Fordham University Undergraduate College Application Essays

From the commercial corridor of Raymond Njoku street, a lesser known road strays from the bustle that typifies Nigeria’s capitalist hub. This road leads into a cul-de-sac where wooden kiosks selling bread, musk, and mosquito-repellent coils are...

“A girl walked along the beach tossing marooned starfish back into the sea. How could she possibly save them all? Why try when the act seemed futile? A man discouraged her from her task but she ignored his opposition.”

I heard this story at one of...

The radio crackles to life, a voice blaring into my ears: "Run faster….stop slowing down...." I wait for the man to finish his sentence, letting out a sigh when his voice dims, crackling under the effect of no service.The humidity leaves me...

Summer burns on my back as I watch her head break the surface of the water and sink in. Her hands immediately thrash around for support but can only close upon the cool liquid. Her hair floats on the surface like brown seaweed. Laughing, I stretch...

It can be tricky pronouncing my name, Camila Sofia (Cah-me-lah / Soh-fi-ya) - Spanish accent and all. I’m a Latin American with bittersweet Colombian coffee from home running through my red, white, and blue veins. Identifying myself as a “Latin...

Tilt of the head, toes on the tips and fingers striving to get hold of one of the dusty tomes which no one reached for, to hands confidently binding around a volume with admiration for the work in my eyes is my life in a nutshell.

“ They had...

I was at a loss for words.

Before we traveled back to New York, my dad insisted that we visit a nearby plantation. As I walked across the Carolina cotton field, I pictured myself in my ancestors' shoes. Imagining the verbal, physical and mental...

For years, the first thing I would say to my mom everyday is, “Mom, did you wake up yet?”The answer I would receive across the phone has always been a yes. Some days, I called her too early and she would respond with a muffled yes, clearly half...

“Miss? Why are you here?” I look down to see a little child tugging on my pant leg. The children at the Educational Theatre Company (ETC) think I am older than I am, so I often get questions like these from students who think I am wiser than my...

Standing knee-deep in clear water, I peer at the minnows swimming lazily around my toes.

“Help, Daddy, there’s a Mexican!” wails a curly-haired girl from the security of a bright pink inflatable ring. Her pointed finger indicates to all the target...

There is nothing quite as extraordinary as witnessing a Haitian sunset. Watching as the sky folds itself to form a dichotomy of colors that bleed into the horizon. If I climb a roof high enough, or stand on a hill tall enough, it looks like the...

There I stood in my basement during spring break of my freshman year, just a few feet away from my old acoustic guitar which had been collecting dust for years. I can’t explain what had drawn me back to that neglected instrument, but I suddenly...

Sometimes, kids don’t want to go home.

“It’s okay,” I assure one of them. “This is a safe place for you; we’ll both be here tomorrow.”

I give them a hug and hand them their bag. It means everything to me to mean something to the kids at the...

For most high schoolers, a best friend is someone who lends you the physics notes when you miss class. Someone who says you look like a marshmallow in your parka but silences anyone who does the same. Someone who sponsors midnight Stop & Shop...

Tossed into the wild, alone I was to fend for myself against the ravenous beasts. A rustling, no the clanking of Jenga bricks upon the floor, startled me. His imposing 4-foot figure stood before me as a sudden shadow flickered before my eyes. A...

A flurry of snow blew into my mouth as I took a deep breath and trudged down the street. I could not see the pavement ahead of me; my thick scarf had blocked off view. I pulled down my scarf and looked to my right, observing the row of cars making...

In the U.S., there are five standard barn styles. Iron Horse is a Midwestern classic; Homestead, is basic, easily adaptable. Offset Roofline takes a more angular structure, while Round Barn is the circular American original. Gambrels are...

Christopher Robin is the best movie in the world. Despite the poor acting and the animation that made the animals look sad and dreary, a movie is impressive if it can make the viewer feel an emotion, and Christopher Robin exceeds in that realm....

“Do you have any siblings?”

It’s a simple question, yet for the longest time, it was a question that I dreaded, a question that I felt the need to avoid at all costs. The answer, in essence, is simple. I have two older brothers: one 22, the other...

The notion of family in my Latino community is one that is extremely fluid, with the expectation that we treat others with respect. Albert, my “neighbor,” has occupied the bush in front of my house for over two years and has become a part of my...