CHANGE ESSAY

(342words)

I am a person who is very sensitive to numbers, and the unpredictable numbers and intricate curves always fascinate me. My interest in the investment field has led to my rich experience in stocks and Bitcoin and I also speculated in foreign currency. When I was in high school, I once invested in gold with all my lucky money and the profits I received from that helped me buy a mobile phone myself. I have unique insights into the entire financial market thanks to my abundant knowledge and experience. I study the public financial statements of some internationally renowned companies every week. Using the expertise I have learned in school, I analyzed these financial statements, studied the jumping numbers, speculated the complicated interests behind the numbers, and inferred the direction and potential change of the market. An in-depth analysis of the trends in numbers and curves helped me better understand the complicated financial situation and market prospects of listed companies, thus helping me to adjust the investment strategy appropriately. When I speculated in foreign currency, I would go to investigate and analyze the trade situation of each country and discuss the hottest issues of the world economy with my teachers and classmates to help me catch up with the global economy.

I firmly believe that my major in learning economy can be of great value to help me and the people around me to make rational choices and reduce potential risks when investing. Since I was a child, I have been very interested in investing and my dream is to be a successful investor. No matter what I invest in, I will minimize my risk and maximize my capital utilization ratio by calculating each fund carefully to arrange my investment plan. In fact, to my point of view, investing is just like fighting in a war, where it is necessary to arrange your strategy. I put all my heart and soul into learning accounting and economics, knowing how to use my funds, increasing my opportunity cost, thus helping me win the war.

If you’re applying to multiple campuses with a different major at each campus, think about approaching the topic from a broader perspective, or find a common thread among the majors you’ve chosen.

Choose to answer any three of the following seven questions:

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.   Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about your accomplishments and what you learned from the experience.  What were your responsibilities? 

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities.  For example, do you help out or take care of your family?

(365words)

Leadership is not merely an inclination to make commands, but also a sense of responsibility for the group, a determination to unite people, wisdom to guide people in the right direction, and perseverance for others and society.

I am a person who is always dedicated to helping people in need. Therefore, when I was in high school, I organized a voluntary group and gathered a dozen students who were also willing to give a hand to others. We went to Sunshine House every 2 weeks to visit and take care of the people who were mentally retarded or disabled. In the beginning, everyone was very active and enthusiastic. However, it didn’t take long before some volunteers began to slack off. Some complained that there was no way to communicate with people with intellectual disabilities, who would even have temper with volunteers sometimes, just like young children. Some thought that caring for people with disabilities was a particularly troublesome thing as some of them couldn’t even eat by themselves. Many volunteers were reluctant to continue to go to the Sunshine House, which made me, the leader of this volunteer association, very anxious because I felt that the responsibility on my shoulder was very heavy and I was obliged to help this special group of people. Then, an idea suddenly struck me. I went to Sunshine House to interview the staff who worked there for more than ten years. I even interviewed some families with mentally handicapped and disabled people, wrote down their feelings and experiences and showed to volunteers. I also recommended some books and documentaries about the mentally handicapped and disabled people to the volunteers, hoping these could help inspire their inner empathy and gave them a deeper understanding of this special group of people. After reading this, the attitude of the volunteers gradually altered. They began to treat these special people with a more equal and open attitude. They discovered that although mentally retarded people have lower intelligence than ordinary people, they have a closed but amazing window deep down. We need to try to open the window in their hearts so that we can get close to them, understand them and help them.

2. 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.   Things to consider:  What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?   Things to consider: If there’s a talent or skill that you’re proud of, this is the time to share it. You don’t necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule?

(350words)

My greatest talent is resource integration. I am capable of maximizing the power of every wealth and every talent. Naturally sensitive to numbers, I am fascinated to study the jumping numbers and speculate on the complex interests behind the changing numbers. What's more, I can imagine the big from the small and consider and configure resources in a big picture.

With this talent, I have helped a lot of Chinese students who have just transferred to SMC this year to make plans for their education and further career. Strong in assessing the abilities of others, I can outline their future through some basic touches and some quizzes or based on their different family backgrounds. First of all, I will make a preliminary plan based on their placement test results. Then I will arrange courses according to their different strengths and interests, which will be more conducive to their future development and give them an advantage to transfer to a better university. When a student doesn't know what major to choose, I normally choose a major based on their family background and interests for them, in which way, they can save more time and money by avoiding the situation where they are not aware that they are not interested in the chosen major until they finish the first lesson. I am generous in giving them good advice on the academy to teach them to have a better understanding of themselves and to help them be mature. I also help them choose the courses that suit their life routine, in which way, they can arrange their study and life in a more efficient way. By doing this, I have made many new friends, including those who are really talented in various fields. In the process of helping others, I have also made clear what I want, and I have a clearer picture of my future.

The performance of this talent in the investment field is that I have not lost money so far. I maintained a steady return each month. Through sophisticated analysis, I can almost accurately determine each increase and decrease.

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that’s geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you — just to name a few. 

If you choose to write about educational barriers you’ve faced, how did you overcome or strived to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who are you today?

(344words)

For a long time, English is like a mountain that I can never surpass. I refused to communicate with others in English because my oral English capabilities and vocabulary were too poor to support me to talk smoothly with foreigners. I was afraid that I couldn't understand what the other person was saying, and worried that others would laugh at my pronunciation. I have been escaping and I didn't even want to watch English movies and English books.

However, all of these changed after I joined an English study group occasionally, where I got lots of support and encouragement. The group was a treasure trove for me, where we shared useful English learning materials, encouraged each other to communicate in English, read English books and watched English movies together. We did exercises together to make sure everyone could get help in time. Although the learning process was very tough and boring, with each other’s’ encouragement and motivation, it seemed to be a lot easier. Finally, effort not too long, my English test scores have steadily increased.

At the same time, I found that, just like me, there were also a lot of students in the study group too shy to communicate with foreigners. To overcome the obstacle, we went to find foreign students in our school to communicate with them, which surprisingly gave me a chance to get me acquainted with foreign friends. After talking with foreign students for two months, I gradually became more confident, more fluent in English, and dared to express my thoughts in front of foreigners.

In the process of learning English, I realized the tremendous power of cooperation and mutual assistance. A person's ability may be limited, but many people can come together to create unlimited possibilities. Without the help of my team members, I may not be able to achieve the current results. At the same time, I realized that self-confidence is always one of the necessary qualities of success. Self-confidence helps me to overcome the obstacles that seem impossible to overcome before and make my life shine.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you’re currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, “How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends, or with my family?” 6. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?   Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place – like your high school, hometown, or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act?  What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 7. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider: If there’s anything you want us to know about you, but didn’t find a question or place in the application to tell us, now’s your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don’t be afraid to brag a little.