College Application Essays accepted by University of California - Los Angeles

University of California - Los Angeles

I shiver with anticipation as the other nine finalists and I line up on the Portland Teen Idol stage. I’ve performed my songs to the best of my ability, and now I grasp the clammy hands of my talented neighbors, waiting to hear the results. The...

University of California - Los Angeles

Dairy products crushed my dreams. My pediatrician delivered the terrible news: she said that my constant stomach aches had been caused by a dairy allergy that had, until recently, lain dormant. This development would be a tough pill for any...

University of California - Los Angeles

The sun warms my frozen skin, and the granite flecked with pine needles and ants is rough under my beach towel. Gratefully I accept an apple and a piece of baguette with cheese from my father, and reluctantly pass the bag of trail mix resplendent...

University of California - Los Angeles

Muted pastels climbed sluggishly into the sky that morning, pale pinks and periwinkles barely peeking through the marine layers of Imperial Beach. It was the kind of morning ideal for lounging in pajamas. And yet as dawn shed its light, I found my...

University of California - Los Angeles

If I had to describe the culture of my family in one word, it would be "resilient." Every year, my father gets a new assignment... fight in the skies above Iraq, train future pilots in Mississippi, advise a four star general in Hawaii, and now,...

University of California - Los Angeles

If you prick us do we not bleed? If you stab us do we not die?

I cry out in pain, despair and anger, every nerve of my upper torso tensed up. The flood lights trip. The spotlight - amidst the darkness - illuminates my presence as Shylock, in The...

University of California - Los Angeles

“Ms. Tucker, what happens when type A and type O blood are mixed together in a test tube at the same time? Since you’re not putting A into O or O into A, will the blood still clot?“

I knew that patients receiving blood transfusions could only...

University of California - Los Angeles

Feet. It’s 6:30 in the morning and I wake up to the sight of ten mini-sausage toes. Exasperated, I recount last night’s struggles trying to sleep with my little brother at my side. First came the turning upside-down. He had a habit of gradually...

University of California - Los Angeles

As my tongue swelled, I realized — hold on, this might be a peanut butter cookie. Immediately, I began to panic — “I’m too young to die! I haven’t even gone to college yet!” Then I reminded myself. “Stay calm. Getting worried won’t help.” Instead,...

University of California - Los Angeles

“Molly Christine McMillen! What in the world is this?” My mom scorns, as she drags one of her best tupperware dishes out from under my pink, Disney princess bed. My wide, five-year-old eyes look up at her with bewilderment and fear, yet with...

University of California - Los Angeles

Of all the people I’ve met in my lifetime, three in particular have overwhelmingly influenced who I am and who I want to be.

At 4 years old, I found myself in Vietnam, racing a motorcycle with my mischievous cousins through chaotic streets against...

University of California - Los Angeles

A smile spread on my face even before my feet touched the ground as I landed my flip and saluted the judge. I had just finished competing at the last meet of my first gymnastics season with Irvington High School, and my routines had all gone well....

University of California - Los Angeles

I grew up with pictures of Philips Academy Andover plastered on my bedroom walls, closets, and shelves, each meticulously clipped from the 20 alumni magazines whose contents I knew by heart. When my acceptance letter arrived in my freshman year, I...

University of California - Los Angeles

I rushed home, moving as fast as my gangly 12-year-old legs could take me. After an obligatory “Hi Mom!”, I set about gathering materials to fuel my latest experiment: loose sheets of paper and paper clips. Today, my music teacher had presented...

University of California - Los Angeles

The physician didn't have to say a word for me to understand that foreboding news was to come. I had seen that expression before: unseeing eyes, unmoving lips.

“Your uncle has been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.”

Images of patients...

University of California - Los Angeles

It's 2:00 AM on Christmas Day: My fourth grade self tumbled out of the warmth of my comforter, stumbling to the closet where I had hoarded gifts for the last seven months. Buried beneath faded bedsheets, I pulled them out: a jar of cookie butter,...

University of California - Los Angeles

My knees and shins are coated with a layer of damp sand as I roll out of the pit. Standing up, I can feel my heart banging in my chest, the blood pulsating loudly in my head. Gingerly, I put pressure on my right foot and feel the familiar shock of...