College Essay Final Draft

University of Washington

Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington.

“Ay naku ano ba yan aalis ka na? Dito ka na lang mag college para dito ka pa rin pwedeng

magtira satin!” -Mom. This saying translates into, “Oh my gosh what is this you’re leaving already? Just stay here for college so you can still live here with us!” My mom has always been a little touchy with this subject, since I’m guessing that she doesn’t want me to grow up too fast. But I’ve told her many times that I need to leave so I can learn how to be mature and make adult-like decisions. Ever since she was a kid she’s always stayed with her mom, and never moved out up until my mom met my dad and had me. My mom and I stayed in the Philippines until I was 4 and decided to go to Hawaii to be with my dad. I followed my mom’s footsteps, staying by her side and not really thinking of moving out when I got older. But now that I’ve actually grown and thought about my future, I second guessed myself. “Should I leave or stay?” was a question that would cross my mind a few times whenever I talk about college. I would push this question away most of the time and would forget about it at the end.

I’ve always been pretty religious, and as a Catholic, I would go to mass every Sunday. I’ve had my Baptism, First Communion, and now going on to be confirmed next year. I can’t really remember a time where I haven’t gone to church, which explains just how religious my family and I are. We’ve went to special masses for Easter, Thanksgiving, and other holiday masses that they do. It just keeps our family together in a way. I’ve always been surrounded with people from church, along with being in a private school, where a church is right next to it. Even after elementary and middle school I still keep in touch with a lot of people with my same religion. Most of my aunties are connected with the faith, along with a few teachers and friends at my old school. I even made my first friend in high school and found out she’s Catholic as well. It’s like most of the people I will ever meet will turn out to be practicing the same faith as I am. But it’s a good thing, because I know that I will always have at least something in common with them.

Growing up with my friends, I realized that most of them have joined at least some kind of sport, so I wanted to try it out myself. I’ve tried volleyball, track & field, and basketball. I liked them for a little while, but I would never really liked it to the point where I would do it every year. I just thought it’d be fun to try, but I wouldn’t be too dedicated with it. I always see them so dedicated with what they play, but I never really feel the same way. I guess I’m just more interested in singing and playing instruments. I have a picture of myself playing with a toy guitar when I was very little and have started singing ever since I was 3, and from then on out I’ve just been trying to improve on my own. I get it from my dad’s side, since he used to sing and play guitar when he was younger. He used to be in a band, called “Red Roof” and my mom and I would always wait until his band name is called on the tv to perform. My mom’s side was dancing, so I’m trying out dancing in high school, since I thought it was interesting. There’s many other things I haven’t tried out yet, and maybe I’ll be able to try some out in college. Since UW has many different programs that I’d be interested in, it can be a really good opportunity for me to show my talent and a good way for me to be more mature with my decisions. There’s probably a really good mix of different ethnicities, and I would be a good addition to one of them.

College Essay Rough Draft

University of Washington

Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington.

“Ay naku ano ba yan aalis ka na? Dito ka na lang mag college para dito ka pa rin pwedeng magtira satin!” -Mom. This saying translates into, “Oh my gosh what is this you’re leaving already? Just stay here for college so you can still live here with us!” My mom has always been a little touchy with this subject, since I’m guessing that she doesn’t want me to grow up too fast. But I’ve told her many times that I need to leave so I can learn how to be mature and make adult-like decisions. Ever since she was a kid she’s always stayed with her mom, and never moved out up until my mom met my dad and had me. My mom and I stayed in the Philippines until I was 4 and decided to go to Hawaii to be with my dad. I followed my mom’s footsteps, staying by her side and not really thinking of moving out when I got older. But now that I’ve actually grown and thought about my future, I second guessed myself. “Should I leave or stay?” was a question that would cross my mind a few times whenever I talk about college. I would push this question away most of the time and would forget about it at the end.

One thing that i’ve learned by living with this family was to stick by their side, and never leave. We’ve always been pretty religious, and as Catholics, we would go to mass every Sunday. I’ve had my Baptism, First Communion, and now going on to be confirmed next year. I can’t really remember a time where we haven’t gone to church, which explains just how religious we are. We’ve went to special masses for Easter, Thanksgiving, and other holiday masses that they do. It just keeps our family together in a way. Whenever I get into a huge argument, or just kinda get out of control, I would sometimes pray that it wouldn’t happen again. I’ve had countless arguments that just lead to nowhere, just like any other teenager would have with their parents. But it’s always resolved in an hour or so. We just can’t really stay too angry, and that’s one of the things that I like about our family.

I wasn’t too fond of sports growing up, but I did it from time to time and experimented with what I would like. I’ve tried volleyball, track & field, and basketball. I liked them for a little while, but I would never really liked it to the point where I would do it every year. I just thought it’d be fun to try, but I wouldn’t be too dedicated with it. I guess I’m just more interested in singing and playing a few instruments. I have a picture of myself playing with a toy guitar when I was very little and have started singing ever since I was 3, and from then on out I’ve just been trying to improve on my own. I’ve joined talent shows and contests at some points, and would always try to find ways to get better at what I do. When I was around 8, my dad let me play with a guitar and tried learning to play songs. I would be on and off with it, playing with it after a few months. I noticed that I would actually use it during the summer, since I get bored. But I was then given a ukulele when I was around 11 and have played with that more than the guitar. I just thought that it was easier to grip since it was smaller for me. To this day I still try to explore my options, sometimes touching a piano keyboard and letting myself learn a few notes. But I mostly sing songs and try to improve my voice every day. I feel that UW can be a really good opportunity for me to show my talent and a good way for me to be more mature with my decisions. My personality is weird and quirky when you get to know me, and I’m a really nice friend to others. I feel that being a part of this college would be a really great change.

5 Colleges

California State University, Los Angeles
I want to go here, since it has a variety of music, theatre, and dance. I would also be closer to my cousin's house so I wouldn't have to be too far away from relatives. Since I'll be living closer to them, I would be able to pay my tuition and just live in my cousin's house instead of paying around $11,000 for a dorm room. The acceptance rate is pretty high, meaning I would have a higher chance of getting in.
California State University, Long Beach
I chose this as an option, because its tuition is one of the cheapest I've seen. If I was running low on money, this would be a good place to go so I can save what I have in the future. Although the acceptance rate is low being 31%, it has a lot of the majors that I'm interested in, making it a little easier for me to be more confident in being able to get accepted. It's more affordable than high end colleges, being around $40,000 for tuition.
University of Hawaii Maui College
I made this an option, just because it's the cheapest tuition I've seen for a college. Since I'm in-state, it would only be about $3,000 for tuition and fees. It's also closer to my parents, making it less harder to adjust. I'd still be kinda close to them, but be far away enough to have my own rules and freedom. This way, I can learn how to be an adult and be more mature.
Dickinson State University
This is one of my options, mainly because they give their students plenty of individual attention. The tuition isn't all that bad, being less than $10,000. Their graduation rate is only 35%, but I'll strive to graduate from college. They also have the field of study of Fine and Performing Arts, which is also a really big plus for me.
University of Hawaii at Hilo
I finally chose this college as an option, because it's once again a little close to my parents, making it easier to adjust. The tuition is about $7,000 so it's pretty affordable, maybe a little bit more on the expensive side with this list. They also have a Performing Arts Center, a typical year performing over 150 performances of dance, drama, music, mime, children's shows, lectures, and special events. They have a pretty wide selection of classes to choose from, making it easier for me to figure out what I want to do.

University of California
Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

University of Washington
Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds.  Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington.

Stanford University
"Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—know you better."

Two Pictures Assignment

Partner: Kaela-Cachola Tom
          Patrick always comes by with his bicycle, selling popsicles. Miranda always ordered the same thing, everyday. The "froze toes." He came by one day and realized it was raining and pulled out an umbrella to protect her from getting wet. She got a call from Bob Hamburg's nephew Ben, since he died when Miranda was there to audition for a part in his next upcoming "movie." He offered her to talk to Bob's funeral, since they were "really close." She was also offered a job, since Ben was in the industry, insisting that if she was interested she'd be able to be in the limelight. She misunderstood what he was saying and didn't accept it. "I said I'm an actor, I don't want some industrial job" Miranda said. If she didn't misunderstand his deal she would be acting with celebrities, and living her dream. But unfortunately, she didn't.

          I was getting ready to play for the Rio Olympics, nothing was going to stop me. I got out there, with my tennis racket, my hat, and my confidence. My adrenaline was rushing, and I was ready to show the crowd what I'm good at. I was ready to show the people watching at home, on their TVs how good I was at my talent. I threw the ball in the air and hit it back and forth until I watched the other opponent lose their balance and fail to hit it back. It was a tied score, 18 to 18. I watched as my opponent threw the ball in the air and hit it towards me. I hit it back, hoping it would catch my opponent off guard just once more, while the time was ticking. I hit the ball back and everything went in slow motion. "Three! Two! One!" the crowd chanted. I heard them cheer once more, as I looked over to the score board, seeing that I won. I beat my opponent. I threw up a fist, shouting and yelling, while the crowd cheered once more. This night was a night to remember.

Coming of Age Graphic Card