University of California - San Diego

My childhood began amidst a bevy of confusion – my parents worked several jobs and rushed in and out of the front door from one shift to the next, each time in a different uniform. Although my sister and I were able to take part in every school...

Bucknell University

Ireland was nothing like I had expected. Living in a small Irish city with my aunt and uncle for two months was much easier than it could have been. I wasn’t a total stranger, nor did I have to survive on my own. I was never homesick. There was no...

Carnegie Mellon University

Waving our banner wildly, we counted down the seconds, not at the homecoming game, but rather the 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff. With only six weeks to build, wire, and program a 120-pound machine, my team jumped headfirst into...

New York University

1. I spent entire my last summer in Burlington County Footlighters, which is a small community theater. I was involved in two shows: The Secret Garden and The Odyssey, as a pianist for The Secret Garden rehearsals and a violinist for both shows. I...

Boston University

My open-mindedness, good sense of humor and diverse talents give me much to contribute to Boston University.

First, I am an open-minded person. I always have been courteous to people regardless of their backgrounds and personalities, and accepted...

Cornell University

Like every other year, a spectrum of color surrounds me on the first day of 2009. My January 1st mornings have always been shared with Grandma, a 91-year-old woman who still manages to scurry through the kitchen preparing the brunch that stares at...

Boston University

We have a saying here in The Valley: The world will take us where we want to be. In essence, this little bit of wisdom accurately embodies the world I come from, what it has taught me, and the many ways in which it has shaped my dreams,...

Northeastern University

When I first met Brandon, I’m sure that I was too young to understand autism; but I did know that he was different. At that time, for Brandon at age 4, basic communication was a challenge and his frustration seemed to engulf anyone who attempted...

Mercyhurst College

No experience has affected me more greatly than my first job at Burger King. This job has taught me invaluable lessons that I use in my everyday life. I have learned time management, how to deal with all denominations of people, and the importance...

Boston University

It was May 3, 2007, a warm, bright day. Every field was filled with blooming flowers and all the trees were covered with lime green leaves; everything seemed beautiful and normal besides this madness. I was in the back seat of a police car that...

Fordham University

“Repeat Dojo-kun. Seek perfection of character. Be faithful. Endeavor. Respect others. Refrain from violent behavior,” I call out. To my left, the line of kneeling students repeats my words. “Sensei-ni, rei,” I call to the line, and we bow to our...

Cornell University

My middle school was a mess. Not in the sense that we had students crying, teachers screaming or chalk flying everywhere, but rampant homework copying and dozing in class raged all over the campus. It was just a place where learning was not cool....

Cornell University

The College of Arts and Sciences’ flexible opportunities allow me to best pursue all my interests. For example, by integrating physical and information science into biological science, Computational Biology allows me core training in biology...

Georgetown University

It was our last scrimmage game before the start of the 2009 Valparaiso girls’ varsity basketball season. The clock counted down not only the time left in the game but also how many seconds I had left playing on my basketball team before I told the...

Michigan State University

“Τι κάνεις? Στην υγειά μας! Opa!”

“Howdy, partner. What’s in that iron skillet, ma’?”

Those phrases from opposite worlds represent my diverse cultural life growing up with a Greek mother and a father from North Dakota. From my mother I learned to...

Pomona College

I take a deep breath to steel my nerves. I ponder for a second how ridiculous it is that a small white ball has such a profound affect on me, the man with a long metal club. “The hell with it” I finally think as I strain every muscle in my body to...

Vassar College

Thursday, March 19, 2009. The time is 6:55 AM. As my shirt proclaims, this is a special day. I pass my sister as she leaves to catch the school bus and she is wearing the same shirt. I drive to school and find that dozens of my friends are also...

Chapman University

Anchor (John Factworthy): Good evening and thank you for watching CNN’s nightly report. Now for our new segment “A Day in the Life of…,” where we talk to our viewers about what makes them…well them. Today marked a normal day for most teenagers...

Chapman University

This is Jane Doe, coming to you live on the scene of Cultural Revolution. And this is the story:

It could have been my father and I listening to The Beatles on our annual car ride to Disneyland or the fact that both my parents were children of...

University of California - Davis

Despite living in the populous Orange County, I was raised with the small-town values of two parents from Weirton, West Virginia and Wellsburg, West Virginia: “God has given you the potential to achieve great things, so work hard and treat others...

Marquette University

On a chilly November afternoon, I stared past the hazy wheat fields of the frozen western Nebraska landscape, pondering the four days that lay ahead of me, unaware that those four days were going to change my life. I shifted awkwardly in my...

Roger Williams University School of Law

Every child is asked the inevitable question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My response as far back as I can remember had always been, “Well, I want to be a lawyer”. I always received some strange looks from adults for my unusually...

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

A strong collective scent of generic medicine, hints of mint, and latex gloves permeate the orthodontic dental office, exciting me as I enter the place. I take a seat in the waiting room and impatiently wait for my name to be called. While...