My College Personal Statement

In these past few months, I've applied to about 20 colleges and even more scholarships than that. When will the endless writing madness stop?!? Never, I'm starting to believe.

Below is one of the versions of my personal statement.

Making the World a Smaller Place
“To see the sakura in flower for the first time is to experience a new sensation,” goes an old haiku. It was late March in Tokyo when I arrived, and the delicate cherry blossoms were in full bloom, giving me a sense of awe that I had never felt before - I was seeing the ‘sakura in flower’. With the year abroad ahead of me, and the cherry blossoms framing my vision, I knew that my life was bound to change forever.

In my sophomore year I left for Japan to study abroad. The prospect of living with strangers halfway across the world was daunting, but in my impatience to live my life, I tackled this challenge head on. Unlike most of the other foreign exchange students, I had no previous knowledge of the language or culture, but this only made me more determined to learn and adjust. Moreover, being one of the youngest students at age 15, I was eager to prove myself to be more than just an ignorant American. Despite others’ doubts of my potential, I studied assiduously throughout the year and even managed to pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. When out on my own, I often lost my way in the maze-like Japanese train stations, but instead of feeling hopeless, I put my language skills to use by asking for directions and help. Throughout the year I remained optimistic and open-minded, instead of becoming frustrated or intimidated, as when I lost a close friend in Japan and participated in the first funeral of my life—a hundred-day ceremony done in the Japanese tradition.

In Japan, one of my most significant memories was my visit to Hiroshima. I was invited to meet the mayor and president of the Mayors for Peace organization, Tadatoshi Akiba, at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to learn the history of the city firsthand. The determination and ambition in Mr. Akiba’s voice as he spoke of the elimination of nuclear weapons from the world stirred something within me. Before, I had only seen myself as a student; now, I was being regarded not as a child, but as part of the future generation, as an ambassador of my country—as someone who could help make the world a better place, just as this one man alone has.

When it came time to return to America, the thought of parting with Japan was unbearable. From the beginning I knew my time abroad could not last forever, yet I was still reluctant to part with the land, the culture, and most of all, the experience that had influenced me so much. I returned home with a new perspective and appreciation for every unique aspect of the American culture, no matter how minute. My world was no longer the same small dreary city I had left a year ago. Now, along with a deeper appreciation I have developed of every country and culture, I have learned to properly cherish my own.

Living as a study abroad student altered my formerly untouched prospective of international affairs. Just as the ephemeral cherry blossoms have become a cherished symbol of the delicate nature of life, they symbolize power of even the most fragile of nature’s beauty as well. It is my recent multicultural experiences that inspire my confidence in my ability to make a difference in the world.