History of California Essay

The aftermath of the Second World War had several significant impacts in the United States, especially in California (Schoenherr, 2017). The US entered the war following an attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese forces, thereby acting as a turning point in the immense conflict of the 21 st century (Schoenherr, 2017). As such, the long-standing dispute would bring monumental transformations to the Golden State, which had not been experienced since 1848. Therefore, the subsequent revolutionary event in California’s history following the Gold Rush was “the war.” irrespective of the challenges faced by some Asians and Europeans in the battle, a majority of Americans were unwilling to join the war. Many Californians, akin to their fellow compatriots, realized the significance of isolationism and escapist media of the time (Schoenherr, 2017). Still, some recognized the inevitability of conflict and started to prepare the nation and its citizens for its eventual outbreak. This paper explores some of the factors that contributed to California’s increasing population, economic, cultural, and political strength and also explains the American state as a birthplace of both progressive and conservative politics.

Reasons for California Rising Population

California experienced exceptional military, industrial, and technological growth during and after the long-standing conflict. As a result, this contributed to monumental proliferations in migration, employment, industrialization, population, and urbanization. While employments were abundant in cities during and after the batter, housing was a problem (Monaghan, 2020). As such, the need for an accommodation was satisfied by military barracks, quick-built facilities, and Quonset huts. Before the Second World War, the Golden State’s population had already increased since the 1920s to near 3.4 million (Monaghan, 2020). However, by 1970, the number of people living in California had grown to approximately 19.95 million, becoming the most densely inhabited region in the union (Monaghan, 2020). Following the three decades after the war, about 6 million housing blocks were built attributed to the government regulations, increasing job opportunities and wealth, and innovative techniques of construction. In essence, California emerged as one of the most famous regions in the world, with hundreds of kilometers of freeways and tremendous growth.

California After the War

Growing economic and technological strength.

The increasing economic growth of California after the Second World War is attributed to several factors. In particular, the American state had 140 military stations that instigated government spending (Kunofsky, 2020). As such, the massive federal defense expenditure stimulated incessant growth in other segments and manufacturing sectors. The Bay Area emerged as a leading center for technological innovations, whereas Southern California was at the forefront of aircraft production, second only to Detroit in the manufacturing of automotive (Schoenherr, 2017). The flourishing Golden State’s economy led to the comprehensive development of infrastructures such as interstates, roads, and bridges. There was also a need for accommodation for the impressive number of employees who continued to migrate to California. Spiraling expansion in suburban tract homes, opulent goods, and rising office space enabled California to become the fifth largest financial system in the world.

The Golden State continued to develop following the outcome of the Second World War. As such, the cessation of the battle further expanded California as emerging shipping and aerospace sectors, thereby improving its technological contributions to the United States. In the years after the 1950s, the Golden State started to witness a series of growth that led to the development of enterprising firms in various segments offering computers, networking systems, and video games (Schoenherr, 2017). Most of these organizations were established in an area stretching from San Jose to Palo Alto, famously known as Silicon Valley, where most multinational corporations specializing in offering innovative technologies are located.

Growing Cultural and Political Strength

Following the cessation of World War II, California’s population continued to increase, and it also developed its identity uniquely. As such, rapid growth and increasing ethnic diversity are significant aspects of the Golden State’s cultural history (Monaghan, 2020). This region has been a population accumulation zone throughout its timeline attributed to its sustainable growth rate, which doubles the number of people every twenty years. Moreover, California’s growing authority in global and national affairs is based on formal politics. Although Southern California financial resources and celebrity played a significant role in politics, and the former four Republican presidents have been natives of the Golden State, the American state’s presence can be seen in the industry and media.

Did all Californians Benefit from the Post-War Boom?

In particular, all Californians benefited after the end of the Second World War. The Golden State became the most populous region globally and the epitome of the “American Dream” philosophy (Schoenherr, 2017). Moreover, it also benefited from the developments in industrialization, which boosted its economy, accompanied by various technological transformations such as biotechnology. In essence, the post-war period led to the emergence of new industries providing new materials for civilian products (Schoenherr, 2017). Engineering design, motion picture and television, painting and jazz are also considered the positive impacts of the second World War in California. One of the recipients of the law was California’s higher learning institutions which witnessed a significant rise in enrollment and the building of several new colleges throughout the state. Another sector that experienced prosperity is the construction segment with the building of new communities to address the needs of returning service veterans. In conclusion, the post-war period enabled California to emerge as one of the leading economies in the world.

California as the Birth of both Progressive and Conservative Politics

Progressive movement.

In contemporary society, progressive politics can be described as a movement that advocates for ordinary people’s interests through political transformations and government reinforcements. California developed a history of progressive politics dating back to 1893, when the Golden State Legislature ratified its first campaign finance disclosure (Kunofsky, 2020). This law incorporated elements of election corruption, including bribery, fraud, and discreet financing of movements. The Progressives has achieved their objectives of effectively constraining the political influence of the Southern Pacific Railroad, so there was no justification to limit lobbying practices because other politicization interests were somewhat weak by comparison. However, Arthur H. Samish, a distinguished figure, filled the lobbying vacuum and was regarded as the most influential individual campaigner in Californian history as he became a symbol of the need for change (Hertel-Fernandez, 2019). In essence, progressive politics emerged due to the adverse effects of industrialization where reformers sought to limit the private industry to bolster the protection of employees and consumers, disclose corruption in both government and large-scale business.

Conservative Movement

Conservative politics can be described as the political philosophies implemented to promote conventional social traditions. Therefore, the development of the California Conservative Movement can be traced back to 1945, where it also grew through 1966 (Hertel-Fernandez, 2019). One of the significant transformations in the timeline of the Golden State was when Governor Ronald Reagan signed a welfare reduction bill in 1975, marking the state’s bourgeoning after the second World War conservative movement (Hertel-Fernandez, 2019). Reagan’s ideas of smaller administrative units, lower taxes, and social conservatism inspired the voters, not only in the American state but also throughout the US. In essence, the conservative movement enabled California to emerge as one of the leading economic and social centers.

Factors that led the Partisan Division Through the 1990s

The partisan divide in California is based on several factors that led to a split in political values. In the 1990s, there were sharp shifts among Democrats on the need to address poverty, immigration, and race (Hertel-Fernandez, 2019). Two decades ago, the average partisan variations in California were only somewhat broader than disparities by religious attendance or educational achievement and about as wide as the discrepancies between blacks and whites. Therefore, the first reason for the division is attributed to racial discrimination, where democrats’ views on cultural acumen were considered a factor. The second reason for the difference is referred to as immigration, where approximately 65% of foreigners bolstered the nation due to their hard work and talents (Schoenherr, 2017). In addition, 26% have stated that immigrants are a liability since they deplete employment opportunities, housing, and healthcare (Schoenherr, 2017). As such, California became a liberal state following various development which occurred after 1994.

Why California is More Liberal Since 1994’s Proposition 187

California is generally considered a liberal state due to several reasons. While the Golden State was primarily a Republican territory from 1952 until 1992, most of the Southern part and Bay Area population tends to be liberal (Hertel-Fernandez, 2019). However, in most cases, this American territory has been a long facilitator for policies that advocate for national interests. The politics in this region started to change in the 1990s to such an extent that the state shifted to a Democratic territory governed by liberal philosophies. It is attributed to the Hispanics who are inherently Democrats, and as their population increased, California became a conservative state (Jensen, 2017). In addition, the other reason for California’s transformation to liberalism is accredited to Republican sustenance of anti-immigrant vote projects, and candidates spoiled Grand Old Party (GOP) brand from foreigners’ perspective (Johnson, 2019). The outcome was witnessed when settlers’ children and whites were discouraged by the nativist appeals, further compelling them into the hands of the Democrats who were pro-immigration. In essence, California emerged as a liberal state following the developments that occurred after Proposition 187.

California is one of the leading economies in the world, attributed to several developments which occurred after the Second World War. This paper has explored the significant factors that led to California’s burgeoning population, economic, cultural, and political influence and also discussed the Golden State as an origin of both progressive and conservative politics. Today, this American territory is well-known for Silicon Valley, a place that is famous for its technological innovation. Its identity is derived from the primary component in computer microprocessors, where the area is home to multiple leading technologies, software, and internet corporations. Generally, the conclusion of World War II brought numerous transformations to California that led to the development of its economic, sociocultural, and technological aspects. In addition, the period after the 1990s was governed by Proposition 187, which transformed the Golden State into a blue region primarily governed by liberal philosophies.

Hertel-Fernandez, A. (2019). State capture: How conservative activists, big businesses, and wealthy donors reshaped the American states–and the nation . Oxford University Press, USA.

Jensen, J. M. (2017). Governors and partisan polarization in the federal arena. Publius: The Journal of Federalism , 47 (3), 314–341. Web.

Johnson, K. R. (2019). Proposition 187 and its political aftermath: Lessons for US immigration politics after Trump. UC Davis L. Rev. , 53 , 1859.

Kunofsky, J. (2020). Some implications of population growth to California’s renewable resources. In California Riparian Systems (pp. 37–44). University of California Press.

Monaghan, J. (2020). Chile, Peru, and the California gold rush of 1849 . University of California Press.

Schoenherr, A. A. (2017). A natural history of California . Univ of California Press.

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Environmental Factors and Climate Influences in California

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The Thomas Fire in California

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Undestanding The Great Divergence on The Example of The Californian School

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The cost of the effect of disasters on the economy of california.

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Stunning Mountains and Beautiful Beaches in California

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Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals In The Us

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History Of The Transcontinental Railroad

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The History Of Environmental Issues In California

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Mass Craze During the California Gold Rush

California's finding of gold in 1848 greatly increased improvements that had taken place since 1769. The gold rush, which was already a gathering location for Mexicans, Russians, Americans, Europeans, and Americans, transformed California into a truly worldwide frontier where immigrants from every continent on land...

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Ronald Genini'S Retelling Of Californian History

The story of California crafted by Ronald Genini in California: On the Edge of American History is one of land and people; mountains and Indians; past and present. It starts with a fascinating description of California Indian tribes. The Indian heritage is celebrated! Encyclopedic in...

Overview of Current Californian Large Marine Ecosystem

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An In-Depth Analysis of Nature Phenomenons in California

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The Cultural and Geographical Connections Between California and Alaska

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My Travelling To Coronado Island In San Diego

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Evaluation Of Performance In KP Cal, LLC (Kaiser Permanente's California Medicaid Line Of Business)

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Reducing Fossil Fuels in California: Alternatives and Their Implementation

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Dark Truths Of California Life

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“The Elements of Utopia”: Nina Leen in California, 1945

Women and girls, in convertible at a drive-in, happily greet female car hop, who has just brought their drinks, from a story on California living, 1945.

Young Californians rode in a three-wheeled car, 1945.

Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

California’s population growth was one of defining trends of 20th-century America. From 1900 to 1950 the population increased 500%, going from two million to ten million. Then things really exploded, and by the year 2000 the state’s population had climbed to 34 million, making California the most populous state in America.

People have been lured west for a variety of reasons, from the gold rush to Hollywood dreams, but beyond riches and fame there has been also the promise of the sunny California lifestyle, one captured by LIFE staff photographer Nina Leen in a piece that ran in the Oct. 22, 1945 issue .

The unreservedly enthusiastic thirteen-page essay was titled “The California Way of Life,” and it’s not hard to imagine that the article affected some readers the way news of gold in Sutter’s Mill did in the 1800s. The story began with these words, which could have come from a state tourist brochure:

Californians live in a land where the sun shines 355 days a year, where the thermometer seldom falls below 46 degrees, and where towering mountains and endless beaches flank a countryside of incredible fertility. Against the background of these unique natural advantages, Californians have evolved a unique way of life which is physically the most comfortable and attractive way of life enjoyed in any region in the U.S.

It’s worth noting that this story came out just a few short months after the end of World War II, a time when readers might thirst for a new beginning. (The issue also included a story an another feel-good imagination-tickler: “ victory lingerie .”)

The article rhapsodized about how Californians spent as much time outdoors as they did inside, dressed primarily for comfort, and could enjoy themselves at all income levels. An editor’s note told readers that “this was Nina Leen’s first trip to California,” and it showed in her sense of joy and wonder at these lives lived by the pool.

The story included a section on the California car culture that made “conventional city life almost obsolete,” LIFE said. “Living in a natural paradise where highways connect modern communities and farms with some of the most beautiful scenery in the U.S., the Southern Californian has created a way of life that, on the physical side, has at least some of the elements of Utopia.”

All these years later, LIFE’s view on the joys of driving in Southern California might be the most dated aspect of this story. Visions of Utopia have been replaced by environmental concerns and also by complaints about spending half your life stuck in traffic.

In the 21st century California has slowed its population growth . The total now stands around 39 million, and the numbers even dipped some during the COVID pandemic. The hard truth about Utopias is that they don’t exist (the literal meaning of the word is “no place”). But as Leen’s essay shows, sometimes pictures can make you believe they do.

Women and girls, in convertible at a drive-in, happily greet female car hop, who has just brought their drinks, from a story on California living, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Essay on California living, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
This group drove a Model T that they had souped up with extra carburetors and other devices, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
A 16-year-old just out of the pool, shot for an essay on California living, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
The wife of MGM’s musical director painted a portrait of her daughter Carol; the photo was shot for an essay on California living, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Colleciton/Shutterstock
Tourists looking at the mountains in Yosemite Valley Park, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Cars moving along a highway that leads to Lake Arrowhead, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Customers visiting a drive-in beverage stand, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
MGM musical director Herbert Stothart at his Santa Monica home, shot for an essay on California living, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Two young women using a wishing well, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Rancher Arthur Campbell watching his daughter riding a horse, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
A lone wooden chair on hillside overlooking the hazy ruggedness of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range between Carmel and San Simeon, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
A young couple filling their gas tank at a gas station shaped like airplane, California, 1945. Nina Leen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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12 Great University of California Essay Examples

What’s covered, essay #1: leadership, essay #2: creativity, essay #3: creativity, essay #4: creativity, essay #5: talent, essay #6: talent, essay #7: academic interest, essay #8: academic interest, essay #9: community, essay #10: community, essay #11: community, essay #12: community.

The University of California system is comprised of nine undergraduate universities, and is one of the most prestigious public school systems in the country. The UC schools have their own application system, and students must respond to four of eight personal insight questions in 350 words each. Every UC school you apply to receives the same application and essays, so it’s important that your responses accurately represent your personality and writing abilities. 

In this post, we’ll share some UC essay examples and go over what they did well and where they could improve. We will also point you to free resources you can use to improve your college essays. 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our guide to the UC personal insight questions for more tips on writing strong essays for each of the prompts.

Prompt: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. (350 words)

1400 lines of code. 6 weeks. 1 Pizza.

I believe pizza makers are the backbone of society. Without pizza, life as we know it would cease to exist. From a toddler’s birthday party to President Obama’s sporadic campaigning cravings, these 8 slices of pure goodness cleverly seep into every one of our lives; yet, we never talk about it. In a very cheesy way, I find representation in a pizza maker. 

The most perplexing section of physiology is deciphering electrocardiograms. According to our teacher, this was when most students hit their annual trough. We had textbooks and worksheets, but viewing printed rhythms and attempting to recognize them in real-time is about as straining as watching someone eat pizza crust-first. Furthermore, online simulators were vastly over-engineered, featuring complex interfaces foreign to high-school students.

Eventually, I realized the only way to pull myself out of the sauce was by creating my own tools. This was also the first year I took a programming course, so I decided to initiate a little hobbyist experiment by extrapolating knowledge from Computer Science and Physiology to code and share my own Electrocardiogram Simulator. To enhance my program, I went beyond the textbook and classroom by learning directly from Java API – the programmer’s Bible.

The algorithms I wrote not only simulated rhythms in real-time but also actively engaged with the user, allowing my classmates and I to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum. Little did I know that a small project born out of desperation would eventually become a tool adopted by my teacher to serve hundreds of students in the future.

Like pizza, people will reap the benefits of my app over and over again, and hardly anyone will know its maker. Being a leader doesn’t always mean standing at the front of rallies, giving speeches, and leading organizations. Yes, I have done all three, but this app taught me leaders are also found behind-the-scenes, solving problems in unimaginable ways and fulfilling the hidden, yet crucial niches of the world. 

1400 lines of code, and 6 weeks later, it’s time to order a pizza. 

What the Essay Did Well

This is a great essay because it is both engaging and informative. What exactly does it inform us about? The answer: the personality, work ethic, and achievements of this student (exactly what admissions officers want to hear about).

With regards to personality, the pizza through-line—which notably starts the essay, ends the essay, and carries us through the essay—speaks volumes about this student. They are admittedly “cheesy,” but they appear unabashedly themself. They own their goofiness. That being said, the student’s pizza connections are also fitting and smoothly advance their points—watching someone eat pizza crust-first is straining and pizza is an invention that hardly anyone can identify the maker of. 

While we learn about this student’s fun personality in this essay, we also learn about their work ethic. A student who takes the initiative to solve a problem that no one asked them to solve is the kind of student an admissions officer wants to admit. The phrase “I decided to initiate a little hobbyist experiment” alone tells us that this student is a curious go-getter.

Lastly, this student tells us about their achievements in the last two paragraphs. Not only did they take the initiative to create this program, but it was also successful. On top of that, it’s notable how this student’s accomplishments as a leader defy the traditional expectations people have for leaders. The student’s ability to demonstrate their untraditional leadership path is an achievement in itself that sets the student apart form other applicants.

What Could Be Improved

This is a strong essay as is, but the one way this student could take it above and beyond would be to tell less and show more. To really highlight the student’s writing ability, the essay should  show the reader all the details it’s currently telling us. For example, these sentences primarily tell the reader what happened: “The most perplexing section of physiology is deciphering electrocardiograms. According to our teacher, this was when most students hit their annual trough.” 

Rewriting this sentence to show the reader the student’s impetus for creating their app could look like this: “When my teacher flashed the electrocardiogram on the screen, my once attentive physiology class became a sea of blank stares and furrowed brows.” This sentence still conveys the key details—student’s in the physiology class found electrocardiograms to be the hardest unit of the year—but it does so in a far more descriptive way. Implementing this exercise of rewriting sentences to show what happened throughout the piece would elevate the entire essay.

Prompt: 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. (350 words)

For the past few years, participating in debate has been one of the foremost expressions of my creativity. Nothing is as electrifying as an Asian parliamentary-style debate. Each team is given only thirty minutes to prepare seven-minute speeches to either support or oppose the assigned motion. Given the immense time pressure, this is where my creativity shines most brightly.

To craft the most impactful and convincing argument, I have to consider the context of the motion, different stakeholders, the goals we want to achieve, the mechanisms to reach those goals, and so much more. I have to frame these arguments effectively and paint a compelling and cohesive world to sway my listeners to my side on both an emotional and logical level. For example, In a debate about the implementation of rice importation in the Philippines, I had to frequently switch between the macro perspective by discussing the broad economic implications of the policy and the micro perspective by painting a picture of the struggles that local rice farmers would experience when forcefully thrust into an increasingly competitive global economy. It’s a tough balancing act.

To add to the challenge, there is an opposing team on the other side of the room hell-bent on disproving everything I say. They generate equally plausible sounding arguments, and my mission is to react on the spot to dispel their viewpoints and build up our team’s case.

When two debate teams, both well-prepared and hungry for victory, face off and try to out-think one another, they clash to form a sixty-minute thunderstorm raining down fierce arguments and rebuttals. They fill up a room with unbelievable energy. After several years of debate, I have developed the capacity to still a room of fury and chaos with nothing but my words and wit.

Debate has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today. Because of debate, I have become a quicker and stronger thinker. Lightning quick on my feet, I am ready to thoroughly and passionately defend my beliefs at a moment’s notice.

This prompt is about creativity, though its wording emphasizes how students aren’t required to talk about typically-creative subjects. That said, it might take a bit more work and explanation (even creativity, one could say) to position a logical process as creative. This student’s main strength is the way they convince the reader that debate is creative.

First, they identify how “Asian parliamentary-style debate” differs from other forms of debate, emphasizing how time constraints necessitate the use of creativity. Then, they explain how both the argument’s content (the goals and solutions they outline) and the argument’s composition (the way they frame the argument) must be creatively orchestrated to be convincing. 

To drive home the point that debate is a creative process, this student provides an example of how they structured their argument about rice importation in the Philippines. This essay is successful because, after reading it, an admissions officer has no doubt that this student can combine logic and creativity to think intellectually.

One aspect of this essay that could be improved is the language use. Although there are some creative metaphors like the “sixty-minute thunderstorm raining down fierce arguments”, the essay is lacking the extra oomph and wow-factor that carefully chosen diction provides. In the second paragraph, the student repeats the phrase “I have to” three different times when stronger, more active verbs could have been used.

Essays should always reflect the student’s natural voice and shouldn’t sound like every word came straight out of a thesaurus, but that doesn’t mean they can’t incorporate a bit of colorful language. If this student took the time to go through their essay and ask themself if an overused word could be replaced with a more exciting one, it would make the essay much more interesting to read.

As I open the door to the Makerspace, I am greeted by a sea of cubicle-like machines and I watch eagerly, as one of them completes the final layer of my print.

Much like any scientific experiment, my countless failures in the Makerspace – hours spent designing a print, only to have it disintegrate – were my greatest teachers. I learned, the hard way, what types of shapes and patterns a 3D printer would play nice to. Then, drawing inspiration from the engineering method, I developed a system for myself – start with a solid foundation and add complexity with each iteration – a flourish here, a flying buttress there. 

But it wasn’t until the following summer, vacationing on a beach inundated with plastic, that the “aha” moment struck. In an era where capturing people’s attention in a split-second is everything, what better way to draw awareness to the plastic problem than with quirky 3D-printed products? By the time I had returned home, I had a business case on my hands and a desire to make my impact.

Equipped with vital skills from the advanced math-and-science courses I had taken in sophomore year, I began applying these to my growing business. Using my AP Chemistry analytical laboratory skills, I devised a simple water bath experiment to test the biodegradability claims of 3D-printer filaments from different manufacturers, guaranteeing that my products could serve as both a statement and play their part for our planet. The optimization techniques I had learned in AP Calculus were put to good use, as I determined the most space-efficient packaging for my products, reducing my dependence on unsustainable filler material. Even my designs were tweaked and riffed on to reflect my newfound maturity and keen eye for aesthetics.

My business is still going strong today, raising $1000 to date. I attribute this success to a fateful spark of creative inspiration, which has, and will, continue to inspire me to weave together multiple disciplines to address issues as endemic as the plastic problem. 

This essay begins with a simple, yet highly effective hook. It catches readers’ attention by only giving a hint about the essay’s main topic, and being a standalone paragraph makes it all the more intriguing. 

The next paragraph then begins with a seamless transition that ties back to the Makerspace. The essay goes on to show the writer’s creative side and how it has developed over time. Rather than directly stating “I am most creative when I am working on my business,” the writer tells the story of their creativity while working with 3-D printers and vacationing on the beach. 

It is the “aha” moment that perhaps responds to the prompt best. Here we get to see the writer create a new idea on the spot. The next two paragraphs then show the writer executing on their idea in great detail. Small and specific details, such as applying analytical laboratory skills from AP Chemistry, make the writer’s creativity come to life. 

From start to finish, this essay shows that the key to writing a stellar response to this prompt is to fill your writing with details and vivid imagery. 

The second to last paragraph of this essay focuses a bit too much on how the writer built their business. Though many of these details show the writer’s creativity in action, a few of them could be restated to make the connection to creativity clearer. The last sentences could be rewritten like so: 

Working on my business was where my creativity blossomed. In my workshop, optimization techniques that I learned in AP Calculus became something new — the basis for space-efficient packaging for my products that reduced my dependence on unsustainable filler material…

Profusely sweating after trying on what felt like a thousand different outfits, I collapsed on the floor in exasperation. The heaping pile of clothes on my bed stared me down in disdain; with ten minutes left to spare before the first day of seventh grade, I let go of my screaming thoughts and settled on the very first outfit I tried on: my favorite.

Donning a neon pink dress, that moment marked the first time I chose expression over fear. Being one of the few Asians in my grade, clothing was my source of disguise. I looked to the bold Stacy London of What Not to Wear for daily inspiration, but, in actuality, I dressed to conceal my uniqueness so I wouldn’t be noticed for my race. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, I envied the popular girls who hiked their shorts up just a few inches higher than dress code allowed and flaunted Uggs decorated with plastic jewels, a statement that Stacy London would have viewed as heinous and my mother impractical. 

However, entering school that day and the days after, each compliment I received walking down the hallways slowly but surely broke down the armored shield. Morphing into an outlet to amplify my voice and creativity, dressing up soon became what I looked forward to each morning. I was awarded best dressed the year after that during my middle school graduation, a recognition most would scoff at. But, to me, that flimsy paper certificate was a warm embrace telling me that I was valued for my originality and expression. I was valued for my differences. 

Confidence was what I found and is now an essential accessory to every outfit I wear. Taking inspiration from vintage, simplistic silhouettes and Asian styles, I adorn my body’s canvas with a variety of fabrics and vibrant colors, no longer depriving it of the freedom to self expression and cultural exploration. I hope that my future will open new doors for me, closet doors included, at the University of California with opportunities to intertwine creativity with my identity even further.

Colorful language and emotion are conveyed powerfully in this essay, which is one of its key strengths. We can see this in the first paragraph, where the writer communicates that they were feeling searing judgment by using a metaphor: “the heaping pile of clothes on my bed stared me down.” The writer weaves other rich phrases into the essay — for example, “my screaming thoughts” — to show readers their emotions. All of these writing choices are much more moving than plainly stating “I was nervous.”

The essay moves on to tell a story that responds to the prompt in a unique way. While typical responses will be about a very direct example of expressing creativity, e.g. oil painting, this essay has a fittingly creative take on the prompt. The story also allows the writer to avoid a common pitfall — talking more about the means of being creative rather than how those means allow you to express yourself. In other words, make sure to avoid talking about the act of oil painting so much that your essay loses focus on what painting means to you.

The last sentence of the essay is one more part to emulate. “I hope that my future will open new doors for me, closet doors included…” is a well-crafted, flawlessly succinct metaphor that looks to the future while connecting the end of the essay to its beginning. The metaphors are then juxtaposed with a summary of the essay’s main topic: “intertwine creativity with my identity.” 

This essay’s main areas for improvement are grammatical. What Not to Wear should be italicized, “self-expression” should be hyphenated, and the last sentence could use the following tweaks to make it less of a run-on: “I hope that my future will open new doors for me, closet doors included, at the University of California. There, I will have opportunities to intertwine creativity with my identity even further.”

Since identity is the main topic of this essay, it would also be fitting for the writer to go into more depth about it. The immediate takeaways from the essay are that the writer is Asian and interested in fashion — however, more descriptions could be added to these parts. For example, the writer could replace Asian with Laotian-American and change a sentence in the second to last paragraph to “dressing up in everything from bell bottom jeans to oversized flannel shirts soon became what I looked forward to each morning.”

Prompt: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? (350 words)

Let’s fast-forward time. Strides were made toward racial equality. Healthcare is accessible to all; however, one issue remains. Our aquatic ecosystems are parched with dead coral from ocean acidification. Climate change has prevailed.

Rewind to the present day.

My activism skills are how I express my concerns for the environment. Whether I play on sandy beaches or rest under forest treetops, nature offers me an escape from the haste of the world. When my body is met by trash in the ocean or my nose is met by harmful pollutants, Earth’s pain becomes my own. 

Substituting coffee grinds as fertilizer, using bamboo straws, starting my sustainable garden, my individual actions needed to reach a larger scale. I often found performative activism to be ineffective when communicating climate concerns. My days of reposting awareness graphics on social media never filled the ambition I had left to put my activism skills to greater use. I decided to share my ecocentric worldview with a coalition of environmentalists and host a climate change rally outside my high school.

Meetings were scheduled where I informed students about the unseen impact they have on the oceans and local habitual communities. My fingers were cramped from all the constant typing and investigating of micro causes of the Pacific Waste Patch, creating reusable flyers, displaying steps people could take from home in reducing their carbon footprint. I aided my fellow environmentalists in translating these flyers into other languages, repeating this process hourly, for five days, up until rally day. 

It was 7:00 AM. The faces of 100 students were shouting, “The climate is changing, why can’t we?” I proudly walked on the dewy grass, grabbing the microphone, repeating those same words. The rally not only taught me efficient methods of communication but it echoed my environmental activism to the masses. The City of Corona would be the first of many cities to see my activism, as more rallies were planned for various parts of SoCal. My once unfulfilled ambition was fueled by my tangible activism, understanding that it takes more than one person to make an environmental impact.

One of the largest strengths of this response is its speed. From the very beginning, we are invited to “fast-forward” and “rewind” with the writer. Then, after we focus ourselves in the present, this writer keeps their quick pace with sentences like “Substituting coffee grounds as fertilizer, using bamboo straws, starting my sustainable garden, my individual actions needed to reach a larger scale.” A common essay-writing blunder is using a predictable structure that loses the attention of the reader, but this unique pacing keeps things interesting.

Another positive of this essay is how their passion for environmental activism shines through. The essay begins by describing the student’s connection to nature (“nature offers me an escape from the haste of the world”), moves into discussing the personal actions they have taken (“substituting coffee grounds as fertilizer”), and then explains the rally the student hosted. While the talent the student is writing about is their ability to inspire others to fight against climate change, establishing the personal affinity towards nature and individual steps they took demonstrate the development of their passion. This makes their talent appear much more significant and unique. 

This essay could be improved by being more specific about what this student’s talent is. There is no sentence that directly states what this student considers to be their talent. Although the essay is still successful at displaying the student’s personality, interests, and ambition, by not explicitly mentioning their talent, they leave it up to the reader’s interpretation.

Depending on how quickly they read the essay or how focused they are, there’s a possibility the reader will miss the key talent the student wanted to convey. Making sure to avoid spoon-feeding the answer to their audience, the student should include a short sentence that lays out what they view as their main talent.

At six, Mama reads me a story for the first time. I listen right up until Peter Pan talks about the stars in the night sky. “What’s the point of stars if they can’t be part of something?” Mama looks at me strangely before closing the book. “Sometimes, looking on is more helpful than actively taking part. Besides, stars listen- like you. You’re a good listener, aren’t you?” I nod. At eleven, my sister confides in me for the first time. She’s always been different, in a way even those ‘mind doctors’ could never understand. I don’t understand either, but I do know that I like my sister. She’s mean to me, but not like people are to her. She tells me how she sees the world, and chokes over her words in a struggle to speak. She trusts me, and that makes me happy. So, I listen. I don’t speak; this isn’t a story where I speak. At sixteen, I find myself involved with an organization that provides education to rural children. Dakshata is the first person I’ve tutored in Hindi. She’s also my favorite. So, when she interrupts me mid-lesson one evening, lips trembling and eyes filling with tears, I decide to put my pen down and listen. I don’t speak; I don’t take part in this story. Later, as I hug the girl, I tell her about the stars and how her mother is among their kind- unable to speak yet forever willing to listen. Dakshata now loves the stars as much as I do. At seventeen, I realize that the first thing that comes to my mind when someone asks me about a skill I possess is my ability to listen. Many don’t see it as a skill, and I wouldn’t ask them to either, but it’s important. When you listen, you see, you need not necessarily understand, but you do comprehend. You empathize on a near-cosmic level with the people around you and learn so much more than you ever thought possible. Everything is a part of something- even the stars with their ears.

The essay as a whole is an excellent example of narrative-based writing. The narrative begins with a captivating hook. The first sentence catches the reader by surprise, since it does not directly respond to the prompt by naming the writer’s greatest talent or skill. Instead, it tells a childhood story which does not seem to be related to a skill at first. This creates intrigue, and the second sentence adds to it by introducing a conflict. It causes readers to wonder why Peter Pan’s stargazing would make a six year old stop listening — hooked into the story, they continue reading.

The writer continues to create a moving narrative by using dialogue. Dialogue allows the writer to show rather than tell , which is a highly effective way to make an essay convey emotion and keep readers’ attention. The writer also shows their story by using language such as “mind doctors” instead of “psychologists” — this immerses readers in the author’s perspective as an 11 year old at the time. 

Two motifs, or recurring themes, tie the essay together: listening and looking at the stars. The last paragraph powerfully concludes the essay by explaining these themes and circling back to the introduction.

Crafting transitions is one area where this essay could be improved. The paragraph after “I nod” begins abruptly, and without any sentence to connect the writer’s dialogue at age six with her experiences at age 11. One way to make the transition smoother would be to begin the paragraph after “I nod” with “I try to be a good listener again at eleven, when my sister confides in me for the first time.”

This essay would also be more impactful if the writer explained what they aspire to do with their ability to listen in the future. While it is most important for your essay to explain how your past experiences have made you who you are in the present, looking towards the future allows admissions readers to imagine the impact you might make after graduation. The writer could do this in the last paragraph of their essay by writing the following: “Many don’t see it as a skill, and I wouldn’t ask them to either, but I find it important — especially as an aspiring social worker.”

Prompt: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. (350 words)

I distinctly remember the smile on Perela’s face when she found out her mother would be nursed back to health. I first met Perela and her mother at the Lestonnac Free Clinic in San Bernardino where I volunteered as a Spanish translator. I was in awe of the deep understanding of biology that the medical team employed to discover solutions. Despite having no medical qualifications of my own, I realized that by exercising my abilities to communicate and empathize, I could serve as a source of comfort and encouragement for Perela and her mother. The opportunity to combine my scientific curiosity and passion for caring for people cultivated my interest in a career as a physician.

To further explore this interest, I attended a summer medical program at Georgetown University. I participated in lectures on circulation through the heart, practiced stitches on a chicken leg, and assisted in giving CPR to a dummy in the patient simulation laboratory. Every fact about the human body I learned brought with it ten new questions for me to research. I consistently stayed after each lecture to gain insight about how cells, tissues, and organs all work together to carry out immensely complicated functions. The next year, in my AP Biology class, I was further amazed with the interconnected biological systems as I learned about the relationships between the human body and ecosystems. I discussed with my teacher how environmental changes will impact human health and how we must broaden our perspectives to use medicine to tackle these issues.

By integrating environmental and medical science, we can develop effective solutions to reduce the adverse effects of environmental degradation that Perela’s mother may have faced unintentionally. I want to go into the medical field so I can employ a long-term approach to combat biology’s hidden anomalies with a holistic viewpoint. I look forward to utilizing my undergraduate classes and extracurriculars to prepare for medical school so I can fight for both health care and environmental protection.

This student primarily answers the prompt in their middle paragraph as they describe their experience at a summer medical program as well as their science coursework in high school. This content shows their academic curiosity and rigor, yet the best part of the essay isn’t the student’s response to the prompt. The best part of this essay is the way the student positions their interest in medicine as authentic and unique.

The student appears authentic when they admit that they haven’t always been interested in medical school. Many applicants have wanted to be doctors their whole life, but this student is different. They were just in a medical office to translate and help, then got hooked on the profession and took that interest to the next level by signing up for a summer program.

Additionally, this student positions themself as unique as they describe the specifics of their interest in medicine, emphasizing their concern with the ways medicine and the environment interact. This is also refreshing!

Of course, you should always answer the prompt, but it’s important to remember that you can make room within most prompts to say what you want and show off unique aspects of yourself—just as this student did.

One thing this student should be careful of is namedropping Georgetown for the sake of it. There is no problem in discussing a summer program they attended that furthered their interest in medicine, but there is a problem when the experience is used to build prestige. Admissions officers already know that this student attended a summer program at Georgetown because it’s on their application. The purpose of the essay is to show  why attending the program was a formative moment in their interest.

The essay gets at the  why a bit when it discusses staying after class to learn more about specific topics, but the student could have gone further in depth. Rather than explaining the things the student did during the program, like stitching chicken legs and practicing CPR, they should have continued the emotional reflection from the first paragraph by describing what they thought and felt when they got hands-on medical experience during the program. 

Save describing prestigious accomplishments for your extracurriculars and resume; your essay is meant to demonstrate what made you you.

I love spreadsheets.

It’s weird, I know. But there’s something endlessly fascinating about taking a bunch of raw numbers, whipping and whacking them into different shapes and forms with formulas and equations to reveal hidden truths about the universe. The way I like to think about it is that the universe has an innate burning desire to tell us its stories. The only issue is its inability to talk with us directly. Most human stories are written in simple words and letters, but the tales of the universe are encrypted in numbers and relationships, which require greater effort to decode to even achieve basic comprehension. After all, it took Newton countless experimentation to discover the love story between mass and gravitation.

In middle school, whenever I opened a spreadsheet, I felt like I was part of this big journey towards understanding the universe. It took me a couple of years, but I eventually found out that my interest had a name: Data Science. With this knowledge, I began to read extensively about the field and took online courses in my spare time. I found out that the spreadsheets I had been using was just the tip of the iceberg. As I gained more experience, I started using more powerful tools like R (a statistical programming language) which allowed me to use sophisticated methods like linear regressions and decision trees. It opened my eyes to new ways to understand reality and changed the way I approached the world.

The thing I love most about data science is its versatility. It doesn’t matter if the data at hand is about the airflow on an owl’s wing or the living conditions of communities most crippled by poverty. I am able to utilize data science to dissect and analyze issues in any field. Each new method of analysis yields different stories, with distinct actors, settings, and plots. I’m an avid reader of the stories of the universe, and one day I will help the world by letting the universe write its own narrative.

This is an essay that draws the reader in. The student’s candid nature and openness truly allows us to understand why they are fascinated with spreadsheets themself, which in turn makes the reader appreciate the meaning of this interest in the student’s life. 

First, the student engages readers with their conversational tone, beginning “I love spreadsheets. It’s weird, I know,” followed shortly after by the phrase “whipping and whacking.” Then, they introduce their idea to us, explaining how the universe is trying to tell us something through numbers and saying that Newton discovered “the love story between mass and gravitation,” and we find ourselves clearly following along. They put us right there with them, on their team, also trying to discover the secrets of the universe. It is this bond between the student and the reader that makes the essay so engaging and worth reading.

Because the essay is focused on the big picture, the reader gets a sense of the wide-eyed wonderment this student experiences when they handle and analyze data. The student takes us on the “big journey towards understanding the universe” through the lens of Data Science. Explaining both the tools the student has used, like R and statistical regression, and the ideas the student has explored, like owl’s wings and poverty, demonstrates how this student fits into the micro and macro levels of Data Science. The reader gets a complete picture of how this student could change the world through this essay—something admissions officers always want to see.

The biggest thing that would improve this essay is an anecdote. As it’s written, the essay looks at Data Science from a more theoretical or aspirational perspective. The student explains all that Data Science can enable, but besides for explaining that they started coding with spreadsheets and R, they provide very little personal experience working with Data Science. This is where an anecdote would elevate the essay.

Adding a story about the first data set they examined or an independent project they undertook as a hobby would have elicited more emotion and allowed for the student to showcase their accomplishments and way of thinking. For example, they could delve into the feeling of enlightenment that came from first discovering a pattern in the universe. Or maybe they could describe how analyzing data was the catalyst that led them to reach out to local businesses to help them improve their revenue. 

If you have an impactful and enduring interest, such as this student does, you will have at least one anecdote you could include in your essay. You’ll find that essays with anecdotes are able to work in more emotional reflection that make the essay more memorable and the student more likable.

Prompt: What have you done to make your community a better place? (350 words)

Blinking sweat from my eyes, I raised my chin up to the pullup bar one last time before dropping down, my muscles trembling. But despite my physical exhaustion at the end of the workout, mentally, I felt reinvigorated and stronger than ever.

Minutes later, I sat at my computer, chatting with my friends about our first week in quarantine. After listening to numerous stories concerning boredom and loneliness, it struck me that I could use my passion for fitness to help my friends—I jumped at the chance to do so. 

After scouring the internet for the most effective exercises and fitness techniques, I began hosting Zoom workouts, leading friends, family, and anyone else who wanted to join in several fun exercises each week. I hoped these meetings would uplift anyone struggling during quarantine, whether from loneliness, uncertainty, or loss of routine. I created weekly workout plans, integrating cardio, strength, and flexibility exercises into each. Using what I learned from skating, I incorporated off-ice training exercises into the plans and added stretching routines to each session. 

Although many members were worried that they wouldn’t be able to complete exercises as well as others and hesitated to turn their cameras on, I encouraged them to show themselves on screen, knowing we’d only support one another. After all, the “face-to-face” interactions we had while exercising were what distinguished our workouts from others online; and I hoped that they would lead us to grow closer as a community. 

As we progressed, I saw a new-found eagerness in members to show themselves on camera, enjoying the support of others. Seeing how far we had all come was immensely inspiring: I watched people who couldn’t make it through one circuit finish a whole workout and ask for more; instead of staying silent during meetings, they continually asked for tips and corrections.

Despite the limitations placed on our interactions by computer screens, we found comfort in our collective efforts, the camaraderie between us growing with every workout. For me, it confirmed the strength we find in community and the importance of helping one another through tough times.

This essay accomplishes three main goals: it tells a story of how this student took initiative, it explores the student’s values, and it demonstrates their emotional maturity. We really get a sense of how this student improved their community while also gaining a large amount of insight into what type of person this student is.

With regards to initiative, this student writes about a need they saw in their community and the steps they took to satisfy that need. They describe the extensive thought that went into their decisions as they outline the planning of their classes and their unique decision to incorporate skating techniques in at-home workouts.

Additionally, they explore their values, including human connection. The importance of connection to this student is obvious throughout the essay as they write about their desire “to grow closer as a community.” It is particularly apparent with their final summarizing sentence: “For me, it confirmed the strength we find in community and the importance of helping one another through tough times.”

Lastly, this student positions themself as thoughtful when they recognize the way that embarrassment can get in the way of forming community. They do this through the specific example of feeling embarrassment when turning on one’s camera during a video call—a commonly-felt feeling. This ability to recognize fear of embarrassment as an obstacle to camaraderie shows maturity on the part of this applicant. 

This essay already has really descriptive content, a strong story, and a complete answer to the prompt, however there is room for every essay to improve. In this case, the student could have worked more descriptive word choice and figurative language into their essay to make it more engaging and impressive. You want your college essay to showcase your writing abilities as best as possible, while still sounding like you.

One literary device that would have been useful in this essay is a conceit or an extended metaphor . Essays that utilize conceits tend to begin with a metaphor, allude to the metaphor during the body of the paragraph, and end by circling back to the original metaphor. All together, it makes for a cohesive essay that is easy to follow and gives the reader a satisfying opening and conclusion to the essay.

The idea at the heart of this essay—working out to strengthen a community—would make for a great conceit. By changing the anecdote at the beginning to maybe reflect the lack of strength the student felt when working out alone and sprinkling in words and phrases that allude to strength and exercise during the essay, the last sentence (“For me, it confirmed the strength we find in community and the importance of helping one another through tough times”) would feel like a fulfilling end to the conceit rather than just a clever metaphor thrown in. 

Prompt: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? (350 words)

The scent of eucalyptus caressed my nose in a gentle breeze. Spring had arrived. Senior class activities were here. As a sophomore, I noticed a difference between athletic and academic seniors at my high school; one received recognition while the other received silence. I wanted to create an event celebrating students academically-committed to four-years, community colleges, trades schools, and military programs. This event was Academic Signing Day.

The leadership label, “Events Coordinator,” felt heavy on my introverted mind. I usually was setting up for rallies and spirit weeks, being overlooked around the exuberant nature of my peers. 

I knew a change of mind was needed; I designed flyers, painted posters, presented powerpoints, created student-led committees, and practiced countless hours for my introductory speech. Each committee would play a vital role on event day: one dedicated to refreshments, another to technology, and one for decorations. The fourth-month planning was a laborious joy, but I was still fearful of being in the spotlight. Being acknowledged by hundreds of people was new to me. 

The day was here. Parents filled the stands of the multi-purpose room. The atmosphere was tense; I could feel the angst building in my throat, worried about the impression I would leave. Applause followed each of the 400 students as they walked to their college table, indicating my time to speak. 

I walked up to the stand, hands clammy, expression tranquil, my words echoing to the audience. I thought my speech would be met by the sounds of crickets; instead, smiles lit up the stands, realizing my voice shone through my actions. I was finally coming out of my shell. The floor was met by confetti as I was met by the sincerity of staff, students, and parents, solidifying the event for years to come. 

Academic students were no longer overshadowed. Their accomplishments were equally recognized to their athletic counterparts. The school culture of athletics over academics was no longer imbalanced. Now, everytime I smell eucalyptus, it is a friendly reminder that on Academic Signing Day, not only were academic students in the spotlight but so was my voice.

This is a good essay because it describes the contribution the student made to their community and the impact that experience had on shaping their personality. Admissions officers get to see what this student is capable of and how they have grown, which is important to demonstrate in your essays. Throughout the essay there is a nice balance between focusing on planning the event and the emotions it elicited from this student, which is summed up in the last sentence: “not only were academic students in the spotlight but so was my voice.”

With prompts like this one (which is essentially a Community Service Essay ) students sometimes take very small contributions to their community and stretch them—oftentimes in a very obvious way. Here, the reader can see the importance of Academic Signing Day to the community and the student, making it feel like a genuine and enjoyable experience for all involved. Including details like the four months of planning the student oversaw, the specific committees they delegated tasks to, and the hundreds of students and parents that attended highlights the skills this student possesses to plan and execute such a large event.

Another positive aspect of this essay is how the student’s emotions are intertwined throughout the essay. We see this student go from being a shy figure in the background to the confident architect of a celebrated community event, all due to their motivation to create Academic Signing Day. The student consistently shows throughout the essay, instead of telling us what happened. One example is when they convey their trepidation to public speaking in this sentence: “I walked up to the stand, hands clammy, expression tranquil, my words echoing to the audience. I thought my speech would be met by the sounds of crickets.”

Employing detailed descriptions of feelings, emotions, fears, and body language all contribute to an essay that reveals so much in subtle ways. Without having to be explicitly told, the reader learns the student is ambitious, organized, a leader, and someone who deeply values academic recognition when they read this essay.

While this essay has many positives, there are a couple of things the student could work on. The first is to pay more attention to grammar. There was one obvious typo where the student wrote “the fourth-month planning was a laborious joy”, but there were also many sentences that felt clunky and disjointed. Each and every essay you submit should put your best foot forward and impress admissions officers with your writing ability, but typos immediately diminish your credibility as a writer and sincerity as an applicant.

It’s important to read through your essay multiple times and consider your specific word choice—does each word serve a purpose, could a sentence be rewritten to be less wordy, etc? However, it’s also important you have at least one other person edit your essay. Had this student given their essay to a fresh set of eyes they might have caught the typo and other areas in need of improvement.

Additionally, this student began and ended the essay with the smell of eucalyptus. Although this makes for an intriguing hook, it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual point of the essay. It’s great to start your essay with an evocative anecdote or figurative language, but it needs to relate to your topic. Rather than wasting words on eucalyptus, a much stronger hook could have been the student nervously walking up to the stage with clammy hands and a lump in their throat. Beginning the essay with a descriptive sentence that puts us directly into the story with the student would draw the reader in and get them excited about the topic at hand.

Prompt: What have you done to make your school or community a better place? (350 words) 

“I wish my parents understood.” Sitting at the lunch table, I listened as my friends aired out every detail of their life that they were too afraid to share with their parents. Sexuality, relationships, dreams; the options were limitless. While I enjoyed playing therapist every 7th period, a nagging sensation that perhaps their parents should understand manifested in me. Yet, my proposal was always met with rolling eyes; “I wish they understood” began every conversation, but nothing was being done beyond wishing on both sides. 

I wanted to help not just my friends but the countless other stories I was told of severed relationships and hidden secrets. Ultimately, my quest for change led me to BFB, a local nonprofit. Participating in their Youth Leadership program, I devised and implemented a plan for opening up the conversation between students and parents with the team I led. We successfully hosted relationship seminars with guest speakers specializing on a range of topics, from inclusive education to parental pressure, and were invited to speak for BFB at various external events with local government by the end of my junior year. Collaborating with mental health organizations and receiving over $1,000 in funding from international companies facilitated our message to spread throughout the community and eventually awarded us with an opportunity to tackle a research project studying mental health among teens during the pandemic with professors from the University at Buffalo and UC Los Angeles. 

While these endeavors collectively facilitated my team to win the competition, the most rewarding part of it all was receiving positive feedback from my community and close friends. “I wish my parents understood” morphed into “I’m glad they tried to understand”. I now lead a separate program under BFB inspired by my previous endeavors, advancing its message even further and leaving a legacy of change and initiative for future high schoolers in the program. As I leave for college, I hope to continue this work at the University of California and foster a diverse community that embraces understanding and growth across cultures and generations.

The essay begins with a strong, human-centered story that paints a picture of what the writer’s community looks like. The first sentence acts as a hook by leaving readers with questions — whose parents are being discussed, and what don’t they understand? With their curiosity now piqued, readers become intrigued enough to move on to the next sentences. The last sentence of the first paragraph and beginning of the second relate to the same topic of stories from friends, making for a highly effective transition.

The writer then does a great job of describing their community impact in specific detail, which is crucial for this prompt. Rather than using vague and overly generalized language, the writer highlights their role in BFB with strong action verbs like “devised” and “implemented.” They also communicate the full scope of their impact with quantifiable metrics like “$1,000 in funding,” all while maintaining a flowing narrative style.

The essay ends by circling back to the reason why the writer got involved in improving their community through BFB, which makes the essay more cohesive and moving. The last sentences connect their current experiences improving community with their future aspirations to do so, both in the wider world and at a UC school. This forward-looking part allows admissions officers to get a sense of what the writer might accomplish as a UC alum/alumna, and is certainly something to emulate.

This essay’s biggest weakness is its organization. Since the second paragraph contains lots of dense information about the writer’s role in BFB, it would benefit from a few sentences that tie it back to the narrative in the first paragraph. For instance, the third sentence of the paragraph could be changed like so: “Participating in their Youth Leadership program, I led my team through devising and implementing a plan to foster student-parent conversations — the ones that my 7th period friends were in need of.”

The last paragraph also has the potential to be reorganized. The sentence with the “I wish my parents understood” quote would be more powerful at the end of the paragraph rather than in the middle. With a short transition added to the beginning, the new conclusion would look like so: “ Through it all, I hope to help ‘I wish my parents understood’ morph into ‘I’m glad they tried to understand’ for my 7th period friends and many more.” 

I drop my toothbrush in the sink as I hear a scream. Rushing outside, I find my mom’s hand painfully wedged in the gap between our outward-opening veranda doors. I quickly open it, freeing her hand as she gasps in relief. 

As she ices her hand, I regard the door like I would a trivia question or math problem – getting to know the facts before I start working on a solution. I find that, surprisingly, there is not a single protrusion to open the door from the outside! 

Perhaps it was the fact that my mom couldn’t drive or that my dad worked long hours, but the crafts store was off-limits; I’ve always ended up having to get resourceful and creative with whatever materials happened to be on hand in order to complete my impromptu STEM projects or garage builds. Used plastic bottles of various shapes and sizes became buildings for a model of a futuristic city. Cylindrical capacitors from an old computer, a few inches in height, became scale-size storage tanks. 

Inspired by these inventive work-arounds and spurred on by my mom’s plight, I procure a Command Strip, a roll of tennis racket grip, and, of course, duct tape. I fashion a rudimentary but effective solution: a pull handle, ensuring she would never find herself stuck again.

A desire to instill others in my community with this same sense of resourcefulness led me to co-found “Repair Workshops” at my school – sessions where we teach students to fix broken objects rather than disposing of them. My hope is that participants will walk away with a renewed sense of purpose to identify problems faced by members of their community (whether that’s their neighbor next door or the planet as a whole) and apply their newfound engineering skills towards solutions.

As I look towards a degree and career in engineering and business, these connections will serve as my grounding point: my reminder that in disciplines growing increasingly quantitative, sometimes the best startup ideas or engineering solutions originate from a desire to to better the lives of people around me.

This essay is a good example of telling a story with an authentic voice. With its down-to-earth tone and short, punchy paragraphs, it stands out as a piece of writing that only the author could have written. That is an effective way for you to write any of your college essays as well.

After readers are hooked by the mention of screaming in the first sentence, the writer immerses the readers in their thinking. This makes the essay flow very naturally — rather than a first paragraph of narrative followed by an unrelated description of STEM projects, the whole essay is a cohesive story that shows how the writer came to improve their community. 

Their take on community also makes the essay stand out. While many responses to this prompt will focus on an amorphous, big-picture concept of community, such as school or humanity, this essay is about a community that the writer has a close connection to — their family. Family is also not the large group of people that most applicants would first attach to the word “community,” but writing about it here is a creative take on the prompt. Though explaining community impact is most important, choosing the most unique community you are a part of is a great way to make your essay stand out.

This essay’s main weakness is that the paragraph about Repair Workshops does not go into enough detail about community impact. The writer should highlight more specific examples of leadership here, since it would allow them to demonstrate how they hope to impact many more communities besides their family. 

After the sentence ending with “fix broken objects rather than disposing of them,” a new part could be added that shows how the writer taught students. For example, the writer could tell the story of how “tin cans became compost bins” as they explained the importance of making the world a better place. 

Then, at the end of the paragraph, the writer could more concretely explain the visions they have to expand the impact of Repair Workshops. A good concluding sentence could start with “I too hope to use engineering skills and resourcefulness to…” Adding this extra context would also make the paragraph transition better to the final paragraph of the essay, which somewhat abruptly begins by mentioning the writer’s previously unmentioned career interests in engineering and business.

Where to Get Feedback on Your UC Essays

Want feedback like this on your University of California essays before you submit? We offer expert essay review by advisors who have helped students get into their dream schools. You can book a review with an expert to receive notes on your topic, grammar, and essay structure to make your essay stand out to admissions officers. In fact, Alexander Oddo , an essay expert on CollegeVine, provided commentary on several of the essays in this post.

Haven’t started writing your essay yet? Advisors on CollegeVine also offer expert college counseling packages . You can purchase a package to get one-on-one guidance on any aspect of the college application process, including brainstorming and writing essays.

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Essays on California

Senator Kevin De León is renowned for engineering the authorship of Senate Bill 100 on the emission of green gases. The legislation targeted California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard Program. According to De León, this bill focused on having the standards of renewable energy improved by 2030. Moreover, De León projected that...

According to Carman, (1966) the Hollywood fame can be traced back to the 1910 where D.W Griffith produced his first film, In Old California. Although there have been changes in the film industry, the star system is still solid. The system refers to an approach used by studios...

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The Chumash group, also known as Santa Barbara Indians, is one of the many native American Indian tribes. According to Kelley (4), this tribe formerly resided both inland and along the Pacific shore of California, that is, from the canyon of Malibu to San Luis Obispo. The majority of them...

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Attempting to investigate the settlement and later development of the state of Southern California during the first 100 years of its establishment, Heritage Square Museum is a working history museum that is situated in Southern California. Eight Victorian-era buildings that were allocated to the museum were spared from being demolished...

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Because California is an at-will state, the employer may terminate the employee at any time, with or without cause, and without providing any prior warning. However, the implied and explicit terms of the contract with the workers will determine how much legal risk the Aeroscope manufacturing plant is exposed to....

This article, which was released on September 18th, 2017, presents some important results regarding public safety and security. Natalie Delgadillo, the reporter behind it, claims that the state of California recently implemented a regulation that limits the cooperation of law enforcement and regional immigration authorities. Therefore, it is against the...

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Secondary Industries Secondary industries, also referred to as manufacturing industries, raise the worth of the goods supplied by primary industries by transforming them from raw materials to a product that people are more likely to buy. The textile, food processing, steel fabrication, aerospace, and construction sectors are a few examples of...

Cities such as Bakersfield, Modesto, and Fresno anchor California's Central Valley. These are the state's and the country's agricultural centers. It is made up of eight counties that produce half of the fruits and vegetables grown in the United States. This is owing to the area's geographical location, which is...

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Huntington Beach is a city in Southern California on the coast. The city has an estimated population of 189,992 inhabitants, according to the 2010 US national census. The population is made up of people from many categories, which are summarized below; according to the data published on the fact seeker...

A Superior Region in the Next Century A region in geography is a geographical area with comparable features, both constructed and natural. These range from woods, climate, and wildlife to language, working culture, religion, and even the government. In this context, the Silicon Valley region incorporates both of the previously listed...

Apple Inc. is a technology business founded in Silicon Valley, California, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The Corporation creates and sells cutting-edge electronic gear, software, accessories, and services. It offers a variety of PCs, iOS devices, operating systems, music programs, and app shops. Apple Inc. s objective is to...

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Caito Maia founded Chilli Beans in 1994 while studying music at the University of California after observing fellow students using sunglasses not for eye protection but as a fashion accessory. It inspired him to start importing and selling sunglasses to friends when he returned to Brazil. He quickly rose to...

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Type of paper: Essay

Topic: California , Mexico , United States , America , Time , Life , Family , Women

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Published: 05/21/2021

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- Rawls wrote this essay in 1986 and concludes by asserting that the promises of California remain undiminished. Write an essay in which you argue whether his description of the California good life is still valid, supporting your position with current evidence. To develop your ideas, you might read or reread Victor Davis Hanson’s Paradise Lost.

A lot of things happened during the period between the 18th and the 21st century. To be more specific, most of the highlights of the nation, the United States’, accomplishments today can be traced back to the golden years of the 20th century. James Rawls was the author of the work California: A Place, a People, a Dream, a book about the quintessential and other positive, and some negative qualities of the Californian state. Rawls argued that California is one of the best, if not the best places, one could be, at least based on the people’s perception about California and how it looked and felt like living there during the time that he was finishing his work. It would make sense to think that the highlight of Rawls’ work was the Californian paradox that he described. In it he argued that despite the fact that California indeed carried great potential of becoming the most populous, richest, and most progressive state among all others in the United States through the people’s long term vision of a good life, a lot of disappointment, frustration, and popping of bubbles of illusion of a good and most often, a get rich quick life. This, according to Rawls, both popularized the idea of living in California, and at the same time, alerted the people, especially those who became so eager to transfer there just because of the still unproven Californian dream.

What qualities make California a unique place compared to other states in the United States during the 19th century? Perhaps one of the most naturally-occurring answers to this would be the overall weather. A typical weather in California can be characterized by the presence of crisp air coming out straight from the High Sierra, or the unique feeling of the breeze coming straight from the ocean touching one’s skin at Malibu; the skies of Central Valley filled with clouds and being decorated by the sun, and the unique mixture of mist and fog in Muir Woods, among others. For some, this unique weather in a relatively cold North American continent is already enough to make them move their things and their families and transfer to the greener land and more stable weather in California. The next factor here would be the success stories of individuals who allegedly originally came from the state of California. Some of the examples that Rawls used to prove his point were Stephen Wozniak and Steven Jobs’ founding of Apple Corporation (despite the fact that they started as nothing but mere small-time computer entrepreneurs in California; the founding of the Hewlett Packard corporation in Palo Alto by its founders William Hewlett and David Packard, the discovery of new reserves or oil, gold, and other resources, and the establishment of whole new manufacturing lines and industries on separate occasions.

The author did not stop at romanticizing California’s greatness. He also emphasized the frustration, the disappointment, and the challenges that those who tried their luck in this allegedly magical state but failed—the main reason why there is a Californian paradox. The once celebrated notion of being the most populous state has been regarded as something close to a curse because of the negative effects of overpopulation that California citizens themselves witnessed. What Rawls presented were basically the beautiful and the ugly side of California, something which is nothing short of a good job, thanks to his unbiased tone. I agree to most of his points. What I could see myself accepting was the fact that people actually believed that California could have been the birthplace of one of the most superior, if not the most superior race on earth. That would certainly be not true as the success stories of people who made fortunes in this allegedly green pasture were nothing but products of their own motivation and hard work, no more and no less..

- Why, in Spooner’s view, did California promotional campaigns target Iowans?

As in the work of some of Rawls and other authors who also described California as one of the places with the greenest pastures, Spooner, in her work entitled A New Perspective on the Dream, presented a more conventional view of California, the people’s perception of it, and some variables in its past that may have contributed to what and how people see it today, or at least during the time that she was writing her work. In a nutshell, he proposed an alternative view of the Californian dream, which is not so similar with that of Rawls. There are many reasons why people from different parts of the North and South American continent decided to move to California. The factor that Spooner focused on was the possible rationale that people wanted to start a new life, a different one from the one they had in the place they left, after the signing of the truces that officially ended the Second World War. The end of the war marked the retention of the status of national territories that did not change administrative hands. This means that countries and states that oppressively treated their citizens remained to be so; and that those that fairly treated theirs remained to be so. California is one of the states that belong to the latter—states that fairly treated their citizens.

The regulations and the political stability in the other regions, particularly the West, North, Central, and the Midwest regions were not so attractive and so this people coming from these regions got prompted to leave their then current homes and move to California. Now, according to Spooner’s research and own perspective, Iowan refugees and immigrants represent a huge percentage of the total population of California during the pre and post-World War II period. Having already formed a population base in California, the population of Californians who came from Iowa even increased, thanks to the huge population growth that followed after the end of the Second World War. The belief that most Californians during that time came from Iowa has led to the exaggeration that most Californians today are technically Iowans. This, in turn, led to the belief that if people, particularly those who own businesses were to understand the perceptions and behaviors of Iowans, they would be able to understand the perceptions and behaviors of most, but definitely not all Californians too, making their promotional campaigns smoother, more efficient, and effective. This is why for the succeeding years, promotional campaigns targeted mostly Iowans although results of a more thorough research would most likely indicate that aside from Iowans, there were, in fact, a lot of other significant populations from other North and South American regions who migrated to California, in hopes of being able to find a new and better life.

- Spooner writes that Southern California attracted many Midwesterners because they saw it as a place like the Midwest but better.

Spooner indeed wrote her work based on the presumption that California was indeed a much better place compared to all other states in most if not all of North and South American regions. However, I would like to contest her idea that suggest that more and more people moved in to California because it is a much better place compared to other places, such as the one she mentioned in her work (e.g. Orange, Tustin, and Claremont). We can factor in the fact that during the time that California experienced a surge in immigrants, most Americans, Northerners and Southerners, just experienced a war and so it may be natural for them to perceive, at least during that time that their place was not the best place to live. For sure, in California, no matter how magnificent, economically progressive, or orderly this state used to be, things have been significantly different and even harder during the war as well just like what happened in other places. The fact that the people just experienced a World War may have clouded Spooner’s mind and made him automatically think that the reason why people transferred to California was because people actually believed it is a better place than cities like Orange, Tustin, and Claremont.

Pierette Sotelo wrote the book Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence to describe the changes in the patterns of experiences and lifestyles that immigrant women in California have experienced. Sotelo focused on the fact that as more and more jobs became available for Californians, even for those are immigrants from different places, women became less involved in traditional jobs such as taking care of the children, doing mostly household chores, and cooking food, among others. Women have changed their pattern of experiences and lifestyle as more and more of them became permanent members of the workforce—a privilege which used to be available only to men. Richard Rodriguez, on the other hand, authored works about the patterns of experiences and lifestyles of various populations in California. One of his famous works that are related to this topic is Proofs. In Proofs, he explained the hardships and challenges that people from Latin America (e.g. Brazilians, Mexicans, and etc.) encountered just to get to Los Angeles. These people had to learn how to understand and speak English; how to work just as hard as other Americans; how to do jobs that they did not even have a background in; and most important of all, endure the pain of being separated with their families at home (mostly in Mexico) just so they could earn a living. At this point, I can say that the difference between the roles of men and that of women is continuously getting thinner, as evidenced by the increased number of women doing roles (working away from home) doing jobs that used to be traditional jobs of men. This may be due to various factors. Firstly, the fact that the number of jobs in factories, mines, and other newly-established industries have attracted women to secure their own spot in the workforce instead of staying at home doing repetitive jobs. Secondly, this gender role convergence between men and women may be the result of the necessity to look for a job, especially for couples who had to sustain the needs of big families. This trend still continues now, again, as evidenced by the number of women entering the workforce.

- Write an essay in which you support, refute, or modify Rodriguez’s assertion that the Mexicans he discusses had no true home but the tabernacle of memory

Rodriguez discussed the experiences, mostly negative, that Mexicans had when they moved to California, a country that has been perceived to have greener pastures compared to other countries in the North and South American continents, to work. He repeated several times that Mexicans had to come into the country (California) on their knees and with their heads down because they were basically not from that land. The Mexicans had to endure being degraded at work and the fact that they had to endure all negative treatments and perceptions from the natives because they believe that as a man, they had to do so. He further explained in one simple paragraph how Americans differ from Mexicans. “Mexico is poor, but mama says there are no love songs like the love songs of Mexico; the people are kinder-poor but kinder to each other” .

Now, to answer the question directly, within the context of traditional (often characterized by laxity) immigration policies, I would say that it would already be logical for people to believe Rodriguez’s assertion that the Mexicans he discusses had no true home but the tabernacle of memory. This is because Mexicans, during that time, were basically illegal immigrants. They were basically doing jobs that pay a fraction of what their work was really worth just to sustain the needs of their families. Some of them had to work so hard and be degraded at the same time that the good thing that remains in their memory is the memory of their family and home. So, unless the Mexicans that Rodriguez was pertaining to did not suffer from discrimination, I would say that this assertion of his is valid.

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Half of Republicans say California isn’t really American

The sun sets behind the downtown Los Angeles skyline.

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California’s national reputation as a place of dreams and prosperity is in jeopardy, battered by Republicans who dislike almost all aspects of the state and many Democrats who see it as too costly and a poor place to raise a family.

Nationwide, 50% of U.S. adults believe the state is in decline, according to a new survey for the Los Angeles Times.

Political polarization has intensified the negativity: 48% of Republicans believe the state is “not really American,” the survey found. Three in 10 Republicans say the home of Yosemite’s sheer peaks, Sequoia’s towering redwoods and Malibu’s beaches has a worse natural environment than other states.

A snowy landscape at Kings Canyon National Park.

Nearly 40% of Republicans don’t even think California is a good place to visit, though a majority in both parties say they have been to the state, according to the survey of 1,004 adults , conducted Jan. 26-28 by Leger, a Canadian firm that has polled extensively in the United States.

Bar chart shows the share of Republicans, independents and Democrats who either completely agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or completely disagree that California is in decline.

“If you are a more conservative American, you basically do not like California,” said Christian Bourque, Leger’s executive vice president and the poll’s supervisor. “Of course, we all expected some of that, but the differences are actually quite striking.”

California has, however, maintained its reputation as a new frontier, particularly among young people, who have long fueled the state’s energy.

Bar chart shows the share of U.S. residents aged 18-34, 35-54 or 55 and older who either completely agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or completely disagree that California is a trendsetter.

Six in 10 adults nationwide think the state is a trendsetter and that it has had a positive impact on the country. The share who see California as a trendsetter rises to 7 in 10 among those ages 18-34. A similar share of younger Americans also says that California’s impact on the U.S. has been positive.

Younger people were also twice as likely (43%) to say they would consider moving to the state as are other Americans. Job opportunity was the top reason they cited (36%).

stars and stripes ballot box with a California-shaped ballot tucked in the slot

Voter guide to the 2024 California primary election

California’s primary election takes place on March 5. Read up on the races in L.A. city, L.A. County and other areas.

Feb. 1, 2024

Among Republicans, just one-third said that the state’s impact on the country has been positive, while two-thirds said it has been a net negative.

The extent to which partisanship drives opinion can also be seen in how much Americans’ views of California overlap with opinions on seemingly unrelated, but similarly polarized, topics such as climate change, gender equality, racism and abortion.

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People who see racism as an important issue in the U.S., for example, are more than twice as likely to think California is a good place to visit (77%) than are those who think racism is unimportant (35%).

Californians do have notably different views than the rest of the country on some issues. Abortion stands out: Nearly half (46%) of Californians say abortion should be legal in all cases, a view shared by just over 1 in 4 adults nationwide.

Many came to view the Los Angeles skyline against a backdrop of snow capped San Gabriel mountains.

Beyond partisanship, the poll underscores how economic trends of recent years have affected California’s image. High housing prices have led to a persistent crisis of homelessness and have helped drive three straight years of population decline after more than a century of nonstop growth.

Californians in both parties, even those who appreciate the state’s natural environment and cultural values, have complained it has become too expensive , with roughly 8 in 10 California residents and nearly 9 in 10 in the rest of the country holding that view, the poll found.

Only about 2 in 5 Americans called California a good place to raise a family, and a similar share said its economy is strong.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 27: House impeachment managers, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks to members of the media as Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) listen prior to the Senate impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol January 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. The defense team will continue its arguments on day six of the Senate impeachment trial against President Donald Trump. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **

Long before he took on Trump, Adam Schiff’s pursuit of tough justice defined his career

The Burbank congressman and Senate candidate, known to the nation for the impeachment inquiry into the ex-president, has long been driven by the pursuit of justice.

Feb. 9, 2024

Fewer than 3 in 10 people nationwide judged the state’s colleges and universities — consistently ranked among the best in academic surveys — as better than other states’ higher education options. Notably, however, younger Americans and adults who live in California were significantly more likely to rate California colleges and universities as better than others.

The degree to which political or ideological beliefs color such opinions was pervasive. For example, fewer than 1 in 5 people overall said California has a better standard of living than other states. That falls to 1 in 10 among Republicans. A majority in the GOP say California’s standard of living is worse than most states.

By contrast, about 1 in 3 Democrats say California’s standard of living is better than most states, while 4 in 10 say it’s about the same and fewer than 2 in 10 call it worse.

A student walks across the USC campus

Political divisions have subsumed many aspects of American life in recent years. But California has been the target of particularly virulent attacks from conservative media personalities and politicians as it has shifted from political battleground to Democratic lock. The attacks accelerated during Donald Trump’s presidency, when the state often sued the federal government , especially on immigration and environmental policies.

Memories of Republican Govs. Ronald Reagan in the 1960s and 1970s or Pete Wilson in the 1990s have receded for many Americans as the state has morphed into an emblem of progressivism — propelled by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to sign laws designed to combat red-state policies on climate , abortion , immigration status, gender and other hot-button issues.

Not all Democrats are on board with that shift — 30% call the state too liberal, a view shared by 81% of Republicans.

Ex-Dodgers MVP Steve Garvey is sitting on a bench in Santa Monica.

Steve Garvey touts ‘family values’ in his Senate bid. Some of his kids tell another story

Two of Garvey’s children say he has declined to meet with them, while his eldest daughter says he cut her and her children off without explanation.

Conservative politicians have increasingly defined themselves by opposition to California : “Don’t allow Florida to become San Francisco,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared this month as he unveiled legislation designed to reduce homelessness that included a crackdown on camping in public places.

DeSantis has been a leading critic of the state, releasing videos from San Francisco as part of his former presidential campaign in which he claimed (without proof) that he had seen people defecating on the street.

A full moon rises over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in January.

Other conservatives, including Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and X , have joined in railing against the state’s former COVID-19 restrictions, its laws allowing gender affirming care for minors and its policies granting access to subsidized public healthcare for low-income people who came to the country illegally.

The public pounding by Fox News and conservative social media has helped drive negative views of the state on issues such as safety: Three-quarters of Republicans say they think the state is unsafe, despite recent improvements in crime statistics in Los Angeles and other major cities. In 2022, the most recent year for which the FBI has released state-by-state data , California’s reported rate of violent crime was above the national average, but similar to the rates in states as disparate as Colorado, South Carolina and Missouri.

The policy and cultural clashes over California came to a head in December when DeSantis debated Newsom on Fox News over whose state is better governed and whose definition of freedom better matched the American ideal.

The answer for many Americans appears to be a draw, according to the poll: California and Florida were roughly tied when people were asked which of the two states better represents their values — 52% sided with Florida, 48% with California. The division was similar when the poll asked about California versus Texas.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA - JULY 21: Betsy Hoffman, 11, left, of Irvine, of Back Bay Water Polo, gets words of encouragement from mother Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), 49, at the 2023 USA Water Polo Junior Olympics held at Oceanview High School Aquatics Center on Friday, July 21, 2023 in Huntington Beach, CA. Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), 49, of Irvine, representing California's 47th congretional district since 2023, is running for Senate seat held by 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

How Katie Porter harnesses her blunt style and single-mom experience in her Senate campaign

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Feb. 2, 2024

Views on whether California is more free than other states showed a similar split, with roughly a quarter saying it was more free and another quarter saying it was less free. The rest said it was roughly the same or declined to answer.

Newsom has argued that California stands for freedom , citing its protection of abortion rights, affordable healthcare, clean air and other progressive priorities.

The poll indicated he has support for that vision at home. Asked if the state is better on freedom than other states, Californians in the survey were twice as likely (43%) to say yes as were adults nationwide (21%).

State residents also give California higher marks on healthcare, higher education, its natural environment, race relations and its standard of living than do people nationwide.

The Leger poll was conducted online among 1,004 U.S. residents ages 18 and older, including 120 California residents. The sample was weighted to match benchmarks for age, gender, region, education and ethnicity. The estimated margin of error is 3.1 percentage points for the full sample.

More to Read

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Letters to the Editor: California is just as American as Nevada or Texas. Enough with the hate

Feb. 21, 2024

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Column: We hold these truths to be self-evident — the Golden State is still golden. And yes, we are Americans

Feb. 18, 2024

Los Angeles, CA - July 27: Clouds float over downtown Los Angeles and the new 6th Street Bridge at sunset , which has been closed intermittently since opening due to street racing and other illegal activity on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Opinion: Republicans don’t like California. Readers’ response: Whatever

Feb. 17, 2024

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Noah Bierman is an enterprise reporter focusing on clashes between red and blue states in the Washington bureau for the Los Angeles Times. He previously covered the White House and wrote for the paper’s national desk.

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California Today

The Debate Over Ethnic Studies in California

By 2025, the state’s public high schools must begin teaching the subject. But the Israel-Hamas war has made the effort much more complicated.

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Dana Goldstein

By Dana Goldstein

A photo of a student’s hands, filling out a worksheet.

As an education reporter, I’m always looking for good news on my beat. So I perked up back in 2016 when sources in California started buzzing about a study out of Stanford University showing that ethnic studies classes in San Francisco had helped improve grades and attendance among teenagers who were at risk of dropping out.

That research was persuasive to policymakers, and, after years of flirting with the idea, California education officials started to write a state curriculum in ethnic studies. In 2021, state lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted a law requiring high schools to offer an ethnic studies course by 2025, and making the subject a requirement for graduation from high school starting with the class of 2030.

Over the last month, I’ve been checking in on how that mandate is rolling out across the state — and why the Israel-Hamas war has made the effort much more complicated.

The key tension comes down to the difference between what many legislators thought they were getting when they voted for ethnic studies — a type of broad multicultural curriculum rooted in local history — and what ethnic studies actually is, as defined by university scholars with doctorates in the field.

The discipline has roots in student activism in the Bay Area in the 1960s against racism, segregation, colonialism and militarism. It looks at four groups in particular: Black Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans. And the Palestinian experience of displacement is central to ethnic studies.

Some scholars see the Palestinians’ situation as perhaps the most crucial current-day example of the pattern of settler colonialism that brought Europeans to the Americas and led to the displacement and genocide of Native Americans.

Jewish Californians have a broad range of views on the Israel-Hamas war and on Israeli politics more generally. But almost from the beginning of discussions over California’s ethnic studies curriculum, Jewish groups in the state have raised concerns about it — not just over how Israel would be talked about in classrooms, but also about how central a focus the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be.

They have worried that teaching about the conflict without giving equal attention to many other foreign humanitarian crises would paint Jews as oppressors and would seed antisemitism.

The California Department of Education has asked schools to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in their world history courses, and not in ethnic studies. But some ethnic studies scholars and educators have rejected that approach. They say the conflict is a crucial topic in their field — not only because teenagers are encountering so much discussion of the war on social media and are naturally concerned about it, but also because Palestinian and Arab American students deserve to see their own histories reflected in the curriculum.

I hope you’ll check out my article , which goes into detail about this debate and explains the lawsuits, course materials and activism that may affect how ethnic studies is taught in your own community.

Dana Goldstein is an education reporter for The New York Times.

The rest of the news

A federal judge dismissed riot charges against two neo-Nazi street gang members who attacked counterprotesters at pro-Trump rallies in California in 2017, saying that the government had engaged in “selective prosecution” by not bringing charges against left-wing activists who had also acted violently.

A federal judge ruled that a California woman’s lawsuit accusing a tomato seller of using “highly misleading” packaging to trick consumers into thinking they’re buying “genuine San Marzano tomatoes” could proceed.

The company, Simpson Imports, said that it “strongly disputes that reasonable consumers could have been deceived” by the label since the words “San Marzano” do not appear on it.

California is taking advantage of the recent surplus of rain and snow to recharge its groundwater , CBS Sacramento reports.

Southern California

Los Angeles has already received all of its annual average rainful in the first two months of the year, NBC News reports, as storms fueled by atmospheric rivers continue to pound the state.

A group of directors that includes Jason Reitman, Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Lulu Wang and Alfonso Cuarón has bought the Village Theater, a 93-year-old movie palace in Los Angeles , with plans to restore it.

Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles and Senator Alex Padilla are backing the reintroduction of a bill that would invest billions of federal dollars in housing and homelessness programs , The Los Angeles Times reports.

Central California

An employee at the Pitman Family Farms plant in Sanger was killed in an accident involving a company tractor-trailer, the second fatality at the plant in a year, The Fresno Bee reports. There was no indication of foul play.

Silicon Valley venture capitalists who once viewed China as the next frontier for innovation and investment are now backing away at a time of tense relations between the United States and China.

Northern California

San Francisco officials want to provide universal access to drug recovery books , which are currently the books most often stolen from the city’s public libraries, KQED reports.

And before you go, some good news

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has named two wolf packs that were discovered in the state over the summer.

The two new packs, called the Beyem Seyo pack and the Harvery pack, were discovered in Plumas County and Lassen County, bringing the total number of known active wolf packs in California to five.

In its quarterly report , the department noted the existence of several other small groups of wolves, as well as individual wolves that have been spotted across the state.

The news, reported last month by the Center for Biological Diversity , a nonprofit that protects endangered animals, is a welcome development for California’s wolf population. Gray wolves are native to California but were nearly driven to extinction in the 1920s. They are now protected under state and federal endangered species laws.

“Wolves belong in our state,” Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement, “and we should do everything we can to ensure they thrive.”

Thanks for reading. We’ll be back tomorrow.

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword .

Soumya Karlamangla, Maia Coleman and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at [email protected] .

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Dana Goldstein covers education and families for The Times.  More about Dana Goldstein

Our Coverage of the Israel-Hamas War

News and Analysis

The Israeli military, by its assessment, has delivered a major blow to the capabilities of Hamas. But Israeli security officials say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of destroying Hamas remains elusive and anticipate a protracted campaign .

Intense bombardment of the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, killed or wounded scores of people  as Israel repeated its intention to push into the area with ground forces if Hamas does not release hostages before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

As the death toll in Gaza mounts, global pressure  against Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is testing the support of even its staunchest ally , the United States.

Stranded in Rafah: After months of telling residents in Gaza to move south for safety, Israel now says it plans to invade Rafah, the territory’s southernmost city. Two Gazans describe what it is like to live there right now .

A Father’s Heartache: Beginning in December, Mustafa Abutaha, a professor of English in Gaza who lost a son to the war, sent us dozens of voice and video messages , providing a window inside Nasser Medical Complex before it was raided by Israeli forces.

Building Political Pressure: Omer Neutra and Edan Alexander, young men from the New York area who were serving together in the Israeli military, were taken captive on Oct. 7 near Gaza. Their families now share one urgent goal : to free them.

An Arab Vision for Gaza: Mohammed Dahlan, a Palestinian exile and an adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, provided some insights into what Arab governments are privately planning  for the battered enclave after the war ends.

Opinion | A bold idea for California: Instead of passing…

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Opinion | A bold idea for California: Instead of passing so many new laws, how about some oversight over existing ones?

essay on california

The reaction from politicians to California’s budget deficit – now estimated by the Legislative Analyst to be around $73 billion – breaks down into two camps: the state must either reduce spending or find more revenue. (Euphemism for raising taxes.)

In reality, even the most progressive legislators realize that their dream of unending growth in government is crashing headlong into reality. Days ago, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas acknowledged that the ultimate goal of single-payer health care won’t be on the table anytime soon.

Of course, any reduction in spending will be accompanied by the obligatory gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair. It is easier to extract a sirloin steak from the jaws of a Doberman than to get politicians and government bureaucrats to reduce their record levels of spending. To the tax spenders, all government spending is “essential,” notwithstanding the fact that state spending has doubled in six years.

Ordinary Californians reject the premise that all state spending is “essential” and, in fact, think much of it is superfluous and wasteful. A Public Policy Institute of California survey earlier this month asked, “Do you think . . . state government[s] waste a lot of the money we pay in taxes, waste some of it, or don’t waste very much of it?” Overall, 45% of Californians perceived that “a lot” of their money was being wasted and 46% believed “some” of their money was wasted.

Specific examples abound. If the High-Speed Rail project were put before the voters after its 14-year history of broken promises, polling reveals it would be derailed. And volumes could be written about the $30 billion in EDD fraud.

An excellent exposé in CalMatters by Sameea Kamal and Jeremia Kimelman reveals the massive non-compliance with legislative mandates regarding the preparation of reports that are supposed to track the effectiveness of government programs. The title of the article is “Legislators wanted 1,100 reports on how California’s laws are working. Most haven’t arrived.”

When it creates a new program, the Legislature frequently requires the affected state or local agencies to prepare a report back to the Legislature about the performance of the new program. The purpose, according to the Legislature itself, is to “provide crucial oversight to ensure effective implementation of programs.”

But according to CalMatters, “more than 70% of the 1,118 reports due in the past year were not submitted to the Office of Legislative Counsel, the public repository for the reports . . . And about half of those that were filed were late. (About 230 were reports required from multiple agencies.)”

The absence of reports on the efficacy of past legislation makes future legislation like a journey into the unknown. CalMatters correctly contends that the “reports could be used to avoid introducing duplicative or unnecessary bills.” But a more fundamental purpose would be to determine which laws or programs should simply be repealed or abandoned entirely.

Compounding the problem of missing reports is that there is little data about which reports are simply late and that there is little notice when they are completed. The lack of a coherent process for tracking legislatively mandated reports is why, according to CalMatters, “some lawmakers and consultants . . . don’t often use the [Legislative Counsel] website,” relying instead on alternative sources of information.

In theory, California has multiple avenues for conducting oversight. The California State Auditor produces a number of useful reports, including a periodic report on “statewide issues and state agencies that represent a high risk to the State or its residents.”

The real problem with the oversight, performance reviews, and audits is that, frankly, they’re not sexy. Robust oversight rarely provides an opportunity for a press conference or photo-op as does the launching of some new program.

But sexy or not, scrutiny of whether existing programs are performing as intended should be high on the list of ways to get more bang for each taxpayer buck. Especially when California is $73 billion in the hole.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

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Fourth circuit 2024 essay contest now open to students in grades 6-12.

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Seventy years ago, the Supreme Court held in Brown v. Board of Education , 347 U.S. 483 (1954), that racial segregation in public schools violates the United States Constitution. The Court recognized that public education is "the very foundation of good citizenship," and Brown's impact on education and society has been the subject of much discussion and debate in our nation's history.

Has the decision in Brown , viewed through the lens of 2024, achieved its purpose of ensuring equal opportunity in public education?

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit 2024 essay contest is now open to all students currently in grades 6 through 12 from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Students are invited to consider and share their thoughts on the question: "Has the decision in Brown , viewed through the lens of 2024, achieved its purpose of ensuring equal opportunity in public education?"

Grades 9-12: Essays are limited to 500-1,000 words , and students have the opportunity to win one of three cash prizes:  first place, $2,000; second place, $1,500;  and  third place, $1,000.

Grades 6–8: Essays are limited to 250-500 words , and students have the opportunity to win one of three cash prizes: first place, $500; second place, $350;  and  third place, $200. Deadline: Entry form and essay must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, May 31, 2024 . Winners will be announced in August, and the winning essays will be presented at the Fourth Circuit's Constitution Day Program in September 2024.

For additional information, questions to consider, and instructions on how to submit your essay, visit www.ca4.uscourts.gov/essay-contest .

For questions, contact the Fourth Circuit Clerk’s Office at [email protected] or (804) 916-2715.

Please note: Prior award winners as well as children, grandchildren, stepchildren, and members of the household of a federal judge or federal judiciary employee are excluded from the competition.

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What is Presidents Day and how is it celebrated? What to know about the federal holiday

Many will have a day off on monday in honor of presidents day. consumers may take advantage of retail sales that proliferate on the federal holiday, but here's what to know about the history of it..

essay on california

Presidents Day is fast approaching, which may signal to many a relaxing three-day weekend and plenty of holiday sales and bargains .

But next to Independence Day, there may not exist another American holiday that is quite so patriotic.

While Presidents Day has come to be a commemoration of all the nation's 46 chief executives, both past and present, it wasn't always so broad . When it first came into existence – long before it was even federally recognized – the holiday was meant to celebrate just one man: George Washington.

How has the day grown from a simple celebration of the birthday of the first president of the United States? And why are we seeing all these ads for car and furniture sales on TV?

Here's what to know about Presidents Day and how it came to be:

When is Presidents Day 2024?

This year, Presidents Day is on Monday, Feb. 19.

The holiday is celebrated on the third Monday of every February because of a bill signed into law in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Taking effect three years later, the Uniform Holiday Bill mandated that three holidays – Memorial Day, Presidents Day and Veterans Day – occur on Mondays to prevent midweek shutdowns and add long weekends to the federal calendar, according to Britannica .

Other holidays, including Labor Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day , were also established to be celebrated on Mondays when they were first observed.

However, Veterans Day was returned to Nov. 11 in 1978 and continues to be commemorated on that day.

What does Presidents Day commemorate?

Presidents Day was initially established in 1879 to celebrate the birthday of the nation's first president, George Washington. In fact, the holiday was simply called Washington's Birthday, which is still how the federal government refers to it, the Department of State explains .

Following the death of the venerated American Revolution leader in 1799, Feb. 22, widely believed to be Washington's date of birth , became a perennial day of remembrance, according to History.com .

The day remained an unofficial observance for much of the 1800s until Sen. Stephen Wallace Dorsey of Arkansas proposed that it become a federal holiday. In 1879, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law, according to History.com.

While initially being recognized only in Washington D.C., Washington's Birthday became a nationwide holiday in 1885. The first to celebrate the life of an individual American, Washington's Birthday was at the time one of only five federally-recognized holidays – the others being Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July.

However, most Americans today likely don't view the federal holiday as a commemoration of just one specific president. Presidents Day has since come to represent a day to recognize and celebrate all of the United States' commanders-in-chief, according to the U.S. Department of State .

When the Uniform Holiday Bill took effect in 1971, a provision was included to combine the celebration of Washington’s birthday with Abraham Lincoln's on Feb. 12, according to History.com. Because the new annual date always fell between Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays, Americans believed the day was intended to honor both presidents.

Interestingly, advertisers may have played a part in the shift to "Presidents Day."

Many businesses jumped at the opportunity to use the three-day weekend as a means to draw customers with Presidents Day sales and bargain at stores across the country, according to History.com.

How is the holiday celebrated?

Because Presidents Day is a federal holiday , most federal workers will have the day off .

Part of the reason Johnson made the day a uniform holiday was so Americans had a long weekend "to travel farther and see more of this beautiful land of ours," he wrote. As such, places like the Washington Monument in D.C. and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota – which bears the likenesses of Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt – are bound to attract plenty of tourists.

Similar to Independence Day, the holiday is also viewed as a patriotic celebration . As opposed to July, February might not be the best time for backyard barbecues and fireworks, but reenactments, parades and other ceremonies are sure to take place in cities across the U.S.

Presidential places abound across the U.S.

Opinions on current and recent presidents may leave Americans divided, but we apparently love our leaders of old enough to name a lot of places after them.

In 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau pulled information from its databases showcasing presidential geographic facts about the nation's cities and states.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the census data shows that as of 2020 , the U.S. is home to plenty of cities, counties and towns bearing presidential names. Specifically:

  • 94 places are named "Washington."
  • 72 places are named "Lincoln."
  • 67 places are named for Andrew Jackson, a controversial figure who owned slaves and forced thousands of Native Americans to march along the infamous Trail of Tears.

Contributing: Clare Mulroy

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

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  • Decent reputation, lots of positive essay writing service reviews.
  • Slightly more expensive than other services.
  • Documented negative experiences with some support agents.
  • Plagiarism report costs $15.

ExtraEssay has been writing college papers since 2016. During this time, they have amassed a large team of over 3,500 experts who can help you with all writing emergencies.

They offer a wide range of college essay services and do not only focus on academic assignments. You can use this service for some non-conventional tasks like PowerPoint presentations, retyping (handwriting to word), rewriting, paraphrasing, equation solving, and more.

Similarly to EssayPro and PaperHelp, ExtraEssay has a cost estimator for your convenience. The prices are on par with BBQPapers, with basic essays starting at $13.00  per page. Choose the type of paper you want, and select your academic level, deadline, and preferred word count to receive the total cost of your order. If you need to reach them, their team is available 24/7.

One of the unique features of ExtraEssay is that it’s the only website that offers a 1-hour delivery. However, this urgency level only applies to short essays of up to three pages.

Although they can deliver your work quickly, we found that some writers at ExtraEssay can struggle to provide complex, university-level assignments on short deadlines. It might be better only to use their urgent academic writing services if you find yourself in a pickle and need a simple assignment produced on very short notice.

Overall, even though this academic writing company sits in fourth place in our list of the best paper writing services, ExtraEssay is a relatively good choice for anyone who’s looking for good quality at a fair price.

#5. WritePaperForMe  — Best Cheap Essay Writing Service

WritePaperForMe  Best Cheap Essay Writing Service

  • Cheap services, good quality.
  • Quick & timely delivery.
  • Installment payments for big orders.
  • College essay writers are available 24/7.
  • Free unlimited revision.
  • Price calculator.
  • Slow customer support.
  • Plagiarism reports are offered for a fee.
  • Sometimes, you have to copy-edit your paper to adapt it to your writing style and language.

When it comes to cheap essay writing services online, you have to be extra cautious. Writing is a complex activity, so the lower the price, the higher the chance that you will get a carelessly written, maybe even plagiarized, paper that you won’t be able to submit to your instructor.

However, this isn’t the case with WritePaperForMe, as this is one of the few legit essay writing services that provide well-written, original papers at a low price. If your budget is tight, this is the perfect option to choose. The company mostly works with knowledgeable ESL writers from Kenya to offer a quality service at a low price. Prices here start at only $6.99  per page.

They will blow you away with the range of services they offer. So, whether you need a case study, a PowerPoint presentation, college essay help or assistance with mathematical assignments, WritePaperForMe will accommodate you.

To make their professional essay writing services even more accessible, they offer customers to pay in installments for expensive papers, as they understand that you might not be able to provide the lump sum right away.

FAQs: College Essay Writing Service Explained

You’re probably desperate to write your paper if you found yourself typing ‘write my college essay’ into Google search.

This can indeed be a challenging task. For this reason, we answered some of the most common questions that students seek answers to when choosing an essay writing service.

What if I am not satisfied with my paper?

This is a common concern when ordering essays online, and it is entirely justified. Thankfully, all the paper writing services presented in this article offer a free revision service. If you are not satisfied, you can send detailed comments to the writer, and they will make the necessary adjustments to your paper.

The least flexible college essay service on this aspect is PaperHelp, which only allows three revisions. All the other services will offer unlimited revisions, at least for some time after product delivery.

If revisions don’t help, you can ask for a full refund. However, in most cases, you must explain why you did not find the work satisfactory.

How far in advance do I need to order?

It is important to try your best to request an assignment as early as possible. Most of the essay writing websites featured in this article have a very short deadline of three hours, except for WritePaperForMe, which has a minimum deadline of six.

However, even the best and fastest writers cannot produce a well-researched 30-page assignment in under three hours. But the best essay writing services will undoubtedly deliver if you need a short assignment done at the last minute.

Will a native English speaker write my essay?

Most websites allow you to choose between a native English speaker or an ESL online essay writer. An ESL writer is usually cheaper and sometimes better if you’re not a native speaker of English yourself.

If you choose PaperHelp, for instance, you must select a writer from the TOP category to guarantee a native English speaker from the U.S., Canada or the U.K. However, a writer from the TOP category will cost up to 50% more.

Is buying essays online confidential and safe?

When using a paper writing service, confidentiality is a must. EssayPro and PaperHelp provide complete anonymity, even when using their services and speaking to their writers and representatives.

Other than that, these websites take the highest precautions to protect your financial information by offering secure payment options. Lastly, none of the featured companies will ever share your personal information with third parties unless you provide them with written permission.

Are essay writing services legit?

Yes, legitimate essay writing services exist, but it may take some time to find a trustworthy service if you’re ordering for the first time. If you read Reddit threads dedicated to college paper writing services, you will see hundreds of positive reviews about companies that write essays for you.

Besides, some reputable websites are dedicated to helping students find reliable essay writing help online by collecting customer reviews on assignment writing services.

Where do essay writing companies find their professional essay writers?

Every essay writing company is different, therefore the approach to hiring writers can differ from one company to another. Most companies hire freelancers all across the globe to be able to provide essay writing services round the clock and in any timezone.

Successful candidates usually hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a field that they apply to and successfully pass a few grammar tests to be able to get access to students’ orders.

Some other companies also have in-house teams of writers. These professionals typically proofread and copy-edit all the academic writing assignments done by freelancers and improve the content if it lacks depth, research, or has any stylistic flaws.

Will my paper be plagiarism-free?

If you turn to a reliable essay writing service for help, you can rest assured that the content you will receive is original. A professional essay writer will craft a paper tailored to your requirements. Besides, you will remain its sole owner because reputable companies never resell the academic papers they write.

Some academic writing companies like BBQPapers and EssayPro provide originality reports free of charge to give you peace of mind that your essay is unique and free from plagiarism.

Are essay writing services legal?

One aspect that many students ponder over is whether it is legal to use a professional essay writing service. Plenty of misinformation is spreading, leading some students to think that purchasing a paper from an essay writing website could be illegal.

Let’s make one thing absolutely clear. It can never be illegal to purchase a written piece of work. The student simply requests a paper, and an expert essay writer provides a written piece of content that matches the requirements.

This is a transaction between a company and an individual, and nothing could imply a breach of legality. You can be sure it is safe and legal to use online essay writing services. No laws exist against using such services, regardless of what you may have been told.

Moreover, any trustworthy essay writing site has a clear disclaimer and a terms/conditions page that outlines the terms of use. It shows that these services are acting within the law and are not breaking any regulations.

A custom essay writing service is a third party that provides assignments, reports, and essays for personal private use. Therefore, the website is not liable for what happens with its content.

Reliable Essay Writing Services: Summing Up

Hopefully, this article gave you a better understanding of the topic and helped you find an essay writer service that could perfectly match you. Getting qualified college paper help  is easy if you know what to look for.

Each college paper service is unique, with its advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you to pick the one that will help you achieve the best result possible. Life gets busy, and sometimes, we just do not have the time to dedicate hours and hours to writing essays. These services can be true lifesavers and free up some time for you to focus your energy on other important goals.

We will leave you with this final tip: if you ever request a writing service, provide detailed instructions. This information will help writers produce high-quality papers that match your expectations.

Article paid for by: Ocasio Media The news and editorial staffs of the Bay Area News Group had no role in this post’s preparation.

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