ryanbada
ryanbada,
UC Berkeley
B.A., Mass Communications and Media
A first-generation student expected to attend UC Berkeley planning to major in Media Studies and minor in Journalism.
Features Included
9
Essays
15
Schools
11
Scores
6
Advice
10
ECs
0
Sports

Background

Hometown Carson, California
GenderMale
EthnicityAsian
Class of2024
First Gen College StudentYes

Results, Essays, and Advice

Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
  • University of California - Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
  • University of California - Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
  • University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
  • New York University (New York, NY)
  • University of California - San Diego (La Jolla, CA)
  • University of California - Irvine (Irvine, CA)
  • University of California - Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)
  • University of California - Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
  • California State University - Long Beach (Long Beach, CA)
  • San Diego State University (San Diego, CA)
  • California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, CA)
  • University of San Diego (San Diego, CA)
  • University of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
  • Emerson College (Boston, MA)
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.

University of California - Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)

Applied for a B.A. in Mass Communications and Media

Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: No

School Specific Essays

Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
Reading was something I disliked doing as a kid. I was the type of kid who loved to play games and toys as an activity rather than reading. My reading ability remained stagnant at that point in my childhood. Throughout my early education, my reading scores were usually lower than the average student. Then middle school came and that was when the next few years became life-changing and unforgettable. At my school, the library had this program called Reading Counts!...
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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?
Time management is such a huge skill that I think is very important in my life but it was something that I didn't know how to hone. My spring semester of my junior year was where I had a very busy schedule. I had AP classes and AP exams were coming up so I had to study for them. I had a college class on Mondays and Wednesdays and SAT prep on Tuesdays and Thursdays that made me stay longer...
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Personal Statement
346 Words
Interest in med/sci/math
Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
In all of my years, I never realized that until now, Environmental Science has been my favorite subject. It all started when I watched this show called "Fetch with Ruff Ruffman". I remember every day I would get home from school and quickly go to my room, turn on the T.V., hoping that I didn't miss anything from that day's episode. The show talked about many scientific topics that I find very interesting, like physics, chemistry, and etc. As...
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What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
There were many things that I participated and supported that benefited my school. One of which was the Green Team. When I first started in the school, I felt somewhat lost because high school was a culture shock for me and my friends. Our school was more diverse, more rigorous in academics, and it had more variety in clubs. Me and my friends decided to join our campus' environmental club, the Green Team. During that year, I enjoyed my time...
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The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reading was something I disliked as a kid. I was the type of kid who loved to play games and toys as an activity rather than read. My reading ability remained stagnant at that point in my childhood. Throughout my early education, my reading scores were usually lower than the average student. During the 5th grade, our class had to take a reading comprehension test every time we've finished reading a story. My reading comprehension tests were so bad that...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
185 Words
As you know, the academic programs at Emerson College are focused on communication and the arts. Please tell us what influenced you to select your major. If you're undecided about your major, what attracted you to Emerson's programs? Please be brief (100-200 words).
Since the summer of freshman year of high school, being a book blogger helped me gain some insight on the publishing industry. As a book blogger, I networked with publishers, professional reviewers and book bloggers in order to promote both my blog and the book itself. My book-blogging experience influenced my dream of pursuing a major and career in the publishing industry. After doing some extensive research on the few schools that provides a major in publishing, Emerson stands out...
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Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
200 Words
Much of the work that students do at Emerson College is a form of storytelling. If you were to write the story of your life until now, what would you title it and why? Please be brief (100-200 words).
If I were to write a book that talks about my life, I would title my story "Indescribable." When I've read Wild by Cheryl Strayed over a year ago, there was a particular quote that really resonated to me and it was: "I'd find my strength again, far from everything that had made my life ridiculous." I never connected to a book in a deep personal level as much as this book after I finished it. If I were to...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
403 Words
We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. We are particularly interested in knowing what motivated you to apply to NYU and more specifically, why you have applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and/or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please tell us why you are interested in each of the campuses, schools, colleges, or program
For as long as I can remember, I had an interest towards journalism. When I had the opportunity to write for the school's newspaper - both as a staff writer and online editor - during senior year, I've realized that journalism is my true passion. I began to research on many universities that offers an outstanding Journalism department and NYU is one of the few schools that brought my attention. From reviews on Niche to the nationwide recognition of being...
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Supplemental Essay: Extracurricular activity
297 Words
Here at USD, we believe that our campus community is an integral part of who we are as a university. What contribution have you made to your high school and/or local community that best exemplifies your awareness and sensitivity towards promoting a diverse and inclusionary enviromnent?
There were many things that I participated and supported that benefitted my school. One of which was the Green Team. Me and my friends decided to join our campus' environmental club, the Green Team. During that year, I enjoyed my time being at the club. Not only was it an escape from school and a bonding moment with my friends and other students that were above my grade, but I was proud to contribute to something that I think is...
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Supplemental Essay: Strong beliefs/principles
269 Words
USD is a proud Changemaker Campus, as designated by Ashoka U. As such, the USD undergraduate experience is one that emphasizes civic engagement, social innovation and global perspective. If you had the opportunity to get involved with a project or organization that addresses a contemporary problem, what problem would you address and why?
There are numerous contemporary problems that I want to address that I think is relevant to the people. Some people may not know how significant these issues are until they become affected by it. One of the few issues that is still currently debated is gun violence. For the past couple of years, some acts of terrorism, such as the shootings in Sandy Hook or San Bernardino or Las Vegas, had to do with gun violence. Hearing these kinds of...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
202 Words
A USF education is intensely personal and intellectually demanding, emphasizing disciplined thinking and life-changing experiences. As you think about the many academic programs offered at USF, what fields of study are you drawn to and why?
For a while, I’ve been interested in learning both environmental studies and feminism. I was more aware of the environmental issues surrounding my community through social media, books, and news articles. Through these resources, I've also gotten to learn about the concept of feminism. I was so fascinated with this topic that in one of the research papers I've done during my junior year of AP English Language, the topic I covered was feminism. These resources that I received...
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Supplemental Essay: Intellectual interest
247 Words
Describe something outside of your intended academic focus about which you are interested in learning.
For a while, I’ve been interested in learning both environmental studies and feminism. Even though I joined the environmental club in my campus, I was more aware of the environmental issues surrounding both the community and the world through social media, books, videos, and news articles. Through these resources, I've also gotten to learn about the concept of feminism. I was so fascinated with this topic that in one of the research papers I've done during my junior year...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
170 Words
Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (250 word limit)
My first- and second-choice majors share a similar field even though they are from different departments, respectively. What I want to major in USC is either Communications in the Annenberg School or Creative Writing in the Dornsife College. I decided to apply to the university because for the past few years, I've want to pursue a career in writing, ideally a journalist or a novelist. Through extensive research on the official USC website, USC offers the courses, internships, and programs...
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School Specific Advice

Why I ultimately chose my school
452 Words
After receiving all the admission decisions from the schools that I've applied to, I know for a fact that I would want to attend to a UC. One of the main reasons is financial aid. All the UCs that I got accepted to were similar, but had better financial aid packages than CSUs and the private colleges. So that left with Berkeley, San Diego, Irvine, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. My prospective major, Communications/Writing, is another thing I look into in choosing my school. Santa Cruz looked very beautiful (just from images I seen on the school website) but...
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What might make for a good “Why Us” essay topic at my school
145 Words
If you're applying for a particular school that offers an interest that you want to pursue (for example, I applied for NYU because it offers Journalism), sound like you're really passionate and determined to attend the school. What I mean by that is to...
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More Essays

These essays haven't been tagged by school. Click school logos above to see tagged essays.

General Admissions Advice

How to deal with the stress of applying to college
150 Words
One of the biggest advices with applying to college and how to minimize your stress is getting a head start on your college applications before the applications are open. In other words, start brainstorming about the topics and stories you would want to discuss on...
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What I wish I had known as a first generation applicant
122 Words
Having no support from my family who hardly understood the American college system (as much as I give them information about them), the only help I receive for college applications are my school counselors, teachers, and friends....
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Recommended summer activities during high school and college
200 Words
Take college classes during the summer in your community college! Although you may think it would take away the "break" you always wanted after finishing up the school year, but college classes in college will bring so much stress that you wish you would want to take community college classes during the summer. If the school that you've chosen offers...
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How I made up for low grades in high school
294 Words
When I entered high school, I didn't do as great as I usually was because I had that mindset where I thought middle school is similar to high school and I'll be able to transition smoothly over time like it was when I entered from elementary school to middle school. However, that wasn't the case. My freshmen year consisted of 2 Honors courses, Biology and English, which ended up to be one of the hardest classes I took that year, especially Biology. The schoolwork that our teachers gave us...
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High School Performance

Weighted GPA
3.93
(equivalent to 3.70 unweighted)
Rank
Top 25%
 
College Classes In High School
Academic Performance in High School Low at first but improved
Explanation of Low Grades

Test Scores

Highest ACT
26
 
ACT Score Details
 
Other ACT Scores
ACT Prep
Highest SAT
1210
 
SAT Score Details
 
Other SAT Scores
SAT Prep

AP / IB Classes and Scores

Details8 classes and scores

Sports

Extracurriculars

ActivitiesGreen Club, Big Brother/Big Sister, Family Responsibilities, Broadcast Journalism / Media / Television, Yearbook, School Newspaper/Magazine/Journalism, Clean Ocean Beach Sweeps / River Cleanup, Community Cleanup / Service, Community Cleanup / Service, Library Volunteer

Experience & Awards

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