Being cut from the basketball team should not have come as a surprise to me. Someone with clumsy footwork and partial deafness does not exactly make the best teammate. In elementary school, I had never been a stellar athlete, a league behind or a team below everyone else. Despite loving the feeling of standing on the court and being watched, engaging the crowd, it just was not my place. Sitting at home one lonely winter afternoon while my friends were...

Only 100 words for "Why Us"at Brown University: My favorite part of a suspenseful movie is the bookcase that conceals a hidden staircase. I love the idea that such an obvious object can hold unexplored territory behind it. I have always been the one who seeks out the “bookcase,” looking past the obvious to reveal new territory. Brown will help me poke around and find that hidden room. The open curriculum will allow me to explore traditional classes while simultaneously...

Tell us where you have lived - and for how long - since you were born; whether you've always lived in the same place, or perhaps in a variety of places. (100 word limit, Brown University) I have lived in the same house since the age of one and I would not have wanted it any other way. I know how to silently sneak around the house late at night, where to find whatever it is I need. Walking around the...

Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 on a spirit of exploration and discovery. As a result, students can pursue a multi-dimensional undergraduate experience both in and outside of the classroom. Given the opportunities at Hopkins, please discuss your current interests (academic, extracurricular, personal passions, summer experiences, etc.) and how you will build upon them here. (300-500 Word limit, Johns Hopkins University) “What do you want to be when you grow up?”: the classic question to elicit a cute answer from...

Which aspects of Tufts’ curriculum or undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short: “Why Tufts?” (Required length is 50-100 words) While staying with a friend at Tufts, we waited outside of a classroom for his roomate while he took his final exam for a psychology class. When he came out, we gave him a big hug and congratulated him on finishing for the semester. When I looked around, I realized that we were not alone; in fact, there were six...

What makes you happy? (250 Words, Tufts University) My grandfather used to sit silently at the dinner table and no one really knew why. He would just sit there watching his family, taking in the conversation and the food. It was only after he passed away that I realized what he was actually doing. In a room with a lot of people, I sometimes find myself sitting up on a ledge, observing everyone in the room, just like my grandfather did....

ESSAY RESPONSE. Answer Essay Question: February 2015 saw global, record-breaking low temperatures in the Eastern US and Rochester. Students here who thrive in white winters (and three beautiful other seasons) wonder how can you make Rochester ''ever-cooler''? (max 250 words, University of Rochester) Many people may think that -50°F is about as cold as it can get, but that temperature is a scorching day at the beach compared to that within a scanning tunneling microscope. At anywhere between -321°F and...

At first, I was worried that I wouldn't fit in at Brown. I thought that the student...

If I had to change my application process, I probably would have made sure that I had enough target schools. While I felt...

I did not use a private admissions counselor, and I don't think that I was held back by this decision in any way. I...

When writing a "why us" essay, try to make the essay personal; use an example from your time at the school visiting, a...

When asking teachers or other important people in your life for a recommendation, try to think of people that know you as a person, not just in a limited context. If your math teacher only knows about you through math...

I interviewed with the University of Rochester, Brown, UPenn, Cornell, and Columbia. Overall, my interviewers asked pretty typical questions. Most of them opened...

Ultimately, I chose Brown because it had amazing academics and because I thought that it was the best culture...

In order to get a general sense of which schools to apply to, I asked my guidance counselor first what schools she thought I...

During high school, I worked at research lab at Columbia University and interned at an education company running email campaigns. By getting involved in active research, I got to...