It began with an easy enough question: "What's your favorite show?” Laced with excitement and hope for a new friendship, it quickly paved the way for others like it. "Who's your favorite singer?" "Which movies do you like best?" Like angry bees determined to sting you, questions like these came at me with every new face I saw. With the questions came the inevitable realization that I could not answer a single one. My love for Indian culture had long...

"If you were to write the story of your life until now, what would you title it and why?" Roadmaps. That is the title I would use if I was to write a story about my life. Since the age of six months, I have moved to three countries, six cities, and nine houses. I love to travel, and my experiences in these different countries have had a big hand in molding me into the person I am today. My...

For many years, I looked at several different career ideas; from veterinarian to pastry chef, I considered many things. In grade 8 though, I realize that the best career I could possibly be involved in would be one that revolved around books due to my love for the written word. From there, as I researched the careers available in the publishing industry and started developing my skill as a writer, I concluded that I was best suited for the role of...

Wallace Bacon, a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Emerson College in 1975, wrote that the liberal arts, or humanities, “are concerned with the question of what makes life worth living. And that question concerns not simply oneself but others. The humanities must help us learn who we are; they must help us learn the otherness of others.” In this light, describe an encounter with someone or something different—an “other” which revealed to you your sense of self and your...

Edit! In hindsight, I should have had other people (i.e. teachers) give my essays a look. It's really easy, even for the best of writers, to make stupid mistakes...

Who knows you best? It seems like an obvious way to go about getting recommendations, but chances are, it's not your current teacher, unless you've had them...

Working and volunteering are the obvious routes to take during summers, and I highly recommend them even if you think it has nothing to do with your desired career. They'll teach great life skills and give you a taste of independence. However, it's also really beneficial to take some kind of supplementary course or workshop, and I don't mean...