It was Tuesday, July 12th, 2011; my mom announced that she would divorce my dad. I couldn't believe it! I was thirteen at the time and the idea of "divorce" seemed unreal. Who would have thought that the two parents who dearly loved me, an only child, would separate? And the irony in this is that I am adopted. Initially, the divorce had an overwhelming impact on my life, leading me to wonder, "Why, why would my parents divorce while I'm...

It was in middle school that I first explored business as a career choice but my ideas then were rudimentary at best. Only in high school, after direct exposure to the profession through Future Business Leaders Association (FBLA), and courses in calculus, economics and business, did I finally begin to formulate a better view of the profession. As high school progressed, I got more involved in FBLA activities. Following sophomore year, our FBLA President invited me to be on the...

“Hmm..I could either take Physics or Biology. I’ll just go with Physics since I will already be taking Calculus. Now... accounting or marketing? I mean, I could take both, but..they’re honors classes that would lower my cumulative weighted GPA. I should add psychology; it’s an AP so that’ll look good!” In my own eyes, I performed very poorly in junior year academics. I had deplorable grades, unstable emotions, and low self esteem, all of...

The Great Pyramid of Egypt, the Parthenon, Mona Lisa, the Da Vinci Code, all famous historical works of art embody the golden ratio, a magical ratio of 1.6181:1 of the length and width of an object or structure. Examples of the golden ratio are widely seen regardless of size and type; a really large man made structure such as the Pyramid could exhibit the golden ratio, or so might a naturally occurring element such as a small DNA molecule. The fact...

Imagine you are middle-aged. Imagine you are African American. Imagine you are poor. Imagine you don’t have a decent education. Imagine you live in inner city Baltimore. And imagine...you have HIV. There is little to no hope, and you are barely surviving. Down and beaten, not once, not twice, not thrice but several times over. A story too familiar in Baltimore. I came across this reality when I interned in Johns Hopkins Dept of Epidemiology, when on several...

I worked very diligently on the essays, and tried to choose more creative prompts so that I could write more fluently and easily. I went through 3 maybe 4 drafts for nearly all of my college essays, even the 250 word ones. I knew I didn't have a strong GPA, decent standardized test scores, and strong extra curricular activities, so I saw the essays as a means to communicate my mentality and personality. I was able to re-use some essays or slightly tweak...

Make good connections with your junior teachers especially. You'll be taking your most difficult classes in junior year, and you'll need teachers to help and guide you along the way. ...

I interviewed with a Cornell University alumni. I prepared very well beforehand, wrote down three comprehensive questions I wanted to ask, and kept the conversation going for nearly...

I would have definitely applied to more safety schools before November 1st. I didn't realize these schools only offer scholarships if you...

During high school, I recommend you obtain an internship or paid job. Colleges really value the internship/job experience, and want to see you excel outside of the classroom. Make...

I declined my other schools mainly because they were my safety schools, and I didn't appreciate the business programs. Some schools only...

I chose Indiana University Kelley School of Business for its nationally renown ranking, high starting salary, and excellent professors and business opportunities. Kelley...

I believe my family background and life story set me apart from all the other candidates. My race (Asian) only made it more difficult to...