Ok, if youre reading this, i know that someone actually cares. Well maybe. This may sound like a rant, and maybe it is, but i need some help… well here it goes.
I go to a catholic high school. I could add a few more adjectives and adverbs in there to show just how bad the school is, but ill leave it at “a catholic high school” since thats bad enough. Well anyways, i came in freshman year, and realized that this school was hell on earth. I didnt give a shit, hardly did homework, and slid by taking the least amount of time under the spotlight as possible. If i didnt need to do it, it wouldnt get done. Period. Sophmore year, i did basically the same thing, thinking the whole time “why the hell does school matter? How the hell does one number between 0 and 5 represent who i am or what i do?” Well i still feel that way, and that number happens to be in the mid 3’s. Junior year, i finally said, im gonna try a little. Study for some tests… do as little homework as possible, but at least i was doing it. Finished the year with mostly a’s with a pretty damn hard schedule. I mean, more than half of the year i was taking 8 classes per day, and managed to get an a in 6 of them The 2 classes i didnt get a’s in were a class that i literally didnt give one shit about because the teacher wouldnt let me express myself without fucking censoring me (ok i got pissed), and the other one was a theology class which doesnt count for UC schools anyways.
Basically, what im trying to say, is that im not a dumbshit. ive known it and im not trying to be cocky or anything (im no where near as smart as half the people on this board), but at least i have a higher iq than the average high school student. Finally, senior year has started. Now its time to apply to college, reflect on what ive done, and as overwhelming as it may seem, choose what i want to do with the rest of my life. I know these people are going to look at record, and say “ok, this kid has a lower gpa than most of the applicants, higher SAT score than would be expected for his gpa, and doesnt do anything interesting… throw him into the ‘waiting list’ or ‘sorry, not accepted’ pile.” I feel like im getting screwed! I didnt go to the average high school… its a “college prep” school that sets the standards higher than the public school across the street. Just because i didnt do much my first 2 years, they are going to think im some sort of dumb ass. My only opportunity to show them who i really am is through my personal statement. Im not the kind of person that wants anyones pity, and im sure that the people reading the essays arent the type to show pity. So, i was thinking about leaving most of what ive said out of my personal statement and just taking the advice of everyone on the planet and “be myself.” The problem is, they dont want to know me.
One of the 3 questions ive got to respond to asks: “Is there anything you would like us to know about you or your academic record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in this application?”
If it were simply “being myself” i would tell them “Yes, id like you to know that the first two years of high school i didnt give a shit. I hope that you have nightmares for 37 years after throwing away my application. Specifically, i would be pleased if these nightmares had a few elements. A dictionary, a dancing cat, and a cowboy suit on which guacamole was spilled. I end this application by giving you a mental picture that will hopefully stay with you for a long time. That mental picture is Janet Reno naked.” Now i may find that funny, but i dont think they will.
Therefore i ask you all to give me some input on what you feel i should put in my personal statement to show that i truly am unique, intelligent, likeable, and maybe, just maybe, more than gpa and sat score.
Thank you for giving me the chance to show someone who wont decide whether i get into Berkeley or not, who i truly am!
PS: If you are one of the people who reads personal statements and decides who gets in, remember that culov loves you.