University of California - Los Angeles Undergraduate College Application Essays

Thump Thump. No sound had ever sounded better to my ears, although through a balloon encased in a beaker, it resembled more closely to "woosh woosh". For the past five months, I had been working on the model of an artificial heart for my...

At my first karate class, unimaginably intimated, I picked up my big black burly uniform and my inflexible white belt and attempted unsuccessfully to put it on myself. An older girl graciously helped me. I stood in the very back of the class, and...

"That's art?" my seating neighbor exclaimed in the crisp air of our busy art classroom.

I had to admit, staring at Russian modernist Kazimir Malevich's Black Square painting, I didn't particularly see the esthetic appeal or even the intellectual...

When I first joined Boy Scouts in fifth grade, I was the only person of color in my troop. I didn’t have a mentor who looked like me. I became aware that many minorities like me don’t have a role model to look up to, so I decided to be that model....

When you listen to a podcast, it sounds smooth and fluid like the people are having a fun conversation in their living rooms. At least, if it is a semi-decent production. Basically, if things are done well, you don’t even think about what goes...

I was completely relaxed in the silence and darkness that surrounded me underwater. Holding my breath for minutes, I pushed past my limits, fighting the urge to emerge, knowing this was my only chance. When I eventually surfaced from the water, I...

I pushed with all my might, exhaling slowly as my arms trembled, but I still couldn’t complete the pushup. I was embarrassed; I felt weak—physically and mentally.

Searching for tips for building strength and getting into shape, I was surprised by...

When I look back at the videos of my so-called dance performances as a 5-year old, I feel my soul cringe. Little 5-year-old Tara had herself convinced that even Beyonce couldn’t hold a candle to her dance moves. Why did my mother allow me to make...

As I finished reading the last page of “We Need to Talk About Kevin” by Lionel Shriver, my first thought was, “I can’t wait to review this on my blog.”

I started my blog in the summer before sophomore year, when I’d moved from India to Singapore....

“Pass me a new toothbrush please!” I heard my father shout. As I opened the bathroom drawer, I was taken aback- why does it look like my family owns a toiletry business? Our drawer was stacked with a range of toothbrushes, soaps in different...

To most Gen Z, life without internet or smartphones would be like life without food: (practically) impossible. However, I only gained an appreciation for the details behind the scenes in the summer of 9th grade when I created a chatting program to...

Blinking sweat from my eyes, I raised my chin up to the pullup bar one last time before dropping down, my muscles trembling. But despite my physical exhaustion at the end of the workout, mentally, I felt reinvigorated and stronger than ever....

Reality hits me, every time I gaze out of a window during a cab ride, or commute my way back from school. My observations in these moments exposed me to the human condition, so deprived of quality and respect, sharing living spaces with garbage,...

Growing up in a family with adulating parents, an over-the-top older sibling, and three ultra-hyper poodle breeds, I was no stranger to a full house. In fact, I expected that to be the norm for everyone. It wasn't. In fact, I never fully grasped...

When I was invited to join USC Star, a research program at USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, I was simultaneously excited and terrified. Working alongside graduate students and deciphering their complex material was...

Opening the refrigerator door four years ago to feed my sourdough starter, I was shocked to discover that it had erupted out of its glass jar. It baffled me- how and why could adding just a half cup of flour and 100 milliliters of water cause so...