Undergraduate / Environment influences & why you chose to apply - UCF essays [2]

Essay: The personal statements are a very important part of your application. They assist the university in knowing you as an individual, independent of test scores and other objective data. We ask that you respond to two of the topics below. Your personal statement should be no longer than a total of 500 words or 7000 characters for both statements combined. The best personal statements are not necessarily the longest ones.

2. How has your family history, culture or environment influenced who you are?
3. Why did you choose to apply to UCF?

2. Hi, I'm Sama Ilyas and I'm a third-culture kid. A third-culture kid is one who has lived in another country other than their national country for the majority of their life, thereby integrating their own culture with other cultures, creating a third culture. I was born in England and lived in Australia and Pakistan before finally settling down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where I attended the American International School of Riyadh. The environment I grew up in has shaped who I am today. The most valuable aspect of my school is the diversity. I have met so many different types of people, each holding different beliefs, values, and religions. Learning to accept and respect everyone became part of my foundation skills. As we grew older together, we celebrated each other's differences, and even tried to learn each other's cultures. I know how to say a variety of Turkish words, can frequently use colloquial Arab phrases, and have tasted so many different cultural foods that I don't even recall where they've come from. Everything has blended inside of me to essentially form me into a diverse, open-minded individual with a love for cultures. Next year, I wish to attend UCF and bring my diversity with me. The values I've learned from each of the communities, like integrity, discipline, and respect, have formed many of my core values.

3. As fate would have it, I stumbled upon University of Central Florida by chance. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and this is no exception. While I was taking my SAT reasoning test, something came over me to make me check the box that allowed universities to contact me based on my score. I achieved a 2020 on the SAT, and soon after received an influx of messages from different colleges, most of which were no use to me. Luckily, I received half a dozen emails from UCF and decided to investigate further, despite my skepticism. What I found was an up-and-coming university at a prime location, somewhere I'd always dreamed of going. I cannot explain how glad I am to have stumbled upon this university, for I really feel like it could be a perfect fit for me and I could in turn contribute a lot of my personal traits and international experiences to it. I love Orlando and the thought of living there excites me. The weather, the genuinely nice people, and the great academic programs of UCF are some of the many reasons I have chosen it as one of my top colleges. Additionally, I have heard various recommendations about UCF based on its diversity, which next year, I hope to contribute to. They say that everyone has a "perfect" university, which fits who they are well. Perhaps some never find their perfect university, but I am lucky, as I have stumbled upon mine by chance.

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Thanks in advance for feedback!

Undergraduate / "My experiences in England" - Event/experience in life essay - University of Florida [5]

Here is the essay topic guidelines:
"In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship or a call to service."

Here is my essay:
When I was nine years old, my family temporarily moved to Sheffield, England for my father's fellowship. I was transferred from my habitual international school to an English public school where I was the only international student out of the hundreds of students enrolled. Every other student around me was "white", and even though I obviously stood out, I made quick friends with most all of my classmates. Then, one day, one of my closest friends at the school started alienating me. Later, I found out that she didn't like me anymore simply because I was "brown."

Six months later I moved back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where I attended my previous American international school. Having never been removed from such an environment before, I came back to school with a different attitude. My experiences in England led me to forever cherish my school and its diversity for the next seven years. I can proudly say that I am a third-culture kid: in other words, a child of planet Earth. Third culture kids are those children who have lived in a country other than their native country for the majority of their lives, thereby integrating their own culture with other cultures and creating a third culture of their own.

My closest friends are Pakistani, Filipino, Indonesian, Singaporean, Bengali, Turkish, American, Lebanese... and the list goes on. The greatest experience and blessing of my life, which I value greatly, is the experience of having grown up while attending a purely international school. Through this, I grew up learning about different cultures, religions and different points of views. I had to be responsible and careful of taking consideration of all types of people, while also learned many great collective values from them, like integrity and unity. While I have gained a great depth of knowledge and understanding, I cannot explain how much fun we have all had learning other cultures and languages. I know how to say, "I love you" in so many languages, as well as have integrated certain colloquial phrases in my speech and have integrated many different types of foods into my own diet. My acquired traits and experiences consequently helped me receive the Varsity Global Citizen award in May 2010, which is by far my most valued achievement.

I am a child of diversity. I will bring values, beliefs, and ideas with me to the University of Florida. With these aspects comes a sense of belonging and togetherness. I am able to look past differences and help everyone realize that our individual differences are what make us collectively stronger. So here's to diversity: our unifying factor.

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Thanks in advance!
Sama.