Newest College Application Essays

A string of jumbled and complex gibberish filled the air as a small group of kids gathered by the swings, rambunctiously joking with one another. I stood on the outskirts of the group, feebly looking from one face to the next, feigning a smile and...

On Thursday, July 10th, I learned an essential lesson about ambition.

I walked optimistically through the grand Springer Opera House entranceway, ready for a day of captivating classes and wild theatre kids. I saw my friends and migrated downstage...

Studying the feeding habits of exotic Nicaraguan birds, documenting the traits of Zanzibar's Red Colobus monkey and tracking elephant populations in Tanzania's Mikumi national park were all part of my curriculum growing up. I have a long-term and...

I collect words. Not just words, but phrases. Lines of text that make my heart feel like it’s going to explode out of my chest. I live for the feeling when a sentence is perfect, when each syllable flows perfectly into the next and the words come...

I am one hundred percent genetically Marine. No, I don’t have fins or flippers, I can’t breathe under water, and the only anchor I’ve ever seen is the one you’ll find with an eagle and a globe. I have, however, been able to sing the Marine’s Hymn...

Anyone can find beauty in ordinary things: the ivory snow falling outside a foggy window on a January morning, the rainbow that appears after a thunderstorm, or the almost formulaic pink and orange hues of a sunset over the horizon. But these...

I push through the mountain of people ahead of me to glimpse at the check in line at the traikin station. I frantically push myself through the multitude of people to avoid being trampled to death in the busiest city in the world: Beijing.

I...

“Pop!"

I’ve heard about this unmistakable sensation at the time of injury, but never suspected it would ever make its way into my life; significant injury was a disease isolated to the ranks of professional athletes. Or so I thought.

Friday,...

“Wissen Sie, wo die Stadtamhof Haltestelle ist?” (Do you know where the Stadamhof Station is?). The German man directed his question to me, but before I had the chance to respond, my sister interjected, “Oh no, that's just my brother.” In that...

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,...