Bachelor of Commerce questions

EXPLAIN HOW YOU RESPONDED TO A PROBLEM AND/OR AN UNFAMILIAR SITUATION.

WHAT DID YOU DO, WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE
EXPERIENCE? (MAXIMUM 1500 CHARACTERS) (214-375 words)

The overcoming of a problem is something that is seen on a daily basis whether they are small or
large ones, each having their outcomes and learning experiences from it. I myself had the opportunity
to face many unfamiliar situations being enrolled in an international IB school in Cambodia. This
included the courses that I took, extra curricular activities, and being exposed to such a culturally
diverse community. A personal example of this would be the time spent on the swim team where
problems were faced constantly. In my case there was a swimmer from another school whom I never
seemed to get the edge on and being competitive, this did bother me. Rather than doubting myself
and blaming the other swimmer for being better I took matters into my own hands. In response, I
increased the number of training days per week along with a changed mindset towards the sport. The
biggest change would be how I saw each training session, from it being a source of exercise to an
opportunity to improve. As a swimmer I improved tremendously and was able to close the gap with
the other swimmer even if I wasn’t winning.

I learnt that a personal problem can only be solved by one’s own will to overcome it. One could say,
“Motivation is what starts us off, but habits is what keeps us going.” I do hope that in my time in UBC I
can keep swimming through the aquatics program that is provided as swimming is something that I
want to keep doing.

WE LIVE IN A GLOBAL AND DIVERSE SOCIETY. EXPLAIN HOW YOUR COMMUNITY

INVOLVEMENT PREPARES YOU FOR THE FUTURE IN THIS COMPLEX WORLD. (MAXIMUM
1500 CHARACTERS)

Thanks to the advancements of technology and globalisation our societies have truly transformed
from what they used to be. School’s can now see up to 50 different nationalities within the student
population which wouldn’t have been possible for older generations. This has allowed students to
expose themselves to a large variety of cultures different to their own. I’ve had the privilege of
studying at an international school for my entire educational career where I have met people all over
the world and of many different religions. Thanks to this I have been able to discover different
ideologies, beliefs, and ways of life completely different from mine. This has provided me the
opportunity to be able to view and understand the world from a different lens.

I am hoping that as a result the transition into the UBC campus which has over 70,000 students from
140 different countries will be nothing out of the ordinary. This will hopefully be an amazing
opportunity to meet even more people from around the world, learn about even more cultures, and
possibly rediscover myself throughout. The time spent within my community in Cambodia has driven
my desire to want to explore more of the world and to discover what it has to offer. When the time
does come for me to start working after university I strongly believe that my time spent in this diverse
environment will make it that much easier when I do enter this complex world.

TELL US ABOUT WHO YOU ARE. HOW WOULD YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND/OR MEMBERS
OF YOUR COMMUNITY DESCRIBE YOU? IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE INCLUDE SOMETHING
ABOUT YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF AND WHY. (MAXIMUM 1500
CHARACTERS)

I have grown up in Cambodia for the majority of my life and the country itself has truly become a
home for me during this time. To the point where travelling to other countries feels like a completely
different world from what I am used to.

As a person I and members within my community believe I am someone who is very goal oriented,
once I have set my mind on achieving something I will do whatever it takes to do so. This trait of mine
is applicable to many aspects of life including my academics, athletics, and or personal goals of mine.
Which means that when I start doing something I want to ensure that I am not like everyone else,
ensuring I find that thing that will differentiate myself from the rest. This probably comes from my
competitiveness which can especially be seen during my years on the swim team. As once I started
taking the sport seriously I didn’t just want to be participating, I needed to be doing it at the highest
level. Which was only possibly through the motivation of my teammates and my competitors which
eventually led to me becoming the captain of the swim team at my own school. Which I must say is
something that I am most proud about as years of training and effort was finally starting to show for
everyone to see. Especially looking back to when I started out on the team I could barely swim which
did make the moment of becoming captain that much more significant.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU? WHY? (MAXIMUM 1500 CHARACTERS)

The thing that I consider to be important would be that the time and effort I put into things do not go to
waste. This could be trying a new studying technique, trying to get to know someone better, or
attempting a new sport. Within all of these whether the end outcomes are successful or not I strive to
ensure that I get something out of the experience. Such as learning from the mistakes I made and
making sure that they are not made again in the future, which allows me to improve myself as a
person. To go through an experience where time and effort was put into and to then take nothing out
of it would truly be a waste of time. In my mind time is the most valuable resource that one has, if one
is able to effectively use the time that is provided almost anything is possible. Which would explain my
constant need of having to plan out my entire days and even weeks with the need of knowing what I
need to do now and later in the future. This link backs to my mindset where if I am able to start a task
earlier it allows me to spend larger amounts of time ensuring the quality of the work is up to par. Also
allowing me to open up time for later to then fill in that space with something else or allow myself to
rest. The IB has been the main reason why utilising time to its fullest has become so important as the
need to coordinate and organise work throughout the 2 years in the IB is crucial.

Your activities

Athletics:
Regarding athletics I was a part of the swim team from my first year in my school in grade 6 up until
the end of grade 11 in 2021. At the start of grade 10 I was named the captain of the swim team and
led the team for 2 years.
The number of trainings ranged from 5-14 times a week throughout the entire span. However near my
prime in grade 9-10, just before covid I was training at about 12-14 times a week.

Service to others:
For CAS I decided to run a charity swimming event where all the money collected would go to a
charity (CCF) towards the education of swimming to kids that didn't know how to swim. As drowning is
a serious issue here in Cambodia. For every dollar that was donated I would then swim 100 meters.
Through advertising the event I ended up collecting $160 where I ended up swimming 16km
none-stop. However this was adjusted to 4km between 3 other people (total of 4 people) to
compensate for the distance.

TELL US MORE ABOUT ONE OR TWO ACTIVITIES LISTED ABOVE THAT ARE MOST
IMPORTANT TO YOU. PLEASE EXPLAIN THE ROLE YOU PLAYED AND WHAT YOU LEARNED IN
THE PROCESS. YOU WILL BE ASKED FOR A REFERENCE WHO CAN SPEAK TO YOUR
RESPONSE. (MAXIMUM 2100 CHARACTERS)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Optional)

You may wish to use the space below to provide UBC with more information on your
academic history to date and/or your future academic plans. For example: How did you
choose your courses in secondary school? Are there life circumstances that have
affected your academic decisions to date? What have you done to prepare yourself
specifically for your intended area of study at UBC? (maximum 600 characters)

● Take time to reflect. Instead of simply listing your accomplishments and

experiences, tell us what you've learned from them.
● Be specific. Use details to provide context and elaborate on your answers.
● Be true to who you are. Don't focus on what you think we want to hear.