Essay 2
 
All students bring a unique personal background to the classroom and study team that can prove to be as enlightening to fellow classmates as their professional skills. Describe what, outside of work, most distinguishes you as an individual and will most enrich the experience of your peers at McCombs from your background, life experiences, values, or interests.

My personal background distinguishes me from all other candidates in many different ways. First of all, I was born and raised on the Chinese mainland. My personal experiences gained while living and growing up in this rapidly changing country have given me a different perspective on life than that of candidates from other countries. I have seen so many changes during my life, and the changes in the past few years in China, both business and social, have been escalating rapidly. I believe that right now China is the most exciting place in the world to live and work.
My friends and family in China have always seen me as a lucky and fortunate individual that has excelled in any endeavor that I choose to undertake. In high school, I did very well in the national physics championships and was therefāore exempted from taking the national entrance exam and automatically accepted into JiLin University. During my time at JiLin University, in addition to studying hard and making excellent grades, I also volunteered to teach children about computers at the local community center. I was also elected as a class leader. Although studying was very important to me during my university career, a balanced life must include some outside activities, particularly those activities that can help others.

In addition to my Chinese heritage, I also have lived in Japan for the past four years and have therefore been exposed to their fascinating culture and language as well. At first my adaptation to being away from home was very difficult. When I arrived in Japan, I had no friends and spoke no Japanese. Telephone rates to talk to my friends and family were too expensive to call very frequently. As a result, I became lonely and depressed, particularly on the weekends when I did not even have work to keep me busy. My options were to either return home, as a failure, or to overcome these obstacles through perseverance. Finally, I decided to go out and walk around the city, where I could at least feel like a part of the world. I found a community center and stopped in, even though I knew that I couldn’t speak the native language. Inside, many people were playing IGO, a type of chess played in Eastern countries that I had enjoyed back in Chiāna. As I watched the games, a Japanese man came up and asked me if I wanted to play. Although I could not speak Japanese, we played for about two hours, and I found that I could communicate through playing this game. I felt very happy and my enthusiasm for being in another country was reawakened. Every week I would go to the community center and play IGO. I recovered my confidence and I realized that it was not that difficult to communicate with the local people. I made some Japanese friends and began participating in some local activities. I even became an instructor for a children’s computer class. What I have learned from this experience is that language does not have to be an insurmountable barrier and that becoming involved and actively participating in your surroundings can overcome even the worst feelings of loneliness. This experience has made me a much more confident and outgoing person with the ability to deal with adverse circumstances and difficult situations.

Because of my experiences both in China and Japan, I have both the viewpoint of a native mainland Chinese citizen and that of someone who has seen the world from outside of China. With my experience and understanding, I can provide some insight about the possibilities of success and some of the existing problems inside China and Japan. I have also studied philosophers such as Confucius and Sun Tsu, which will help me to explain the historical and phiālosophical differences in Asian and Western thinking to others. I thoroughly enjoy people with different skills, interests and nationalities. I derive great satisfaction from being able to contribute my own experiences and simultaneously learn from others with very different skills and experiences. I look forward to adding my contribution to the McCombs School of Business.