I continue walking down the main street.About 50 meters past the herbal food restaurant，there is a shop papered with a poster for AIDS prevention.This is actually a clinic for Acupuncture and Moxibustion，another far-east and exotic traditional Chinese therapy with a history of over one thousand years.I enter and am welcomed by a doctor.She takes notes：too much eye strain，stomach acid，acne and restlessness.Then she asks me to lie faced up on the bed.She takes out a bag containing different sizes of steel needles labeled“never reused”.Then she inserts the first small needle at the middle point between my eyebrows.I feel an ache with a little sourness and heavy feeling.She says it is for my eyes，which sounds logical，but the positions of the other needles are intriguing.Two needles are inserted on my ankle for my stomach acid problem.Two needles are inserted between my index and middle fingers for my acne problem.She began to do some special manipulations for each needle on my body with lifting and thrusting，twirling and rotating until I got the needling sensation as soreness，numbness，distention or heaviness around the needles.She also heats up a cup and presses it on my chess.She explains that is to induce relaxation and drowsiness in order to optimize the therapeutic effects of the needles.But I only see a bulge of fat drawn into the cup，the flesh around it flushing with blood.How is this supposed to make me sleepy？She explains that if this particular area of the chest is grasped and warmed up by the cup，then it will stimulate the blood circulation across the body and help body's micro-circulation reach equilibrium.With all the needles stick out of my body，I close my eyes to shutout from this cruel scene.But in the dark，it's a world of beauty and grace.The needles feel like tiny microwave，their points radiating calm and warmth through my muscles.Wherever they reach，they seem to posh my blood through blockages.Felt liberated，my nerve sings in chorus.My curious eyes are caught by a big picture of a naked man on the wall.He is densely covered by points and channels which pertain to the internal organs and extend to the extremities and joints.I discern in the branch channel leading up from the ankle and connecting with a larger main canal leading to the stomach.But I cannot map out how my finger can be anywhere associated with acne.I gaze at the man and gradually imagine the man is a grand universe with the points transforming into those galaxies，just as described in the old Chinese medicine.But I also see stars flying around and fall into sleep.Warm and comfortable…
“How much is that？”
“15 Yuan.”The doctor says.
coming out of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion clinic，I feel so fresh，my body nourished.Along the street，I see an old man holding a sign，advertising his business—dream interpretation.I sit down facing him.“Young man，what can I do for you？”He says.“Last night，I dreamt someone gave me a punch in the face，then I woke up.”He asks for my left hand，and then consults a Yin and Yang diagram，saying“Congratulations，you'll have a happy surprise in four months.”
“That sounds good，”I say，“how much does it cost？”
“One dream？Five Yuan.”
When I walk up the street，bathed in the light of a rose—hued sunset，I am thinking，“Here records hundreds of years of Chinese history—a civilization of ancient Chinese clinical methods，the most original forms of Chinese medicinal history.Although objectively speaking，ancient Chinese deions of channels is a fanciful thing since when we cut open a person no such things are visible，using food to cure disease is controversial，all these methods are puzzles and mysterious，yet they do help eliminate pain and once served as the only historically Chinese medicine saving thousands of lives in thousands of years.If I can enroll in Johns Hopkins，settling into its supreme environment for studying medicine，I can conceive so many intriguing scientific projects associated with Chinese ancient medicine.Herbal food may contain living enzymes that are crucial yet undiscovered.Acupuncture may hint at some clues to neurobiology.Although overall these possibilities cannot compare to the mainstream study of molecular biology for medical therapeutics，and they are unlikely to form the focus of my studies，who knows what splendid things may be found in them？”
I return to my home in the city's north.I stop at the McDonald.I order a hamburger and a soda.
“The total comes to 30.5 Yuan.”“OK，”I say，then lowering my voice to myself，“That's unfair.This is all I get？Look at what I got in the old town…”
Yet I am still hopeful on the happy surprise the old man said.After I finish this essay and mail to Johns Hopkins，I spend the whole night expecting something lucky happening four months from now.
3）切忌长篇大论
英语不是我们自己的母语，我们要尽量避免写长篇英语。首先，要完全保证任何你提供的信息的准确性和可读性。其次，写个人陈述常胜不败的一招就是以小见大，写小事，除非你有什么十分特别的经历，比如你经常周末时用你的数学天赋在赌城赚得盆满钵盈，能dazzle（使赞叹不已）招生办的人，这种经历一般我们不太可能拥有。因此你就把一件真实发生在你身上的、自己真正投入的、对你真正产生感触的小事写清楚，更不要去费尽心机到处寻找什么范文或者照搬别人的经历。外国人注重人性化，你写一点儿煽情的东西会比歌颂你自己如何优秀效果好很多。写出你自己是谁，怎样一个人，用你自己去感动别人。要相信每个人都有自己不平凡的地方，能打动别人的地方。听我堂姐说她当年报考耶鲁大学写个人陈述时写的就是一件小事。她当时乘十分拥挤的火车，一路长途跋涉，受了不少皮肉之苦，终于到了终点站，一看奶奶已经在站台上等待着，感觉自己为亲情付出这一切都值得。外国人往往被人情味、被compassionation（同情心）所打动。
说到这点，再拿一篇我申请成功的个人申请文章给大家参考。当时该校给的作文题目是“Please discuss your personal motto”（请谈谈你自己的座右铭）。