Dear Younger Me,
Remember that evening in 1993 when Dad brought home our first television? How you sat cross-legged on the floor, mesmerized by images of snow-covered streets and towering skyscrapers so different from our little corner of Truong Dinh Street? You wrote about that moment in your college essay—how that "magical box" expanded your world and planted the seeds of your dreams to study abroad.
That was a beautiful story. But I now see that in your eagerness to impress admissions officers, you scattered too many seeds instead of nurturing just one to full bloom.
If I could guide you through that process again, here's what I would tell you:
Choose depth over breadth. You don't need to showcase every achievement or quality you possess. Your essay about the television had power because it was specific and meaningful. Trust that one well-told story reveals more about your character than a list of your best traits ever could. When you tried to add your academic achievements, leadership roles, and community service into that same essay, you diluted its impact.
Focus on moments that truly shaped you. That television didn't just show you foreign countries—it fundamentally shifted how you understood your place in the world. That's what made it significant. Not every experience needs to be dramatic to be meaningful. The quiet afternoon you spent teaching your grandmother to use a smartphone might reveal more about your patience and empathy than the time you won that regional competition.
Let your authentic voice shine through. Remember how you rewrote that television essay three times, each version sounding increasingly like what you thought admissions officers wanted to hear? By the final draft, your vibrant voice had been polished away. The essay no longer sounded like you. The most compelling version was actually your first draft—unpolished but genuine, with your excitement pulsing through every sentence.
College admissions officers don't need to see a perfect version of you. They need to see the real you—curious, flawed, growing, and genuine. Give them a window into one meaningful moment, and trust that through that single pane, they'll glimpse the full landscape of who you are.
Looking back with clarity,
Your Older Self