College Application Essays accepted by Emory University

Emory University

Muted pastels climbed sluggishly into the sky that morning, pale pinks and periwinkles barely peeking through the marine layers of Imperial Beach. It was the kind of morning ideal for lounging in pajamas. And yet as dawn shed its light, I found my...

Emory University

If I had to describe the culture of my family in one word, it would be "resilient." Every year, my father gets a new assignment... fight in the skies above Iraq, train future pilots in Mississippi, advise a four star general in Hawaii, and now,...

Emory University

As I shoulder my bedroom door open, the cardboard box once secure in my hands flops to the ground. The resulting thud echoes off the walls, but my attention has already shifted. I start a calculated walk around the room, taking it in from multiple...

Emory University

Each pounding step sends shockwaves up my body. My breathing is labored, but controlled. Inhale for two steps, exhale for two steps. Repeat. Midway through my run, my body has begun to complain. Amidst a sea of thoughts fighting for my attention,...

Emory University

“So many emails say so little,” writes Norma Cone in her first letter to me. Her penmanship incorporates elaborate loops and smoothly conjoined letters from years of perfecting her cursive. In comparison, my script is poorly developed, a...

Emory University

Playing the guitar is nothing new to me. For the past decade of my life, my fingers have danced along the sturdy neck of my six-string. However, each time I pick up my hollow acoustic, my fingers caper to the rhythm of a new song. Recently, I have...

Emory University

I walk to the waiting area and call, “Michelle,” and she follows me into a big room with three beige, reclining leather chairs. “Have a seat,” I urge, directing her as if I’m a hostess. “Are you ready?” She nods her head; her shoulders tense up,...

Emory University

It is Sunday afternoon and my friends and I are all making nonsense syllables. “Dim dims” and “Ooh bop bops” fill the room and flow out of the windows we have opened in the heat. We’re not crazy – we’re just having a cappella rehearsal.

...

Emory University

ASSIGNMENT: Simulate a disaster victim. My home was destroyed by a hurricane. We hurry into a disaster relief shelter set up by the Red Cross. We are handed a care package with a meal and a toothbrush. My mind races as I try to understand the...

Emory University

My childhood included everything from waking up to my mom’s dramatic wake up calls in the mornings, eating ice cream from the carton with my siblings, rough-and-tumble play with my father, to family dinners at our Chinese restaurant, filled with...

Emory University

“Gue… Gue…Gueb…be,” my new teacher stumbled over the pronunciation of my last name. I smirked under my breath but decided to put her out of her misery by raising my hand and declaring my presence. “It’s Guebediang but I go by Maeva.” With a name...

Emory University

Born six years apart, my brother and I had never had a meaningful conversation: I was too young to be respected like a parent, but too old to be considered a “friend” whom he can trust. It’s only when we discovered our mutual fondness of Steven...

Emory University

I stood face to face with a skeleton, Dooley, mounted on a black metallic tree. It seemed out of place with the sophisticated white marble walls and vibrant flowers, yet students passed by the statue, greeting the assembly of bones. Emory embraces...

Emory University

In the summer of 2016, I met Dimitria, an eight-year-old native of southeast Atlanta, at Park Avenue Baptist Church’s literacy camp, an effort to reduce the local high school’s 68% drop out rate. On the surface, she seemed like the other...

Emory University

“The U.S. and China should work to unify the Koreas.”

Eight minutes left.

As I walk to the podium, I present myself as a confident junior. Yet in my mind, I am still a freshman, stammering through my first speech, unnerved by the seven pairs of...

Emory University

I opened the door, immersing myself in the crisp, chilly air of Portland, Oregon. I had just traversed the vast Pacific Ocean, and I was now in America. How I ended up here, I was not quite sure. All I knew was that I stood there — homesick,...

Emory University

This is how my nightmare begins.

I’m standing in the heart of a pristine university campus, surrounded by hundreds of teenage girls fidgeting with their luggage. Damp hair sticks to the backs of our necks; we can taste the heat and the salt and...

Emory University

“Click.”

The sharp, decisive sound of the chess clock suddenly snapped me out of my concentration. My opponent had made his move.

Deadlock — At that moment, it wasn’t just about victory; my faith and integrity were challenged. Winning meant...

Emory University

“Pack! Pack! Pack!”

The unrelenting sounds of ping pong exchanges sing a song to my ears as my mind calms down after my game. The clubroom is filled with people eagerly waiting to have the chance to show off their skills and compete with their...

Emory University

By 2030, not caring will put 100 million lives at risk in third world countries. By 2050, not caring will cause a fourth of Earth’s species to go extinct. By 2100, not caring will raise the temperature by about 7 degrees Celsius, intensifying heat...

Emory University

The circumstances surrounding my family are defined by an absence of choice. At age 11 my abuelita dropped out of school to begin working as a full-time maid, a job she didn’t choose to have but had to have in order to support her family. At age...

Emory University

My backyard is my studio, and the lush, green grass is my stool.

C.

With one powerful strum, my surroundings come to life: a gust of wind emerges; birds sing in harmony; dandelions dance in unison to my tune, frolicking through the sky. As I sway...

Emory University

I’ve always seen the world through a comedic lens. Even when I’m immersed in something serious, like writing college essays, I can’t help but consider the situation’s ridiculous extremes, such as: How would accomplished historical figures...