Reflection of My High School Experience

1. I encountered the most significant challenge when I moved to Canada in January, 2012. Before I came to Canada, my English grade was very good in China, thus, I thought living and studying in Canada would not be too difficult. However, I did not do well in the ESL evaluation at all, and I was placed in ESL 1 at my high school. Most of my classmates there spoke very little English, and they did not spend much time and effort on studying English. It was very difficult for me to study if I wanted to be their friends and at that time, they were the only friends I had in Canada. However, I expected much more effort from myself. I studied very hard and became the 2nd fastest ESL students ever to complete ESL 1 to 4 in my high school. Today, when I recall what I have accomplished, I think I learnt to trust myself and at the same, success in anything only comes from hard work.

2. I often rethink many of my past experiences to see what I can learn from them. One experience that I rethink the most has to be my decision to move to Canada. When I was in Grade 8 in China, I never thought about studying in another country until my parents asked for my opinions. I was nervous and afraid of travelling to a new environment, so I decided to stay in China. However, when I was in Grade 10, many of my closet friends started to apply for schools in other countries and they were all happy. This made me rethink my choice. When I rethink this experience, I realize that I have to be brave and open to new challenges, because along with challenges and risks, there are always opportunities. Today, I am trying many new activities to enrich my experiences. These activities made my life exciting and I have also learnt a lot about the Canadian society and my...

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...ood. I truly feel that I am doing something helpful, special and important for them. It may be just several hours of my time in a week, but it means so much more to them. I cannot say I learnt a lot about how charity or society functions as I have expected, but I am certain that from the personal development perspective, I am more satisfied and content with my life.

7. I am applying for a bachelor degree related to finance or business at UBC, because I have always been fascinated by economics and particular how it functions within our society. I guess perhaps it has something to do with my parents, since they both worked in finance. With their encouragement and guidance, I find myself enjoy accounting, marketing and math more than any other courses. Furthermore, I believe that with knowledge in economics, I can plan my own life better and be financially independent.