Newest College Application Essays

One day I was playing piano, lost in own musical universe, when I was interrupted by a faint tapping sound not of my own making, accompanied by a superficial fragrance. Tap, after tap, after tap. I stopped playing, turned around, and saw my mother...

My dad's yellow courier van has been a part of my life ever since I was born. Every day before light floods the sky, I would hear its engine rumble as my dad headed to work. After school, I would sit in the passenger seat while he finished his...

I joined Theater freshmen year out of curiosity for its technical aspects. As a person of science and logic, I was, at first, skeptical about the artistic club and shy to interact with the boisterous Theater community. But the club was full of...

My eyes were burning from the tear gas and I was having trouble breathing under my white bandana, but I was determined to keep going; I was not going to let them stop me—stop us from peacefully marching for our freedom. I was part of what seemed...

My first pitch sailed over the catcher’s head and slammed against the backstop. I grinned nervously and shook my right arm. Just slipped, I told myself as I dug my heal into the pitcher’s mound. I wound up and fired again. This time the ball...

My mother would throw a fit if she knew I spent an evening during Mosaic roaming downtown, unsupervised, in the company of a homeless woman and a high-school sophomore, searching for a homeless couple. Granted, it was her fault I was doing it. She...

Three words that my best friend would use to describe me are strong-willed, introspective, and curious. Strong-willed is fitting because I know what I believe in and what is important to me. Anyone from my United States History class who saw my...

In the summer going into junior year, I signed up for a Rustic Pathways photography trip to the Himalayas. Going into the program, I was ecstatic that my parents had allowed me to do this and I couldn't wait to take my first solo trip out of the...

To begin, I am going to describe the state of the desk on which I am currently writing this essay. Besides the normal clutter of assignments, one film and one digital camera sit directly across from me. At least five rolls of film wait patiently...

A pair of tiny Mary-Janes and ruffled socks stirred anxiously in anticipation. Ms. Bush’s kindergarten classroom leered ominously over our small heads, making my friend Corinne’s knuckles whiten and eyes instinctively shoot downwards. My navy blue...

I stood face to face with a skeleton, Dooley, mounted on a black metallic tree. It seemed out of place with the sophisticated white marble walls and vibrant flowers, yet students passed by the statue, greeting the assembly of bones. Emory embraces...

The screech of my alarm heralds a new day. As darkness melts into cobalt streaks over the Oniru neighbourhood of Lagos, Nigeria, I prepare breakfast for my younger relatives. By dawn, I'm on the bus hurtling towards the red-brick compound of...

Of all my childhood memories, only a few are as distinct as hearing the sound of static piercing the air whenever electricity surged into our blackened homes. The piercing wail would rise in a crescendo and die, yielding to the cacophony of...

The three most important words in my mother’s vocabulary are not “I love you”, but “make your bed.” She adores those words, repeating them over and over again like a broken record player. But did I listen? Rarely. I didn’t understand the point....

When I was six-years-old, my favorite animal was the lobster.I had read that lobsters are immortal and have perceived them as magical creatures. My world changed when we had lobster for dinner. Why had the book deceived me?

Ten years later, the...

This is a fact: I go to the post office much more often than your typical high school student. No, it’s not because I constantly miss packages that are addressed to me. It’s because I send packages full of little handmade goodies to other people.

I blow out the candles on my seventeenth birthday cake. Another year has passed. The flames slowly flicker, burn out, and die.To me, a candle is merely a wax stick that steadily holds the flames. It’s only regularly used for birthdays and as a...

The first ride I had on Gnocchi was awful. He was a project horse who didn’t “listen” to my leg, seat, or hand; aids that help me communicate with a horse. He wouldn’t stand still for me to tack him up or mount him. When I actually rode him, he...

Jose is a seven year old boy at the Monrovia Boys and Girls Club. He’s a recent immigrant from Mexico, and he always has a smile on his face no matter what. The thing is, that smile covers a lot of insecurity. His English is shaky, and I know he...

Normally, on a weekend, I’d sleep in. School work, family life, and track practice have a way of wearing me out. On this Sunday, though, my old-fashioned wind-up alarm clock sounds at 5:30 a.m. When I absolutely must get up, I don’t trust anything...

I did not understand the passion that two students could have for their school until I talked to current Tulane undergrads Rachel Israilevich and Gabi Edelman. I called them to ask what they loved about Tulane and what I should know before...

I see grand, powdered valleys when I glide down Snowmass Mountain on my snowboard. Between such vast peaks, I am reminded of how small I am. Despite the spacious white that seems to freeze time in quiet eternity, the speed of this sport makes my...

The digital world is exploding; I know because I love to game. I am fascinated by fully immersive 3D environments where I can communicate with thousands all over the world, with the push of a button.

Two summers ago I worked in a garage, doing oil...

I am helpless against the internal compass that points to familiar elements of my African heritage in unfamiliar settings. Detecting the faint sounds of yoruba along the aisles of Walmart suspends my hunt for groceries until I have found the...