Stereotypes & History

I spent some time in Beijing, China's capital city, this month. Mostly sightseeing, but also meeting some friends, eating a lot of great food, and doing some work on my book.

Throughout the trip, people would often ask where we were from, and we'd say, of course, Shanghai. Often a topic of conversation would be the differences between people from the north and the south. Apparently, people from the north are more open, simple people, who love to engage with community in an honest and collegial way, enjoying a good drink now and again. Southerners are more socially discerning, paying careful attention to detail and maintaining tact and sensibility in relationships. At least this is what we were told by northerners. :)

These conversations got me thinking about stereotypes, and specifically, location-based stereotypes. It is possible to dig deeper and ask why different regions - with their separate histories, challenges, and terrain - create different people. Shanghai's mercantile history and port city location have shaped the people in the city. Beijing's political history and location bordering northern powers have shaped BJers as well. 

There are many ways in which we are shaped by where we live. Personalities are as much a product of huge communities like our country, our generation, and our cities. On a smaller level, we live in a neighborhood, with certain people, speaking a certain lingo with a select group of friends. We are also born with traits and personalities that are shaped by our environments, at times the two coming into conflict.

If you want to write about where you come from, or a community you are a part of, one way into that question can be to think about the stereotypes and expectations you or others have about the place or the group. How am I an American, what does that mean, and how am I different than the norm, or the stereotype? Why? How am I a typical younger sister, and how does my relationship differ from the norm? Pry open the layers of your identity, and take a good look at how they follow the norm, as well as diverge.

Whenever I post a prompt-type post, I'll tag it "prompt." See more in the Search section of this website or click on the tag below.  

Big Data, Big Deal

Sometimes articles come out about the differences in admissions between schools that try to make mountains out of molehills. This article is one of them. Apparently, using big data, a website has identified the specific words that Harvard and Stanford like to see in application essays. For example, using "mom" and "dad" is better for Stanford, and "mother" and "father" are better for Harvard. 

First of all, I doubt there is a very significant difference between the acceptance rates based on these words. I don't know what it is, but I can't imagine there is such a stark difference, where words are exclusively favored by one school over the other. Secondly, I just don't think this micro-level of trying to game the system is worth anyone's time! Instead of focusing on the slight advantage one word can give you over the other, focus on the content of the essay at large. I know big data is trendy these days. But in this case, the quality of an essay is still much more important than the quantity of keywords you use. 

Don't waste your time on sensational drivel. Read good books, be a good person, and do what's important to you - that's what will make you stand apart.

Social Media

You know I'm already an old hag by the way I'll talk about social media. I'm not far from those people who call Facebook "THE FACEBOOK." 

I didn't grow up with SMS. FB came out when I was in college, thank god, so I didn't have the distractions young people have today. On top of that, you have Facebook for photos (Instagram) and Facebook for naughty photos (Snapchat), and who knows what else. For my generation, everything is a reference to the original. 

If I could raise kids without FB (and other facebooks) without them hating me for life, I might try to do so. It's like growing up in a big city within a big city within a city. Crowded, noisy, polluted, competitive. But alas, the world it what it is. Not so dissimilar to college admissions. 

And now I've found out that colleges are using SMS to determine whether you're likely to attend and stay at their college. So beware - on all your facebooks and all your feeds and all your messages - try to keep the college talk out of it. You never know who is going to sell the data and help someone use it for or against you. 

642 Things to Write About

I'm a sucker for books about writing. I buy every one! A while ago, suffering from a bout of writer's block, I picked up 642 Things to Write About. It has writing exercises that can be used to get you started. Just today I flipped to a random page in the book and saw a few prompts that I thought might inspire a good college essay. 

1. A family (not your own) on the street where you grew up
2. The way you mistreated a friend
3. A letter to the editor

Speaking of letters to editors, if you have extra time on your hands, or a free thirty minutes every day, I strongly suggest reading the newspaper. (Blah blah, old advice Juli.) But do not just read the newspaper and the OpEd sections. Make sure to also check out the letters to the editors. Get multiple perspectives and then form your own. Don't skip the comments if you're reading online. It's one very good thing to learn to read the newspaper and digest analysis from well-respected writers. It's another even better thing to read the (oftentimes) well thought out reactions from readers who have strong feelings and opinions. Heck, it's even important to be exposed to the sometimes ignorant and antagonistic views of the public and be able to identify them as such.

And write your own letter to the editor. Participate in the conversation when you feel you can. Practice articulating your thoughts and involving yourself in the debate. Not just for college admissions and the essay, but for everything after. 

Landed in Shanghai

After a dramatic month of transition from New York to China, I am happy to announce that I have arrived safely and soundly in Shanghai. This past month has been a huge change for me, and I'll list the main events briefly here. Please bear with my update post. More on education (in China and otherwise) coming your way soon. 

* My New York life is packed up and I have moved to Shanghai, China. This is for personal and professional reasons, and I will be here for at least a handful of months. 

* I have signed with a great literary agent in NY to work on the book I've been writing, which is a coming of age memoir about, in short, Korean culture, KPop, education, and family. 

* Currently I am studying Chinese intensively.

* The work I do related to education consulting will proceed, as I work both remotely and in-person with clients. I have been meeting with education professionals in China and will continue to learn more about the education culture in this city and country before deciding what my next career step will look like.

* I've spent the past couple of weeks writing and traveling in Yunnan province, a great break after the crazy logistics of packing and moving away. 

Now back to the regularly scheduled program. :)