Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Chapter 1 25 Essay Mistakes that Guarantee Failure 1
Chapter 2 University of California Admissions Officer Q&A 13
Chapter 3 Academic Passion 25
"J. Paul Getty Museum" Sumaya Quillian 25
"Ocean Institute" Hayley Ritterhem 27
"Book" Jessica R. Weinman 30
"Desires for Knowledge" Kris Thompson 32
"World" Jessica R. Weinman 34
"Academic Preparation" Stephanie Anderson 36
Chapter 4 Books/Literature 39
"The Champion of the World" Ben L. 39
Chapter 5 Career 43
"Breaking Free of the Chains of a Corner Office" Cristina H. Mezgravis 43
"True Happiness" Armand Nelson Zenarosa Cuevas 46
Chapter 6 Challenges 49
"The Best Presents Sometimes Have the Worst Wrapping" Catherine Bronzo 49
"My UC Journey" Yia Vang 52
"Who I Am" Daniel Hien Vuong 54
"In the Midst of Every Difficulty Lies Opportunity" Carol Nguyen 57
"Struggling in My Skin" by Anonymous 59
Chapter 7 Community Service 61
"Home" by Anonymous 61
"The Next Generation" Nhi Yen Nguyen 64
"How I Found My Voice" Carol Nguyen 66
"Trellises" Shelby Newallis 68
"Whitney" Sumaya Quillian 71
Chapter 8 Family 75
"Her Hand" Kris Thompson 75
"My Name" Hayley Ritterhem 77
"Stories" by Anonymous 79
"Learning Family Style" by Anonymous 82
"My Life Saver" Jaimie Copprell 84
"Hot Showers and River Baths" Brian Tashjian 86
Chapter 9 Heritage and Identity 89
"My Tri-Lingual Origins" Edward Shafron 89
"Transitioning across Diversity Lines Effectively" Linda Thai 92
"The Freedom in My Origins" Cristina H. Mezgravis 94
"Passion and Potential" Nhi Yen Nguyen 97
Chapter 10 Humor 101
"My Summer Herding Cats" Edward Shafron 101
"Jerry" Jeremy Press 104
Chapter 11 Issues 107
"Juan" Jackie Botes 107
"A Home Without a Home" Ali Cardenas 109
Chapter 12 Leadership 113
"Leave Your Heart on the Dance Floor" Kaitlyn Makanaakua Basnett 113
"The Football Experience" Mitchell Brisacher 116
"Leadership" Armand Nelson Zenarosa Cuevas 118
Chapter 13 Personal Growth 121
"Bass Lake" Amber Fearon 121
"Potential to Contribute" Stephanie Anderson 123
"Leave It to Me" Amber Fearon 126
"The World I Come From" Jeremy Press 128
"Knowledge is to Know Nothing" Danish Qasim 130
"Lessons from Sojourn" by Anonymous 133
"My Greatest Fear" Mitchell Brisacher 135
"A Brutal Blemish" Brian Tashjian 137
Chapter 14 Talent 141
"Convincing" Ines C. Gérard-Ursin 141
"Cross Country" by Anonymous 143
"Stepping onto the Stage" Amber Fearon 146
"Dance" Jackie Botts 148
"Just One More" Jaimie Copprell 151
Chapter 15 Travel 155
"Defining Moments" Shelby Newallis 155
Chapter 16 Vignette 159
"The World of Bus Stops" Inès C. Gérard-Ursin 159
Chapter 17 Advice on Topics from University of California Students 163
Chapter 18 Advice on Writing from University of California Students 169
Chapter 19 What I Learned from Writing the Essay 175
About the Authors 182