College Application Essays accepted by University of California - Berkeley

University of California - Berkeley

Very recently I finished writing a one-act play entitled Michelle. I love to write, but writing this play was often painful. That is what made it different.

I created three characters, each with their own set of oddities, aberrations, and manias....

University of California - Berkeley

Suspended on the wall of my fatherâs office is a photograph of someone I once knew well yet now barely recognize, a girl with a thick mane of platinum hair and a bronze, painted face. Images of this girl dance through my memory whenever my eyes...

University of California - Berkeley

Light brown autumn leaves blew swiftly across the cracked sidewalk that outlines my oldest brother Lance's house. I stood silently there and stared at him walking down the street, his two year old son Luke trotting at his side. The sun was orange...

University of California - Berkeley

"You have to be wary of other religions," Mrs. Ebel explained. It was not hard for any of us fourth graders to come up with the imaginative moniker "Mrs. Evil". "Believers of Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam don't believe in Christ as their savior and...

University of California - Berkeley

(A)mbition, balance and commitment are the three qualities that I refer to as my "ABC's" for achieving "D", my dream. (B)eing successful depends on continual awareness of your ABC's. (C)arefully following this philosophy has guided me through...

University of California - Berkeley

"Work hard and get a good job, so you can have a better life than your father and me." My mother's wise words play in my head like a broken record. Her endless endeavors have inspired me to strive for success-not only to follow through with my...

University of California - Berkeley

"So, what do you want to do today?"

The woman stood in front of me with her clipboard and pen, patiently waiting for my answer. I turned my head to look at my brother-in-law's door down the hallway. My body ached; I had been savagely beaten that...

University of California - Berkeley

After being selected as a delegate to the Freedoms Foundation Leadership Conference at Valley Forge, I agonized over whether it would be worth missing a week of school and work. However, the trip exceeded my highest expectations. My opinions,...

University of California - Berkeley

I begged my mother to let me wash it off in the car. It was Ash Wednesday and, as a third grader new to public school, the cross of ashes on my forehead burned. My mother told me to be proud that I was Catholic and to remember how lucky I was...

University of California - Berkeley

Slapping away yet another mosquito, I scrabbled and slid on the rough, gravel path. The steam rising from the earth fogged my glasses and gave credence to the affectionate nickname we had for this place: 'Hell'. It was the summer after sophomore...

University of California - Berkeley

At Brown, the Carrie Tower chimes, class beckons, and I walk in barefoot.

Barefoot like my abuela, who at the age of seventeen chased down the thief who snatched her purse. Armed with only indignation and pride, her feet pounded the soft earth of...

University of California - Berkeley

Nevin peeled off a sticker from his binder and posted it to my forehead. "MADE IN CHINA," it said. I faked a nonchalant laugh, but my blushing face betrayed my feeling of defeat. All that I had strived for seemed to have been futile. What Nevin...

University of California - Berkeley

"Dive line!" my fastidious volleyball coach yells.

The sound of these two words still frightens me at night. Dive line is an appalling exercise- we scurry a few feet to get up to speed, dive onto the freshly waxed floor, skid a few more feet on...

University of California - Berkeley

I am a ruthless Amazon: five foot eight without my favorite three-inch heels. Silently I stalk my prey, the tip of my tongue poking out of my mouth in the age-old sign of concentration. I know it’s close. Years of practice have taught me to sense...

University of California - Berkeley

It was at the age of five when I noticed that not everyone was like me. I suddenly became aware of different customs, beliefs and of course foods. What really caught my attention, however, was language, and I started to explore worlds of new...

University of California - Berkeley

What started as a simple chemistry project turned into a huge part of my life for two and a half months. Amanjeet, my partner, and I spent at least two hours each day in our school laboratory measuring acids and bases, calculating pH levels, and...

University of California - Berkeley

As I rushed up to the sliding glass doors that marked the entrance to the Emergency Room, my heart pounded with exhilaration. Patients were sitting in chairs, lying on stretchers, and nervously pacing the floor. With a dry mouth and sweaty palms,...

University of California - Berkeley

Academic Preparation

Last summer, I attended the COSMOS program at UC Santa Cruz to learn about Stars, Sight, and Science. Pulling up into the driveway of College Nine, my heart began to beat rapidly and I quickly realized that it was time for me...

University of California - Berkeley

There simply was no solution. With tears of frustration in my eyes I went through the options for the hundredth time. I had come face to face with one of life’s many brutal truths: no one can build a sand-castle by herself. About to give up in...

University of California - Berkeley

“The world is flat.” When I was little, I never believed this line. I would always show off in class, proudly proclaiming: “The earth is a sphere!” But now, I see the line again, on the title of a book by Thomas Friedman—and, this time, I have no...

University of California - Berkeley

“Do you see now?” The voice rang in my ears as I shook my head for the umpteenth time. My eyes were tightly shut, trying to hold back the tears of anger and frustration. When I opened them again, the world looked to me as it always did; only now...

University of California - Berkeley

Eyes fixed upon the image in front of her, brows slightly furrowed, the girl appeared to be lost in thought. While the others walked on after stopping briefly before the piece, she stood there with her feet glued to the spot. I watched the girl...

University of California - Berkeley

What a familiar sight, I thought to myself as I subconsciously stopped to stare through the display window. A couple of mannequins were dressed in half-finished garments, surrounded by waves of colourful fabrics cascading down the table. Pools of...