University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

College isn't just about the education--it is an experience; it is the best investment I have made thus far. The immense amount of knowledge I have gained is one out of numerous gains my college experience has provided. Among these gains are lifelong friends and a deeper appreciation for my family and my upbringing. The unique environment that living on-campus offers has allowed me to experience college as an individual fully capable of living independently, making my own decisions, and dealing with those consequences by myself. It has also given me the opportunity to have “me” time, which allows me to discover and create who I am simultaneously. My grasp of myself and of the world is stronger now than it has ever been, and it will only continue to grow. I would have missed out on all of this if I didn’t go to college. That is why my college experience is so valuable to me.

What I have gotten out of my college experience has been exploring the many majors and minors UCLA has to offered. I switched majors twice from Environmental Science to Political Science and I have decided to stay a Political Science major for good. I have really enjoyed taking GE classes from this major which I have enjoyed and longed to be part of for my career. As a college student I have been more involved in activities than I ever was in high school. I have participated with thousands of other students in Relay for Life which is a walk in which we collect donations for Cancer research and patients. I have been part of UCLA Volunteer Day in which we help around LA repainting schools and cleaning the beach. I have organized philanthropy events like Clothes Drive and now I'm organizing a benefit show. I really have enjoyed my time as a college student and this is pretty much what I have done in a year and a half I can't wait to see what it is to come in more years and what I will be accomplishing.

I've learned so much from my current graduate school experience. From high school I was unmotivated with no direction. My academic path has now lead me towards pursuing a Doctorate and I feel excited and passionate about what I am studying. I plan to make a significant difference in our society through the education system. I am currently building a strong foundation of knowledge so I may become and inspiring leader. I am working full-time as a community college counselor while attending school full-time. Managing both is painful but motivating. I am constantly inspired by both environments and I would really appreciate your consideration to award me this scholarship.

My undergraduate coursework in neurobiology and psychology has given me a unique perspective. I am forever considering the intricacies of brain circuitry and neural activity. I constantly see behaviors in equilibrium state responding to fluctuations in physiological function. Most importantly, my education has taught me to think critically, problem solve, and approach complex analyses confidently. Supplementing my coursework, I also pursued the opportunity to work as the primary research assistant on a large retrospective study at UCLA Medical Center. This experience gave me insight into how clinical research is conducted, and increased ability to critically examine and understand other medical research. Additionally, I have already had the privilege of working with multidisciplinary healthcare teams in multiple settings. As the coordinator of a yearly summer diabetes camp and in the UCLA emergency department, I have seen teams of physicians, nurses, EMTs, technicians, nutritionists and social workers come together to provide comprehensive patient care and education. I have come to have a great appreciation for the importance of a well-functioning interprofessional work and educational environment. These skills and insights gained during my experience at UCLA have been invaluable contribution to my life long skill sets.

From my college experience I have received an understanding and a sense of place in the world that I couldn't have fathomed prior to. Initally studying photography, the faculty at my school facilitated learning that forced me to consider wider possibilities than I was initially aware of. I have now chosen a path in Anthropology and feel I have found a path to my life's work, studying human culture and utilizing the universal communication of images as a vehicle of that study. I have received the priceless understanding of community and the knowledge that we are all engaged in a communal and global struggle, for which we are all responsible. My college has been valuable to attend because it has changed me; it has taught me to be a better and more engaged person and has shown me that we have just a limited amount of time to leave a positive footprint on humanity. Through my college, I have met people, students and faculty, that I have the greatest respect for, people to whom I partially owe my current life. They have taught me more about being a successful person than being a successful student.

I have not attented college yet, waiting to go, and to get my education. All i have behind me is military.

I have always wanted a career where I help people. When I visited the college i plan on attending, i knew that i could help people. I plan on becoming a medical assistant then furthering my career to become an RN. It is valuable for me to attend because I am learning new tasks on helping people.

I have decided to attend a two year community college due to the smaller classes and help available by teachers. I planned to get a hands on learning experience to better prepare me for my career. Due to the constant hands on learning environment i realized engineering wasnt my field. Although, by the end of december i will recieve an Associates of general science. Due to the hands on learning environment it helped me to decide what my true passion is. For fall semester i have chosen to pursue a digital media degree and plan to continue it at a four year university. With the help of a community college it has helped me to find my innerself and better prepare me for a university. Im grateful for the opportunity to have experienced the engineering field which will help me to understand the engineering prospective of things. Hopefully those skills are not lost and i can eventually apply them to the digital perspective. Not only did i find my passion but it showed me how to network, communicate and never give up on my goal. Pima Community college has definately taught me valuable life lessons mentally and spiritually.

When I started at Fullerton College in 2009, I was naive, and stubborn. I didn't realize the long hours I had to work, nor did I care. I admit I didn't complete work to the best of my ability, or use all my free time preparing for tests. After the first semester, I realized that I'd have to make changes in my habits. Unfortunately, I went back to my old ways. When the year was finished and I finally saw my grades, I knew this wasn't the way to succeed. Afterwards, I reconsidered other colleges, and decided to attend a school that would fit my educational desires. I then made an appointment with the admissions officer at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Now, I'm a first year student majoring in Visual Communications. From my previous college experience I learned that nothing in life comes easy. In order to get the education desired, you need to go above and beyond your professor's expectations. You need to prove you're willing to work hard, and succeed. It's definitely not easy, but in the end, a career doing what you love is worth it.

As I lingered at the intersection, I couldn’t remember what the volunteer coordinator meant by “take the bus in front of the Guitar Center”, so after taking the wrong one again and listening to very misleading advice from a stranger, I was standing rain-soaked at a remote location. As random as that sounds, learning to take the bus to the clinic where I worked the resource desk was valuable to my college experience. The idea of dragging myself to class, cramming material, and surviving exam week was no different than in high school; yet, college took learning and juggling extracurricular activities to another level. College continues outside of the lecture hall and reading rooms, and I tried to understand that while tangoing with a club by the coffeehouse, exploring corners of the city with friends, and directing clients at the local clinic to resources in their community. I needed to attend college to comprehend independence, find balance, and discover my place in a much larger world because, as silly as it seems, the process of elimination does not apply to determining the right bus route that will take me where I want to go.