Newest College Application Essays

In my senior year of high school, my piano teacher introduced me to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Sharp Minor. It was a daunting prospect; it was November, and I had to memorize and perform it along with two other pieces by February. This was...

Meet Julian, Eloise, Damien, Georgie, and Caesar; a few of my best friends. These friends have helped me through the brightest and the darkest days of my life. They inspire me to think creatively, comfort me during the low times, challenge me, and...

Remus and Romelus faced each other with fiery eyes.Clad in a _______________, Romelus seemed to . . .

The above description conveys a moment that is handpicked from my attempts to compose historical fiction. I find myself stumbling on the...

As I sit in psychology class and learn about Social Identity Theory, I reflect on my cultural identity. I moved from California to Karnataka when I was six. My Abba decided we had to go back to our home, hence my parents started filling suitcases...

“Do you have any siblings?”

It’s a simple question, yet for the longest time, it was a question that I dreaded, a question that I felt the need to avoid at all costs. The answer, in essence, is simple. I have two older brothers: one 22, the other...

My father has always been complaining about the escalating cost of electricity. He continuously replaces the lights of our house with new power-saving bulbs to cut down bills. There have always been strict rules on the use of electrical devices at...

My program was successful, but the determination to continue competing further eluded me. I longed for the hackathon to finish, staring at the minute hand on the clock as it inched closer to the hour. As soon as the buzzer sounded, I felt I had to...

At Hogwarts, House Cup rivalries & petty squabbles are more often than not, the norm. Although our community is large and diverse, its existence is threatened by dark forces - the ever-present danger of plastic pollution, unequal opportunities...

In Biology, acronyms make learning easier. I took the liberty to create my own, CELL, allowing exploration both inside and outside the classroom.C: Cleveland & ClinicsI talked to the Head of the Department of Ocular Oncology at Cleveland...

While our teacher was explaining the impact of COVID-19 on international trade, I was creating a fairytale: finding a savior amidst warring global economies. When the textbook spoke of symbiotic relationships, I was weaving a fable on luminescent...

I did not realize life could be so fragile and unpredictable until my grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer. With social security as her only form of income, my family was burdened with extreme financial pressure. It was through this...

The smallest things in life often carry the most meaning.

I realized this when I found myself as the only teen among a group of teachers for a USACF meeting in Brooklyn. As I sat there nervously, clenching onto my shirtsleeves, I came face to...

From a one-man bake sale bringing in hundreds of dollars to spending hours between classes boxing stuffed animals, I have found the best of myself in my work for U.S.-Africa Children’s Fellowship (USACF). But more than finding pride in what I do,...

I come from a community of storytellers. My childhood is ravaged by tales of the brave and the beautiful, but rather than being told fantasies, I grew up on stories of brutality, violence, and death. While my father gave heart-wrenching recounts...

One of my first dissections was a cat brain. As my lab group carefully cut down the longitudinal fissure, we discovered tiny parasitic worms on the superior colliculi. While I’ve had the opportunity to dissect tapeworms, cow eyes, and rats, the...

Growing up in Tianjin, I was accustomed to clear skies and bright sunshine. However, in recent years, due to the increasing number of cars and industries in my hometown, the blue skies from my childhood have been replaced by gray, choking smog....

I’m going to talk to you about my experience being mute. I erased the line, feeling immense anger as I toiled over the right way to tell my story without sounding fraudulent or, worse, inept. The task should have been a simple one, talking about...

The adrenaline pumping through all of us was palpable as we stepped offstage after our opening night performance, excited to see our friends and family who came to see us perform The Sound of Music. My castmates and I were proud of our successful...

As I drove up the driveway, my little sister called from the backseat, “we’re home!” I immediately launched into a performance of “Home” from the musical Beauty and the Beast. I could hear my siblings groan from the backseat. The message was...

Our Town, a classic play by Thornton Wilder, is about as simplistic as it gets: no props, no set, and a simple story of a boy and a girl in a quiet town. Although the story may seem unremarkable, I was profoundly affected by Emily’s words toward...

While shaking the commissioner's hand, I felt myself overrun with emotions. Thirteen years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice all overlapped into one moment as I looked him in the eyes: a beautiful sense of accomplishment and gracious respect...

Tap-tap-tap. My fingers tactfully hover over my controller as a white ball darts between players on the screen. For me, the afternoon FIFA is a ritual that precedes even my mom’s famous grilled cheeses.

Soccer has long been a keystone in my life....

Dustin couldn’t read. He knew letters, but not words. I saw him throw his book on the floor, a tired copy of Little Critter, as I plopped down in bus 75 seat 11, the unforgiving Mississippi sun burning through the left-hand window. I looked over...