Newest College Application Essays

The Furnace

My lungs heaved as though filled with old ash as I made my way up the cliff, arms' length by arms' length. It's a tradition at my school for the seniors to take a four-day excursion into the wilderness on the Outward Bound program. Day...

I didn’t have much to say when I was very young.

In fact, according to family legend, I didn’t utter so much as a single word for the first three years of my life.

Naturally, my mom and dad began frantically seeking the expertise of speech...

“I HATE science.”

Poor, unsuspecting Mrs. Lato. When she cheerily asked us to jot down our interests in science, I penned my sentence of outright rejection. This eleven-year-old clearly did not share the passion of my new science teacher.

Now, had...

The wind whipped across my face, grabbing the hair I had attempted to coax into a ponytail, pushing it into my mouth, and tangling it around my neck. Water splashed with unrelenting ferocity off the blade spinning desperately in my hands. My...

Every day in my life the rational conflicts with the illogical. A carefully planned endeavor is often blindsided by an unreasonable spasm in the universe’s workings. I always ask myself the question: if nothing can be predicted, then what is real?...

Standing alone on the stage I faced the spotlight shining on my glistening bald head. The make up artist had done a brilliant job of adding a grim and menacing guise to my face. No, I wasn’t losing any hair at this tender age but I had shaved my...

My family faced tragedy shortly after we arrived in Afghanistan. We struggled through our first six months, but my parents were new missionaries filled with excitement for God's work. Even when we timidly bought food from strangers who spoke Dari...

When I first heard of Forensics, I imagined a combination of Family Feud and a presidential inauguration. There I would stand – on a wide stage, a never-ending sea of people staring, and spotlights shining down. Imagine my surprise – and immense...

I am incredibly focussed on studying business. I have had a piqued interest in business ever since I was a little kid, capitalizing on my cuteness by offering massages, at a price. This interest developed into enthusiasm to study real business and...

When you hear someone grew up in Dubai, your first thought may be skeptical and even dismissive. However, having had the first-hand experience, I can say that these reactions are far from fair. Quickly growing, Dubai is the home to people of 202...

At age 13, I had it all planned out. Having taken my passport from my mother's desk, I prepared to purchase my ticket to freedom from the place I'd been held hostage all those years: Florence, Italy. My mother discovered the theft quickly,...

The entire external world is a blur. There is nothing but the sound of lead scratching paper that may occasionally break the soothing sound of silence. Everything has lost its relevance - everything except the mess in front of me. As my eye traces...

During my junior year of high school, I moved homes and got my own bathroom. For a sixteen-year-old, this is second best to getting your own car. I was elated. I would no longer have to worry about my brothers taking candid photos of me on the...

I’ve been to New York once in my entire lifetime. I was six years old and my father had to travel there on a business meeting, taking the rest of us along. I’m not particularly skilled in recalling events from numerous years ago, so when I reflect...

Everyone has that unforgettable experience that they would like to capture and relive. For some, this may be a certain day; for others, it may be a special event. For me, though, it is a place that I hold near and dear that constantly reminds me...

I am an explorer. At 10 months old, my travels began with my family’s first move. Over the years, we have been relocated because of my father’s company, gradually bringing a family of five from East to West. Five states, five homes, and five...

I am convinced that I only have friends because of my mother’s cooking. Friends always seem to come through the door when spanakopita, tiropita, baklava, and other ethnic Greek foods are on the table. Watching others become infatuated with the...

As a prospective architecture student, I aspire to pursue both the aesthetic side of the discipline and the scientific nuts and bolts of design. At Tufts, I can live at the intersection of architecture and the humanities by taking courses such as...

My favorite word is constellations. The word itself is simple: the prefix “con” means together and the root “stella” means stars, but they together, to me, say everything: the stars are together. Stars are all individual points of light, floating...

The literacy rate in sub-Saharan Africa hovers around 70%. The ratio of those living below the poverty line averages out to roughly the same number. Privileged as we are, and consciously or not, we readily dismiss these numbers as simple...

“I am from Richmond.” Oftentimes people would cringe when they hear this from me. As a young girl I constantly wondered why everyone seemed so afraid of my city. Eventually, I was slapped with the reality that I come from a community infamous for...

I don’t believe in failure. I don’t believe that it is possible to mess something up so entirely that nothing good can come of it. If I make a mistake, I learn from it. If I'm not as good as I want to be at something, I work that much harder at...

"See you on Sunday, Brandon," Pastor Park says. After gathering my things, I shake his hand appreciatively and leave through the exit at side of the sanctuary. The pastor closes the broad, brown doors as best as he can, but they never quite meet...