美国本科common essay申请范文

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

If there were no painting and calligraphy, my life would be nothing special; they have made my life colorful and dynamic. When I was a little girl, I felt touched by watercolor painting though I could not fully comprehend the meaning of its implication. From then on, the desire to paint has taken root deeply in my soul. Soon, it began to sprout and bud as I started to delve into traditional Chinese painting, conjuring my colorful life on the ivory paper before me; later on I also exposed myself to calligraphy in order to write hanzi inscriptions on my own paintings and add a "thick ink" to my painting career. They have infused my life with energy and enterprise, vitality and vigor. 

As the youngest member of the Calligraphers Association of Chengdu, I have witnessed the essence and glamour of Chinese calligraphy and felt its profound cultural heritage. Meanwhile, I was apprenticed to the prestigious calligrapher Xie Jijun in Sichuan Province. Not only have I learned the technical skills in calligraphy but also the profundity and extensiveness of Chinese culture. It is a process of enjoying happiness and tolerance of pain. Calligraphy never turned its back upon me in times of adversity or distress.

"To see a world in a grain of sand and to see a heaven in a wild flower," as William Blake wrote. I can envision my course of life in painting. It has accompanied me in my academic studies as a scholarly mentor and beneficial friend. Once, due to academic pressure, I almost gave up the training, but I could not resist its charms and persevered out of my ardently love towards painting. I know that everyone’s life is not smooth and is beset with difficulties and setbacks and nothing short of a persistent spirit can surmount them.

"You reap what you sow." Just as the saying goes, my efforts paid off, and gradually, many people came to appreciate and recognize my works. Every production is in itself one story recounting my life journey. As for me, painting is a fountain of enlightenment and inspiration when I am confused and in bewilderment, a respite when I am laborious and under pressure. I have taken part in many national competitions and acquired a large number of awards. In October 2004, I successfully held an exhibition of paintings at Sichuan Art Museum and one of my favorite works, Voiceless Sound in the Wake of Raining, was published in the Bud Album of Painting and issued around the country. 

Painting is the external expression of my emotional inner world. From painting, not only have I learned methods and techniques but also an optimistic and enterprising attitude towards life. It enables my solitude inner heart to find a focus of condensation. During Chinese Spring Festival of 2013, I photographed a documentary video piece, 70-Year-Old Volunteer Taking Care of the 90-Year-Old, when I was working on a social practice homework assignment, Looking for Warmth. The video portrayed a sort of selfless warmth as pleasant as a comforting burst of sunshine in the middle of a bleak winter. This work has been spread on microblogs and reprinted by Ifeng and many other media presses, which has strengthened my desire to paint, by virtue of which I hope to sketch the contours of such warm pictures to spread this torch of silent love.

I am currently studying at Troy High School in America and often send my works as presents to my teachers and students. In my spare time, I teach them Chinese calligraphy and spread Chinese culture. During the Wen Chuan earthquake in 2008, I was able to sell several of my works at charity bazaars and donated 30 quilts with cotton wadding to the disaster area. Painting brings satisfaction and fulfillment to my life, and it is a way to express what is contained in my heart.?