Yale University Undergraduate College Application Essays

The summer I turned thirteen, in the sticky humidity of a Circassian town in northern Turkey, I received two gifts. “Leave that book aside for a minute,” my grandfather said, walking into the living room with a leather case. I don’t remember what...

I can still remember my teacher announcing an external physics examination to be conducted at school. A self-proclaimed science enthusiast, I signed up for it, little expecting it to spawn a love for HAM Radio.

My form mates warned me of the...

I became a magician at age seven.

Standing before my friends, I plucked coins from elbow bends and crushed dandelion heads into painted buttons. Green hair ties ripened to rich plum hues. Cards flipped up and hoisted themselves into the air,...

It was already 6 PM, and I walked across the classroom, wary of the many fingers tapping away at their keyboards, their mouse clicks, their resizing and editing articles, photos, and captions. It was the day before the newspaper production...

As I sauntered with my father through the pine forest, I strained my neck to gaze at his face. I was only six, and my father hadn’t visited Mirgorod in a year. As the forest ended, we entered a meadow, full of wildflowers and butterflies....

Despite it being four o'clock in the afternoon on a warm day in May, I was still lying in bed, attempting to fall asleep to relieve the fever. The school day just ended for my middle school friends, and they were free to absorb the sun’s rays and...

It was but another Saturday morning – famished and alone in a house of quiet. The family, while knowing that their attempts to prevent me from cooking are futile, creates obstacles such as hiding cooking oil or disabling the stove. I have as a...

“Don’t you feel oppressed living in Singapore?"

As a teenager, I avidly consume social media. Initially, however, I was extremely disoriented reading comments by other users such as the one given above. The rest of the world seemed to be speaking...

It took two hours to get home, a three mile drive that should have taken a few minutes. A drive we’d made countless times without thinking. But things were different now. Everything was different now. Dad presented his license to the National...

It felt like performing dental work on an apprehensive clam without any gloves; the ridges of the Dragon’s bony mouth scraped combatively against my knuckles as it swallowed its treasure. “I cannot imagine the faces of the horrified crowd behind...

The guitar has a voice like no other in one’s soul. Its voice is soft and intimate when its player feels likewise yet also fiery and vehement given the slightest bit of oomph. When I play, I feel as if the guitar is really the one with emotion and...

“You walked four flights to take a selfie with a door placard?”

My dad wasn’t impressed by Louise Gluck’s office in Linsly-Chittenden Hall. But when I visited Yale this past August, it was my first stop. Gluck, one of my favorite poets,...

I discovered science fiction in fourth grade, led by Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I expected reading to reinforce my view of myself as a “humanities person.” But science fiction made technology exciting and showed me...

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...