Essay 1:
Evaluate a significant experience or achievement that has special meaning to you.

During the second semester in the second year at Senior High, all the students were facing a major decision in their life: to decide their majors for college entrance, in Humanities and Social Science, or in Science and Technology. The school, at that time, planned to make a general requirement for all classes to write subject study reports as part of its activities in the Community Service Week. As the course work was so overwhelming, many classes felt reluctant to comply. But I volunteered to write the report on behalf of my class, not just out of personal interest, but also a conviction in the importance of developing my research ability-to learn things that cannot be learned in classroom.

But things did not go as smoothly as I had thought. The school could allow only limited channels for students' social contact; the burden of course work also set a severe limit on the time we could have for field research. The topic, at the beginning, seemed too big for us to handle. To make it worse, the people we interviewed with were not always kind and cooperative. Some students wondered why I had to go through this ordeal, since at that time I had decide to choose Science and Technology, not Humanities and Social Sciences, as my future major in college.

While facing such difficulties, I felt that my self-confidence had never been so seriously challenged. A sense of frustration bothered me; for a long time I could not free myself from the nagging question of whether the project was worth all the trouble at all, so I had a first taste of gloominess in my life. But I did receive support from family and fiends when I most needed it. My father told me that I should have faith in my own judgment and ability. When difficulties look immense, it is often because of our fear of them. In this world there are all kinds of things waiting to be done. Those who are willing to try can always improve themselves, with or without a satisfying result. But those who quit will suffer from something worse than failure-their sense of shame.

These words helped me continue the research work with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, my high spirit also influenced other students in the group. With the help of local government officials and experts, we were able to make breakthroughs in our research project, attaining happy results. From this experience I learned a lot about how to overcome adversity and how to tap human potential. Indeed, it helped me build a stronger character.

Because of my sustained interest in urban environmental issues, we extended our research work to the areas of community construction and local scenic projects, resulting in research reports and essays of considerable scientific and social value. They received high remarks from both the school and the communities we worked with, far exceeding our expectations. I felt proud of the role I had played in the student research team for my contributions to the collective efforts on one hand and for the leadership role I played. It made me happy because I have met the challenges and have proved myself. I have impacted the group with my own character and conviction, in a work process that, in turn, made me more optimistic and self-confident as a person.

Standing at the cross-section of life, people often feel, in their helplessness and depression, uncertain which direction to go. Heading toward the north or to the south, even this would be a difficult choice to make. When you look back upon your past, you would not consider that to be much of a challenge, but what you cherish most will the courage with which you made that choice.