<p>I just want to know what other candidates did for their essays.</p>
<p>I had a hard time writing both my PEA AND PAA essays because of the limited amount of space and words. I'm usually a VERY lengthy writer, but I'm working on that. :) The writing just seems,,, incomplete I guess if it's not long enough.</p>
<p>Anyway, it took me so long to finish my essays because of the too much pressure from my parents and other relatives which annoyed and frustrated me.(Well, i do have some problems...sometimes.lol) It's also because, I guess, I'm not taking these things seriously. (I rarely do.) Do you guys think that your parents are expecting too much from you?</p>
<p>And good luck to us all! :]
I finally posted a worthy thread.haha =]</p>
<p>well i think its mainly the cultural differences with parenting. </p>
<p>Since your name is "asiankid", I will assume youre an asian. Asian parents are known to be really intruding and expecting a lot from their kids. (sorry for the sterotype, but its true in many cases, due to the culture), I am NOT racist.</p>
<p>For me, my parents didnt even read my essays. They are confident that I will accomplish them well, all they did was fill out the parent responses and signed the envelope. My parents really do not mind if I get in or not; they take this application as a challenge for me. If I get in, great, if I dont, it doesnt matter, as long as I tried. </p>
<p>To gain your parent's trust, just take things more seriously, and prove to them that you can do things yourself. </p>
<p>I'm Asian and I can tell you a little about my family... We are "stereotype setters" in the fact that our income, where they went to college etc. but we are in no way setting the stereotype in many of the Asian "traditions". My brother was OK academically but a prodigy at soccer, we did the best we could to make him the best athlete he could be and have fun. My younger sister is a Musical genius, same as her brother we enable that. </p>
<p>YES YES I guess you have been waiting for it, I am that Asian kid that got an 800 on his math section in 8th grade, but nonetheless my parents do what is best for me. </p>
<p>@OP: The main point of the essay is for the adcoms to get to know who you are, and what your passions are. Articulation of your "passions" are not as important as the content itself, but at the top schools they want to see that you can convey that concisely yet thoroughly. 500 words is plenty for you to tell them what you love, they will probobly read on grudgingly to 650 words or so (My dad is friends with Harvard adcom and I am telling you this from what he said), and after that just put it down and stop reading.</p>
<p>luc722, I am Asian as well, and the application process was entirely my own. My parents were involved to the minimum, because they believed that anything that came up, I should be mature enough to handle. Although you recognize what you said was a stereotype, it was still unnecessary in your post. Why must Asian kids always have the 'worst deal' in parents? :p</p>
<p>My parents help was a minimum, but they supported me very well. There were times one of my parents got on my back for not studying the SSAT. I was really stressed and stuff, but it helped, because I got a better score. But for the rest, they're hoping I'm accepted because of the many opportunities. :) If not, it's all experience for the future and I know that I tried.</p>
<p>Hey, Asians unite! :D Haha just kidding, but I also do not have parents that were involved in the application process very much. They didn't read my essays or bug me to study for the SSAT's. My parents sound very similar to intrigue's. Maybe we're cousins. :D Also, I don't think Asian parents are the 'worst deal', but it does imply that Asian kids aren't as independent as kids from other ethnic groups. Intelligence and independence are not innate. We are all born with the same amount of brain cells. </p>
<p>well i guess different countries have different traditions.
In my case I don't think it's really based on traditions...it's just that my mom is very strict when it comes to academic. She went to the a boarding school-actually a science high school-in the Philippines and I think she expects us to do as well as she did.</p>
<p>And do you know how sometimes our parents want us to pursue their dreams?
My mom didn't get to do a lot because she became a parent at a young age(21) so I guess she wants me to fulfill my dreams. =]</p>
<p>asiankid29, I think what you said are true in lots of Asian-family cases. In my country parents expect a lot from their children academically.</p>
<p>You guys make me so proud of being Asian... :) Anyway my parents dont even speak English so even if they want to help me with the essay, they cant... :(</p>
<p>my parents don't really speak English either. English was my first language though. I think that has to do with the fact that my sister is fluent and I went to school where people spoke English. :D I'm not sure about binhnguyen2907 though.</p>
<p>thingslost, wow how can your first language be English if your parents don't speak it? First language is... well, supposed to be the language you first learned to speak when you were a baby...</p>
<p>tiger_max22, I'll take that a compliment, and thank you! :) Well even if our parents don't speak the language we can learn our ways out too you know ;)</p>
<p>technically, your first language is the language you are most comfortable with. As a Canadian, many of my friends grew up speaking French, but they are more confortable and competent in English.</p>
<p>binhnguyen2907: My sister speaks it. Also, just because your parents speak a language, doesn't necessarily mean that the kid will also speak it. Both my parents are fluent in Russian, but I can barely understand it. The language I learned from my parents is Mandarin. I "think" in English when I speak English, and I "think" in Mandarin when I speak Mandarin. I think non-fluent/non-first language people "think" in their native language, and then translate it to whatever language they're speaking.</p>
<p>my parents are asian and we're pretty stereotypical as things get, but my dad actually doesn't want me to go to boarding school because he says he doesn't want to lose me until he has to which wanted to make me cry when he told me. my mom is the same as my dad, but she says she would sacrifice that so I could go to the school of my dreams. My parents are really strict, but they're strict because they love me.</p>
<p>I don't often remember my dreams. They're usually silent if I do. I occasionally have lucid dreams. The last dream I remember consisted of bart simpson on a motorcycle running into a building. And then the building blew up. </p>
<p>It depends on which question I was asked the question in. If I'm just randomly thinking stuff, it usually varies, and sometimes its a mix of the two. </p>
<p>Great idea though. I love questions like this!</p>
<p>I really, really envy people who speak two or more languages fluently. I'm approaching fluency in French, but I'm certainly not yet at the stage that my dreams play out en fran</p>
<p>When I think, it's usually in Japanese/English. It sort of.. rotates? For example: my mom talks to me in Mandarin, and I reply with English. Haha, that happens all the time (but I have to analyze two languages.. :D)</p>
<p>I speak.. Japanese (first language I LEARNED), English, and French fluently. I understand Mandarin really well, but I'm like.. mute! What's up with that?</p>
<p>DieAlive, you're my hero for today! :D For my part I want to learn tons of languages so, I envy you! What languages do your parents speak? How did you learn the others?</p>