Transferring Questions for University of California Application Paper Example

What is your greatest talent or skill and how have you developed and demonstrated that skill over time?

The greatest skill I have is critical thinking and diligence. To develop my critical thinking as a skill, I have employed key aspects such as observation and analysis, evaluation, reflection, interpretation, problem-solving techniques and diligent decision making. To solve a problem, I analyze by breaking the whole into functional parts to understand its nature after that, I apply standards and seek information on the problem before finally transforming it into knowledge and hence solving it. This skill is meaningful since it helps in solving a problem by approaching it from a diverse perspective and as a result, finds a reasonable and easy way to solve it. By diligently applying such skills, my objectives are achieved. Critical thinking is developed from stage to stage, and as time goes by, I employ different aspects of development to ensure a higher level of my skill is maintained.

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Critical thinking is an essential skill both inside and outside classes. In career affiliation, critical thinking and problem-solving are major roles, especially where roles and mandates need to be carried out diligently. By applying this skill, I always emerge the best performer in duties allocated to me and also guide other people and help them solve their problems be it personal life problems or business problem. This way, it plays a major role to me outside class since I am in a position to change the lives of other people who will coordinate and apply the techniques and skills. This is mostly scheduled during holidays and any other time that I am out of class and in a position to assist in solving one's problem depending on its complexity and my ability to find a solution to it.

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

The most significant challenges I have ever faced in my lifetime is immigrating and settling in the United States of America and staying as a refugee in Turkey. Finding my way into both USA and Turkey was a nightmare because I was not a citizen and the presence of immigration rules and policies that have to be adhered to. When I finally managed to move to Turkey, I stayed for 29 months as a refugee. It is no doubt at the refugee camp life is not easy as the number of refugees kept growing day by day and as a result, occasionally resources could be limited as in most cases in refugee camps. When I moved into the USA, I had several challenges among them, diversity in culture, language barrier, finding jobs, and making new friends.

As a critical thinker and a diligent person, I had to overcome these challenges by all means since there was no other option. I had to adapt to the diverse culture in the USA to fit in and feel at home. I had to learn how to converse and communicate with people since it is the only way I could find friends and eventually a job. When I adjusted and managed to overcome the language barrier, I secured a job and worked as a bagger in a grocery store where I packaged groceries into bags and shopping carts. I also worked as a dental assistant where I assisted in some tasks such as patient care, record keeping of x-rays and scheduling of appointments.

These challenges affected my academics both positively and negatively. Time scheduling for both working and learning appeared to be a bit hectic. Academics need time and concentration for the achievement of your goals.

These challenges were significant to me since for the last eight years they have made the person I am today since I have overcome a lot of challenges which as a result have given me enough experience in life.

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

Critical thinking and diligence play a major role in leadership. When I was in Turkey as a refugee, in collaboration with other six refugees, I thought it wise to form a group of volunteers in different fields and subjects. The main purpose of this group was to volunteer and willingly offer basic education to willing children within the camps. We offered to teach children from the first grade to upper grades who had spent most of their time in the camps and did not have the opportunity of going to school. As a leader, I categorized the willing children into groups based on their ages for ease of teaching.

After categorizing all the willing children, we started teaching them different subjects and anything that was relevant for a child in education. This ensured that when they were taken to other countries from the camp, they did not have to begin their studies from preliminary or lower levels since whatever they needed to be taught we had taught them at the camp. This would raise their self-esteem and ensure that they are not left behind in schoolwork by the other children who were of their age and were opportune to go to school. I was the group leader, and through my leadership skills, I managed to run this rare exercise with my key area being mathematics.

The results of the process were tremendous since most of the children benefited hugely and this impacted positively in their education life. About leadership, this has always been my great honor since we decided to volunteer and teach the children free of charge and as a result, this has been my greatest achievement in leadership until today