Tags: University of California Los Angeles

Institution: University of California Los Angeles

Study: Major in civil engineering

High School Experience

I guess you could say that I kept myself very distracted during high school. I've always had a problem with being bored in class and not feeling engaged at all, so I would find my own ways to keep me motivated. High school really helped with that, because I was able to find a multitude of different clubs and activities that had interested me and kept me going. I wasn't particularly challenged in any of my classes, so I would find ways to challenge myself. This kept things from getting stale and kept me on the right track. I also liked being able to see many of my friends every day, they were able to keep me sane in some of my classes. I hate getting up early, I hate how long each period was (I feel like they could've trimmed each period by 10 minutes fit an extra elective class in), but the worst were teachers who thought that no other class mattered as much as theirs did

AP/IBs

AP World History: 5

AP Biology: 4

AP Computer science principles: 4

AP US History: 4

AP Chemistry: 4

AP Calculus A/B: 5

AP Physics C, Mechanics: Unknown

AP Government: Unknown

I took the PTLW classes IED, POE, Civil 1/2, and Honors Architecture and design (all As), Lastly, this year I took 2 dual enrollment classes per semester. 1st: English 101, Math 150 (Calc I), 2nd: COMS 103, Math 151 (Calc II).

GPA

3.88 unweighted, 4.56 weighted

Standardized Testing

SAT: 1500

Extracurriculars

• Participated in local theatre group since I was 7, been in 25+ productions, I now help teach classes to the 4-5 year olds & 8-12

• XC and Track for 4 years, team captain Junior year; had to step down because of another commitment senior year

• Tae-Kwon-Do for 12 years; testing for Black Belt 2nd degree

• Did First Robotics grades 9-11; went to nationals 9th and 11th grade. Quit in the middle of junior year because it wasn't for me and I had a problem with the leadership on the team

• ACE mentor program (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) 9th-12th; club VP this year and winner of $2500 scholarship

• Self-taught guitar and piano. Able to read and play sheet music for both at a fairly advanced level

• Worked at a Menchie's Frozen Yogurt from 10th-present

Recommendations

One of my recommenders was my Civil Engineering teacher. I had her every year (except sophomore year), and my family has gotten pretty close to her because my brother also had her. She is very nice and we've been texting each other pretty regularly since lock down. The other recommender was my AP Chem teacher. I always felt comfortable going to him during lunch or after school if I needed any help on the assignments. He's a great teacher, but even better human.

Essays

Loose narrative; it basically revolved around finding interests outside of school because it is boring for me.

Strengths

The extracurriculars and statistics that I had are sorta par for the course for many top schools, so I had to distinguish myself through other ways. I think the thing that really gave me an edge was that I made sure to acknowledge my privilege and thank everyone (especially my parents) for the opportunities they have given me.

Advice

Circumstances

Not really, I'm technically 1/2 Hispanic, but both of my parents are college-educated. I have a genetic heart condition that limits my ability to exercise at a high volume if I don't take medication, but that's about it

Why?

#UCLA