University of California - San Diego Undergraduate College Application Essays

“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,...

March 2, 2006. Three immigrants: 2 parents and a child arrived in Rancho Cordova with three suitcases and $100. Due to the poverty of their home country, Moldova, the mother, and the father were willing to take a gamble in a brand new country,...

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...