College Application Essays accepted by University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - Los Angeles

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 - Los Angeles

A soft humming fills the quiet kitchen as she picks up another potato. Calmly, casually, almost lovingly, she guides a smooth steel blade under the thin, textured surface, and a perfect strip of skin falls onto the cutting board. Each stroke of...

University of California - Los Angeles

My first seven years were like night and day compared with the next ten. As the youngest in my extended family of cousins, aunts, and uncles, I was the center of attention, and my life felt as routine as clockwork. But that was all about to...

University of California - Los Angeles

My personal interests range from physics and math to the martial arts, but I would particularly like to address my interest in robotics and creative design. This interest alone has enhanced my creativity and problem solving skills, to the extent...

University of California - Los Angeles

"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 - Los Angeles

"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 - Los Angeles

As I watched my first black and white print slowly emerge from nothingness, the methodical ticking of the timer behind me, I smiled as a wave of excitement passed through me. Without thinking, I began to dance to the rhythm of the clock. From the...

University of California - Los Angeles

Dan vs. Mr. Titelbaum. An epic showdown between the junior class and the math department. A crowd gathers around the table as Mr. T and I set up for the final point, the point that determines who will advance to the finals of the first-ever CPS...

University of California - Los Angeles

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 - Los Angeles

"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 - Los Angeles

I would have never expected my life to change dramatically after a trip to the men’s room. However, on June 20, 2007, one did. I overheard a conversation that changed my point of view on nearly everything. “He didn’t even make it to Extemp...

University of California - Los Angeles

Anthony Brandt once said “Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” While others have certainly influenced my life, nothing has shaped the person I am more than my family.

My grandfather follows current events like a cult...

University of California - Los Angeles

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 - Los Angeles

The day: December 27th, 2007. The time: 6:45 PM. The location: Karachi, Pakistan. There was nothing out of the ordinary on this crisp December day, or so I thought. I did not know that this ordinary day would soon become one of the most important...

University of California - Los Angeles

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 - Los Angeles

His skinny figure stoops and meticulously cleans and wipes each green Dong leaf, then puts it into an small pile. Afterwards, he takes out a basket of peas and grinds them till they are as fine as wheat flour. Each of his movement is quick but...

University of California - Los Angeles

About 14 million people in the world identify themselves as Jewish, but what does that really mean? I struggle with this question because, to me, Judaism represents more of a culture than a religion. While I might say prayers and light the Shabbat...

University of California - Los Angeles

Two years ago I didn’t think twice about what brand name I was wearing, let alone where the article of clothing was manufactured. Mexico, Vietnam, China—until last year, they were little more than locations on a map to me. It was September, and I...

University of California - Los Angeles

When I was in grade school I wanted to be an engineer because my dad was an engineer. When I was in middle school I wanted to be a lawyer because my dad once tried to become a lawyer. I’m in high school-- my dad is still an engineer-- and I want...

University of California - Los Angeles

Homework was the catch to summer break. In middle school, it was all too common. We had two school-free months to do 100 pages of a math workbook. Back in middle school, I was quite confident in myself, so made a bet with a friend: if I finished...

University of California - Los Angeles

People often tell me how much I look like my grandmother. They say we share the same eyes, the same nose, and the same eager smile. What they don’t realize, however, is that the five-foot, white-haired, 61-year-old woman beside me is not my...