Personal Narrative: How My Feelings For UCLA Has Changed Since The Application Process

My decision to enroll at Grand Canyon University was in August when I turned 25 and felt I was not living up to my potential. I am currently a receptionist and I know I am too smart to be wasting my creative drive answering phones and running other employee’s errands. To reach my goals, I need higher education. I researched many online schools, but none stuck out quite like GCU did. I kept putting it off until I received an email about a scholarship only offered in November and I decided right then and there, it was time to go back to school.

When I walk around the University of Georgia campus, I feel that I have found home. In such a short time UGA has impacted my mindset and goals. UGA is a place I feel inspired to grow, learn and build relationships. A year ago if you would have told me I would find a place that feels more at home than anywhere I’ve lived, I would not have believed you. The past year of my life before getting accepted into UGA was one of the most difficult years of my life. I had left some toxic relationships, experienced health scares and was lost in where I wanted to go for school. I applied to several Universities, received acceptance letters, but none of the acceptance letters made me excited. UGA was the last application I was waiting to hear back from

Throughout my life as a child and teenager, I was told by my parents that they worked really hard to get to the safe town and community that we lived in. Growing up in Pacific Grove, California gave me lots opportunities that I didn’t even know I obtained. Unless it had happened to me personally, I didn’t really understand the full picture of what others had to go through. Having dyslexia, the only subject I felt I really excelled in was art. After high school, I still had no idea what I wanted to do for a career or even a major. Monterey Peninsula College has boosted my confidence by showing me that I can be and do much more. Two years ago I would never have guessed that I would be applying to the University of Washington.

1. What experience do you like talking about the most? What has been the most interesting, intriguing, and exciting part of your life- why, and what did you learn from it?

Having chosen the University of Southern California (USC) over the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as the institution to continue my educational pathway has always brought up curious questions as to why I chose one over the other. Aside from the academic stance of both institutions there were always inevitable comments about how much better the area surrounding UCLA is compared to the sketchy area surrounding USC. Having attended Foshay Learning Center about two miles from USC gave me front insight of how beautiful that area actually is despite the dark allegations. I manage to respond to those stereotype influenced notions with my high school that is actually full of hardworking underprivileged minorities striving for further higher education.

When I toured the school and got to stay overnight with amazing student hosts, not only did I fall in love with the campus, but with the welcoming people, California weather, and the thought of the numerous opportunities awaiting me. It was simply a home away from home.

Ever since I was a kid I have always thought about what college I was eventually going to go to. I made the decision in high school that I wanted to be a special education teacher, so I thought about some schools that had that teaching program. My number one school I wanted to attend that had the best teaching program was East Carolina University. Having ECU as my number one choice lead me to apply there. Weeks after I applied I got a letter telling me some sad news that I was not accepted. Since I applied to ECU and did not get in, I was now thinking about applying to other schools like Methodist University or maybe a community college.

Arizona State University has so far exceeded my expectation of what I had imagined of my college experience. My hometown is in extreme contrast to Arizona and this university. I was born and raised in a both sheltered and exponentially smaller town in Colorado called Monument. I was never exposed to a diverse culture before I had moved to Arizona. I was raised in a community of a synonymous religion, race, and over all culture. The summer going into my freshman year of high school, my older sister had decided that she wanted to attend Arizona State University, the school of her dreams. My family decided to make the move from Colorado to Arizona in order to grant my sister in-state tuition. My high school in Arizona was at first overwhelming

In my life, I have had to make made many difficult choices, each with their own consequences, but the most significant choice I made occurred three years ago; I decided to leave my home state of Maine, and enroll in Texas A&M University. This decision has had a major impact on my life, and continues to influence my life today for better and for worse. I've grown to be more independent, but as the same time my debt increases every semester.

Hello I am Rey Rodriguez, and I’m still currently a bit undecided on what I’m majoring in. I love teaching and all things entertainment such as acting,singing,and production so I may start looking towards a major in which I can do a little bit of it all. I’m looking into hopefully transferring to Cal State Northridge or possibly Cal State Long Beach by next fall.Sociology has always been a subject I have found very interesting so I’m hoping on furthering what I already know and look forward to learning things I didn't know. A big part of me is music, I’m constantly listening to music or singing to myself. I enjoy going to live shows and concerts that is definitely a big hobby of mine, I also enjoy just hanging out and going out to eat with

The variety of people and opportunity adds to the richness of the campus. The campus life offers the level of diversity I seek, the kind I can't find here at RCAD. The depressingly small, 1,200-student school prohibits me from learning anything about the world's cultural foundation, while NYU boasts excellent ethnic diversity. The atmosphere at RCAD is suffocating me. My growth is being stunted. I've done the research, identified my needs, and selected the school where I know I'll thrive. NYU has what I need to become the scholar, writer, and citizen I must be. The most significant thought for me is imagining myself ten years from now, frustrated and dissatisfied, constantly wondering "What if?" NYU has the power to fulfill me now, without any

Tumultuous is the word I would use to describe my personal transition to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Maybe tumultuous exaggerates my experience slightly, but I did endure my fair share of highs and lows. I was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin which is about three hours from Eau Claire. As much as I thought I was prepared to leave the safety of home behind, I soon realized that my sense of security was false. It was probably week five that I had a little meltdown; I seriously questioned whether I wanted to be at Eau Claire or not. I’m an English Education major and examining the Appleton Area School District, and surrounding communities reveal that many of the educators in my desired teaching area graduated from Oshkosh. I

I arrived and spent the day touring the campus with other students that were also admitted. Students everywhere were all cheerful and friendly. I thought to myself this is going to be a great experience for me. I was excited to be involved.

I am a transfer student from Gadsden State Community College and I have recently lost my job due to the production going over seas. After this had taken place I was given the opportunity for the government to pay for the rest of my schooling. I was given two forms that needed to be filled out by JSU officials stating how long my course, "Secondary Education with a focus in English" would take to complete and how much the tuition for the course would be. When I showed this to the Bursar's office and explained to them what I needed, they gazed at the two sheets of paper as if it was written in a foreign language. They told me I had came to the wrong office, and to try down stairs at the Registrar's office. After much confusion at the Registrar's office, they also gave me a blank stare and told me they did not know what they could do. They then told me to try Ramona Wood Hall and see if I had any better luck there, I did not. I talked to the Secretary for the Department of Secondary Education. She took the two forms from me and told me to come back in two hours and she would find out what was needed. Two hours past by, and as I walked into the room she kindly handed the papers back to me and asked where I got the papers from. She said she has never seen papers like this before and was sorry to say she could not help me in any way.

Since Penn State has always been my dream school, it was hard for me to choose Stanford in the intangible aspects, but Penn State just wasn’t there. One good thing about Penn State was the passionate students (“Student Life”). I certainly didn’t get this kind of passion from my Stanford interviewees. First of all, the Stanford undergraduates took obscurely long to reply to my initial email asking for a phone call. I get that everyone is busy, but I would have liked if they at least responded and said “no thank you.”