To many people I may simply be just another student, another average teenager. But my life is so much more diverse than most might assume, and its primarily because of my background, because the backdrop of my life is a million cultures and stories converging together. This includes my home, created from the unlikely union of two contrasting stories. A man who was born in a small, impoverished village, grew up in South Central, quit school by the eighth grade,...

For most of my educational experience the administrators at my schools have been often belittling and difficult when it came to my needs. The ironic aspect was, I usually wanted the most challenging courses, and they made me jump through hoops to get them. At Brown University, students are allowed and encouraged to serve as architects of their courses of study. Brown will provide the resources and support necessary for me to ensure myself the best education I could possibly...

We all exist within communities or groups of various sizes, origins, and purposes; pick one and tell us why it is important to you, and how it has shaped you. (100 word limit) Los Angeles is significant to who I am because it is such an incredibly diverse home. Having lived here all my life it seemed normal that I had friends who immigrated, or whose parents came from, Cameroon, Russia, India, Iran, or Vietnam. It was normal that my father...

One of my favorite teachers, whom I've had as a teacher for three of my four years in high school, influenced me most in my decision to apply to CMC. He highly recommended it as an amazing school that he felt was perfect for me. I had never heard of it, but the more I looked the more I learned of its reputable qualities and high regard. One of my best teachers attended Claremont McKenna, it was the top choice...

The extracurricular activity I am most proud of would be my participation in the Youth and Government program because it not only allowed me to become more informed on current events and how the government functions , but also permitted my social and leadership skills to flourish. This program gave me a taste of failure after losing multiple races for positions, and watched my bill get demolished on the Senate floor. However, it also allowed me to taste growth and success,...

am drawn to the area of Economics through my experience in my first AP class I ever had my freshman year, Human Geography. A little known subject, a majority of the class consisted of concepts and models about how humans behaved, some about migration or demographics, and others about spending and manufacturing. This information on demographics and human tendencies sparked an interest in me because I recognized the truth in many of these models, and also their usefulness especially from...

Northwestern is unique to me personally in many ways, simply because it is outside of my realm and comfort zone. I have lived in Los Angeles my entire life, and Northwestern's location in Illinois would make my experience in college exceptionally unique on its own. I would hope to take advantage of this unfamiliar setting to try new things and develop my skills to adapt to new surroundings, both of which are incredibly useful social skills that Northwestern would be...

The experience that has been most significant in my intellectual development would be my trials with bad teachers, the most prominent case being with my AP Chemistry class last year. In the beginning I actually had a rather good teacher, very tough and demanding, but still quite capable. However she had health issues, and many students complained about the rigor of her class, and we were all switched and placed under the education of a long term substitute who was...

Letter to my future roommate: You won't be my first roommate, so don't worry. I know how to compromise, how to share, and how to resolve a conflict without shouting or hitting. I have two sisters see, one younger and one older, and I was always the mediator. Growing up with the both of them provided me great empathy skills, a good amount of patience, and an enjoyment of companionship. It might also be good to know that I'm a...

What matters to you, and why? (100 to 250 words) This is a pretty broad question without context so I have decided to answer it from an educational standpoint, so I hope the reader doesn't find me a horribly awful person if I don't say my family. With that said, throughout my education effort has always been what matters most to me. It was a mindset that my parents instilled in me from a very young age, and was a lesson my...

I definitely would have tried to brainstorm earlier...

I interviewed with Cornell, and twice with Harvard. My interview with Cornell was very relaxed and not very in depth, it didn't seem to do much, but don't worry if your interview feels like that it's not a bad sign and...

I highly recommend working during the summer, especially if you can't during the school year because I really feel being employed is impressive to a lot of colleges. I would also highly recommend volunteering even just a little, find something you...

I think some of the things that set me apart from other applicants was my "voice" in my writing. I found a way to illustrate...

Sadly the main reason I had to decline my first choice, and...

I chose my school because it was the best...

I made a list the summer before my senior year, and made sure I had a pretty good variety of private and public schools, safety, reasonable, and reach schools, and out of state and in state schools. Don't ever...

I am from Los Angeles so Berkeley was a really good location from home for me. It was far enough, and different enough that I felt like I was able to really branch out and try new things, but...