I was in a giant, fuzzy, non-airconditioned mascot suit dancing in an arena filled with thousands of spectators, including my school’s entire student body. I was at the High School State Championship basketball game in March of last year, dressed as a Cavalier. The uniform included giant boots with gold belt buckles, a sword, and a giant fedora. Now, I can usually keep my composure, but anybody in my position would have been a little bit nervous, especially because...

Working on the Congressional Award was more than just something to put on my application. For the past three years, I have worked with many volunteer and community service organizations in the Charlotte area to make a difference for people in need, putting in more than 300 hours of service. I volunteered overnight on weekdays at "Room in the Inn" through my secular church to provide hot meals and shelter for the homeless. In addition, I played oldies, like Frank Sinatra...

I am completely convinced that The Onion is the greatest “news” source on the web. Its daily articles are some of the best pieces of satire I’ve ever seen. However, most people wouldn’t go so far as to consider The Onion “meaningful”; that’s where I disagree. It started in Junior year when I’d walk into my Government class every day. My teacher would always have the newest Onion article up, whether it was about Americans voting...

As an avid music producer and mathematician, I really enjoy noticing the similarities between both fields. I have been producing music throughout high school, and for the past year I began experimenting with mathematics through music. One day, I hope to research this topic in depth either as a university professor or a composer. The music part was simple. I began about four years ago by downloading some specific software for electronic music production, and did what anyone learning a...

I’m not going to go on and on about how Columbia is in New York City, and the opportunities that lie therein. I love the city, but that isn’t the only reason I love Columbia. While being one of the world's premier universities, Columbia has distinguished itself from the others in my mind primarily with its Common Core. I have a very eclectic group of interests, all of which are satisfied through the requirements of the Common Core,...

While being one of the world's premier universities in all areas, Duke has distinguished itself in my mind. The first reason is that Duke allows its students to pursue an interdisciplinary education very easily. The programs that stand out the most include the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Certificate and Program II. I absolutely love that Duke tailors its programs to its students, rather than the reverse. Duke's vibrant music community is also appealing largely because non-music majors can audition for...

While being one of the country's premier universities in engineering, Georgia Tech has distinguished itself from others in my mind. The first reason is that Georgia Tech places a tremendous emphasis on research and a hands-on approach to its undergraduate education. On my visit to the university, I saw many engineers working on their own mechanisms, ranging from robotics to health sciences. In addition to becoming an engineer, I am interested in devoting a lot of my time to the...

Every summer, I fly to New Jersey to visit my father. However, the summer in between my Sophomore and Junior year, I was accepted into the North Carolina Governor's School. I spent five weeks participating in the greatest educational experience of my life. Discussing philosophical questions and thinking itself was a nice departure from my traditional high school setting where we are taught to memorize rather than to think. This first taste of academia made me want more, and it...

“ ‘To the dumb question “Why me?” the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply: ‘why not?’ “ - Christopher Hitchens, Mortality On May 17th, 2011, I received a call from a good friend. I picked up, only to hear her struggling to hold back her tears. I could immediately feel my heart sink into the back of my chest from hearing the weeping in her trembling voice. She managed to utter just two words, through all of her stuttering: “Paulo died”. For...

I strongly believe that my essays got me in. My suggestion is to honestly not seek out much help for your essays. Apart from asking your English teacher to review for grammar and careless errors, you should not take too much advice for your essay. You will end up trying to take everybody's advice and make your essay something it is not. The point of the essay is to show who you are, express YOUR voice, and give the admissions...

The college interview process is not like most students make it out to be. In my experience, they have always been informal, conversational, and not too influential on your ultimate decision. This is just...

I applied to Princeton Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) and was deferred. At first, I was a bit disgruntled because I thought I did everything that I could do to get in. But of course, many of the country's schools are too competitive beyond their capacity. At this...

One thing that I have noticed about Princeton is that there aren't many people who are decently good at everything. Of course, many of the students excel at academics in general, but it is rare to come across a Jack of all trades. I feel that the reason for this is because the admissions officers purposely seek out experts in a particular...