Prompt: Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. Outside, the summer sun beat down pleasantly while the ocean tide carried mellow waters. It was evident that time would be best spent enjoying the happy warmth. And I did just that at the beginning of the summer with my younger sister. We had spent two weeks on vacation to Texas visiting my stepfatherâ€...

Prompt: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are? It turns out that the endless hours of wearing 10-pound weight belts and enduring long swim sets weren’t for nothing. At the end of my junior year water polo season, I reaped what I had sown when I received a spot on the...