Newest College Application Essays

I hate sitting in a classroom and sensing the hesitation and self-consciousness of the other girls, something I fight against feeling myself. The silence continues until a male peer speaks, and the conversation continues between him and his...

I have always envied those amongst my peers who have figured out what they want to do with their lives, down to the exact job description. That highly pinpointed sense of direction and purposefulness in regards to my future is what I have always...

In a drab little apartment- streaked gray by pollution- nestled in the dusty streets of Bogota, Colombia, my mother once asked me at the age of three years old what I wanted to be when I grew up. Surrounded by a patriarchal and heavily...

How many piano tuners are there in the city of Chicago? Well, if we assume that the population of Chicago is three million and that each household has approximately two people and that one in every twenty households owns a piano… And so begins the...

On January 14th, 2002, my father stopped reading to me. Early on, my bibliophile father decided he would never dictate a lesson or give me an answer, but rather that I would learn through literature. Every celebration, every birthday or holiday I...

The crisp fall breeze swirls through the trees, and with each gust an increasing number of leaves detach themselves from the tree where they once lived. Upon reaching the ground the leaves form a colorful mosaic of reds, oranges, and yellows,...

Eyes were beginning to blur; muscles were beginning to convulse; thousands were shouting from excitement. Through all these distractions, my mind began to form a clear picture of what was taking place. I was on the final stretch of the 2013 Boston...

In second grade, I worked in construction. I knew that dewy grass was proof of fairies, and that they needed a spot to rest their wings before shining lawns with water. So I gathered my tools and worked ceaselessly, at every possible chance, to...

It’s safe to say that I went through an awkward stage primarily during my middle school days. Foreign endorphins, peer pressure and poor judgment basically describe grades six through eight. This period of self-identity stretched into my high...

Some of my earliest and most vividly hazy memories involve riding in the backseat of an old Honda Civic. The seats were a stripey velour that stuck to the backs of my legs when the air conditioning stopped working, and the back window was lined...

It was Valentine’s Day six years ago. There were no roses, chocolate, or any romanticism in the air; there was instead, the scent of puke, fear, sea spray, yet a trace of freedom. It is mind-boggling what a human being is capable of enduring for...

Imagine coming from a neighborhood in which the only thing that is promised is death. I lost one of my closest friends a few months ago to gun violence. Witnessing this horror changed my perspective: I want to have a successful life. Killings and...

People’s cultures are like fingerprints--no two are ever the same. Although I was born in the United States, I can truly say that I have grown up with two different cultures. My family originates from Egypt, and I am the first generation to be...

Spoiled Rotten

Admitting that you’re a spoiled child isn’t easy. I was the kind of person in high school who probably spent too much time putting on my makeup and picking out my clothes, and I was the kind of person who worried a lot about my skin...

In the classic Greek epic, ‘The Odyssey,’ Homer idealizes Odysseus for portraying two attributes: physical and intellectual strength. These are the two qualities that help the protagonist on his difficult journey. Greek society is similar to the...

Out of breath and hurting all over, I drip with sweat in the midst of a six-minute wrestling bout with my friend, James. While fighting on the bottom and gasping for air, I am reminded of Einstein’s words: “When you are courting a nice girl an...

I gaze at the pieces of an intricate puzzle: A stone Indian elephant on my desk, and a pale Korean doll on the shelf above it, draped in crimson and gold, with flowing black hair. The wall is adorned with my name on a sheet of white silk, my name...

“I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.” (Jack Nicholson – The Departed)

When I was a child, my best friend was (wait for it) a stick.

It became an extension of my arm, a conduit for my...

“This Jedi is female, so she’s not as smart.” The young man, Max, chortled this to his scene partner as our improvised Star Wars play came racing towards its climax. I stood backstage, suddenly feeling jarred. My character throughout the play had...

My family is anything but sedentary. Already in my life I have lived in Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and have found myself in England nearly every summer. I have explored the rainforests of Australia and New Zealand, braved the oppressive heat of...

When I turned sixteen, my grandparents took me out to the lavish Sixteen restaurant in Chicago. “Sixteen for sixteen,” they said. Over microscopic spoonfuls of diced cucumbers, which the restaurant dubbed "a salad," my Grandma handed me a velvety...

Failure is thought to demolish everything you are, but in truth is vital to self-realization and self-acceptance. I take pride in my ability to fail: to crash and burn, but to come out healed and ready. Yet in all my life I have never once been...