University of Illinois - Chicago Undergraduate College Application Essays

Hyperlexia. This is a term that very few people have heard of, but it is a term that I have become intimately acquainted with. Though it is shrouded in mystery, I have grown to know it frighteningly well, better than anything on this earth. I know...

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...

On Being a Middle Child

As our annual family picture day approaches, disputes about matching attire, scenery, or whether or not our pets will be included continue to dominate our dinnertime discussions. I’m not keen on, nor do I oppose, this...

“He smells like death.”

A petite nurse muttered this to the physician as she left the patient’s room. When she saw me, she scrunched her face into an expression of embarrassment. Although I smiled back politely, a mixture of shock and apprehension...

This past summer, I tutored two summer school math classes for incoming freshmen in

my district. I've tutored dozens of students in my high school career, so when I was working with

these students, I wasn't expecting anything to be different....

Throughout my short lifetime of difficulties and discouragements, education has

been the one constant and one motivation that helped me stay positive. When my life

seemed to be falling apart, I knew I could get on the bus, go to school, and enter...

Momentary sadness descended on my face. The crescent moon in the night sky looks just as beautiful as ever, but today something is different. Is my smile mocking me, or does the moon look a little skeptical? Up until now, I’ve always thought that...

“Where are you from?” The girl, seated to my left, looks my way intently.

I barely look up, refusing to make eye contact, allowing the pronounced seconds to tick by awkwardly. The question hangs heavy in the air.

“Texas....” I finally mutter,...

The purr of the engine dulls the voices of the other passengers. The cabin is fiercely pressurized, and the economy seating is cocooned in the back. After we visited the fresh farmland and enjoyed accustomed smoked foods, the only taste that both...