The lights, the cameras, the dreaded ding of the bell, but more than anything, the words. If you've ever seen Spellbound or Akeelah and the Bee, you'll know what I'm talking about. The Scripps National Spelling Bee: it's the dream of many a middle-school word nerd, and it was my passion for three years. I've aged out of competition now - there aren't spelling bees for high school students - but the experience was one that shaped who I am...

Carleton is the school I told everyone I’d never go to and then fell in love with anyway. Since I was a freshman, I’d been telling my mom to prepare herself for the fact that I was going to leave the state for college. I didn’t hate Minnesota – not by any means - but I wanted to go far away to have new, exciting experiences. I loved the adventure of the idea of somewhere different. And then...

- Carleton is powered by wind turbines. What empowers you? (no more than 150 words) Having a voice empowers me. The confidence, presence, and knowledge to speak - and speak intelligently - give me the power to change things that really matter to me. People find their voices many ways, but I found mine when I joined the policy debate team. I’ve heard debate described as “spoken chess,” and for me, that’s accurate. It’s a high-pressure, think-on-your-feet situation...

I’m a bit of a walking contradiction. The best description of me, I’ve always thought, is something a close friend of mine told me: “You’re like a fifties housewife, except not.” That might require some explanation. I’m not exactly June Cleaver – I can’t walk in heels to save my life. I’ve always been unapologetically nerdy. I devour my monthly Scientific American, get very excited about Quiz Bowl meets, and have a dedicated bag for...

- Reed is a unique and exciting college experience. Discuss the reasons that you believe Reed would be an appropriate place to continue your education. Amid thousands of college choices, Reed stuck out to me because of its intellectual atmosphere and the sense I got that it would make me a better thinker, learner, and human being. Reed values learning for the sake of learning, and that’s the kind of college environment I want to be in. I’ve...

- I first came across Rice University early in my research process. I’ve known I want to study computational linguistics since my junior year, so I began by looking for schools with strong programs. Linguistics is fairly uncommon, so not many schools have it, and among those that do, the strength of Rice’s department stuck out. And as I continued to research, it seemed like a better and better fit. The thing that motivated me the most to...

If you were to peek into my fourth-hour AP Computer Science class, you might get the impression that I go to an all-boys school. You’d be wrong, but unless you looked closely, you might not notice the five girls in my class of thirty. And you’d be in good company - the gender gap in computer science often goes overlooked. But addressing it is vitally important, and it’s a reason I, as a girl who’d like...

nerdy, passionate,...

Ultimate Frisbee is a popular sport, although we're not as intense about it as Carleton. MacDems is said to be the...

I would have started my essays earlier - I intended to start them in the summer but didn't end up getting around to them until September, and it would have been really nice to have a...

I felt at home here, simply. Macalester is in a great location in the Twin Cities (it's where I'm from) - there's a fantastic arts scene, it's so easy to get into the city even on public transportation, and the Minnesota winters aren't as...