I see it everyday: boxes piled upon boxes, the remnants of our last move. Every crevice in my apartment holds a reminder that my home isn’t permanent and in another couple of years, we’ll move again. 5 different homes. 7 different schools. When I was little, I used to live in a house that my childhood imagination recreated as a palace. One day, in the first grade, I came home from school and I saw someone driving away with our...

Growing up in Los Angeles has fostered an incredible attraction to a diverse population. I thrived during late nights outside Mexican taco trucks and afternoons relaxing with bowls of Vietnamese pho. Through the years, these amazing mix of cultures became my own. I continue to learn from the people I’ve met and the people I will. I will continue to learn from the places and people around me. At Yale, I know that I’ll be exposed to the...

Since I was a little girl, I had high hopes of becoming a doctor. I ran around the house constantly, pretending to cure make-believe ailments with candy prescriptions. For a long time, I thought I knew what I wanted to be and who I wanted to become. But then I realized that my dreams were not my own. While I was trying to please my parents with my medical aspirations, I wondered why I shouldn’t stick forks into outlets...

From the moment I was born, people would glance at me and say “You look just like your father.” But I resented the fact that I got stuck with my dad’s large nose and broad shoulders. Although we looked the same, I didn’t think we could get anymore different. I was born in Northridge, California. He was born halfway around the world in a rural part of Cambodia. He didn’t finish elementary school and I’ve been...

My parents were both children of the Cambodian Genocide. They’ve tried their best to provide for me and my siblings, but they’re continually hindered by their lack of education and lack of resources. All my life, I’ve been moving around, a consequence of my parent’s failing search for the American Dream. My childhood is filled with memories of my parents stressing over money and what we couldn’t buy. I vividly remember failing several projects because...

My personal statement was a basic sum of my childhood. One of the biggest struggles that I had to overcome was learning to be independent, inside school and out. I wrote it when I was feeling particularly strong about my familial situation and tried to focus on what I overcame and learned rather than what I had to endure. The "why us" questions was a very general response saying that I'm a fan of diversity. I'm not afraid of what's...

I would definitely start my personal statements earlier. I left them pretty last minute and it hurt me a lot....

I went into the college process completely blind. I didn't have any counselors. My parents didn't go to college. I didn't have any college friends. But I didn't really need them. Actually applying isn't hard. It's usually the nuances that...

I interviewed with MIT, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia. MIT was my first interview and I was so nervous. I think because I tried so hard to impress my interviewer, I did badly. I was just so average and didn't stand out. I didn't look like I deserved to go there. For my Yale one, it was...

I believe my past as well as my cohesiveness set me apart. I talked a lot about overcoming my family's past. My parents weren't home a lot and I watched them struggle throughout...

I chose to use my math teacher and my regular counselor. I chose them both because my math teacher told me he thought I was a "superstar" but humble. He knew me well enough and was nice enough to give me a great recommendation. I...

I applied for the Questbridge scholarship, a 4 year Full Ride Scholarship for low-income students. As a result, I don't pay loans and only really pay for indirect fees. I recommend looking into no loan schools. Don't be afraid of...