University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

A strong collective scent of generic medicine, hints of mint, and latex gloves permeate the orthodontic dental office, exciting me as I enter the place. I take a seat in the waiting room and impatiently wait for my name to be called. While...

Amherst College

''Art is man's constant effort to create for himself a different order of reality from that which is given to him.''

--Attributed to Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist and poet

I’d like to beg to differ with Mr. Achebe. Art is not always man’s effort...

Amherst College

The colors through the window become inconsequential, only the forms and their faces significant. Through the window of my hometown Kolkata, India I see a half naked child running around on the street. His face depicts childish levity and frolic...

Williams College

Not through tinted glass, or windows fringed with laced curtains, I stared out at the vast expanse. I was observing a beautiful environment, one of unblemished forests and cultivated Elysian fields. But this was an optimistic view because the...

Babson College

Andrew,

I look forward to meeting you and starting our experience together at Babson. Since I am fairly certain you know nothing about me here is a little background. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. From a young age I have had an interest in...

Tulane University

During a typical fall morning in my second grade year, I came across my dad contemplating an endless list of blurry numbers that covered the pages of his newspaper. Looking up at me, he pointed to a sketch of man’s face. “This is Warren Buffett,”...

University of Rhode Island

The Korean educational system can be a passive environment where the students learn to simply do as they are told. I went to school in Korea where I was not aware of my obedient attitude, all of the students behaved in the same way. Because Korean...

Rutgers University

It’s a typical week during the autumn season. After school on this short Wednesday, I stay at school to lead the community service group, A.R.T.E., with my friend. We plan and organize for the upcoming “Fall Fest” at our school. After a short but...

Wellesley College

The alarm clock rang furiously at six-thirty in the morning. Impatiently turning it off, I realized I had a horrible stomachache. The women's choir had been preparing for weeks on end for this concert at Wellesley College and there was no way I...

Bryn Mawr College

It had been raining and windy all morning. The conditions were not ideal for a college tour, but off I went to see Bryn Mawr. Upon my arrival on campus, I was captivated by the women at Bryn Mawr. These women looked confident, focused, and...

Swarthmore College

It is a typical week in autumn. After school on an early-dismissal Wednesday, I stay at school with my friend to lead a community service group called A.R.T.E.. We plan and organize for the upcoming “Fall Fest” at our school. After a short but...

Bryn Mawr College

I could not understand. There was no sign of trash on the streets. There was no trace of graffiti on the benches or walls. Everything was impeccably clean and simple in the middle of Stockholm, Sweden, with its 780,000 inhabitants. It is still a...

Carnegie Mellon University

I have chosen to apply to the Carnegie Mellon College of Science, the Mathematical Science department, because I have a passion for learning that I want to apply to mathematical principles as they pertain to modern internet security. It is my goal...

University of California - San Diego

The proudest personal experience of my life was being elected captain of the Carlsbad cross country team. I learned to become a leader by example and to inspire my teammates so that we could achieve our personal and collective best.

It seems like...

University of California - San Diego

As a Peruvian native, my mother had to overcome many obstacles, yet, with her unique selfless character, fierce dedication, and immovable fortitude, she has raised me as a pinnacle example of maternal love. My mother is a cage fighter. The world...

Wellesley College

The sweltering heat of the Middle Eastern sun would wrap its parched tongue around my heavily shrouded body. The afternoon could have been cooked on an open flame, leaving behind charred individuals busily going about their business. Despite such...

Brown University

“Do children in China also think that if they dig a hole in the ground, it can go all the way to America?” I could not help smiling when a little girl asked me this question during my first presentation. I was startled by the fact that people in...

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

My room is a reflection of me. From the moment you step inside, my organizational skills and creativity are apparent. My walls are covered with pictures and magazine cutouts, but they’re not just put there in any random way. My arrangements are...

Boston University

The idea of the character haunted my mind for days. I couldn't shake the feeling that while reading this novel, I had heard the ideas portrayed somewhere before, somewhere all too familiar.The first book I was ever to read in German struck a nerve...

Brown University

Sweat, soiled by dust and tears, seeped down my body as I thrust myself forward. With every breath, my lungs collapsed on themselves. While oxygen poured in through my gaping mouth, I still craved more air. Foot after foot, I trampled down the...

Boston University

I stare at the seven month old embryo suspended in fetal position in my mother’s ultra-sound image. I am amazed and thus unable to look away. This tiny being is confined to the corners of my mother’s womb, its umbilical cord still attached to its...