“You made a mistake.” I am sure that hundreds of students and parents have spoken these sentiments to the admission department at UC Berkeley in the course of the past few weeks. I am sure that thousands more throughout the state, throughout the country even, have laughed, cried, and yelled these words, being sure to diminish your institution with each remark. Personally, I hold Berkeley in the highest regards as far as colleges go; having been a life long Bay Area resident, I have come to cherish the diverse atmosphere and thirst for knowledge in Berkeley and the surrounding area entropy. It is in this high-esteem for the university and the community that I write this candid letter.

“你们做了一个错误的决定。”我相信在过去的几个星期中已经有成百的学生和父母对UC Berkeley的招生办表达过这样的情绪。放眼整个州，放眼全国，我确信还有上千的人笑着、哭者、叫喊着说出这些话，用各种言论想要贬低你们。就我个人而言，在各个大学中，Berkeley在我心中有着最高的地位；一直都生活在旧金山湾区，我十分珍惜Berkeley以及周边地区开放多元以及好学的氛围。我怀着对这所大学和对这个社区的敬重写下这封诚挚的信。

When a school such as Berkeley is so inundated with qualified applicants desiring to go there, the job of an admissions officer can surely be frightful. Truthfully, I do not feel that UC Berkeley has necessarily made a mistake in its selection, for how can a school sift through the numerous outstanding individuals and select a class meager in proportion to the number of students who wish they could attend. Yes, I write this letter as an appeal for my admissions decision for the Fall of 2003, but more so than that, I feel the need to give a dream school of mine at least one more shot. Regardless of the consequent decision, which I fully realize is statistically to be against my desired response, I must write this letter.

在Berkeley这样的被想要来这里学习的优质申请人所淹没的大学，招生官们的工作必定十分可怕。坦白来讲，我并不认为UC Berkeley会在他们的录取过程中犯错，毕竟一所学校怎么可能在那么多杰出的人中筛选出一群相对于那些但愿能选上的人而言能力要更加不足的人呢。是的，这封信的确是对我的2003年秋季招生结果的申诉信，但是我想做的却不仅仅是申诉，我觉得我需要在申请我的dream school的事情上再尝试一次。虽然数据上来说很有可能事与愿违，但是不管接下来你们的决定是什么，我都必须写这封信。

Having listened to my father speak of his college years at UC Berkeley and MIT, the two schools hold a certain mystical quality to me. Knowing well that the type of education I would receive at MIT does not fit who I am and the dreams I strive for, Berkeley has long been the cynosure for my desired collegiate experience. As I recently toured the Berkeley campus, I thought of my dad and tried to picture him in a younger state, walking down the same stretch of Market and Telegraph en route to his favorite hot dog joint, Top Dog. The stories of his time at UC Berkeley held me in awe. My father, a former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employee, could relate first hand the type of people associated with Berkeley: as I do now, I have always held the school, students, faculty and alumni with respect and admiration.

自从听了我父亲谈起他在UC Berkeley和MIT的大学时光，这两所学校对我而言就有着某种神秘的吸引力。我清楚地知道我在MIT可能会接受到的教育不适合我和我的理想，Berkeley一直都是我理想的大学生活的灯塔。当我最近几次在Berkeley校园间游览时，我常常想到我的父亲，我试图描绘他的年轻时光，他是如何沿着这条的Market and Telegraph en route的岔道走到他最喜欢的热狗贩卖点，Top Dog。他在UC Berkeley的时光让我心驰神往。我的父亲，一个前劳伦斯利物莫国家实验室工作人员，总是把和Berkeley相关的人有着很好的评价：我现在也一样，我总是对这所学校，这里的学生，教职员和校友抱有敬意和赞赏。

Wherever I go, I know I will earn an outstanding education. The schools I am deciding amongst (Occidental, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Santa Clara, and possibly Pomona) are all revered institutions of higher learning. Further, I feel confident that my desire to succeed and do the best I possibly can will further guarantee a positive college experience. Since submitting my college applications in November, I have gained a better understanding of myself, and a better understanding of the surrounding world. Through numerous event planning and participation in the Link Crew events, I realize how impressionable young minds are, and the importance of positive role-models. Thus, I have focused more of my energies into sharing personal ideologies as well as high school experiences with the lower classmen. Currently I am organizing a Drug-Awareness assembly to take place prior to finals week. The assembly is specifically designed to inform the freshmen of various substance abuse and health problems they may encounter in their next few years in high school, and the consequent malignant effects each substance/disorder can have on an individual’s life.

我知道，无论我去到哪里，我都会受到杰出的教育。我可以选择的学校（Occidental, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Santa Clara, 或许还有Pomona）全都是在高等教育上具有影响力的大学。不仅如此，我很自信我对成功的渴望以及做到力所能及的最好的决心会进一步保障我有一个积极向上的大学时光。自从在11月份提交了我的大学申请，我对我自己和周围的世界都有了更清晰的认识。在Link Crew运动中，我在许多的活动策划以及具体参与过程中，认识到了年轻人的意志有多么容易受到影响以及role-models有多么重要。于是，我将我的精力集中于将我个人的思想和观念以及高中经验分享给低年级的同学。最近，我正在组织一个将在期末周之前举办的关于普及药物知识的集会。这个集会旨在告诉新生们，他们在接下来的高中几年中可能会遇到的各种各样的药物滥用和健康问题以及每个药物或者身体机能失调会对个人生命造成的不良影响。

Politically, Berkeley is the place to be. With an on-going war in Iraq, the UC campus is the site of much heated debate. As I dream of one day becoming a politician, a dream I plan to make a reality through hard work and determination, Berkeley would provide me with the dynamic atmosphere of political discussion, the kind I relished in at California Boys State and continue to love. Through the relationships and subsequent dialogue I would have with peoples of different nationalities and beliefs at Berkeley, I would be better equipped to make my own decisions in life by way of the additional knowledge gained from such a “melting pot” of people. Needless to say, my goal of becoming a successful public servant continues despite being denied acceptance at Berkeley (currently I am reading Leadership by Rudy Giuliani, an inspirational and informative book which discusses how important it is to work hard for what you believe in) . Though, with this in mind, I feel I could make great strides in the right direction by attending Berkeley.

政治上来说，Berkeley也是我最好的选择。针对伊拉克正在进行的战争，UC校园是对此讨论地最为热烈的地方之一。我一直梦想成为一名政客，我也将会用努力和毅力实现这个梦想，而Berkeley将会为我提供一个如同我在California Boys State享受过并且一直热爱着的能够自由、活跃地讨论政治话题的氛围。在Berkeley，在跟来自不同国家和信仰的人交往和谈话中，有了这些从Berkeley这个“大熔炉”中获取的额外的知识，我能够更好地在我的人生中做出我自己的选择。无需再次强调，我成为一个成功的人民公仆的目标不会因为Berkeley的拒绝而停止（最近我正在阅读Ruby Giuliani 写的Leadership一书，这是一本有启发意义并且提供了很多有用信息的书，它讨论了为你所相信的东西而努力奋斗的重要性）尽管始终铭记着这个道理，我仍认为在Berkeley上学会让我向正确的方向迈出一大步。

As I go from one activity to another, from tennis practice where I’m expected to lead the team as captain to musical practice (despite being musically inept, I have practiced numerous hours in the shower throughout my entire life, and plan to be the best Elisha J. Whitney Anything Goes has ever seen!), the disappointment and anxiety I feel at my denial to Berkeley continues. I realize that, like thousands of the other students who may be bewildered at an admission decision, I am simply used to trying my best and yielding the fruits of my labor. Life is full of ups and downs, successes and failures — even at the green age of 18 I understand this concept well, and realize I will experience my share of both in life. I realize this is not a failure. All the events and activities I have participated in have been due to sheer love and enjoyment, and my knowledge gained from such experiences will aid me always, whether I attend Harvard U or Clown College. Indeed, the colleges I have been accepted to are among some of the top schools as well, and I do feel proud of my options.

尽管我尽可能地让自己忙碌起来，从练习网球并且被大家推举为网球队的队长，到培养我的音乐素养（尽管我没有太多的音乐细胞，我还是在花费了大量的时间在淋浴间里练习歌喉，打算要成为Anything goes中有史以来最棒的Elisha J. Whitney！），我仍然无法从被UC Berkeley拒绝的失望和焦虑中走出来。我意识到，像成千上万的其他在大学入学选择中感到迷惘的其他学生一样，我只是习惯于尽我所能然后采摘由我的努力结出的果实。生活总是有着起起伏伏，有着无数的成功与失败——即使在我18岁这个黄金年龄，我也十分了解这个概念，并且也清楚我总有一天会亲自体验我的跌宕起伏的人生、我的成功与失败。我认识到，被Berkeley拒绝不是失败。我所参与的所有事情和活动都是出于纯粹的热爱和享受，我从这些经历中获得的知识将会始终对我有益，不管我是在就读于Harvard还是就读于小丑学院。事实上，那些已经通过了我的申请的大学也都是顶尖的学校，我确实为我可以选择的这些学校感到自豪。

Still, Berkeley lingers in my mind, and I must exhaust all enrollment opportunities to be fully content with the application process. A final, more personal note as to why I so desire to attend Berkeley over a few of my other possibilities: in the middle of November, in the midst of completing the bulk of my college applications, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Combined with applying to college, completing homework, staying on top of classes, and keeping my commitments to extra-curricular activities, the knowledge that my mom has a serious form of cancer made those few months all the more stress-filled and difficult. Thank the Lord, my mom has successfully completed radiation and continues to see specialists regularly, solidifying her status in my mind as the strongest person I know. Going off to college, I am going to miss my mom dearly, and she will dearly miss me. I’ve always been very close with her, and I recognize the ambivalence within her of wanting me to stay close to home in the Bay Area while wanting what’s best for me. I feel similar sentiments, having the strong urge to protect and care for my mom, visiting on a regular basis, while desiring to grow as a person into the man I strive to be. Berkeley would be the perfect choice of school in relation to both aspects: its proximity to my home town of Livermore, as well as the educational opportunities Berkeley offers.

然而，Berkeley始终萦绕在我的心头，我必须要竭尽所有能够让我被录取的可能性才能让我获得对我的申请流程感到“尽人事”的满足感。我打算再说最后一点，也是更为私人的一条关于为什么我会如此渴望入学Berkeley而不是选择其他我可以选择的学校的原因：在11月份中旬，也正是在我准备大部分的大学申请材料的时候，我的母亲被确诊患上了乳腺癌。我当时又要申请大学，又要完成家庭作业，保持自己的尖子生水平，还要坚持完成我的课外活动，我的母亲患上了一种很严重的癌症这件事情让那几个月变得异常地压抑和艰难。谢天谢地，我的母亲最终成功能地完成了放疗，并定期去专家那里检查，她的样子在我的心中定格成了最勇敢的模样。等我去上大学了，我一定会非常思念我的母亲，当然她也会非常思念我。我跟我的母亲的关系一向十分亲近，我很清楚她既想要我待在离家比较近的湾区，又想让我奔向更好的前程的矛盾心理。我也有一样的心情，我也很想保护并且照顾我的母亲，时常与她团聚，但是我又渴望成长为我一直努力奋斗想要成为的那种人。Berkeley是我能够做到两全的完美选择：它离我的家，Livermore很近，并且能够提供很好的教育。

I truly believe that God has His plan, and that everything works out for the best. All I feel I can do is submit this letter and let fate have its way.

我相信自有天意，一切都是最好的结果。我能做的就是提交这封信给你们，然后顺其自然。