Newest College Application Essays

On a Wednesday afternoon in May 2020, two partners and I are preparing our AME 331 final presentation for planning roads in cold mountainous areas—a dream inspired by my memories of not having such needed roads in rural China. Together, we sit in...

Run, run, run! I Ignoring the fire in my limbs and the thunder in my chest, I forged ahead at a greater speed. I remember crumbling to my knees on grassy turf. I remember my friend, Simi, emerging from the shadows of the gazebo with a look of...

So ubiquitously sold in the streets of cold breezes of winter in South Korea, a red bean bun brings deliberate warmth and joy to many people. Sold at a price of only forty cents back in the 90s, the red bean bun was more than just a snack; it was...

I zoomed in on my character with a few quick swipes using my drawing tablet pen. The blocky character was made out of perfect, tiny squares as if it had been built out of Lego bricks. But something was a bit off. I peered into the picture and...

“Look!”

At the dinner table, my father presented me with a concept map. I knew that I would be his audience, listening to his idea of creating the Home of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a hub to nurture and encourage creativities.

One year...

I remember the large, looping curves in her handwriting. I remember them well because they are now characteristic of my own penmanship. When I attempt to draw human figures, I recall the bulbous eyes she often gave her cartoon characters when we...

“Where from?”

“United States”

“WELL-COME,” joyously declared a little kid from a Bedouin tribe in Jordan. Surrounded by ancient tombs, a sandy landscape, and locals wrapped in head scarves selling items from their tents, I felt out of place. Yet,...

When I first discovered computer programming, I was suffering from severe wrist injuries and could only type slowly with my toes. Despite my inconveniences, I created over a hundred other programs (including thirty computer games) and learned...

I fill my search history with mug shots and tear up a nice school shirt as an incoherent combination of thoughts, memories and questions swirls in my head. As always, when confused, I turn to my oils and brushes.

In 2008, I watched Professor...

Getting to work at ten in the morning to go stand in what I charitably referred to as the Hut for eight hour stretches was probably not how most people envisioned their summer but when you live in Santa Cruz for as long as I have, working at the...

In my hometown, Nanchang, China, the Gan River divides the city into two worlds. One side of the river has enjoyed much government investment: skyscrapers are adorned with beaming neon lights, and beacons are announcing the economic prosperity of...

My mother’s hands tell the entire world of my life. They were the first to hold me when I was first born and feed me when I cried. It was her hands that have raised me on behalf of my busy dad, patting me when I behaved well and spanking me when I...

As I travelled to Tanzania, I realized that many people in Moshi Village suffered from unemployment and poverty. When shopping at a local fabric market, I wondered if subsidizing exports would stimulate the local economy. Standing in the middle of...

“Mom!” I grumbled, “these don’t fit either!” I could feel my throat closing and my eyes welling up. “Mackenzie’s fit her so well, and...and Juliana’s actually look good on her.” I stared at the streaked mirror disgusted with the pants that...

I got lost.

Learning Calculus BC had been a somewhat predictable process of applying rules and formulas, until I met Taylor series. A quirky combination of X, N, derivatives, and factorials, it overwhelmed me with such a bombastic look.

Yes, I...

When the glorious makeup conceals my nerdy look, when the shiny spotlight embraces my entire body, and when I dance with my hair floating in midair, I turn into a different person.

Originally an amateur who loved to imitate dances in music...

“Honey, do you mind teaching my friends and me to dance?” Asked my grandmother in a thoughtful tone.

“Ok, no problem,” I answered without a second thought. Confident in my experiences, I became a dancing instructor in her “elderly dancers’...

Walk into my room and you will immediately notice blue draped across the walls and blanketed over my bed. This is not just any tone of blue; it is the Tennessee Titans’ baby blue. My infatuation with the Titans took root during my childhood....

On the backseat of a vehicle driven by a Maasai guide, I was able to view the city of Arusha in great detail through the window. While searching for distinctive cultural elements, I was distracted by the ubiquitous commercials along the street. “...

I stared at the inmates crowding the courtyard in front of me and began to wonder what I was doing in a prison. My visit was for three weeks during which I was tasked with helping teach computer code to inmates in San Francisco’s San Quentin State...

My childhood was marked by David Attenborough nature documentaries, issues of National Geographic Kids, and environmentalist parents. Naturally, I was the child who could tell you about echolocation or shark migratory patterns. My favorite...

My daily commute is the old woman who fries akara cakes near the bus stop; the strident calls of bus conductors calling out their various destinations; an antiquated bus radio stuttering with Igbo folk songs.

Two years ago, I would have refused...

The summer before my junior year, I watched my grandparents working on the far side of the lawn, shoveling compost and mounds of grayish soil over freshly seeded patches. It was a strangely perceptive moment: glistening beads of sweat ran over...

Half-priced bread, two-dollar savings on Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and free eggs: it all adds up. This is the maxim I repeat to myself daily as I attempt to save money for my education. Indeed, the use of coupons and rebates to offset everyday...