Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Five Tips for Graduate School Essay

As you know that I got into a graduate school, I decided to share some tips for filling out the graduate school application. I am going to talk about graduate school essay because it probably the most important part of the application. 

1. Be Yourself and Unique: I know there are standards you have to follow in the essay. The standards are just the correct grammar and professional language. Beside that, everything is up to you, so please be creative. Do not try to sound like somebody else. 

2. Brainstorm Early and Spend Time: Graduate school essay is definitely NOT the essay you can write last minute. It is VERY important to put A LOT of time into it from brainstorming, outlining, 1st draft, 2nd draft..... then final draft. 

3. Have Objective Goal and Straightforward: Make you know WHY you want to go to graduate school. School cares your reason. You might not have a. Your strong desire to the program makes a strong candidate for the program. 

4. Avoid Redundency and Correct Length: There are length have to be follow on the essay. There are schools that feel strict about the length and some are not.  Even they are not, still try not to go over too much of the length. I recommend outline the essay first and write precisely. 

5. Have Someone Review and Review Again: This is EXTREMELY important!! The essay should be free from grammar mistake. Also get feedback from writing tutors, professors, parents etc. There are people out there willing to help. I read and let other read my essay over and over again before I submitted. 



For those of thinking about going and applying for graduate school, I hope these tips helped you. 

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Five Facts About Being a Mother

Happy Mother's Day. Don't forget to tell/call/skype your mother  today. I am sad that this is our first year we can not spend mother's day together. Sorry Mom!!

It seems endless to talk about her. Two years ago, I wrote Five Life Lessons My Mother Taught Me and last year, I wrote Five Things I Admire About My Mother. Please take a look.

This year, I am going to write what is being a mother. I learned following five facts; not only from my mother, but also from my grandmother. My grandmother was an amazing woman, too. She worked diligently to raise her four children, and she was a very kind lady. I am not a mother, yet, but when I become a mother someday, I will follow these five steps. 

1. Show Love to the Children: Most my mother love their child; however, some young children can not understand mother's love unless their mother actually shows it. My mother showed her love by giving me kiss everyday when I was younger and giving me courage as I grow up.  

2. Help the Children Whenever They Needed: My mother was always there to help me. Every time I had problem with homework or career choice, she took the time to help me even she was busy working or doing her own study. She said "children comes first." My grandmother was still willing to help her children as much as she can even she was old and they were all grown up.  

3. Teach Children the Limit: It is important to love the children, but do not spoil them. Parenting is about giving love AND limit.  My mind of good parents are able to balance both well. My mother is sweet, but she is very strict, too. I know she spoils me sometime; however, I have limits. 

4. Raise Children to be Mentally and Physically Healthy: Children's health is another significant part of parenting, and it is the hardest. Mother raised me to be heathy by making healthy food, taking me to exercise, and teaching me the positive mind. 

5. Set a Good Example for the Children: Sometimes children might not listen to their parents, but they are always watching their parents. Sometime showing them what to do is better telling them what to do. My mother showed her good example by always keeping the room clean, so I never said "mom, I don't want to clean my room."


I will always love you, mom!!

I'd like to close this post with this quote:
"What is being a real woman? It is about being somebody's mother.
When is the for a woman to look most beautiful? It is when she became a mother. 
All women are perfect when they are holding their children in their arms." 

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Uniting the World: Five Ways To Find the Connections Across Different Cultures

I grew up in different counties: China, Japan, and the United States. The difference in culture and language were the huge struggles for me as I live in other countries. I had a lot of hard times throughout my childhood to communicate well with others and to find the right fit for wherever I go. They were all difficult memories for me as a child. 

However, after being involved with International Students Association (ISA) at Southern Oregon University (SOU) for the past year, I discovered that people can still bond well together even they do not speak each other's language. I discovered following five categories that will break the language barrier and make world unite. 

This week was International Week, we had Food Fair, Bazaar, Talent Show, and Fashion Show etc. Among all the events, Talent Show was the biggest one. There were singing and dancing that show the cultural spirit. The committee worked very hard for this event and week. It was so much fun!!
Our group photo after the "Talent Show"
Due to the time issue, I was able to participate in the Talent Show; however, I still showed my Chinese Dress in the Fashion Show. I also cooked some Food for the Food Fair and Bazaar. People liked my dress and the food I made disappeared in seconds!!

1. Food
Food brings people together. People love food no matter which country they are from. Each country has their own holiday and celebration. The tradition always involves certain kind of food. If you are having a hard time starting a conversation or fit into a group, try to offer others some food. I love to cook, so food helped me meet people and introduced to the social world. 

2. Music
Language of music is Universal around the world. We do not have to be able to speak the language, and still could sing the language well. People in Asia love to listen and sing English songs. The picture from International Show, we sang Gangnam Style in the end. I did not know the meaning of the lyrics, but I still enjoyed.  

3.  Dance
Dancing does not require verbal communication and it is fun and bring joyfulness. I saw various cultural dance through the show, I felt people can dance regardless of their background. I like to see people from different countries connect through dancing. 

4. Games
People from all over the world loves fun games. There are a lot of games that do not require language to play. The photo is from Indian Color Festival (Holi). We all had fun coloring ourselves with chalk powder and water guns. I love to see people from various places play and laugh together. 

5. Sports
Rules of sports do not have much difference among nation, so people can still play sport with each other. That is why we have Oympic. Being a team player is a great way to bond with teammates. Good thing about sports is that people communicate using gestures and eye contact, so language barrier would not be the problem to interact.  

Now, you should realize people can still have good time together even they do not understand each other's language. 

So, if you have to have a friend or try to make a friend from another country, try to connect with him/her from cooking and eating, singing and dancing, and playing games and sports.