Achieving academic success is top priority for me. Because I thrive in stressful environments, I enjoy being extremely busy. I am very organized and can handle a lot of different things at once. Mount Carmel Academy is about an hour from my home so I spend a couple of hours a day driving. In addition, our Student Government is extremely time-consuming, often meeting three days a week after school and most weekends. I am able to manage all of this...

There is so much more out there. Those are the words I live by in everything that I do. I grew up in a small town outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. I love where I live and I love the people I have come to know. Yet when every single person I knew in elementary school went to the same small high school, I knew that wasn’t the direction I wanted to go. Why? Because there is so much...

Dear Mom and Dad, Well, I have survived my first couple of weeks at Notre Dame. As I sit here sipping my critical morning cup of coffee, preparing to go to Spanish class, I can’t help but to think how blessed I am to have an education. I wanted to thank you for helping me to follow my dreams as I pursue my education (and also for this awesome coffee maker which I would be sad, thirsty, and tired...

I have developed a passion for international travel for several reasons. One is that I love experiencing new people, places, and cultures. I have been blessed with the gift of travel, and seeing the world from different perspectives has shaped the person I am today and has formed my goals for the future. Another reason that travel has become so important is my desire to have a positive impact on the people in the places that I visit. By studying...

There are so many things I want to do… things for myself, my community, the world around me, etc. The key to this, in my opinion, is education. I have chosen to attend the University of Notre Dame, which is 1,000 miles from my home in New Orleans and 1,000 miles from anyone and everyone I have ever known. I chose Notre Dame because of its diversity and its attachment to the world. There are so many places I want to go...

In different situations, certain similarities link us together. When I go to lunch at school, I feel connected to the people in my friend group and isolated from the rest of the cafeteria. When I go to a school function, I only feel connected to the seniors. At an Archdiocesan event, all the girls from my high school bond together. In another part of the country, I feel connected to southerners. In a foreign country, I feel connected to those...

The essays are your chance to show the real you. They are the chance to make these admissions directors (these REAL people) understand who you are and why you fit into their school. They have already read about your grades and your work experience and your involvement. So now tell them something that makes you stand out. Talk about something you love and give them a reason to fight for you at the admissions table. For example, I love travel...

Leadership Roles in any activity that you do. It doesn't matter whether it is...

Find interesting ways to answer the asked question. I often put my essays in the form of a letter to a friend or to my parents to make it more fun, personal,...

It felt like home. I was scared, especially because I...

Talk about your experience the first time you were on campus. How you felt. ...

Do not just chose people that look impressive. Chose people that you know respect you and will write beautifully...