Johns Hopkins University

My heart is hammering as sweat drips like tears down the side of my warm, sticky face. Blood, propelled by adrenaline, races throughout my body. Twisting open the bottled water I bought earlier, I sit down on the blue-green grass, looking at the...

DePaul University

Our daily lives are characterized by incidences, changes, perks, and disappointments, and each morning we wait for fate to unfurl. Sometimes an event occurs that changes our whole outlook on life and gives us a new perspective to live by. An event...

Westmont College

I am proud of my African-American heritage. As a teenager in modern-day America it is easy for one to lose touch with the rich culture of their history in an effort to blend into the fast-paced, forward-thinking, modern American culture. But it is...

University of California - San Diego

It is often said, "Write what you know," and I know myself: I know what I want. Every day I learn more, as I reflect upon my habits and quirks, strengths and weaknesses; as I remember my past and imagine my future. I want challenges and victories....

Cornell University

Throughout my high school career, I have received multiple recognition awards related to my coursework. For example, I was awarded "Outstanding Student" honors in Spanish, math, and chemistry during my high school tenure. I also received a Letter...

Texas A&M

Tristan

On the first day of history class at Texas A&M, I took a seat in an empty row, placed my books on my desk, and watched the other students trickle into the classroom. One student in particular caught my attention. He appeared slightly...

New York University

When I was in elementary school, it seemed like everyone was learning how to play a musical instrument. My mother insisted that I jump on the bandwagon. I considered my options, and my interest was piqued by the idea of learning how to play the...

Boston University

It was an exhilarating moment that set my heart aflutter. I had in my head an image of James Bond, speeding down a foreign highway in pursuit of justice, a dazzling femme-fatale steering the car ahead of him. As soon as the car stuttered to a...

Boston University

Confusion and panic were clearly visible. People were running around frantically, shouting and screaming. Everyone was in a hurry. Nobody knew what was going to happen. We were all scared. Fall Fiesta was almost upon us.

The thirty or so students...

Beloit College

The trip had been one of disillusionment. Thirteen Jewish schools paid for us to meet in Los Angeles for five days of service learning, yet I soon discovered that most of the participants had signed-up chiefly to enhance their own college...

University of Florida

Essentially, individuality is a product of nature and nurture. I believe that one's individuality, comprised of many factors, ultimately predicts their later success and influence. A product of my environment, my unique upbringing has affected my...

Johns Hopkins University

"In the event of my death, all my possessions will go to my wife, Joanna H. Lee." I read it again. As I slowly laid down the will on the well-glossed mahogany table, a series of perturbations and sorrows left me in a state of apprehension. The...

Johns Hopkins University

"Red blood cells are one of the most numerous and unknown cells in your body." Dr. Sung described. I walked into this COSMOS program, motivated by the tumultuous experiences throughout high school, to reassure my choice of major: biomedical...

University of California - San Diego

I was thirteen when I knew. After the first grade report came in, my "A's" gleaming gloriously, a testament to my perseverance and academic achievement, I decided to seek this "education thing" with all that is in me. There was no reason to go...

Texas A&M

This summer, I had the opportunity to escape from the routine of daily life and spend a week in Mexico. However, this week was no Acapulco vacation. I journeyed alongside several dozen members of my youth group to El Carmen, a small village on...

Boston College

Sweat poured down my face as I struggled to breathe. I was dehydrated and exhausted, and I was trying as hard as I could not to give up. From the bleachers and the sidelines, the eyes of every member of the crowd were focused intently on me. One...

New York University

The saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree is more than just a hackneyed expression. In actuality, it still holds an ounce of truth. My father has always been the family man, an honorable person who unwaveringly cares for and...

Wesleyan University

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...

Columbia University

There were only 10 minutes left until the big final. Time had stopped for me. I felt like entering into a totally different dimension. People were talking to me but I couldn't hear them, I scarcely sensed their material presence. I was starting to...

Claremont McKenna College

It was early morning in Alesia. Gleaming rays of red-orange light danced on the wheat fields of southeastern France. Suddenly, three hundred thousand Gallic soldiers blotted out the horizon. Vercingeterix's reinforcements had arrived to fight...

Claremont McKenna College

"Cassius Clay," my father declared, "KO'ed Moore in four. I was there. Ringside." Annoyed at hearing the thousandth incarnation of this story, I rolled my eyes. My father loved telling stories. If you let him, he would talk you up all night....

University of California - Los Angeles

"So, what do you want to do today?"

The woman stood in front of me with her clipboard and pen, patiently waiting for my answer. I turned my head to look at my brother-in-law's door down the hallway. My body ached; I had been savagely beaten that...

University of Pennsylvania

Twelve years from now, I hope to be a surgeon in a well-reputed hospital. Whether it's stitching up a wound or performing spinal cord operation, I will receive great satisfaction in knowing that every minute and hour of my job is dedicated to...