X is not only the letter before Y in the English alphabet. X does not merely begin very few English words. X is not merely the quantity Y minus B divided by M. X is truth, and X is meaning. X is what I stand for, what I believe in. X is destiny, and X is purpose. X is what I am and what I aspire to become. How do I go about exploring and discovering X? I study hard...

I was invited to interview at a Starbucks location near my house for admission into Duke. Since I had never interviewed for anything before—whether it be admission into a program, landing a job, or for some news story—I wasn’t really sure what to expect initially. I wore a clean, pressed, light colored button-down Oxford shirt, black slacks, and recently shined shoes. My interviewer,...

I’ve been involved in quite a few things in college (some more deeply than others), as my interests have a decently broad range. I have tutored kids age 5-18 in math for a couple years now once or twice a week, depending on my college schedule. Since I get to work with kids and to help someone improve in something I am both passionate about and find great importance in, this has been a very rewarding experience for me. I also play a variety of intramural sports, from flag football to soccer. These are an incredible way to take...

As my username indicates, school will dominate my life in the near future. I applied to medical schools throughout the country this past summer and am hoping to land a few interviews and eventually, acceptance letters. I hope to pursue a dual MD/MBA degree, as my Economics major and several experiences while volunteering at hospitals and shadowing...

The quarter system is highly overrated. Schools (such as Northwestern) will laud its “versatility” in allowing students to take an impressive variety of classes. However, its cons far outweigh its pros (well, pro). Schools on the quarter system typically begin and end classes far later than those on the semester system. This leads to two things: sitting around with no one to hang out with for several weeks before classes start, and being several weeks late to the internship/job...