University of Southern California Undergraduate College Application Essays

In the corner of my room sits my grandfather’s diary: soft, well-worn, and cracked. The first entry, written in English, is dated “June 1st, 1970,” in the halting, elaborate script of a man accustomed to Bengali. The last entry, dated “November...

When I was in seventh grade, my mom, who is an acclaimed pianist, was invited to participate in the Vienna ConcertoFest, a two-week summer program to perform concertos. My mom asked me to join and participate with her at the festival. I played...

Meet Julian, Eloise, Damien, Georgie, and Caesar; a few of my best friends. These friends have helped me through the brightest and the darkest days of my life. They inspire me to think creatively, comfort me during the low times, challenge me, and...

I carefully pour matcha into my glass mug, watching as the mug’s ice cubes go from reflecting sunlight to deflecting tea. The matcha rose latte I perfected consists of three clean stripes: red from the homemade rose syrup at the bottom, white from...

This summer, I fell for someone. Her name? India. This is our story:

In line with the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, we started as haters. Growing up, I dreaded the trip my family took to India every five years. I hated how dirty it was. I hated...

Growing up in Vietnam, I witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of unchecked industrial growth on the environment. The widespread pollution and its impact on my community ignited a deep desire within me to seek solutions that could...