19 University of California, Berkeley Essay Samples That Worked

Prompt: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.

For nearly two years, I have been a part of an organization that designs and participates in volunteer events to support youth education in Turkey, called [Organization Redacted]. My main focus as part of the organization has been the English Empowerment Program. For the program, I talk for an hour each week with a Turkish university student to help her improve her English conversation skills and fluency. Working with my Turkish partner has been a truly incredible experience. Through the program, I solidified my connection to my Turkish heritage and culture while making a valuable friendship with someone I otherwise wouldn’t have crossed paths with. Our hour-long conversations never drag on and I am always surprised when I check the time and realize it’s time to hang up. Whenever I see an interesting movie or visit a new place, I make a mental note and add it to the list of things I save to talk to her about. It is incredibly satisfying to me to see the results of our conversations and know that I am a reason for her progress. Because of our meetings, my partner’s English has become much more fluent and she is much more confident in her conversation skills. While at the start of the program she would stutter constantly and frequently translate words using a translator, now she rarely forgets words in English and can almost flawlessly follow our conversation. Because of our conversations, my partner got into an exchange program that required fluency in English. I am proud of myself for consistently working with my partner and building a meaningful relationship with her over the months. The program has helped me grow as a person by giving me the opportunity and experience to use my culture and knowledge to benefit someone else.

Prompt: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

“Every child can.” Suzuki’s philosophy was drilled into me each time the clock struck 8:00 pm, and it was time to practice piano. Until middle school, I was that stereotypical Asian boy, forced to play the “moving” works of 19th-century composers in preparation for an annual music recital. Playing the piano was a way of showing the right upbringing—much like getting good grades. However, I felt confined within the glittering and intricate compositions of Chopin, Debussy, and other composers as I sat for countless hours on my uncomfortable piano bench, playing the same waltzes, intermezzos, preludes over and over again. Did I really enjoy playing the piano, or was I just trying to please my traditional Chinese parents? It seemed that the latter became increasingly apparent as I kept playing. My break came when I stopped taking lessons for a month. I began to learn songs by ear while listening to the radio. Due to years of classical training, it was surprisingly easy for me to pick up and learn new songs. No longer restricted by the bounds of classical music, I learned pop, jazz, and even reggae music and discovered how to improvise on the various chord progressions. I finally began to appreciate the piano and its versatility. As my fingers move across the white ivory keys, I learn more about myself too. My piano is a portal to a world where my creativity runs free. I’ve realized that enjoying the activities I love stems from an intrinsic desire to improve, not anyone else’s expectations. Playing the piano allowed me to creatively unwind from the daily stress of schoolwork and extracurricular activities—something that my earlier piano classes had added to. I could be swamped with responsibilities but always made time to play an uplifting tune like Pompeii by Bastille. My parents and I have accepted that I’m not a musical prodigy, but my piano bench has become much more comfortable since I decided to switch gears and play the music that gives me pleasure.

Prompt: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

I crunched the chip in my hand, as my mouth was busy debating with my teammate. The current dispute was focused on whether the problem at hand required a permutation or combination. Our voices gradually raised, more out of excitement rather than anger. We reached a consensus answer just before the time ran out, and refilled drinks before beginning the process of reviewing the test.

Elementary school math club began my passion for math, and I have continued with math club throughout my life. Through high school, I spent many afternoons with teammates at one of our houses, working together and trading tips we had learned. Though first place finishes in state Math is Cool competitions and qualifying for national competitions such as the AIME were definitely fulfilling experiences- and products of hours of hard work- my favorite part of math team has remained the friends and memories made.

Although competition math has been an important part of my mathematical journey, my desire to learn new math has expanded to other avenues. Through classes at ****** College and summer courses, I've had the ability to branch out, and begin dipping my toes into intriguing topics such as the applications of differential equations in medicine. I never fail to be amazed at the way math can extend past numbers on paper, and continue to love learning more.

I began tutoring students in different mathematical subjects, creating individualized curriculums for each student. In addition to ensuring these students understood their curriculum math, I loved introducing others to mathematical topics that weren't found in most classrooms. Subjects such as combinatorics, statistics, and number theory were often so much more interesting than algebraic equations, and I could see kids' interest grow as they learned the true possibilities math offered.

Math has always been a talent of mine, and I love that it ranges from fun competitions to an interdisciplinary topic with various real-world applications. As I continue to develop my love for math, I look forward to learning about statistical modeling in economics, number theory in cryptography, and whatever else math has to offer.

Prompt: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

The ability to take classes at my local community college for next to nothing as a high school student was a blessing because I was able to further fuel my fire for learning. My relentless pursuit of academic distinction was underpinned solely by the conviction that a sound education was the gateway to a promising future.

Beginning my freshmen year and throughout my junior year I took dual enrollment, science-related classes at my local community college to explore careers in medicine and mechanical engineering. At the time I was very interested in medicine because I wanted to become a doctor so I could hopefully one day treat my grandparents, giving them the treatment they could not receive. Furthermore, as someone with a passion for working with motors of all kinds I found it fitting to take a path in engineering. Sophomore year marked a pivotal juncture in my academic and personal journey. During this period, I embarked on the rigorous path of AP courses, it was a period where I pushed my boundaries, achieving scholarly excellence with unwavering "A" grades, and taking more difficult dual enrollment classes.

Junior year constituted a litmus test of my resolve and resilience. Driven by ambition, I embraced an even more demanding academic regimen, willingly immersing myself in more AP coursework, including the formidable subjects of calculus and English, despite my non-native proficiency in the latter; I took more difficult dual enrollment classes. The crucible of this academic year bore witness to a profound shift, as the impetus for testing my mettle and exploring the frontiers of my potential emanated not from my father's expectations, but rather from my own intrinsic motivation and self-imposed challenges.'

I finished junior year successfully, with straight A's, class rank 1, and constantly in search of rigor like taking AP Calculus BC and AP Physics on UC Scout since they were not offered on campus. I relished that I was one step closer to finishing this odyssey.

Prompt: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

I like to create, and computer science is an engine of creation, whether for social impact or just for fun. As our robotics team Co-Captain, I learned how to breathe life into our robot by learning from the FIRST Rootics’s community’s group chats and tutorials on Java programming. I also discovered and implemented innovative technologies from other teams, such as giving the robot the power of “sight” through Computer Vision, and motion profiling to enable autonomous movement. Learning from the FIRST community exposed me to the wide variety of exciting technologies vital for developing a competitively successful robot. Seeking a fun summer opportunity, I pursued an internship with ValueLabs. That summer, I not only learned about the NLP technologies and frameworks required to create bots, I also experienced the power of simple technology solutions to mitigate large-scale business concerns. you really want to say?. To use my internship to contribute to the real world, I reached out to local nonprofit organizations in the area, offering to develop chatbots for them. The differing requirements of various nonprofits, and the development process exposed me to the versatility of chatbots as technologies. Wanting to create an environmental impact, I worked with a childhood friend to develop EcoMap. EcoMap is an interactive map that encourages visitors to learn about various environmental and wildlife issues, linked to nonprofits trying to counter them. Learning web development to build a visually appealing platform that could spread awareness from the ground up was satisfying, but working on EcoMap exposed me to the fascinating potential innovative technology solutions have in countering large-scale environmental issues. These experiences have encouraged me to set new goals as I continue applying CS to directly address larger-scale issues through academic research and entrepreneurial initiatives. Moreover, much of my experience with CS has been in real-world applications, but I want to expand my theoretical knowledge through algorithmically driven college courses. Whatever I may choose to do with CS in the future, I would enjoy my work as long as I’m still creating.