Personal statement for applying to Berkeley extension

When I was in high school, my father visited my uncle who lived in California. After he returned, he told me about his experience there. What left me the deepest impression was his visit to Berkeley. Through his narration, a picturesque imagination came into my mind. The church, drawing building, library, stadium, so on, all of these fascinate me. Fortunately, I got to know the opportunity of studying at Berkeley, applying to the Berkeley Global Access program. After talking with my parents and weighing the pros and cons, I decide to do it.  

I’m a student who majors in mathematics and applied mathematics. After entering university, I had the chance to study both math and computer science courses due to the specialty of my major. In the second semester, our department open an elective course named C++ Programming Language. The professor who teaches this course is nice. It was him who lead me to get interested in C++ Programming Language, then I learned python by myself. Because interest and dedication of the computer science courses, I got 98 in C++ Programming Language, and 96 in Java Development and Practice, which can prove my aspiration to study in this field.  Also, I learn python by myself in my spare time and help solve a practical problem of my professor who teaches me operational research, which leaves an impression on her. One day she asked if I was interested in doing an internship in data mining using python, and I said yes. Those experience enable to find a path on computer science, and I have to say there is a strong passion to learn it deeply, which solidify my willingness to study in Berkeley for its great academic achievement and enormous resources in the field of computer science.
<h2>Because of my interest in both computer science and mathematics, I decide to apply to the Berkeley Global Access program for I can choose courses in these two fields. About the problem that I may not be able to take my first choice in courses, I think I can do the following things to adjust my course choice. Firstly, I will talk to the professor to see if there is any possibility to enroll in the course. If the answer is no, I would take an alternative course that interests me the second. For example, if I want to take the course ‘Operating Systems and System Programming’ but I can’t take it due to the popularity of the course, I may choose a course which is not so popular as an alternative such as The Beauty and Joy of Computing.</h2>
<h2>To meet the requirement of this program, I kept the get the best grades in my undergraduate courses as I can. My grades will be shown on the transcript that I submitted and it will certainly be above 3.0. Unfortunately, my TOFEL test was canceled because of the COVID-19, and I can only take my first test on November 6. However, the application will end earlier than that. To demonstrate my English Language Proficiency, I would like to request an English interview from Berkeley. Additionally, I will submit my College English Test as an alternative. Although it was not recognized in this program, I wish to first show my reading and listening ability in studying full English courses.</h2>
<h2>Other than academic consideration, the advantageous geographic location is a determining factor that I want to apply to this program. It is widely known that Silicon Valley is home to many iconic technology companies such as Apple, Facebook, and Google. Having a chance to visit these companies will encourage me to go further on the path of computer science. After all, getting to a close visit to these top technology companies who are changing the world is thrilling. And this experience may affect my career choice in the future. The feeling of seeing how the people work there in person is different than hearing the voice on the Internet, and I will take this valuable experience into my future career choice.</h2>
<h2>       I’ve heard of how busy Berkeley students can be in their daily life to study. And I’m confident that I can handle the pressure coming from courses. I go to the gym regularly to avoid being overwhelmed and keep healthy. My father had told me that there are many well-equipped gyms in Berkeley. Nothing can be better for that. I don’t want to abandon my exercising habits for studying in a different environment. What’s more, it couldn’t be better if I have the opportunity to take part in some clubs in Berkeley, especially the Badminton club and the debate club. I know this program is a short one, but I still want to be involved in the life of Berkeley students.</h2>
<h2>In conclusion, I want to apply to the Berkeley Global Access program for its academic resources and advantageous geographic position where I can visit the iconic companies in Silicon Valley. Also, by studying at Berkeley, I can demonstrate that I am capable of getting used to life in American and behave well in English immersion courses. I will try my best to get good scores in my chosen courses to show that.  </h2>