University of Colorado - Boulder Undergraduate College Application Essays

As I drove up to Maine, I knew exactly where I was going, but I did not know what to expect. I was to spend my eighth summer at Wyonegonic Camps, but for the first time as an Assistant Counselor (AC). I had first arrived there as a nervous...

I watched in admiration as the gentleman in front of me hoisted my fifty-three pound backpack onto his head and began nonchalantly hiking over jagged rock, leading me through the village of Dogbadzi, Togo, where I would live for the next two...

It was an ordinary game of floor hockey. My palms were soaked, my skin unbearably itchy. The droplets of sweat were rolling down my back. But I couldn’t pay any attention to that. The offensive player was approaching me with the puck, trying to...

Though my high school does not have a Creed, I feel that if it did the Colorado Creed would fit perfectly. Henry M. Gunn High School breeds a caliber of student that is both intellectually hungry and incredibly compassionate. This is, of course,...

Acceptance is a rare thing in today’s society. Growing up I have always been taught not only tolerance but also acceptance. One of the biggest things that sets me apart from many of the other students on the CU-Boulder campus is that my mother is...

Most people are surprised to find out that I am dyslexic. Of course, most people don’t know. It’s not that I am ashamed of it, just that I don’t like to tell people about my problems. It is hard to hide, however, when a teacher asks me to read...

There is a special bond that forms between a dog and its owner. Sandy and I were no exception. That was why I wasn't really surprised when my mom told me the news. In a way, I already knew.

My family got Sandy when I was six, so she was a part of...

Ernest Hemingway once said, “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” From going through twelve years of schooling so far, I’ve learned things far beyond the realm of the classroom setting...

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...

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...

“Climbers, at your marks!” shouted the Chilean official in his thick Spanish accent. The musty air filled my nostrils before I let out one last, shaky breath. I wasn’t really supposed to be here. Luck was the only thing that had gotten me to a...

Here you find a wild Kirby in her natural habitat.

~ My hair still damp and smelling of chlorine, a product of summer’s first swim, I settle into the armchair’s cool leather embrace. Sipping iced coffee and gazing out the window I mentally prepare...

I'm standing in the arena, facing my opponent. Hands on guard and ready to fight, fists clenched and sweat dripping down my fingers. In the distance, I hear the command, "fight!" The match has begun.

Sparring, kata, sweeps, hooks, and grabs had...

Jessie trotted, dust plumes lifting around his hooves. I gripped the saddle’s hold bar, securing Jaidyn to the saddle with my forearm and keeping her feet in the stirrups. She flailed her arms, hurling the plastic red cup from her hand. It landed...

“Food is the way to a man's heart.” This surprisingly sexist saying has always been a coveted motto among the women in my large Latino family. The number of times my abuela disclosed what she believed to be the secret to love to me is...

When I was seven years old, I used to think my floor was made of hot lava or occasionally under siege by a pack of angry anacondas. So, at night when it was time for me to go to bed, I would have to take one giant leap to make it to the massive...

July 19, 2012. On that day, 23 people lost their lives in a violent shooting. I was less than 100 miles away from this, sitting in the Cinemark Theater dressed up as Two Face as my friends and I waited eagerly for the same movie; unknown to me was...

My one place of contentment, in all of time and space, actually is a place where I am constantly moving. Literally. That one perfect, happy place for me is sitting atop the saddle of a horse. Although a saddle is not the most comfortable thing in...

I took a breath and assured myself that everything would be all right. Looking up, I could see the sunlight breaking through the ripples, reaching me from the surface, breaking the sixty feet of water above my head. There was no sound, everything...

It is often thought that the fastest route to Carnegie Hall is practice. I would never discredit the importance of practice, knowing its vitality in my own vocal development, but I believe confidence is equally important to success for any...

First, it was my leg. I was three years old, running around the grassy backyard in my sparkly purple leotard, quietly catching glances of my neighbors flying up and down from across the lawn. With a misguided confidence, I determined that I,...

It felt like I was flying and in control of where I wanted to go.

Expecting to spend most of my time on the ground, I surprisingly stayed on my feet loving every minute of this adventure.

Snowboarding has not only become a sport that I really...

Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han; Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han; Sui Tang Song, Sui Tang -

Suddenly, while I was singing the names of the ancient Chinese dynasties in preparation for my early morning Chinese class, I was interrupted by a flash of red and a blast of...

All summer I had been speculating about the first day of high school, but not for the same reasons as my peers. While others were perfecting their “summer bods,” I was worried about one particular class and one particular teacher. As I took a...