University of Pennsylvania

Twelve years from now, I hope to be a surgeon in a well-reputed hospital. Whether it's stitching up a wound or performing spinal cord operation, I will receive great satisfaction in knowing that every minute and hour of my job is dedicated to...

Columbia University

She's untouchable. Unless she gets really upset; that's when tears well up in her eyes. She was born with big eyes. People say that I have big eyes...until they meet her and then they stop saying it to me and start saying it to her. We used to...

Pomona College

My father has always told me that education can break down many barriers, whether they are class, racial, or religious. For this reason my father has made it a priority for me and my sister to attend well established private schools. This...

Claremont McKenna College

Of all the founding fathers in America's history, few have played a role equaling the paramount importance of Thomas Paine, and few have been so repeatedly overlooked. At a time when even the most devout patriot stood uncertainly in the shadow of...

Wilson College

I am afraid.

No, not to the naked eye. I live in Philadelphia. I walk to the grocery store at midnight and laugh in the faces of drivers as I pedal through the morning rush-hour traffic. I work in a warehouse full of men and ride public...

Rutgers University

For most of my adolescent life, I had always hidden behind the somewhat comforting excuses for my weight: "You're just big boned," "You just have a slow metabolism," "Someday you'll grow into your body." But there was no denying the obvious truth:...

Boston College

"Pressure is the amount of force exerted on an object by the air above it," my physics teacher explained. I jotted down the definition but then began to think...if only it were that simple.

So what is pressure really? Pressure is juggling three...

Brown University

As I stood in front of the fourteen-story Sciences Library, a crisp autumn wind blew across my face. I felt the biting cold rush across my cheeks as the trees lining my path rustled in the gust. I reflected on the campus scene around me and I had...

Carnegie Mellon University

Some consider fencing an outdated sport that has become nothing more than a simple game of electric tag. Others are not as belittling and see it as a modern interpretation of an ancient sport. To me, however, fencing is much more than just a...

Michigan State University

The "dot-com revolution" of the mid-to-late 1990s began to take hold just as I was entering my middle school years. I was eager to try new things, including this new Internet technology, because my inner self was also changing and becoming...

University of Pennsylvania

I was sixteen years old, and scared of rollercoasters; this fear had followed me through adolescence and into young adulthood. "C'mon, let's go Joo. It'll be fun!" urged my hyperactive friend. Reluctantly I went to Six Flags with a few buddies,...

Fresno City College

Although one may be preoccupied with the lacquer and the finish of the drum, the real beauty is in the sound of the stick striking the head as it reverberates through a concert hall. It shakes and rattles, but is contained within the stand. The...

Tufts University

Offering a wide array of courses, Tufts University is an institution where I can pursue my diverse interests in satisfying detail. The esteemed professors, exemplary facilities, and noble mission of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy create...

Bard College

Almost every weekday morning, I awoke from a consuming sleep and lethargically stumbled into the bathroom. After managing to grip my toothbrush and pour my revoltingly minty toothpaste onto the painfully sharp bristles, I cleared my mouth of...

University of Washington

Being born and raised in Hawaii as a hapa haole, or half-Caucasian and half-Asian, I have many insights about the local culture of my homeland. Today, Hawaiian culture doesn't just consist of the native Hawaiians, who currently make up less than...

Elon University

Instead of racing off to Florida's ever popular and over-crowded beaches, I spent my junior year's spring break sleeping in a room without air conditioning, cold showers, cleaning up trash, picking weeds, and wiping little kids' runny noses....

University of Southern California

We were nervous. The breeze of early morning stung our bare arms with cold. I complained, out of my own bitter hatred for the cold, and in hopes of quieting the spinning butterflies in my stomach. Doubts floated through my head as I acknowledged...

Reed College

I arose unusually early that morning, rather disheveled. My typically straight and stagnant hair had deteriorated into a lopsidedness that seemed to defy the laws of physics. My pajamas, generously dotted with dinosaurs of the multicolored...

University of Pennsylvania

about how silly things can be so profound.

Today, there's another substitute in English class. He's a tall, balding, middle-aged man, who is yet to be another one of my victims. Once the tardy bell rings, he begins calling roll.

"Rachel Baker......

University of California - Los Angeles

"Work hard and get a good job, so you can have a better life than your father and me." My mother's wise words play in my head like a broken record. Her endless endeavors have inspired me to strive for success-not only to follow through with my...

Texas A&M

Without maps, we all would be lost in life. We rely on road maps, key maps, and even Mapquest to find our way to various destinations. My 4-H career and personal life can be related to a the common Texas road map. I have traveled miles down...

Georgetown University

It has often been said that it's a man's world. As much I hate to admit it, this does seem to be the case. The majority of high paying professional jobs in America are filled predominantly by men. Men run the businesses; they run the government...