joanne.r.liu,
Dartmouth
B.A., Economics
Hi! I'm Joanne and I'm from Hong Kong. I'm deeply passionate about volunteering and global development, but I also love sports and baking in my free time!
Features Included
10
Essays
6
Schools
6
Scores
4
Advice
10
ECs
2
Sports
Background
Hometown
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
GenderFemale
EthnicityAsian
Class of2023
First Gen College StudentNo
Results, Essays, and Advice
Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
-
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.
Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)
Applied for a B.A. in Economics
Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: NoSchool Specific Essays
Personal Statement663 WordsChallenged a belief, Creative personal story, Development of personal values, Extracurricular passion, Issue of personal significance, Story central to identityThorny, pungent, unbecoming – you wouldn’t be wrong to describe the jagged fruit as such. Misunderstood, full of surprises – these descriptions also hold true. Most people staunchly refuse to eat the durian, but you only need to give it a chance. I, however, am obsessed with it – not only because of its nostalgic taste but also because oddly, the ‘king of fruit’ and I share much in common. One day, when I was twelve and home alone, I caught a...Read more...Personal Statement243 WordsAcademic achievement, Childhood memory, Chinese heritage, Creative personal story, Issue of personal significance, One moment that changed youI find solace in the kitchen. Having a tranquil space to push and explore the boundaries of food draws me to cooking: from Chinese nian gao rice cakes to fusion black sesame brownies, I cherish every opportunity to experiment with bold new ideas. Growing up around the Chinese social ideal of quiet deference, I never considered myself as fearless. Yet to my family and friends, I was always the ambitious girl who relentlessly experimented with new ideas whenever inspiration struck....Read more...Personal Statement317 WordsAcademic achievement, Challenged a belief, Chinese heritage, Extracurricular passion, Issue of personal significance, Story central to identityGrowing up around the Chinese social norm of deference, I never considered myself as fearless. Yet to my family and friends, I was always the ambitious girl who loved experimenting with bold new ideas. I discovered this powerful, quiet determination when walking into my first-ever Model UN meeting in middle school. Since then, I have participated in numerous conferences, representing nations from Chad to Kuwait, and gained an understanding of specialized issues such as bitcoin mining - issues I had...Read more...Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay97 WordsDartmouth is where I want to be. I relish the thought of kaleidoscopic sunrikes at dawn, tantalizing intellectual feasts of modified Economics and Human-Centered Design, preludes of apple picking before Homecoming Bonfires and Collis After Dark finales with my fellow ‘23s. Dartmouth is a dream where I envisage myself reading in Sanborn Library, examining East Asian grassroots development with Dr. Bauer, pushing my physical limits with the Dartmouth Outing Club and challenging my mind by perfecting my French during a...Read more...Supplemental Essay: Issue of personal significance296 WordsOne chilly morning two years ago, we arrived at an intellectually disabled children’s center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, utterly unprepared for the ensuing frenzy. We were thrown into chaos for two solid hours, running back and forth to break up fights, and there never seemed to be enough nurses. We soon learned that the center relied on unqualified tourist volunteers like ourselves to care for the children. I felt helplessly inadequate, as none of us had worked with special needs...Read more...Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay600 WordsSetting foot on the grounds of the University of Chicago for the first time, I was immediately enamored with its Hogwartian neo-Gothic architecture. UChicago, however, presents a truly transformative form of magic: the magic of ideas. UChicago champions the diversity of opinion, where people deeply committed to pursuing the truth gather together, to question and challenge each other’s personal convictions. My city of Hong Kong straddles a British past and a Chinese present. I have been intrigued by local...Read more...Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school620 Words
Inspired by Hannah Lu, Class of 2020I never noticed the way you sat there, head tilted to the sky as heat waves and icy rain beat down on you, day and night. Inconsiderate and ignorant, I spilled hot lattes into your lap, leaning my sweaty post-run legs on your shoulders. Dear Park Bench, I am sorry. The time has come for us to part ways and we must say goodbye. I want to leave you one of my favorite poems that reminds me of our days...Read more...Supplemental Essay: Intellectual interest259 WordsInspired by the power of literacy to change lives, I founded a program dedicated to improving refugee children’s reading skills in Hong Kong. Stories, as the cornerstone of my childhood, whisked my mind millions of miles away and allowed me to dream. I deeply wish to encourage young children to love reading as much as I do. Nonetheless, starting such an ambitious program was not without its challenges. One girl in particular, Bintou, was especially disobedient. Despite our patient...Read more...Supplemental Essay: Extracurricular activity353 WordsCan helping hurt? One chilly morning two years ago, I stumbled upon this uncomfortable question during my first foray into voluntourism, while on a school service trip. We arrived at an intellectually disabled children’s home in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Utterly unprepared for the ensuing frenzy, we were thrown headfirst into chaos with kids for two solid hours and there never seemed to be enough nurses. We soon learned that the center relied on funneling in dozens of tourists like us...Read more...Supplemental Essay: Other105 WordsI have exhausted virtually all of my school’s collegelevel social science courses, from economics to human geography. As a further challenge, I am writing an independent research paper that aims to provide social policy suggestions for women’s educational empowerment in Bangladesh. This experience paves the way for my prospective studies in International Economics, a truly international yet tightknit program at UBC that affords me unique opportunities to learn about global development. From coop programs to...Read more...Supplemental Essay: Scholarship application410 WordsCan helping hurt? I stumbled upon this uncomfortable question during my first foray into voluntourism one chilly morning two years ago. During a school service trip, we arrived at an intellectually disabled children’s home in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Utterly unprepared for the ensuing frenzy, we were thrown headfirst into chaos with kids for two solid hours, and there never seemed to be enough nurses. We soon learned that the center relied on funneling dozens of tourists like us to care...Read more...Supplemental Essay: Scholarship application394 WordsAs an avid debater and reader, I am passionate about words and languages. Living in Hong Kong, I am aware of the socioeconomic inequality hidden behind my city’s glimmering skyscrapers. Yet I also understand the power of literacy to break the poverty cycle. Feeling compelled to try and change this status quo, I felt inspired to found a local program dedicated to improving refugee children’s literacy. Last year, I was granted $10,000 HKD in funding from our school’s...Read more...School Specific Advice
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General Admissions Advice
My advice about getting recommenders366 WordsSubject teacher: My counselors advised that most students pick one humanities/language/social studies teacher and one STEM teacher as their recommenders. While I did take some math and chemistry courses in high school, I wasn't planning on majoring in them at all – I decided to go the more economics/gov/poli sci route. So, both of my recommenders were social sciences teachers. One was my Human Geography teacher and the other was my Economics teacher. Teacher: Don't choose a teacher that gave you an A for their class. Choose a teacher that knows you as a person – as a...Read more...Whether I used a private admissions counselor, and advice I received154 WordsI did not use a private admissions counselor. Some family friends did and it worked well for them, so I decided to have a trial consultation and see how it went. It's a very expensive service. These admissions counselors tend to sell you a 4-year package...Read more...Recommended summer activities during high school and college281 WordsI definitely recommend doing something useful during the summer. While it is a long two months, it can easily go to waste if you don't plan ahead and make logistical arrangements so you can get as most out of your summer as possible. You should, by all means, allocate some time to travel, spend time with family and friends, and to just relax. However, you should also do something productive, whether it be broadening your horizons, learning something new, challenging yourself, getting...Read more...How I narrowed down my essay topics307 WordsI initially wanted to choose my Common App essay prompt before my topic, and as a result, I spent weeks debating on what topic to write about. I later realized that the essay prompts are all open-ended and can be interpreted in so many different ways – for a reason. Regardless of which prompt you choose, you can still be capable of writing a stellar essay. So, my advice is to not get too caught-up on choosing the "perfect" prompt to use. Don't waste your time getting torn between different prompts. You should start writing whatever comes to mind immediately. If...Read more...High School Performance
Unweighted GPA3.917RankTop 25%
Test Scores
Highest ACT35ACT Score DetailsOther ACT ScoresACT Prep
AP / IB Classes and Scores
Details9 classes and scoresSports
SportsSoftball, Table Tennis (Ping Pong)
Extracurriculars
ActivitiesModel Congress / Model UN, Book Buddies, Social Justice, Athletics Organization, Athletics Organization, Other Club/Activity, Tutoring/Mentoring, National Honor Society, Nonprofit, NGO or Charitable Organization, French Club
Elaborate on Extracurriculars or Work
Experience & Awards
Volunteer Experiences
Awards Received
Application Additional Materials
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