As the cliche states, “You are what you eat”.   My favorite restaurant by far is Meadow, a pan-asian restaurant in my hometown of Simsbury. At just seven minutes away from my house, Meadow is more than convenient; I can practically smell the beef lo mein wafting through my front door. Open since 2008, the owners now have two locations and a steady stream of loyal customers, including my family. They know the nuances of our orders by heart: my mother’s...

You can see the soil under my fingernails in the image; it’s so densely packed that a Sharpie could have drawn a line under my nails and you wouldn’t know the difference. The intricate lines in my hands are magnified by a fine brown powder that covers my whole body. There are puffy, purple signs of exhaustion underneath my eyes, eyes that glimmer with excited curiosity. Staring at the photograph projected onto the screen of the classroom, I...

You can see soil under my fingernails in the image; it’s so densely packed that it could have been drawn by a Sharpie. There are signs of exhaustion underneath my eyes that glimmer with excited curiosity. I remember that photo being taken during a two-week field school at Strawbery Banke, an interactive outdoor museum. Now I am showing this photograph to my own students; instead of learning material, I’m learning how to teach material. With two hand-built wooden...

After strolling out of the Siuda Admission House, I turn to my father, an avid Star Wars fan, and say, “Dad, I never thought I’d say this, but I want to be on the light side and the dark side.” The sun shines down on me, casting shadows onto the campus, and suddenly I can see my shadow reaching into these buildings and classrooms, filling itself with every drop of ambrosial knowledge it finds. I know this is it....

Recipe for My Admission to The College of William and Mary Serving Size: One college and one student. Ingredients: - 2 cups of Scotland born - 2 cups of Connecticut raised - ½ cup of a love of history - 2 cups of initiative - 1 cup of Vermont (grandmother-owned) - ¼ teaspoon of anthropology - 2 tablespoons of dedication - A pinch of classic novels (cannot be substituted with modern fiction or nonfiction) - ½ teaspoon of tea (any kind will do, but it must be hot...

Cleopatrick Dempsey “Good morning New York City! Thank you, thank you so much! Thank you for being here or tuning in at home. It is the last day of 2016 and I’m here with none other than the prolific Cleopatrick Dempsey, who churned out 249 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy as the iconic Dr. Dereka “McHottie” Shepherd before his departure in 2016. Today he is giving us an in-depth exclusive interview about his recent trans–” The television blinks its black eyelid and...

Tell us a story that helps us better understand a person, place, or thing you find inspiring. She is extracted from her subconscious as she struggles to see her clock in the black fog of her sleepy vision. It says 4:05 a.m. She hits the alarm and swings her legs out of bed. Her body aches from the gym. She throws on a suit and slides on some shoes. She tells her parents that they must get up and get...

Tell us about a small goal you hope to achieve, whether in the next 10 days, 10 months, or 10 years. Running used to be my one true nemesis in life. It didn’t matter if it was sprinting, jogging, speed walking- I just didn't think I was cut out for it. Then, one summer, I told myself I was going to run three miles every day. I must have been going crazy that day, because I hated running. The first day, I...

What is a community to which you belong? Reflect on the footprint that you have left. (You may define community and footprint in any way you like.) Justice League is a club that meets biweekly to discuss issues surrounding inequality. As a Head of this community, I plan meetings and teach fellow members. However, they teach me as well: when I discussed changing the wheelchair symbols on campus, they pointed out that first our campus must become more accessible. We...

Why does Yale appeal to you? (100 words or less) The best way to structure this supplement mirrors the famous admissions video that first drew me to Yale. I choose the interdisciplinary Archaeological Studies major; I can combine my interests in ecology, lab work, religion, and anthropology within my major. I choose the Peabody Museum. I choose the residential college system which will give me a place to live, about 400 new family members, a Buttery to satisfy my cravings, and a...

What aspect of the Columbia community, outside of the classroom, would you most want to impact and why? (150 words or less) Columbians are unafraid of confrontation; they’re bold, courageous, and valiant. I want to work with other students to fight the greatest fight: that for equality. Whether in the protests of 1968, the anti-Apartheid fueled protests of 1985, or the congregation mere months ago on College Walk after Donald Trump was elected president, Columbia students always stand up for what they...

For applicants to Columbia College, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Member Questions section. If you are currently undecided, please write about any field or fields in which you may have an interest at this time. (300 words or less) It is challenging to pinpoint the parts of my life that made me want to be an archaeologist,...