I look in the mirror and see a confident young adult who could take on the world, but I also see the leftovers of who I was before I changed into that person smiling back at me in the mirror. I still remember that timid girl who ate alone and kept books as friends, who gave smiles to people walking by but never received them. I wondered what made me so forgettable, so different that people avoided contact with me....

The whir of my bike echoes off the pavement as I race down West 3rd Street. I hope I am not too late for class—my First-Year Writing Seminar: “Walking and Writing in New York City”—which I find to be a rather ironic title for myself, considering I ride my bike almost everywhere. It’s at an awkward time of the day. The class I mean. But I couldn’t miss out on this rare, very Gallatin, opportunity. Who...

What is the real meaning of it all? At one time or another in your life you inevitably ask yourself this question. You wonder what those late nights staying up to do homework are for, those seconds before an exam when you crash-study in fear that you will still fail no matter how hard you worked in class, or those miniature meltdowns you have from mounting stress from which there seems to be no escape. Not unlike everyone else, I...

The biggest challenge a writer faces is “trying to use words to express what words can’t express” (Stephen Fischer). This challenge entices me, along with any challenge that is presented before me. I am driven by my focus and my passion. Passion is a quality that cannot be fabricated. It is real and beautiful. It can be seen and felt with eyes closed. It is as endless as those fluttering thoughts in your head when you gaze off into...

I sit at my desk and open the email I have just received from the Brant Rose Agency. I download the new script they have sent me, take pen and paper in hand, and set to work. I analyze the language, the characters, and the plot in order to craft an accurate synopsis of the pilot. I search for flaws in the show because producers will be reading my coverage, my opinion, to help determine whether they will pick-up the...

In addition to all of the supplemental essays, I also filled out the "Additional Information" section of the common application. This is an important place to fill out because it can explain anything you'd like or it can show your personality. I wrote mine about the struggles of overcoming poor health: I’m healthy. The surgery worked. I don’t miss holding tissues to my nose during make up tests for those days I missed school to visit my ENT ...

It is easy to forget during the college admission process that you not only want the college to think you are a good fit for their school, but also that they are a good fit...

I had my school college counselor and then I also saw a counselor not affiliated with my high school. Although it...

My outside counselor told me to look at the application questions for each school I was thinking about and she said it would help me figure out if I would like it there or not. For instance, we had been talking about applying to UChicago so she had me take a...

I would love to work in the book publishing...

I ultimately chose my school because it felt like the right fit for my personality. Although I could've gone to a school that...

I think part of it came down to real-world experience. It is important to look at things outside of...

I was unable to send in an additional supplemental essay to NYU after I was wait listed because they ask you not to. I think it depends on the...