Thanks for being willing to help. I actually contacted someone from admissions, and while they said it wasn't "required", it is highly recommended, so I might as well. Here it is, including the essay question. I was wanting to have this wrapped up within the next few days, so if you could look over it by then, then that would be great.

**Essay: The personal statements are a very important part of your application. They assist the university in knowing you as an individual, independent of test scores and other objective data. We ask that you respond to two of the topics below. Your personal statement should be no longer than a total of 500 words or 7000 characters for both statements combined. The best personal statements are not necessarily the longest ones.

If there has been some obstacle or "bump in the road," in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances. How has your family history, culture or environment influenced who you are? Why did you choose to apply to UCF? What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community?**

My first venture into computer programming during my studies in molecular biology got me hooked. Programming felt like playing a video game, only the game was learning to program in Perl, and I had to defeat the final boss named DNA Analysis. My interest in computer science and programming was sparked during my studies and work experience in molecular biology and DNA analysis. After getting my feet wet with programming and craving more, I have decided to further my education in computer science.
My scientific and analytic background puts me in a prime position for academic success at the University of Central Florida. During my studies in molecular biology, I used DNA sequence data to ascertain the evolutionary history of amphibians such as mole salamanders (Ambystomatidae). Phylogenetic analysis of this data required me to familiarize myself with programming languages such as Bash, Perl, and SQL to properly analyze this data. My employment as a Research Assistant at the DNA Analysis Facility on Science Hill at Yale University gave me further experience with managing genetic data and programming, where I was responsible for managing data upload, reviewing data quality, and creating scripts. Through these experiences, I came to enjoy programming, and gained a sense of the power and creativity that comes with competence with computer science and programming. I believe that with my analytical background and skills, I would adapt well to UCF’s highly ranked Computer Science department. I am excited by the potential to attend the University of Central Florida and study computer science. My background furthers my ability and desire to contribute to the UCF community. In addition to the scientific and analytical skills I’ve garnered from my path in science, I also have teaching and mentoring experience, where I mentored undergraduate students in several biology labs and taught introductory biology. I am also author on two papers in peer-reviewed journals, where I have disseminated the findings of my research to the scientific community. My experience as a research assistant in DNA analysis has also taught me the value of giving back to the community, where I honed my laboratory and analytical skills while aiding other researchers in their research by helping them obtain high quality DNA sequence data. I will take the knowledge I am given and will share it with other members of the computer science community at UCF. It is with great enthusiasm that I submit my application for a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida. My background and capabilities demonstrate that I would succeed at UCF. If you have any further questions, please contact me via phone or email.