Newest College Application Essays

My earliest memories take place in airports; in these recollections, I blink sleep out of my eyes as the hypnotic conveyor belt spins round and round. It is hard to remember where I was in those jet-lagged moments—America, where I went to school,...

Life mimics the complicated pattern of a kaleidoscope, a beautiful disarray of mismatched colors and shapes dancing in harmony. Each angle, each color, each piece is the careful product of our decisions and actions. Yet however permanent they may...

The girl stares with blank, pupil-less eyes; her lips are dainty and relaxed, her hair neat and coiled. Her placid expression and plain features provide no insight as to who she is, and because only her head is displayed, I can discern little of...

At the start of every show, I always have faith that the wave of applause will drown out any feelings of doubt. As I see the crowd focus on me, I get a rush of energy and a smile overtakes my face. “Thank you for having me! To get started, I need...

Being a drum major is like being a mother of 140. Every rehearsal, someone needs a bandaid, an ice pack, a hug. A freshman is having a bad day and needs a high-five or a pep talk. A clarinet player breaks their instrument. “Ella, can you get me a...

I always dread the first day of school. Each year, seven unlucky teachers get the opportunity to butcher my last name horribly (Ne-guy-yun, Neg-ren, Nu-gwen and every other imaginable mispronunciation), while my classmates get their entertainment...

“Ladies please stop throwing tampons around the locker room!”

These words bounced off the dimly lit walls like the fluorescent lights above us. Thirty seventh graders paused the weekly ritual of cramming their Ugg boots into chipped maroon lockers...

The oblong screen of a piercingly blue iMac G3 glowed in front of me. I was six years old. At first, the new machine was nothing more than a medium for games on Disney’s website. But slowly, as I learned how to copy and paste and click and drag...

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...