀察到的生活方式變化——簡單的事情，比如提供肥皂——可以產生很大的影響。 ADPP 與大多數其他組織的不同之處在於它強調基礎知識並做出持久的改變。努力實現這些改變以解決現實生活中的問題是令我興奮的。我們的努力滲透到鄰近的村莊，因為他們模仿他們在附近觀察到的生活方式變化——簡單的事情，比如提供肥皂——可以產生很大的影響。 ADPP 與大多數其他組織的不同之處在於它強調基礎知識並做出持久的改變。努力實現這些改變以解決現實生活中的問題是令我興奮的。我們的努力滲透到鄰近的村莊，因為他們模仿他們在附近觀察到的生活方式變化——簡單的事情，比如提供肥皂——可以產生很大的影響。 ADPP 與大多數其他組織的不同之處在於它強調基礎知識並做出持久的改變。努力實現這些改變以解決現實生活中的問題是令我興奮的。
我最近在加州大學洛杉磯分校的Martin Warner 博士的實驗室進行暑期實習時，發現通過簡單解決方案進行變革的相同想法也是正確的。 Martin 博士的願景包括使用現有的數字技術來改善醫療保健的個性化。通過使用一個人的基因組為他們量身定制治療方案或使用某人的個人智能手機作為移動監視器來遠程診斷症狀，日常技術被利用來取得重大進展。在實驗室，我專注於解析醫學數據庫並編寫程序來分析癌症基因組，以發現某些癌症和藥物之間的關係。我的分析產生了一個信息數據庫，醫生可以使用該數據庫來為他們的患者獨特的癌性突變開具治療方案。現在，胰腺癌患者不必成為原型藥物的“豚鼠”，也能獲得生存機會：醫生可以通過單獨檢查患者來選擇最佳治療方法，而不是依賴於整個人群的趨勢。在我的科學生涯中，我的熱情第一次對其他人產生了直接的影響，而對我來說，這令人著迷。 Martin 博士的實驗室和他的著作《數字醫療保健：醫學的新時代》向我展示了改變我們治療疾病的方式這樣簡單的事情會產生巨大的影響。我發現尋找“治愈癌症”的聖杯是有問題的，因為沒有人確切知道它是什麼或在哪裡尋找——但沒有它我們仍然可以繼續前進。醫生可以通過單獨檢查患者來選擇最佳治療方法，而不是依賴於整個人群的趨勢。在我的科學生涯中，我的熱情第一次對其他人產生了直接的影響，而對我來說，這令人著迷。 Martin 博士的實驗室和他的著作《數字醫療保健：醫學的新時代》向我展示了改變我們治療疾病的方式這樣簡單的事情會產生巨大的影響。我發現尋找“治愈癌症”的聖杯是有問題的，因為沒有人確切知道它是什麼或在哪裡尋找——但沒有它我們仍然可以繼續前進。醫生可以通過單獨檢查患者來選擇最佳治療方法，而不是依賴於整個人群的趨勢。在我的科學生涯中，我的熱情第一次對其他人產生了直接的影響，而對我來說，這令人著迷。 Martin 博士的實驗室和他的著作《數字醫療保健：醫學的新時代》向我展示了改變我們治療疾病的方式這樣簡單的事情會產生巨大的影響。我發現尋找“治愈癌症”的聖杯是有問題的，因為沒有人確切知道它是什麼或在哪裡尋找——但沒有它我們仍然可以繼續前進。一個新的醫學時代向我展示了改變像我們如何治療疾病這樣簡單的事情可以產生巨大的影響。我發現尋找“治愈癌症”的聖杯是有問題的，因為沒有人確切知道它是什麼或在哪裡尋找——但沒有它我們仍然可以繼續前進。一個新的醫學時代向我展示了改變像我們如何治療疾病這樣簡單的事情可以產生巨大的影響。我發現尋找“治愈癌症”的聖杯是有問題的，因為沒有人確切知道它是什麼或在哪裡尋找——但沒有它我們仍然可以繼續前進。
與Project ADPP 合作並參與醫學研究教會了我以新的方式解決問題。無論是複雜的遺傳病還是熱帶熱，我發現經常採取小步驟是最好的方法。找到這些步驟並實現它們是讓我興奮和渴望在未來探索新解決方案的原因。
College essay 範文：伯克利大學
The phenomenon of interdependency, man depending on man for survival, has shaped centuries of human civilization. However, I feel, the youth of today are slowly disconnecting from their community. For the past few years, human connection has intrigued me and witnessing the apathy of my peers has prompted me to engage in various leadership positions in order to motivate them to complete community service and become active members of society.
Less than a year before ninth grade began, my cousin and close friend passed away from cancer, and in the hodge-podge of feelings, I did not emotionally deal with either death. However, a simple tale helped me deal with these deaths and take action.
I was never fully aware of how closely humans rely upon each other until I read The Fall of Freddy the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia in freshman year. The allegory is about a leaf that changes with the seasons, finally dying in the winter, realizing that his purpose was to help the tree thrive. After reading it, I was enlightened on the cycle of life and realized the tremendous impact my actions had on others.
Last year, I joined the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, a twenty-four-hour relay walk-a-thon designed to raise funds for cancer research and create awareness about its early detection. I started a team at school, gathered thirty students and chaperones, and raised $800 for the cause. I watched as each student created friendships with other students on our team and members of the Phoenix community. This year, I let a team in the relay for life again with the schoolwide team of 95 members, and we raised $2,900 for the cure for cancer. At first the group leader ship consisted of only my advisor in me; however, I gained the support of the administrators. I spent well over an hour a day preparing for the event, and it was all worth it!
The Sonora Eagles were students of different grade levels, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and educational ability. We joked and played football while volunteering. The most important moment occurred during the night's luminaria ceremony, during which cancer patients of the past and present were commemorated. Our whole team gathered around, and I asked people to share how they have been affected by cancer. As I went through the crowd, their faces illuminated by candlelight, their cheeks were wet with cleansing tears, I realize the impact I had on them, the purpose I was fulfilling; but most importantly, I realized the impact they had had on me. The Sonora Eagles were my means for dealing with the death of my loved ones to cancer.
The theme for relay for life is a hope for a cure. Through this experience as a leader, I have come to realize, as a community, we hope together, we dream together, we work together, and we succeed together. This is the phenomenon of interdependency, the interconnectedness of life, the pivotal reason for human existence. I have continued this momentum by starting a Sonora High School chapter of American Cancer Society Youth, a club dedicated to youth involvement and several aspects of the American Cancer Society, including the recent Arizona Proposition 45.
Each one of us leaves find a legacy as we for fill our purpose in life. I believe my purpose as a student is to encourage others to become active community members and motivate them to reach new heights. As a student of the University of California, I will contribute my understanding of the human condition and student motivation to help strengthen student relationships within the campus and throughout the community.
附：中文譯文
人類賴以生存的相互依存現象，塑造了幾個世紀的人類文明。然而，我覺得，今天的年輕人正在慢慢地與他們的社區脫節。在過去的幾年裡，人際關係讓我很感興趣，目睹同齡人的冷漠促使我擔任各種領導職務，以激勵他們完成社區服務並成為社會的活躍成員。
在九年級開始前不到一年，我的表弟和密友因癌症去世，在感情的大雜燴中，我沒有在情感上處理任何死亡。然而，一個簡單的故事幫助我處理了這些死亡事件並採取了行動。
直到我在大一讀了Leo Buscaglia 的The Fall of Freddy the Leaf 之前，我從未完全意識到人類之間的相互依賴程度。這個寓言是關於一片隨季節變化的葉子，最後在冬天死去，意識到他的目的是幫助樹茁壯成長。讀完之後，我對生命的輪迴有所啟迪，並意識到我的行為對他人的巨大影響。
去年，我加入了美國癌症協會的生命接力活動，這是一個24 小時的接力步行馬拉松，旨在為癌症研究籌集資金並提高人們對癌症早期發現的認識。我在學校組建了一個團隊，召集了30 名學生和監護人，並為此籌集了800 美元。我看著每個學生與我們團隊中的其他學生和鳳凰城社區的成員建立了友誼。今年，我讓一個團隊與全校95 名成員的團隊一起參加了生命接力賽，我們籌集了2,900 美元用於治療癌症。起初，組長只由我的顧問組成。但是，我得到了管理員的支持。我每天花了一個多小時準備活動，這一切都值得！
Sonora Eagles 是不同年級、種族、社會經濟背景和教育能力的學生。我們在志願服務的同時開玩笑和踢足球。最重要的時刻發生在當晚的燈飾儀式上，紀念過去和現在的癌症患者。我們整個團隊聚集在一起，我請人們分享他們是如何受到癌症的影響的。當我穿過人群，他們的臉被燭光照亮，他們的臉頰被潔淨的淚水打濕，我意識到我對他們的影響，我正在實現的目的；但最重要的是，我意識到他們對我的影響。索諾拉老鷹隊是我處理親人死於癌症的手段。
生命接力的主題是治癒的希望。通過這次作為領導者的經歷，我開始意識到，作為一個社區，我們一起希望，一起夢想，一起工作，一起成功。這是相互依存的現象，是生命的相互聯繫，是人類存在的關鍵原因。我通過創辦美國癌症協會青年的索諾拉高中分會來延續這一勢頭，這是一個致力於青年參與和美國癌症協會多個方面的俱樂部，包括最近的亞利桑那州第45 號提案。
我們每個人離開時都會找到一份遺產，因為我們要實現我們的人生目標。我相信我作為一名學生的目的是鼓勵其他人成為活躍的社區成員並激勵他們達到新的高度。作為加州大學的一名學生，我將貢獻我對人類狀況和學生動機的理解，以幫助加強校園內和整個社區的學生關係。
College essay 範文-康奈爾大學
My fingers know instinctively, without a thought. They turn the dial, just as they have hundreds of times before, until a soft, metallic click echoes into my eardrum and triggers their unconscious stop. I exultantly thrust open my locker door, exposing its deepest bowels candidly to the wide halls of the high school. The bright lights shine back, brashly revealing every crevice, nook, and cranny, gleaming across its scintillating, bare surfaces. On this first day of senior year, I set out upon my task. I procure an ordinary plastic grocery bag from my backpack. The contents inside collectively represent everything about me in high school – they tell a story, one all about me.
I reach in and let my fingers trail around the surfaces of each object. I select my first prey arbitrarily, and as I raise my hand up to eye level, I closely examine this chosen one. A miniature Flamenco dancer stares back at me from the confines of the 3-D rectangular magnet, half popping out as if willing herself to come to life. Instantly, my mind transports me back a few summers before, when I tapped my own heels to traditional music in Spain. I am reminded of my thirst to travel, to explore new cultures utterly different from my familiar home in Modesto, California. I have experienced study abroad in Spain, visited my father's hometown in China five times, and traveled to many other places such as Paris. As a result, I have developed a restlessness inside me, a need to move on from four years in the same high school, to take advantage of diverse opportunities whenever possible, and to meet interesting people.
I take out the next magnet from my plastic bag. This one shows a panoramic view of the city of Santa Barbara, California. Here, I recall spending six weeks in my glory, not only studying and learning, but actually pursuing new knowledge to add to the repertoire of mankind. I could have easily chosen to spend my summer lazing about; in fact, my parents tried to persuade me into taking a break. Instead, I chose to do advanced molecular biology research at Stanford University. I wanted to immerse myself in my passion for biology and dip into the infinitely rich possibilities of my mind. This challenge was so rewarding to me, while at the same time I had the most fun of my life, because I was able to live with people who shared the same kind of drive and passion as I did.
After sticking up my magnets on the locker door, I ran my fingers across the bottom of the bag, and I realized that one remained. It was a bold, black square, with white block letters proclaiming my motto, “Live the Life You Imagine.” In my four years at Cornell University, I will certainly continue to live life as I imagine, adding my own flavor to the Cornell community, while taking away invaluable experiences of my own.
附：中文譯文
我的手指本能地知道，不假思索。他們轉動撥號盤，就像他們以前做過數百次一樣，直到我的耳膜裡迴盪著柔軟的金屬咔噠聲，觸發了他們無意識的停止。我興高采烈地推開我的儲物櫃門，將它最深處的內臟坦誠地暴露在高中寬闊的大廳裡。明亮的燈光反射回來，粗暴地露出每一個縫隙、角落和縫隙，在它閃閃發光的光禿禿的表面上閃閃發光。在大四的第一天，我開始了我的任務。我從背包裡買了一個普通的塑料購物袋。裡面的內容共同代表了我在高中的一切——它們講述了一個故事，一個關於我的故事。
我伸手進去，讓我的手指在每個物體的表面上滑動。我任意選擇我的第一個獵物，當我將手舉到視線水平時，我仔細檢查了這個選擇的獵物。一個微型的弗拉門戈舞者從3-D 矩形磁鐵的範圍內盯著我，半跳出來，好像願意自己活過來。瞬間，我的思緒把我帶回了幾年前的夏天，當時我踩著自己的腳跟聽西班牙的傳統音樂。我想起了我對旅行的渴望，去探索與我在加利福尼亞州莫德斯托熟悉的家完全不同的新文化。我經歷了西班牙的留學經歷，五次訪問了我父親在中國的家鄉，還去過巴黎等許多其他地方。結果，我內心產生了不安，需要從同一所高中的四年中繼續前進，
我從塑料袋裡取出下一塊磁鐵。這張照片展示了加利福尼亞州聖巴巴拉市的全景。在這裡，我回憶起在我的榮耀中度過的六個星期，不僅是學習和學習，而且實際上是在追求新知識以增加人類的曲目。我本可以很容易地選擇在我的夏天懶洋洋地度過；事實上，我的父母試圖說服我休息一下。相反，我選擇在斯坦福大學進行高級分子生物學研究。我想沉浸在對生物學的熱情中，沉浸在我腦海中無限豐富的可能性中。這個挑戰對我來說是非常有益的，同時我也享受到了我一生中最有趣的事情，因為我能夠與和我有著同樣動力和激情的人一起生活。
將磁鐵貼在儲物櫃門上後，我用手指撫過包的底部，我意識到還剩下一個。這是一個大膽的黑色正方形，上面有白色的大寫字母，宣揚著我的座右銘：“過你想像的生活”。在康奈爾大學的四年裡，我一定會繼續過我想像的生活，為康奈爾社區增添我自己的味道，同時帶走我自己的寶貴經驗。
College essay 範文：西北大學
As I sip a mug of hot chocolate on a dreary winter's day, I am already planning in my mind what I will do the next summer. I briefly ponder the traditional routes, such as taking a job or spending most of the summer at the beach. However, I know that I want to do something unique. I am determined to even surpass my last summer, in which I spent one month with a host family in Egypt and twelve days at a leadership conference in New York City The college courses I have taken at Oregon State University since the summer after 7th grade will no longer provide the kind of challenge I seek.
Six months later, I step off the airplane to find myself surrounded by palm trees, with a view of the open-air airport. I chuckle to myself about the added bonus of good weather, but I know I have come to Palo Alto, California, with a much higher purpose in mind. I will spend six weeks here in my glory, not only studying and learning, but actually pursuing new knowledge to add to the repertoire of mankind. Through the Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program, I will earn college credit by conducting original molecular biology research, writing my own research paper, and presenting my findings in a research symposium.
I decided to spend my summer doing research because I knew that I liked scientific thought, and that I would passionately throw myself into any new challenge. I always want to know more – to probe deeper into the laws of the universe, to explore the power and beauty of nature, to solve the most complicated problems. I have an insatiable curiosity and a desire to delve deeper down in the recesses of my intellect. At the Summer Research Program, I found out how much I enjoy thinking critically, solving problems, and applying my knowledge to the real world.
While pursuing research in California, I was also able to meet many similarly motivated, interesting people from across the United States and abroad. As I learned about their unique lifestyles, I also shared with them the diverse perspectives I have gained from my travel abroad and my Chinese cultural heritage. I will never forget the invaluable opportunity I had to explore California along with these bright people.
I could have easily chosen to spend that summer the traditional way; in fact, my parents even tried to persuade me into taking a break. Instead, I chose to do molecular biology research at Stanford University. I wanted to immerse myself in my passion for biology and dip into the infinitely rich possibilities of my mind. This challenge was so rewarding to me, while at the same time I had the most fun of my life, because I was able to live with people who share the same kind of drive and passion as I do.
附：中文譯文
當我在一個沉悶的冬日啜飲一杯熱巧克力時，我已經在心裡計劃著明年夏天要做什麼。我簡要地思考了傳統路線，例如找工作或在海灘度過大部分夏天。但是，我知道我想做一些獨特的事情。我決心要超越去年夏天，我在埃及的寄宿家庭待了一個月，在紐約市的領導會議上待了十二天。我在俄勒岡州立大學七年級後的夏天所修的大學課程將不再提供我尋求的那種挑戰。
六個月後，我走下飛機，發現自己被棕櫚樹包圍，可以看到露天機場。我為好天氣帶來的額外好處自嘲一笑，但我知道我來到加利福尼亞的帕洛阿爾托，心中有一個更高的目標。我將在這裡度過六個星期的榮耀時光，不僅學習和學習，而且實際上追求新知識以增加人類的曲目。通過斯坦福大學醫學院暑期研究計劃，我將通過進行原創分子生物學研究、撰寫自己的研究論文以及在研究研討會上展示我的發現來獲得大學學分。
我決定用我的暑假做研究，因為我知道我喜歡科學思想，而且我會熱情地投入到任何新的挑戰中。我一直想知道更多——更深入地探索宇宙的規律，探索自然的力量和美麗，解決最複雜的問題。我有一種永不滿足的好奇心，渴望更深入地研究我的智力。在暑期研究計劃中，我發現我非常喜歡批判性思考、解決問題以及將我的知識應用於現實世界。
在加利福尼亞從事研究的同時，我還結識了許多來自美國和國外的同樣積極、有趣的人。在了解他們獨特的生活方式的同時，我也與他們分享了我從國外旅行和中國文化傳承中獲得的不同觀點。我永遠不會忘記與這些聰明人一起探索加利福尼亞的寶貴機會。
我本可以很容易地選擇以傳統方式度過那個夏天。事實上，我的父母甚至試圖說服我休息一下。相反，我選擇在斯坦福大學做分子生物學研究。我想沉浸在對生物學的熱情中，沉浸在我腦海中無限豐富的可能性中。這個挑戰對我來說非常有意義，同時我也享受到了我一生中最快樂的時光，因為我能夠與和我有著同樣動力和激情的人一起生活。
College essay 範文：哈佛大學
When I turned twelve, my stepdad turned violent. He became a different person overnight, frequently getting into fights with my mom. I didn't deal with it well, often crying to my mom's disappointment, afraid that my life would undo itself in a matter of seconds. You might say that my upbringing was characterized by my parents morphing everyday objects into weapons and me trying to morph into the perfect white walls that stood unmoving while my family fell apart.
This period in my life is not a sob story, but rather, the origin story of my love of writing. During a fight once, my stepdad left the house to retrieve a baseball bat from his truck. He didn't use it, but I'll never forget the fear that he would, how close he'd gotten. And in that moment, I did not cry as I was prone to do, but I pulled out a book, and experienced a profound disappearance, one that would always make me associate reading with escapism and healing.
Soon I came to write, filling up loose ruled paper with words, writing in the dark when we didn't have money to pay for electricity. And as I got older, I began to think that there must be others who were going through this, too. I tried to find them. I created an anonymous blog that centered what it meant for a teenager to find joy even as her life was in shambles. In this blog I kept readers updated with what I was learning, nightly yoga to release tension from the day and affirmations in the morning to counter the shame that was mounting as a result of witnessing weekly my inability to make things better at home.
At that time, I felt uncertain about who I was because I was different online than I was at home or even at school where I was editor of my high school literary journal. It took me a while to understand that I was not the girl who hid in the corner making herself small; I was the one who sought to connect with others who were dealing with the same challenges at home, thinking that maybe in our isolation we could come together. I was able to make enough from my blog to pay some bills in the house and give my mom the courage to kick my stepfather out. When he exited our home, I felt a wind go through it, the house exhaling a giant sigh of relief.
I know this is not the typical background of most students. Sharing my story with like-minded teens helped me understand what I have to offer: my perspective, my unrelenting optimism. Because even as I've seen the dark side of what people are capable of, I have also been a star witness to joy and love. I do not experience despair for long because I know that this is just one chapter in a long novel, one that will change the hearts of those who come across it. And I can't wait to see how it will end.
附：中文譯文
當我十二歲時，我的繼父變得暴力。他一夜之間變了一個人，經常和我媽媽吵架。我沒有很好地處理它，經常哭著讓媽媽失望，害怕我的生活會在幾秒鐘內消失。你可能會說，我的成長過程的特點是我的父母將日常物品變成了武器，而我試圖變成完美的白色牆壁，當我的家人分崩離析時，這些牆壁一動不動。
我生命中的這段時間不是一個哭泣的故事，而是我熱愛寫作的起源故事。有一次打架時，我的繼父離開家從他的卡車上取回一個棒球棒。他沒有使用它，但我永遠不會忘記他會使用它的恐懼，他有多接近。而那一刻，我並沒有像往常那樣哭泣，而是拿出一本書，經歷了一場深刻的消失，讓我總把閱讀與逃避現實和治愈聯繫起來。
很快我就來寫字了，在鬆散的格子紙上填滿文字，在我們沒有錢付電費的時候在黑暗中寫字。隨著年齡的增長，我開始認為肯定還有其他人也在經歷這種情況。我試圖找到他們。我創建了一個匿名博客，重點關注青少年在生活一團糟的情況下尋找快樂的意義。在這個博客中，我讓讀者了解我正在學習的內容，夜間瑜伽以釋放白天的緊張情緒，並在早上進行肯定，以消除由於每週目睹我無法在家中讓事情變得更好而不斷增加的恥辱。
那時，我對自己是誰感到不確定，因為我在網上和在家裡，甚至在我擔任高中文學雜誌編輯的學校裡都不一樣。我花了一段時間才明白，我不是那個躲在角落裡把自己變小的女孩；我是那個試圖與在家中面臨同樣挑戰的人建立聯繫的人，我認為也許在我們孤立的情況下，我們可以走到一起。我能夠從我的博客中賺到足夠的錢來支付家裡的一些賬單，並讓我媽媽有勇氣把我繼父踢出去。當他離開我們家時，我感到一陣風吹過，整個房子都鬆了一口氣。
我知道這不是大多數學生的典型背景。與志同道合的青少年分享我的故事有助於我了解我必須提供什麼：我的觀點，我不懈的樂觀。因為即使我看到了人們能力的陰暗面，我也是歡樂和愛的明星見證人。我不會長期感到絕望，因為我知道這只是一部長篇小說中的一章，它將改變那些遇到它的人的心。我迫不及待地想看看它會如何結束。
College essay 範文：耶魯大學
I was a straight A student until I got to high school, where my calm evenings cooking dinner for my siblings turned into hours watching videos, followed by the frantic attempt to finish homework around 4 am. When I got an F on a chemistry pop quiz my mom sat me down to ask me what was happening. I told her I couldn't focus or keep track of all my materials for classes. I thought she would call me lazy, accuse me of wasting the gift of being an American that she and my father gave me. Instead, she looked around at the walls covered in sticky notes, the index cards scattered on the computer desk, the couch, the table, and she said, “How are your friends managing it?”
It turned out while my peers were struggling to juggle the demands of high school it didn't seem like they were working as hard to complete simple tasks. They only had to put things in a planner, not make sure the deadlines were placed in multiple locations, physical and digital. At my next doctor's appointment my mom mentioned that I had a learning problem, but the doctor shook his head and said that I didn't seem to have ADHD. I was just procrastinating, it's natural.
My mom took off from her grocery store job to take me to two more appointments to ask about ADHD, the term the doctor had used, but other doctors were not willing to listen. I had As in every class except for World Literature. But I knew something was wrong. After our third doctor visit, I worked with the librarian after school to sift through research on ADHD and other learning disabilities until we came across the term executive functioning. Armed with knowledge, we went to a new doctor, and before my mom could insist that we get testing or get referred to a specialist, the doctor handed us a signed referral. She asked me about the folder in my hand. I told her it was full of my research. My mom mentioned that some doctors had refused to refer us to a specialist because my grades were too high. “It's because we're Asian,” she added.
I was shocked at this revelation. The last three doctors had mumbled something about grades but had never said a thing about race. Before I could deny it fervently, the doctor, who was from Taiwan, nodded sympathetically. She said it's common to miss learning disabilities among different races due to biases. And some adolescents learn to mask symptoms by building systems. “You don't have to prove anything to me. I believe you should get tested.” My mom thanked her fervently and the doctor said to her, “She's going to be a great lawyer.”
The semester following the confirmation of my learning disability diagnosis was challenging to say the least. My school switched me out of all of my IB courses to “accommodate my special needs,” and I went back to the library, working with the librarian with numerous index cards and stacks of books to make a case for discrimination. The librarian, who had become my close confidante, introduced me to an academic tutor who specialized in learning disabilities and taught me skills like using redundancy and time management to make it easier for me to grapple with moving parts. He noted that with ADHD, the problem wasn't always the inability to focus but rather the difficulty focusing without adequate perceived reward. It wasn't that I was not capable but that I had to make myself sufficiently interested or reiterate why something mattered. This reframe changed my life, and when I came back to the library with my new schedule in hand, the most advanced courses my school had to offer, the li brarian said, “You're going to make a great lawyer.”
I smiled and said, “I've heard that before.”
附：中文譯文
在我上高中之前，我一直是個全優的學生，在那裡，我平靜的晚上為我的兄弟姐妹做飯變成了幾個小時觀看視頻，然後在凌晨4 點左右瘋狂地嘗試完成作業。當我的化學測驗得了F 時，我媽媽讓我坐下來問我發生了什麼事。我告訴她我無法集中註意力或跟踪我所有的課程材料。我以為她會說我懶惰，指責我浪費了她和我父親給我的作為美國人的禮物。她轉頭看了看貼滿便籤紙的牆壁，電腦桌、沙發、桌子上散落的索引卡，她說：“你的朋友們是怎麼處理的？”
事實證明，當我的同齡人努力應對高中的要求時，他們似乎並沒有努力完成簡單的任務。他們只需要將事情放在計劃器中，而不是確保最後期限被放置在多個位置，物理的和數字的。在我下次去看醫生時，我媽媽提到我有學習問題，但醫生搖搖頭說我似乎沒有多動症。我只是拖延，這很自然。
我媽媽從她在雜貨店的工作離職，帶我去另外兩次約會，詢問有關ADHD 的問題，這是醫生使用的術語，但其他醫生不願意聽。除了世界文學，我在每一門課上都得了A。但我知道有些不對勁。在我們第三次看醫生之後，我在放學後與圖書管理員一起篩選了關於ADHD 和其他學習障礙的研究，直到我們遇到了執行功能這個詞。有了知識，我們去看了一位新醫生，在我媽媽堅持要我們進行測試或轉診給專科醫生之前，醫生給了我們一份簽名的轉診信。她問我手上的文件夾。我告訴她這充滿了我的研究。我媽媽提到一些醫生拒絕把我們推薦給專科醫生，因為我的成績太高了。 “這是因為我們是亞洲人，”她補充道。
我對這個啟示感到震驚。最後三位醫生喃喃自語著關於成績的事情，但從未說過種族的事情。我還沒來得及否認，來自台灣的醫生就同情地點了點頭。她說，由於偏見而錯過不同種族之間的學習障礙是很常見的。一些青少年學會通過建立系統來掩蓋症狀。 “你不必向我證明什麼。我相信你應該接受測試。” 我媽媽熱切地感謝她，醫生對她說：“她會成為一名偉大的律師。”
在確認我的學習障礙診斷後的那個學期至少可以說是具有挑戰性的。為了“滿足我的特殊需求”，我的學校讓我退出了所有的IB 課程，然後我回到圖書館，與圖書管理員一起拿著大量索引卡和成堆的書籍為歧視辯護。圖書館員，他是我的知己，將我介紹給了一位專門研究學習障礙的學術導師，並教我使用冗餘和時間管理等技能，使我更容易應對移動部件。他指出，對於多動症，問題並不總是無法集中註意力，而是在沒有足夠感知獎勵的情況下難以集中註意力。並不是我沒有能力，而是我必須讓自己足夠感興趣或重申為什麼某事很重要。
我笑著說：“我聽說過。”
College essay 範文：賓夕法尼亞大學
My brother and I are exactly one year and one day apart. We look like twins — people confuse us — but we couldn't be any more different. As children we wore the same clothes, received the same haircut. By the time we got to middle school it was clear that my older brother preferred quiet, indoor activities, while I was a born performer who preferred the theatrical, even when off stage. I took his relative silence to be disinterest and found it offensive. To the chagrin of my parents, we simply didn't get along.
I didn't mind having a tense relationship with my brother because I was involved at school. In particular I delved into the world of musical theater in addition to regularly singing solos at our high school choir concerts. I spent hours after school preparing for shows. And when I came home, I practiced as well, falling into a rigorous routine I thought I needed to remain at my best and be competitive for parts.
My bedroom was far enough from my parents so as not to disturb them, but space to practice became an issue with my brother because, well, we shared a room. Imagine him meditating on a window seat while I am belting, trying to sustain a high note. Needless to say, this created tension between us. From my point of view he could have meditated in the living room or while I was at practice, but he wasn't willing to budge. From his point of view, high school was hard enough without the constant sound of Glee arrangements.
At the start of the semester, I practiced “Circle of Life” for a concert audition. While I could sing it fine in its original key, I had a hard time singing it along with the music because the arrangement of the song we were working on had a key change that was out of my range. I couldn't change key without my voice cracking as I switched to a head voice. This was the first time I struggled to learn a song, and I was a week from the audition. I was irritable in that period and stopped practicing, declaring I had reached the height of my singing career. My brother experiencing quiet when I got home for the first time in years.
After a couple days of this, when I got home, he asked me to join him in meditation. And feeling my anger at my inability to navigate this song gracefully, I did. It was difficult at first. I was trying to clear my head. Later my brother told me that wasn't the point. When your mind drifts away, you simply come back, no judgment. I liked the sound of that, and it became my new philosophy. I kept trying at the song, no longer getting angry at myself, and just in time for the audition I was able to maintain power in my voice despite the key change. It was important for me to learn you don't have to always get everything right the first time and that good things come with continual effort. As for my brother, we no longer argue. I now understand why he prefers the quiet.
附：中文譯文
我和弟弟正好相差一年零一天。我們看起來像雙胞胎——人們把我們搞糊塗了——但我們已經完全不同了。小時候，我們穿同樣的衣服，剪同樣的髮型。到我們上中學的時候，很明顯我的哥哥更喜歡安靜的室內活動，而我是一個天生的表演者，更喜歡戲劇，即使在舞台下也是如此。我認為他的相對沉默是不感興趣的，覺得這很冒犯。令我父母懊惱的是，我們根本相處不來。
我不介意與我的兄弟關係緊張，因為我參與了學校。除了定期在我們的高中合唱團音樂會上獨唱外，我尤其深入研究了音樂劇的世界。放學後我花了幾個小時準備演出。當我回到家時，我也進行了練習，進入了一個嚴格的例行程序，我認為我需要保持最佳狀態並在部分比賽中保持競爭力。
我的臥室離我父母很遠，以免打擾他們，但練習的空間對我的兄弟來說成了一個問題，因為，好吧，我們共用一個房間。想像他在我係腰帶時坐在靠窗的座位上冥想，試圖維持一個高音。不用說，這在我們之間造成了緊張。從我的角度來看，他本可以在客廳或我練習時冥想，但他不願意讓步。在他看來，沒有Glee 安排的不斷聲音，高中就已經夠難了。
在學期開始的時候，我為一場音樂會試鏡練習了“生命循環”。雖然我可以用原來的調很好地唱出來，但我很難把它和音樂一起唱，因為我們正在製作的歌曲的編曲有一個超出我能力範圍的調變化。當我切換到頭部聲音時，我無法在沒有聲音破裂的情況下改變鍵。這是我第一次努力學習一首歌，距離試聽還有一周的時間。那段時間我脾氣暴躁，停止了練習，宣稱自己達到了歌唱事業的巔峰。當我多年來第一次回到家時，我的兄弟感到很安靜。
幾天后，當我回到家時，他讓我和他一起冥想。我對我無法優雅地駕馭這首歌感到憤怒，我做到了。一開始很難。我試圖理清頭緒。後來我哥哥告訴我這不是重點。當你的思緒飄遠時，你只是回來，沒有判斷力。我喜歡它的聲音，它成為了我的新理念。我一直在嘗試這首歌，不再對自己生氣，而且在試聽的時候，儘管換了鍵，我仍然能夠保持聲音的力量。對我來說，重要的是要知道你不必總是第一次就把所有事情都做好，好的事情伴隨著不斷的努力。至於我的兄弟，我們不再爭論。我現在明白他為什麼喜歡安靜了。
College essay 範文：布朗大學
My parents are aerospace engineers, humble even as their work helps our society explore new frontiers. They believe that you make a stand through the work that you do, not what you say. This is what they taught me. This is what I believed until my sophomore year when I was confronted with a moment where I could not stay quiet.
I live outside of a major city in a small, rural town that's majority white but for a small South Asian population. My high school wasn't diverse by any standards. Some students were openly the children of skinheads. After a racist exchange with a student who insulted her and refused to sit at the same lunch table, my best friend, who was Muslim, did not stand for the pledge of allegiance in homeroom the next day.
I hadn't heard about the encounter that sparked this move on her part and was surprised when she didn't stand up beside me, hand against her heart, mouth chanting an oath. She hadn't mentioned any mounting discomfort to me, nor had I noticed anything. Unlike my “patriotic” peers, I was less upset by her refusal to stand up for the pledge of allegiance and more upset that she didn't share with me that she was hurting and what she was going to do to protest how she was treated because of her beliefs and the color of her skin.
She was suspended for insubordination and when I called her, she said that surely in this situation I might find a way to think of more than my own feelings. I felt ashamed. It didn't even occur to me to seek to understand what was behind her decision in the first place. I apologized, asking how to best support her. She said it was just important that I listen and understand that she could not thrive in an environment that promoted sameness. She spoke to me with a vulnerability I had never heard before. At the end of our conversation, I apologized profusely. She said she did not need my words and what she needed from me was to take a stand.
This was the opposite of the belief my parents drilled in me. I felt conflicted at first, as if by speaking about the situation I was doing something wrong. However, my friend had to deal with a reality that I did not. And perhaps taking a stand would allow my institution and everyone in it to learn to be a more inclusive space for everyone. Maybe there was a way to take a stand and to do the necessary work to change things.
I started a petition with my friend's permission to end her suspension and to take disciplinary action instead on the student who had taken racist actions in the first place. Of the 1000 students at my high school, over 200 signed, a number that far exceeded my expectation. When I shared the results with my friend, she said to me, “Because of who you are, you will always have supporters. Use your power to do good.”
Since then, I have tried to be more aware that not everyone experiences comfort in the same environments that I do. Rather than assume everyone feels safe and supported, it's best to create space to listen and to ask how you can be supportive. My friend and I created a club to foster cross-cultural dialogue. In the past year two other clubs of its kind began at other local schools. More than anything I am proud that I have learned to be a better friend and a more thoughtful community member in a way that honors who I am and what I value.
附：中文譯文
我的父母是航空工程師，即使他們的工作幫助我們的社會探索新領域，他們也很謙虛。他們相信你通過你所做的工作來表明立場，而不是你所說的。這是他們教給我的。這是我一直相信的，直到我大二的時候，我遇到了一個無法保持安靜的時刻。
我住在一個主要城市以外的一個小鄉村小鎮，該小鎮以白人為主，但南亞人口很少。從任何標準來看，我的高中都不是多樣化的。一些學生公開地是光頭黨的孩子。在與一名侮辱她並拒絕坐在同一張午餐桌上的學生進行種族主義交流後，我最好的穆斯林朋友第二天沒有在班主任宣誓效忠。
我沒有聽說過引發她這一舉動的遭遇，當她沒有站在我旁邊，手放在她的心臟上，嘴裡念著誓言時，我感到很驚訝。她沒有向我提到任何越來越多的不適，我也沒有註意到任何事情。與我的“愛國”同齡人不同，我對她拒絕為效忠誓言挺身而出並不那麼沮喪，而對她沒有與我分享她受到傷害以及她將如何抗議自己受到的對待方式感到更加不安因為她的信仰和她的膚色。
她因不服從而被停職，當我打電話給她時，她說在這種情況下，我肯定會找到一種方法來考慮比我自己的感受更多的東西。我感到很慚愧。我什至沒有想到要尋求了解她的決定背後的原因。我道歉，問如何最好地支持她。她說重要的是我要傾聽並理解她無法在一個提倡千篇一律的環境中茁壯成長。她帶著我以前從未聽過的脆弱和我說話。在我們談話的最後，我連連道歉。她說她不需要我的話，她需要我的就是表明立場。
這與我父母在我身上培養的信念相反。起初我感到很矛盾，好像在談論我做錯了什麼的情況。然而，我的朋友不得不面對一個我沒有面對的現實。也許採取立場會讓我的機構和其中的每個人學會成為一個對每個人都更具包容性的空間。也許有一種方法可以表明立場並做必要的工作來改變事情。
在我朋友的許可下，我開始了一份請願書，以結束她的停學，並對最初採取種族主義行動的學生採取紀律處分。在我高中的1000 名學生中，有200 多人簽名，這個數字遠遠超出了我的預期。當我與朋友分享結果時，她對我說：“因為你是誰，你總會有支持者。用你的力量做好事。”
從那時起，我一直試圖更加意識到，並不是每個人都能在與我相同的環境中體驗到舒適感。與其假設每個人都感到安全和受到支持，不如創造空間來傾聽並詢問您如何提供支持。我和我的朋友創建了一個俱樂部來促進跨文化對話。在過去的一年裡，其他兩個類似的俱樂部在當地的其他學校開始了。最讓我感到自豪的是，我學會了成為更好的朋友和更體貼的社區成員，以尊重我的身份和我的價值。
College essay 範文：華盛頓大學（聖路易斯）
I held my breath as my steady hands gently nestled the crumbly roots of the lettuce plant into the soil trench that I shoveled moments before. Rainwater and sweat dripped from my brow as I meticulously patted and pressed the surrounding earth, stamping the leafy green creature into its new home. After rubbing the gritty soil off of my hands, I looked at Brian, a co-volunteer and nonverbal 20-year-old with autism, who extended his arm for a high-five. In the year that I've been working with him, I've watched him revel in planting, nurturing, and eventually harvesting his veggies, especially the grape tomatoes, which we enjoy eating fresh off the vine! Upon walking to the next row of hollowed cavities, we were not contemplating the lengthy work that lay ahead, but rather, we sought to liberate the helpless lettuces, imprisoned in produce cartons that were too small for them to grow in. Finally, after taking a step back to admire the day's last plant, my chest swelled as a wave of content ment flushed through my body.
My love for gardening began when I moved to Georgia during my sophomore year. In the time I've spent learning how to garden, I've developed an affinity for watching my vegetables grow to maturity, eager to be harvested and sold at the Saturday market. Though many see gardening as tedious busywork, I find it meditative, as I lose track of time while combining peat moss and soil in the garden's compost mixer. Saturday morning garden work has become a weekend ritual, ridding me of all extraneous responsibilities. My body goes into autopilot as I let my mind wander. I don't actively focus on focusing, but rather I observe myself internally digest the week's events. I'm a bystander to fireworks of thought that explode in my mind as my perception of important matters becomes trivial. Sometimes, it's the physics midterm that suddenly seems less daunting or the deadlines I need to meet for my Spanish project that push back farther. Other times, I contemplate alternative endings to conversation s or make perfect sense of the calculus answer that was at the tip of my tongue in class.
I met Brian, a close friend of mine who also basks in the tranquility of nature, through my gardening endeavors. While we aren't able to communicate verbally, we speak the language of earth, water, peat, and seedlings. He doesn't speak with words, but his face tells stories of newly found purpose and acceptance, a pleasant contrast to the typical condescension and babying he feels by those who don't think he's capable of independent thought.
Throughout my time in the garden with Brian, I began to understand that he, like everyone, has a particular method of communicating. There are the obvious spoken languages, body languages, facial expressions, and interactions we share on a day-to-day basis that reflect who we are and communicate what we represent. Brian expresses himself through various manifestations of unspoken language that he uses to signal how he feels or what he wants. But the nuanced combinations of different methods of communicating are oftentimes overlooked, raising a barrier to mutual understanding that prevents one from being capable of truly connecting with others. I began to understand that in order to reach people, I have to speak in their language, be it verbally or otherwise. Working with Brian over the past year has made me more aware that people can have difficulty expressing themselves. I found that I can positively lead people if I can communicate with them, whether on the track or in my Jewish yout h group discussions. As I move into the next phases of my life, I hope to bring these skills with me because, in order to effectuate positive change in my community, I learned that I must speak in the language of those around me. Those are the words Brian taught me.
附：中文譯文
我屏住呼吸，穩定的雙手輕輕地將萵苣易碎的根部依偎在我剛剛鏟過的土溝裡。雨水和汗水從我的額頭滴落，我小心翼翼地拍打壓著周圍的泥土，把綠葉生物踩進了它的新家。擦掉我手上的沙土後，我看著布萊恩，一個20 歲的自閉症志願者和不說話的人，他伸出手臂來擊掌。在我和他一起工作的那一年裡，我看到他陶醉於種植、培育和最終收穫他的蔬菜，尤其是葡萄番茄，我們喜歡從葡萄藤上摘下來新鮮吃！走到下一排空洞的時候，我們並沒有考慮前面的漫長工作，而是試圖解放無助的生菜，
我對園藝的熱愛始於我大二時搬到喬治亞州。在我學習如何園藝的時間裡，我對看著我的蔬菜長到成熟產生了濃厚的興趣，渴望在星期六的市場上收穫和出售。雖然許多人認為園藝是乏味的忙碌工作，但我發現它是一種冥想，因為我在花園的堆肥攪拌機中混合泥炭蘚和土壤時會忘記時間。週六早上的花園工作已成為周末的例行公事，讓我擺脫了所有無關的責任。當我讓我的思緒徘徊時，我的身體進入了自動駕駛儀。我不會主動專注於專注，而是觀察自己在內部消化本週的事件。當我對重要事物的感知變得微不足道時，我是思想煙火的旁觀者。有時，是物理期中考試突然看起來不那麼令人生畏了，或者是我需要為我的西班牙項目趕上的最後期限。其他時候，我會考慮對話的替代結局，或者完全理解課堂上我舌尖上的微積分答案。
通過我的園藝工作，我認識了我的一位密友布萊恩，他也沉浸在大自然的寧靜中。雖然我們無法進行口頭交流，但我們會說泥土、水、泥炭和幼苗的語言。他不說話，但他的臉講述了新發現的目標和接受的故事，這與那些認為他沒有獨立思考能力的人所感受到的典型的屈尊俯就和嬰兒形成了令人愉快的對比。
在我和布萊恩一起在花園裡的整個過程中，我開始明白他和每個人一樣，有一種特殊的交流方式。我們日常分享的明顯口語、肢體語言、面部表情和互動反映了我們是誰，並傳達了我們所代表的東西。布賴恩通過各種不言而喻的語言來表達自己，他用這些語言來表達他的感受或他想要什麼。但是，不同溝通方式的微妙組合常常被忽視，這給相互理解造成了障礙，阻礙了一個人真正與他人建立聯繫。我開始明白，為了接觸人們，我必須用他們的語言說話，無論是口頭還是其他方式。過去一年與布賴恩的合作讓我更加意識到人們可能難以表達自己。我發現如果我能與他們交流，無論是在賽道上還是在我的猶太青年小組討論中，我都能積極地領導人們。當我進入人生的下一個階段時，我希望將這些技能帶到我身邊，因為為了在我的社區產生積極的變化，我了解到我必須用周圍人的語言說話。這些是布賴恩教給我的話。我知道我必須用周圍人的語言說話。這些是布賴恩教給我的話。我知道我必須用周圍人的語言說話。這些是布賴恩教給我的話。
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