<p>That's right. I didn't apply myself at all in high school. I played video games all day, watched television shows, and focused my energy on sports. I did not value education and often did not turn in my homework. I put minimal effort into school, and my grades showed it. </p>
<p>Due to a lot of reasons, I got my act together after I graduated high school. I enrolled in my local community college, started valuing education, gained a genuine appreciation and interest in learning, and improved my work ethic and study habits. I double majored in History and Economics and transferred to Cal a year and a half ago. </p>
<p>Now I'm majoring in Political Economy, and I've received only As and A-s in my courses. In some of the tougher economics courses, the median grade is around a B or B minus. Same with statistics courses. I value hard work and learning, talk to my professors and GSIs often, and make sure to prioritize my homework. </p>
<p>I often feel that I now have a superior work ethic to some who are freshman admits. It is because having been the kid who everyone thought was stupid, I really value getting good grades on my tests, just to say to myself that the people who criticized me were wrong. I have a genuine passion for learning now, whereas I feel some of the freshman admits don't have a genuine motivation to learn. For me personally, the fact that I was apathetic about school earlier motivates me to take school extra seriously to compensate for what I may have missed during high school.</p>
<p>So I just want let all of you know: you can turn your lives upside down. And transfers: don't be intimidated by Berkeley. The people who were admitted as undergrads likely aren't much better students than you are, and as long as you work hard and intelligently, you have every opportunity to succeed here.</p>