Newest College Application Essays

A degree from the Fuqua School of Business would uniquely position me to be competitive and allow me to reach my professional goals. I first learned about Duke’s focus on social entrepreneurship while speaking with a colleague of mine who had...

I believe that my nonprofit experience will allow me to bring a level of depth and understanding to the field in which I eventually hope to work, as well as bring a unique perspective to my class. The importance of community or public service and...

Upon entering the classroom, my wandering eyes were unfocused, taking in all of the unfamiliar sights: the poster covered walls, the neatly organized desks, and the blue alphabet rug. Twenty children squirmed in their desks, giggling and...

My mother asked me to get the mail – nothing that abnormal. But when I got the mail there was a letter for me from People to People. I opened it immediately out of curiosity, and it said that I had the opportunity to explore England and France. I...

Kicking rocks as I trudged down the windy path to my undesired destination, I heard my dad loading the obnoxious sounding cars onto the ramp. Every time I looked at the vehicle I was being forced to ride in, I couldn't help but be embarrassed. My...

I’ve been a lot of different people in my seventeen years of life. I’ve been a tap dancing mouse chased by shrieking female cats, a 1950s teenager with greased-back hair, a sailor on 24-hour shore-leave in New York City seeking love and a good...

I wish I could do it all but I’m no superwoman; I’m just an ordinary girl with 24 hours a day. Deciding to write and direct for DramaFest, an intra-school Drama competition, meant sacrificing other clashing commitments including leading in...

My next target is the mailman.

I wait patiently as he draws near—I am prepared. A few minutes later, he hands me a dollar in exchange for a cup of lemonade.

Mission accomplished.

I have always been fascinated by the business world. To me, nothing...

1:16AM.

The taxi system in Shanghai is active all around the clock, so I’m in no rush. My eyes scan the luggage conveyor belt and, soon enough, I have my suitcase and make my way onto the taxi platform. I hail a blue cab, tell the driver my...

Zhu Qin, a peasant girl who had been isolated from civilization her entire life, knew nothing of the world that existed beyond the mountains. Not a single person in her family had had any prior education whatsoever; nobody was able to even write...

The fan is chugging away overhead, desperately fighting off the heat that Jinhua’s summers are infamous for.

But I am oblivious: I’m finishing my drawing of Mickey Mouse. With pencil in hand, markers sprawled about, and a new book of cartoon...

Just like many others, I've spent my life hearing the hackneyed phrase “actions speak louder than words.” Based on personal experience, however, I've decided that I disagree. I believe that words are magic. Not magic in the conventional sense; a...

Bound by the limits of my hearing impairment, it took me three years to realize the clocks at school actually make a noise. As Mrs. Neilson lectures, pressured by the deadline of the AP test, she leaves little room for pauses. Intrigued by every...

My hand is moving with a mind of its own in a stream of creative consciousness. It may as well be a poltergeist. Rough shapes are being formed, abstract blobs that at first have no cohesion, no combined purpose. After time these strange,...

It wasn’t my first audition, yet as I looked into the intimidating mirror, I needed to reassure myself: "You are Beyonce." I gasped for oxygen as I entered the dimly lit room, attempting to calm the fire in my stomach, but listening to other...

To term it a blessing would understate my first semester experience. Working with a group of brilliant professors and highly motivated colleagues has provided me a unique and enriching experience. Additionally, it has helped me clarify and define...

At the core of a successful leader is a strong sense of personal responsibility. In this global economy, that means taking the initiative to understand the culture of people with whom we work. When I was teaching, I learned that the only truly...

Nearly 80 million members strong, “Gen Y” or the “Millennials” are defined by experts as those born roughly between 1978 and 2000. My generation has been shaped by events like the Columbine Massacre and September 11th, stirred by technological...

When I left my position at Goldman Sachs last year, I did so with the intention to go back to school. The American Express headquarters in New York is directly across the street from the Goldman Sachs headquarters. When I transitioned to American...

Ever since I was a young boy I have been curious and excited to learn new things. My favorite books where the Curious George books, as I thought the little monkey, George, was very much like me. George was certainly lovable, but he was always in...

Unlike most children, I loved the doctor. As I bubbled after hearing the news of a doctor's appointment, I'd begin preparing a list of questions. At the clinic, the nurses laughed at me, but I was determined to get to the bottom of my quest of how...

As a French-American, I am symbolically bound to two altogether different cultural spheres via the hyphen. In its relation to me, the hyphen holds more than symbolic value alone. Growing up in America with divorced parents, my mother French and my...

Looking down at the college preparation pamphlet laying on my dresser never seemed so dramatic, but with every word I read, and every page I turned, I could practically feel my future rushing towards me. As I approach the end of my high school I...

“Aap meri choti shezadi ho, Hannah,” my Pakistani grandfather told me before I moved to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia. I was later able to translate his loving Urdu words into English: “You are my little princess, Hannah.” I am a...