Learning Disability
Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.
Growing up, I always struggled to focus, read, and maintain good grades. As an adult, I recently got diagnosed with a learning disability at age 32 in November 2016. This discovery has helped me understand how to place myself in the best position to succeed in my academia. The resources that I am currently utilizing to help me succeed in my upper-division courses are Kurzweil 3000 — firefly. Also, at my own pace, I’m currently taking free online classes on Coursera.org, and Edx.org to help provide me with an overview of a course material before the semester even begins. Lastly, …show more content…
and most important, I have a new found mindset in my approach to learning. No matter time or the social life is costs I am ready to now to provide 100% effort in finishing my college education.
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.
I am a great storyteller. Working 10 years as a salesman, I engaged with potential clients and persuaded them to select our company over competitors. I quickly learned the value of storytelling while developing new business and establishing relationships with former and new clients. Similarly, I have used this skill to tutor children and adults with a learning disability by deciphering complex ideas in a simple form.
Sometimes, a story or an abstract idea can make sense for others, but not for these individuals.
Most individuals who have a learning disability feel challenged as if they were climbing Mount Everest. Having a learning disability provides me unique insight into the thought process for these individuals. I bring abstract ideas to life by story telling. It has been amazing watching those that I tutor feel overjoyed when they finally understand something that has taken them so long to learn. 3. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have
faced.
I was 17 years old when I dropped out of high school. At the age of 18, I self-enrolled into a community college and felt ready to take education seriously but things didn’t go well for me. My first and upcoming semesters were difficult yet I refused to not give up no matter how many quizzes and tests I failed. Reading the textbooks did not help me understand the material and I was not aware about colleges offering free tutoring sessions. My previous community college mailed me a letter about being academically dismissed.
Now that I am enrolled at my second community college, I challenged myself to take the High School equivalency test to qualify for financial aid and got tested at the Student Disability Center to find an answer as to why I have not done well in my classes. I passed the high school equivalency exam, received my high school diploma, and currently got diagnosed with a learning disability in November 2016. The Student Disability Center offered valuable resources to help me learn better through note-sharing, private tutoring, the ability to take exams separately from the rest of the class and focus without disruptions by other students. I am still working to overcome my learning ability challenge and look forward to continuing using the resources which will help excel in school.
4. What is the one thing that you think sets you apart from other candidates applying to the University of California?
A majority of high school or transfer students select a major that will help them make a lot of income. In a different scenario, a student will choose a major after being pressured by family members to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer to name a few. The conflicts that arise from both of these trains of thought, is that many students feel dissatisfied from the selected major. Not to mention, the potential amount of debt they acquire during their academic career. Many times, this happens because an internal discovery was not made prior to making a decision in finding their niche.
In my case, as a thirty-two-year-old applicant, I am not choosing a major based on the potential income it could produce. I live on my own and have no external pressures, such as family, that are making me choose a specific major. After working in the corporate field as a salesman for ten years, I learned that it was not the career I want to invest more time in. After exploring, I made the decision to major in mechanical engineering and fulfill a childhood dream. Now, I’m ready to take the next step in my personal growth.
Growing up, I always struggled to focus, read, and maintain good grades. As an adult, I recently got diagnosed with a learning disability at age 32 in November 2016. This discovery has helped me understand how to place myself in the best position to succeed in my academia. The resources that I am currently utilizing to help me succeed in my upper-division courses are Kurzweil 3000 — firefly. Also, at my own pace, I’m currently taking free online classes on Coursera.org, and Edx.org to help provide me with an overview of a course material before the semester even begins. Lastly, …show more content…
and most important, I have a new found mindset in my approach to learning. No matter time or the social life is costs I am ready to now to provide 100% effort in finishing my college education.
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.
I am a great storyteller. Working 10 years as a salesman, I engaged with potential clients and persuaded them to select our company over competitors. I quickly learned the value of storytelling while developing new business and establishing relationships with former and new clients. Similarly, I have used this skill to tutor children and adults with a learning disability by deciphering complex ideas in a simple form.
Sometimes, a story or an abstract idea can make sense for others, but not for these individuals.
Most individuals who have a learning disability feel challenged as if they were climbing Mount Everest. Having a learning disability provides me unique insight into the thought process for these individuals. I bring abstract ideas to life by story telling. It has been amazing watching those that I tutor feel overjoyed when they finally understand something that has taken them so long to learn. 3. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have
faced.
I was 17 years old when I dropped out of high school. At the age of 18, I self-enrolled into a community college and felt ready to take education seriously but things didn’t go well for me. My first and upcoming semesters were difficult yet I refused to not give up no matter how many quizzes and tests I failed. Reading the textbooks did not help me understand the material and I was not aware about colleges offering free tutoring sessions. My previous community college mailed me a letter about being academically dismissed.
Now that I am enrolled at my second community college, I challenged myself to take the High School equivalency test to qualify for financial aid and got tested at the Student Disability Center to find an answer as to why I have not done well in my classes. I passed the high school equivalency exam, received my high school diploma, and currently got diagnosed with a learning disability in November 2016. The Student Disability Center offered valuable resources to help me learn better through note-sharing, private tutoring, the ability to take exams separately from the rest of the class and focus without disruptions by other students. I am still working to overcome my learning ability challenge and look forward to continuing using the resources which will help excel in school.
4. What is the one thing that you think sets you apart from other candidates applying to the University of California?
A majority of high school or transfer students select a major that will help them make a lot of income. In a different scenario, a student will choose a major after being pressured by family members to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer to name a few. The conflicts that arise from both of these trains of thought, is that many students feel dissatisfied from the selected major. Not to mention, the potential amount of debt they acquire during their academic career. Many times, this happens because an internal discovery was not made prior to making a decision in finding their niche.
In my case, as a thirty-two-year-old applicant, I am not choosing a major based on the potential income it could produce. I live on my own and have no external pressures, such as family, that are making me choose a specific major. After working in the corporate field as a salesman for ten years, I learned that it was not the career I want to invest more time in. After exploring, I made the decision to major in mechanical engineering and fulfill a childhood dream. Now, I’m ready to take the next step in my personal growth.