<p>I am a participant in the Incentive Awards Program which provides selected low income and academically gifted students with aide to attend UC Berkeley. (For more info see: [The</a> Incentive Awards Program (IAP) | UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://campuslife.berkeley.edu/iap]The”>http://campuslife.berkeley.edu/iap)).</p>
<p>I am currently trying to write my personal statement for both the IAP application and the App for Berkeley (which are the same/similar). In any case I’d like some help choosing which applicable topics I should write about or which topics colleges would be more interested in hearing about.</p>
<p>The first prompt is as follows:
“Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.”
The IAP representative wants us to try and focus specifically on our personal challenges that we have overcome.
My choices include:
- Homelessness: Due to domestic violence and financial instability my family (mother and two sisters) were forced to live in a family homeless shelter during my sophomore year.
- Emphasizing difficulties of being a part of a single parent family.
- Medical Issues: Sister diagnosed with diabetes and mother with unknown illness causing neurological pain and other problems combined with a diagnosis of chrones disease.</p>
<p>The second prompt is as follows:
“Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?”
My choices include:
- Broad Interests ranging from science/engineering to history, etc.
- Skill and achievements of Robotics club and competition. I helped to establish the club and we have been successful placing 3rd, 4th, and 2nd place in competitions for the past three years.
- Internship at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey for the Center for Cyber Warfare writing malware and doing some web design.
- National Honor Society chapter Historian
- Boys State Alternate (see [Boys</a> State / Nation | The American Legion](<a href=“Boys State / Boys Nation | The American Legion”>Boys State / Boys Nation | The American Legion) for more details). Essentially means high academic performance combined with citizenship, community service, and patriotism.
- First in family to go to college.
- FFA and Ag passion which shows another side to me as my application largely reflects my engineering, science, and technical strengths and skills. I have been in FFA for 2 years and raised livestock…sadly not as involved as I’d like to be, but enjoy it all the same as my family has a strong ag. and ranching background.</p>
<p>So what should I write about for these two prompts? Suggestions?</p>
<p>A little info about me as person and student:
- Strong student with 4.33 GPA have taken 3 AP classes (Calculus, Physics, and Language/Comp – passed all tests) and am taking 6 this year.
- Involved with Robotics Club and FFA
- Member of California Scholarship Federation & National Honor Society
- SAT scores good, but not AMAZING with a 1950 composite. ACT was 30 composite. (Hopefully will raise second time around.)
- Member of Rotary Interact Club (community service = 200+ hours)
- Have lived in 7 houses/locations the past 2 years due to some f***** up sh**</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any help I get from this!! :)</p>