College Application Essays accepted by Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University

(A)mbition, balance and commitment are the three qualities that I refer to as my "ABC's" for achieving "D", my dream. (B)eing successful depends on continual awareness of your ABC's. (C)arefully following this philosophy has guided me through...

Southern Methodist University

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

Day in, day out; week after week; year after year. She clocks-in and proceeds to a colorful room full of crying babies and children who have long overstayed...

Southern Methodist University

Being Indian -- and I am 100% South Indian by birth -- is not about Bollywood or cricket for me. Rather, my culture revolves around food. Few countries can lay claim to cuisine influenced by Anglo-Saxons, Mongols, Turks, and Persians. No other...

Southern Methodist University

In fourth grade, I was forced to choose a profession for Career Day. I remember being overwhelmed by the vocations available to me. I could be a doctor, an engineer, a public accountant, or even a pilot. How could a nine-year old choose? Since...

Southern Methodist University

"S-P-H-E-R-I-C-A-L," I declared. Flashing a grin to the 600-person audience, I glanced at the ink stains dotting my clasped hands. These hands had suffered for months practicing obscure words from the dictionary. One person away from winning the...

Southern Methodist University

For more than three generations, my family has answered the call of elected public office. My father served in the State Legislature, my Grandfather and Great Grandfather as locally elected officials. Most teenagers my age have a passion for...

Southern Methodist University

My interest in film began with my first movie—or my first love: Monsters Inc. Engrossed in the magic of animated movies, I became an elementary school animation aficionado. As I was immersed in Disney 24/7, in films that taught me that stories are...

Southern Methodist University

Recently, I overheard my mother and her store manager discussing ways to attract teenage customers. As a teenager myself, I felt that providing a complementary sports watch with a purchase of over Rs. 1000 would encourage the customers to shop,...

Southern Methodist University

I’ve come to understand that when I choose a path in life, I’m bound to face some roadblocks along the way. I now see these hurdles not as impenetrable obstacles but instead as opportunities. I can appreciate the new direction they take me and the...

Southern Methodist University

Music can be best described as a skeleton key, opening the locks in your mind. Whether it's changing a mood, de-stressing, or adding excitement, music transcends generations and cultures. Throughout my existence, music has been a constant reminder...

Southern Methodist University

An enchanted ticket, speckled with the paints of artists past and present, allows me to enter any museum at any time to study, engage, and feel the mastery of the artists' paint brushes in an effort to expand the use of my own. I set my plan of...

Southern Methodist University

I stood there, nose squished against the thick glass wall unmoved by my eager hands. After a “quick” hour and a half drive to the Baltimore Zoo, a secret trip my dad and I made more often than I would like to admit, I had finally reached the...

Southern Methodist University

Some say that the most important piece of a journey is the first step. My first step is into thick, saturated fog. At other times, this fog would create a sense of isolation, but here, it is a being which has enveloped thousands of sojourners...

Southern Methodist University

Several weeks ago, I was made aware of my sisters’ excursions into my bedroom with measuring tapes and note pads in preparation for my departure to college (which, mind you, is still one year away; their level of excitement is extraordinary). My...

Southern Methodist University

I stared at the inmates crowding the courtyard in front of me and began to wonder what I was doing in a prison. My visit was for three weeks during which I was tasked with helping teach computer code to inmates in San Francisco’s San Quentin State...

Southern Methodist University

“Help, I can’t move,” cried a feeble voice. It was a trapped “victim.” At first, I froze in fear until my team leader yelled, “Radio out!” I composed myself, called our Incident Commander on the walkie-talkie, and reported, “Female, green top, red...

Southern Methodist University

March 22nd, 1934. I arrive to the course, designed by Bobby Jones, in a 1933 silver Studebaker Dictator at 8am sharp. The wheels squeal in the hot gravel. The grass, still glazed with morning dew, smells fresher and more fragrant than a bouquet of...

Southern Methodist University

I walked up to the first of many homes to visit during our missionary trip to Montana. At first glance, the house looked dusted and worn, as though the paint had worn off and nature decided to take matters into its own hands. A bronze, rusted...