Newest College Application Essays

Diagnosed with ODD, he was one of my hardest students to teach Taekwondo, but undoubtedly the most rewarding. He would climb on top of the fridge, scream at other kids and defy every word I said. His mother was an alcoholic who was always late to...

Indonesian-ness is hardly quantifiable, but per my parents, mine was a five out of ten. This poor rating stems mainly from my parents’ belief that second-generation immigrants, like myself, were diluted versions of an original product. Though I...

I assume kicking position. My fists held near my chest as I stare down my enemy and consider all the things that could go wrong: kicking the holder's hands, injuring my foot or leg, and worst of all, facing the humiliation of not breaking the...

The competition had come down to the wire with my rival classmate, who I have competed academically with since elementary school, and me. It was my turn. My overconfidence bounced me out of my chair as I cheerfully awaited the next word. “...

It’s 7:00, an obnoxiously humid Thursday evening. After 8 hours at school, and 5 at work, I am frankly exhausted: ready to relax, finish my homework, and watch the Texans game. As I open the front door, ready to get a quick start on my tasks, I...

5. you’re taught to be an object

Imagine, you’re a fourth-grade body on a rare 100 degree day in San Franciscoin a classroom filled with pre-pubescent laughter, occasional voice cracks, and the crinkling of notes being passed. A smile spreads...

After the last shot had been fired, I realized I had been holding my breath. As fatigued comrades began to scoop stray bullets from the ground and put them into sacks containing plastic props, I took my first stilted breaths in four weeks. We had...

"Who is your hero?"

I remember seven names on seven different sheets of crumpled paper: Chimamanda Adichie, Ocean Vuong, Martha Johnson, Alan Turing, Emily Dickinson, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin. Each name belonged to an incredible human...

One of the most important failures I have experienced was in a program called DI (Destination Imagination), a creative problem solving competition. DI has been a major part of my life not just through my own experiences, but through my family as...

For my entire life, I have had an affinity for creating things. When I was young, it was by building Lego spires that seemed to stretch to the sky, or epic Lincoln Log castles that could win out over any dragon. But one thing that always...

“You’re not easy to figure out,” they say. I tell them I am the strength of Hancock, the wit of Tony Stark, the brain of Dr. Brown and the mystery of Anton Chigurh.

People find friends in novels, but I found myself in movies. Everything I do,...

Grasping my father’s hand, I descended the steps into the vast underworld. We were Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, documenting five hundred destinations, each neatly cataloged in a manilla notebook, one by one in our memories.

In the eight years I...

When I was seven I had my first crush. I remember the numerous sleepovers where I would be asked to divulge such a secret, with the stereotypical “so who do you like Dana?” I’d have no problem responding “I like Jessy,” which was always met with...

Momentary sadness descended on my face. The crescent moon in the night sky looks just as beautiful as ever, but today something is different. Is my smile mocking me, or does the moon look a little skeptical? Up until now, I’ve always thought that...

No matter how hectic my summer morning was, at 8:30 when I entered the Early Childhood Learning Center, all of my troubles were forgotten. Bubbly boys and girls filled the halls spreading a little piece of their happiness with whoever walked their...

It felt like I was flying and in control of where I wanted to go.

Expecting to spend most of my time on the ground, I surprisingly stayed on my feet loving every minute of this adventure.

Snowboarding has not only become a sport that I really...

It’s a strange moment, when your greatest passion becomes your greatest predicament. I have called myself an artist since pre-school, a writer since first grade. Back then, my creative projects only gave me pleasure because they were the bridges...

My transition from a mermaid to a scientist wasn’t necessarily my choice, but boy am I glad it happened.

“Five more minutes, dad!” was all you heard, and wrinkled hands waving frantically in the air were all you saw. I remember splashing around...

Photos freeze the world in place for just a moment. In the rapidly moving world, it’s refreshing to look at a photo, stop the earth’s spin, and live in the past for a few minutes. Photos are sentiments—souvenirs of a time and place that has...

“This looks not like a nuptial” - Much Ado About Nothing

For a split second hanging in the air, I could feel the forces of gravity drag me toward the packed-down snow. The knowledge that I had made a horrible decision swam through the pink folds...

Most ten year-olds have a themed birthday party, Minecraft, Disney princesses,shows, you name it. However, I had spent my birthday 18 hours on a plane, emotionally tense and sleep deprived.

Growing up, I wasn’t exposed to diverse groups of...

In a bustling early childcare classroom, it was a usual day with all sorts of wails and giggles in the background. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as a conversation between children escalated and as a fellow teacher made moves to intervene....

The only explanation why there are Cheeto-dusted fingerprints across a squash court could only be: little kids. Over the summer, my squash coach asked if I would help with her children’s summer camp. Naively confident, I accepted. Throughout those...

“Help, I can’t move,” cried a feeble voice. It was a trapped “victim.” At first, I froze in fear until my team leader yelled, “Radio out!” I composed myself, called our Incident Commander on the walkie-talkie, and reported, “Female, green top, red...