Northeastern University Undergraduate College Application Essays

The plane landed, and immediately seat belts flew off and iPhones came out. It had been six hours since the plane took off, and therefore six hours since my phone had internet. I had to check every social media platform for anything I could've...

Two hours later, even with my cart stockpiled with an assortment of possible parts, I strode aisle-to-aisle scrutinizing each item, and mentally assembling the bits I had selected to generate the ideal model. It was hard to avoid the weird looks...

Stuffy rooms, stinking washrooms, cracked desks and torn books. There was a strange feeling, walking down the corridor as I entered the premises. It was totally unexpected, especially from a place like this - right after a long break for summer.

The ladder is broken - the socioeconomic ladder of Ghana that is. There are several missing rungs, leaving a large gap between the first few steps and those leading towards the top. This disparity makes it difficult for underprivileged Ghanaians...

My heartbeat mimicked the blare of the sirens. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” I stood by as the detective searched the scene. It was then that the face of the perpetrator...

When I tell people I work at the library, they often respond with open jaws and comments ranging from, “Oh my gosh—dream job!” to, “That must be boring, huh?” While the tasks are routine, each shift jostles my curiosity awake.

To be clear, I am...

I push through the mountain of people ahead of me to glimpse at the check in line at the traikin station. I frantically push myself through the multitude of people to avoid being trampled to death in the busiest city in the world: Beijing.

I...

His name was Tiger. He was a 13-year-old Yorkshire Terrier with eyes that were too big for his face. He was nervous, understandably, having been displaced after his family had to give him up. Tiger was one of 3.9 million dogs that enter shelters...

It was as though Medusa had looked me straight in the eye. I saw my mother’s lips moving, but all I could hear was the turbulent rhythm of my heavy heart. I clutched my fork tighter in my fist and disappeared, desperately figuring out how to turn...

I wish someone had been recording the moment we pitched the idea to my physics teacher, Mr. Heese. His forehead crinkled and his brow arched, completing his puzzled complexion as he sat at his desk.

“So you want to start a club… that grills meat?”...

“You are going to a boarding school in Singapore,” said my parents one day.

The decision to send me off to boarding school came as a surprise for my family’s acquaintances. It came as a shock to me --- especially since I did not even know what the...

Walking into St. Joseph’s chapel on the day before winter break, I felt as if I was walking through a portal. Outside was freezing and dark, but the inside of the stone walls was filled with a certain warmth and light that swelled through me the...

"You know Yume, you're the only black girl that I like, the rest are so ratchet," he let out.

What... did he just say?

I let the words sink... because, well, I genuinely liked him. He'd helped me study for almost every computer science test and...

As I deliberately draw back the taut string of my recurve bow, a faint groan from the strained wooden limbs manages to drown out the commotion of the hundreds of spectators and competing archers. I have attained a state of consummate mental...

Bang! I am deafened by the sound of a gunshot, and suddenly I see hundreds of fourth-graders sprinting towards me. I am temporarily mesmerized by the massive blob of energy consisting of tiny legs moving in unison and tight fists swinging with...

Nickelback, Green Day, and Blink 182 shook the walls in my room as I let my mind wander. Tap, two, three, four, I thought, as the beat of Photograph vibrated around my room and slid into my ears. My pillows became a drum set and the carpet...

For the last three years, a friend and I teamed up to lead Spartan Swipe, a school fundraising program that raises scholarship money for students in need. Leading this program has been very important to me. Not only does it feel great to help...

As a child, one of my favorite moments in the year was watching the daily parade at the Big E with my family. Seeing the brightly colored floats drive brought me indescribable joy. Candy flew out of windows, classic cars honked their horns, and...

I, now 17, still fondly remember sitting on the beach as a little girl with my grandmother. Half-asleep and warm, we, the introverted outcasts of family vacations, would read and chat for hours. I discovered the art of poetry through our...

In 3rd grade, I used to carry a copy of my passport to school. My after-school program teacher once asked me where I was from. “The US,” I replied. She dismissed my answer, insisting “Where are you really from?” Tired of the constant dismissal and...

When I look back at the videos of my so-called dance performances as a 5-year old, I feel my soul cringe. Little 5-year-old Tara had herself convinced that even Beyonce couldn’t hold a candle to her dance moves. Why did my mother allow me to make...

A globe of diverging genres. An all-encompassing haven that houses birthdays, family time, dates, anniversaries, or simply satisfies a cinephile’s weekly cravings. My thirst for continual experiences within the realms of comfort and tranquility...