Newest College Application Essays

I asked my friend Ruixi to translate a question from English to Chinese for me. “Excuse me, how old is this tree?”

We were wandering around the village of Yunnan, China when we came across an old lady resting at the trunk of a giant, towering...

What are you?

I am American.

No, but what are you?

I am Vietnamese. My father comes from a childhood of war. A war that took his father and brother and sister without notice. My father comes from broken English and mispronunciations. From...

601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14642 is the most immediate reason why I am beyond excited to be afforded the opportunity to attend the University of Rochester. The Golisano Children’s Hospital is the location where I plan to begin my journey of...

The day I turned twelve, I got my babysitting certification. I started as a mother’s helper within days and eventually began babysitting various families around my neighborhood. After that, I graduated to teaching piano lessons, volunteering at...

From the first game of "broken telephone" in kindergarten, I knew I was different. Diagnosed with moderate hearing loss, I resorted to books and to my imaginary haven. I have had three-sentence Spanish conversations with Dora, casted spells in the...

My grandma thought I was going to die. By studying abroad in France, away from her care, I learned that I must be the one to make the most out of an experience, even if it’s not what I expected it to be. Coming from Hawai’i from a single parent...

When I tell people I work at the library, they often respond with open jaws and comments ranging from, “Oh my gosh—dream job!” to, “That must be boring, huh?” While the tasks are routine, each shift jostles my curiosity awake.

To be clear, I am...

Coffee. My beverage of choice, my trusted companion during long and lonesome nights, my stimulant and fountain of energy. Living in Honduras, I am surrounded by coffee, and yet, it is a crop that I knew very little about - until last summer, when...

Monday: “We men are just better than the women.”

And in that moment I zoned back in. Although I later learned that his, the driving instructor's, comment was related to how a male’s body chemistry gives him a better alcohol tolerance, his words...

What is the ENDA Act? The act that would end living, employment, and service discrimination against those who don’t strictly identify as heterosexual or cisgender (those whose sex matches their gender identity). The bill that would jump-start my...

Minuscule white particles floated down gently through the air, but, it wasn't snowing, and I was inside. In my haste to take the next batch of (most likely burning) cookies out of the oven, I had turned the mixer up a touch too high, causing the...

"Do you speak African?" I feel the question sear into my flesh; a malignant, flaring rash. With a measure of composure that has taken several years to acquire, I invariably reply: "Do you speak North American?"

A baffled expression. A hint of...

While taking care of a young boy afflicted by muscular dystrophy, I was fascinated by his Permobil C300 wheelchair - the awe-inspiring drivetrain that pitted sheer torque against disheveled terrain, the intuitive and maneuverable joystick driving...

Last summer, one of the service events that I helped to organize was a Special Olympics showcase. I was paired up with a fifty-six year old lady named Anne, who has autism and a leg injury. In basketball, Anne kept missing the hoop. Every time she...

Pools of gold and crimson flooded the front gates, masked by a heavily saturated mist, infused with the scent of crisp cinnamon apples and a warm underlying accent of rich gravy. We were still a week from Thanksgiving, but the vibrant,...

I stood on the platform above Corey Lake at Camp Eberhart, goosebumps slowly forming as my teeth chattered from the cold wind’s touch on my bare skin. My eyes fixated on the dark blue hues and the ripples forming in the water below me. My hands...

There are times when I gaze out of the windows of the South Shore Train and see nothing more than the softened edges of verdant forests and the blurred outlines of monotonous buildings. I watch as the clouds move, change shape, and reform yet...

Up down, up down - my left leg bounced vertically in anticipation. My heartbeat accelerated. All I could hear was the announcement of the top teams in the state, who would then qualify to represent CA DECA at the International level competition. “...

“You may choose your partner now,” my teacher said after explaining the guidelines on the energy-machine project. As I scanned the room, I noticed numerous empty seats and many sleeping students. Why was no one paying attention? Student...

I slowed my car outside of the soup kitchen and looked at the parking lot. There was one space left, and the only way I could park was to back up into it, which I was terrible at. My heart dropped into my stomach.

Nervously, I put my car in...

“Pack! Pack! Pack!”

The unrelenting sounds of ping pong exchanges sing a song to my ears as my mind calms down after my game. The clubroom is filled with people eagerly waiting to have the chance to show off their skills and compete with their...

It’s half past one in the morning, and I've progressed in an indistinctive direction. My cold fingers guide the soft vine charcoal across the matte, welcoming surface of smooth paper. My lines are gestural, strokes varied and abstract. Your first...

The night air is just cold enough to see my breath through my facemask as the familiar “clacking” of our cleats on the pavement continues to the luminescent stadium that is our haven. The once low rumble of the crowd becomes a roar as we draw...

“At 6.00 in the morning she begins her morning cleaning. After preparing breakfast and clearing the table, she cleans up all the rooms.” This is a brief translation of a short passage secondary school students are given in Turkey. The passage...