Personal Statement

Being a foreign student, I have had to live on my own, taking complete control of my life. A lot of things had been put to the tests and that was when my values and believes came into play. Honesty has brought me many friends. Independence has helped me cope better with my life. I believe while things do not necessarily happen for the best, it is possible to make the best of things that happened.
Honesty is what my parents have taught me since young and it is greatly advocated in my family. They always tell me to be honest and being honest does make me a better person, being loved and trusted by the teachers and friends.
Independence is naturally developed in me through a combination of factors. I am the only child in my family and my father is heavily influenced by the American culture. Since single children tend to be spoiled because of parental overindulgence, my parents deliberately decided to be strict with me. For instance, I was taught to wash my own dishes after meals since young. I was also encouraged to go to school by myself.
I value experience and to me, it is one of the best teachers. In school, we were taught a lesson and then given a test whereas in real life, we are given a test that teaches us a lesson. For instance, I have to manage my life abroad, striking a balance between work and play, and it gives me valuable life experiences. Therefore it takes time, perseverance and determination to get that experience and very often, we gain it through mistakes and failure.
Life is full of challenges and coping with those challenges makes my life more exciting and meaningful.