Undergraduate / 'I looked at rankings' - SANTA CLARA short prompt [3]

Briefly describe how you learned about Santa Clara University.
I first heard about Santa Clara when my father graduated from the school and really liked it. In 4th grade, as part of the California missions unit, I focused on Santa Clara for my project. While researching, I came across many books that made positive references to how successful the university is. Later, I visited the campus while watching my cousin graduate, and was drawn to the unique architecture and the openness of the quad. The summer after 9th grade, l took a computer class during which I discovered the way the classrooms looked. By now, I was acquainted enough with Santa Clara to set my sights on spending my undergraduate years there. Then came the time for college research, during which I looked at rankings. The US News and World Report gave high ratings to the school in business and engineering - two programs where I am considering declaring a major in. After a lifetime of familiarity with and admiration of the school, I feel that SCU will be a great learning experience.

Undergraduate / 'curiosity about the natural world' - USC Supplement [6]

Describe your academic interests and how you plan to pursue them at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.

After taking freshman biology, I developed an endless curiosity about the natural world, and was fascinated by the many mysteries in its possession. Strolling around my neighborhood, I regularly encountered creatures such as spiders, caressing the dirt like its very own offspring, and mingling with grasshoppers despite the apparent special differences. Seeing how very different creatures are still able to come together, I wondered what accounted for the connection that I just saw. I also wondered why these connections were in place, and what exactly makes them useful.

Indeed, I let my curiosity thrive, and took AP Biology during my junior year. The class was an eye-opener not only to the various biological processes but also its relevance to our world today. Each step in DNA synthesis reveals the function of numerous molecules, which in turn are useful for understanding various other purposes. The vast majority of life functions cannot occur without water and carbon dioxide, which are universal and simplistic in their function. This ideal is why I embrace biology. Every molecule and object, living or otherwise, has an invaluable role to play in the grand scheme of life, and the many processes are actually composed of the same molecules interacting differently. This interconnectedness allows for flexibility among the molecules, and understanding this idea is integral to our understanding of the world as it is, and helps pave the way for future discoveries. This leaves room for ambiguity and experimentation, which would not only develop us as biologists and engineers, but also as multi-dimensional humans. Using biology, we can devise solutions to many of our world's most pressing issues. The beta-carotene found in vegetable plants was used to create the Golden Rice, which brought much-needed nutrition to third-world nations throughout Africa and Asia. We can make our lifestyle and that of our fellow global citizens more efficient simply by studying the efficiency of the life processes happening all around us and applying them to the human setting.

The prospect of being at the forefront of global change is why I wish to pursue bioengineering at the University of Southern California. Apart from its world-renowned engineering and biology programs, the school's geography, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the San Gabriel Mountains to the east, makes it an enticing place to study biology. I am looking forward to putting my skills to practice at research centers such as the Wrigley Institute, where I can learn about wildlife while witnessing it at the same time, and at Sustainable Cities, where I can implement biological methods in improving the urban quality of life. Back on campus, the 9:1 student to faculty ratio means that I can spend more quality time speaking and working with my professors, with all their expertise and experience. The year-round temperate climate of Southern California is another reason for spending more time outdoors and doing what I like to do. Given these numerous opportunities, I believe that USC is an outstanding school and am excited to potentially spend the next four years at this great institution. Once I graduate, I will apply what I have learned from my college experience to the world at large, and will surely owe my success to the university. Go Trojans! (3348 characters including spaces)

Any feedback would be highly appreciated!!

Undergraduate / UC Berkeley Questionnaire on Disability [11]

Fall Grades and Spring Classes:First list all of your fall classes and grades. Then list all of your spring classes.
Fall Classes - 1st semester grade
Contemporary Literature - A
French 4 Honors - A
AP US Government - B
AP Statistics - A
Physics Honors - A
Academic Communication - A
Learning Skills - A

Spring Classes
Contemporary Literature
French 4 Honors
Economy
AP Statistics
Physics Honors
Academic Communication
Learning Skills

1. Please provide a brief description of the functional limitations of your disability. Include date of onset. As an autistic individual, I have always struggled with interpersonal skills. I have had trouble figuring out the verbal and nonverbal cues of social interaction, especially when it comes to body language and greetings. When I'm in a conversation, I tend to not focus on the speaker and miss out on some of the information, and am often reminded to keep at least an arm's length from the other person. I would also leave the conversation halfway without bidding farewell. What's most complicated are the many nuances that exist among people in social situations, such as cues given by the eyes and what the person really feels even though the physical expressions may suggest otherwise. Due to these problems, I have failed to find real, reciprocal friendships who can confide in me and vice versa. Another issue is my tendency to goof off and gain attention, which is now not so much of a problem anymore. I have learned to use self-control and think about the effects of my actions beforehand, and have understood that the attention that I was bent on acquiring is actually negative and will distance people away from me.

Date of onset - 1997 (3 yrs old) - This was when signs of autism were first detected within me.
Diagnosis - 1999 at Stanford Hospital

2. What impact, if any, did your physical or mental difference or medical condition have on your academic performance? Academics have been my strongest area in school, unlike socializing, because I liked to learn and my parents put a lot of emphasis on education. But, I still faced hardships in the beginning. Initially, I learned through rote memorization of facts, and had trouble with critical and abstract thinking. Whenever an assignment required creativity or personal interpretation, I would rely heavily on the teacher for help. I preferred to have concepts explained to me because I had a hard time coming to the conclusion or deriving the intended meaning on my own. While working in groups, I would be asking my peers numerous questions about what to do next or what to look for, instead of taking the initiative and figuring the concepts out on my own. In class discussions, I would base my comments off of those of other students rather than find original concepts to bring up.

Up until sixth grade, some of my academic classes were special education, where the pace of the course depended not on the curriculum but on my individual needs. But as I progressed through school, I slowly transitioned into the mainstream, with an instructional aide per class. My academic performance has strengthened because of the increasing support of my parents and teachers and the wonderful academic-oriented climate I was raised in. In high school, I pushed myself to take challenging courses, particularly in math and science, because I have set my sights on going to a top-notch university. In the beginning, academics were a struggle, but now it's an endeavor that I want to continue pursuing.

3. How do you approach learning a subject in which you are having difficulty? Please provide an example identifying a specific subject (English, math, history, etc.).Literature is an issue because of its emphasis on interpretation and ambivalence, unlike in other subjects where there is only one right answer. What makes it challenging is recognizing the multi-dimensional personalities of literary characters, and drawing information from other subject areas and personal experiences to make inferences about the text. To address this problem, I pay more attention in class discussions and Socratic Seminars, where I observe how others discern the text and relate its themes in the broader global context. My struggle in this area is what makes essay writing more of an obstacle. My grammar and style are proficient, but I had trouble with the analysis. I would sit down with my teacher, and we would discuss revisions which I take into account before submission. While I learned how to interpret, I realized how critical it is to think about the world in abstract terms, and so I pushed myself to take AP Language and Composition during junior year. Here, I had to pay more attention in class, and we focused almost entirely on the literary themes. The timed in-class essays helped me with my interpretation skills. Therefore, I make examples of other students and push myself for a higher difficulty level when I approached Literature.

4. What type of disability-related support or accommodations, if any, have you received?In the middle of 1st grade, I moved into a special education program, and have been taking Social Skills classes ever since. Through personalized instruction and a high number of adults per student, I learned, practiced, and applied vital communication skills to the overall school setting. Every year my case manager, teachers, my parents and I would hold an IEP meeting where we would highlight my progress in school and set goals until the next meeting. My goals have been entirely socially related, and I have not needed any accommodations in academics starting from 7th grade.

In high school, I changed high schools because the second school had a more supportive academic communication program than the first. I received daily instead of weekly social skills instruction, and a personal psychologist who would talk with me on a weekly rather than a monthly basis.

5. What impact, if any, did your physical or mental difference, or medical condition have on your participation in extracurricular activities? In Robotics during freshman year, I was tasked with programming the robot, and this was a challenge. What I did was continually persist in asking my peers about solutions, and easily gave up on navigating the confusion in programming myself. While working, I was withdrawn from the group conversations and not laughing when everyone else was. Anytime I was engaged in a conversation, I would restrict myself to talking about the schedule ahead and deadlines, as well as offering help, rather than the typical interests of the group, such as music and incidences in classes. Although I was not as good as the others, I was more focused and dedicated to the task at hand, often staying until the late evening cooperating with club officers and fellow teammates in creating code.

6. Do you have a severe physical disability which affects your daily activities, such as personal care? If yes, please describe. No, I do not have any physical condition which inhibits my ability to carry out my daily activities.

Please Help me and be harsh!!