Please review my UC Personal statement Prompt 2 :)

<pre><code> When I was in Elementary School, I made a lot of mistakes that I regretted, such as not doing my homework and not paying attention in class. However, as I moved on to middle school and high school, I have improved on my mistakes. I have realized that mistakes are a necessary evil; they may hurt me in the short run, but they will teach me important lessons in the future. My most important quality is my ability to learn from my mistakes.

During middle school, I always did things at the last minute. However, I matured throughout high school, realizing that my slacking off will not get me anywhere in life. Additionally, I believe that my future as an engineer will benefit from my humble approach in looking for any possible errors since engineers requires an enormous amount of patience and precise analyses. My ability to commit to deadlines will suit me well as an engineer.

On my January SAT, I slacked off by procrastinating, playing video games, and doing homework for other classes, ignoring the upcoming SAT. However, once the scores for the January SAT came out, I was disappointed in myself. The score served as a wake-up call to me that I cannot slack off and I must try my hardest. I knew I could do better, live up to my potential, and overcome my obstacles. Vowing to improve, I focused on my weaknesses, the Critical Reading and essay portions of the test. My studying made an impact, as I improved my score by 200 points.

My distinguishing quality is my ability to realize my mistakes. I know what steps to take to prepare myself to succeed and if I don’t, I know what questions to ask and how to improve on my errors. I can carry these qualities throughout college, as they help me focus more on studying, and allow me to make a difference on my campus and in the world.
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<p>Seems a bit superficial. Would advise you to dig a bit deeper into your history and pick out something more important than your January SAT. Why don’t you elaborate a bit more on your desire to be an engineer? What mistakes have you made that relate to your dreams and how have you learnt from them?</p>

<p>I agree with chandelure. Your essay seems very superficial and it does not say anything interesting about you. The common “I learnt from my mistakes” and “I learnt to work hard” lessons will not make you stand out as an applicant. </p>

<p>I suggest you should talk about your background, motivation, or goals instead of talking about your SAT. The admission committee can see your SAT scores, and they want to know more about you as a person in this essay. What is it that you do in your free time? What makes you tick? What is an event that changed your perspective on the world?</p>

<p>And also, I would not advise you to post your essay on Collegeconfidential. People can steal your ideas and essay…</p>