At times, I have been told I take life too seriously. My drive, to pursue my passions, is a vital part of my character. Whether I am at dance practice or school, I strive to be the best I can be. Throughout high school, I have never given into complete laziness. That is to say, I know that anything worth achieving requires a considerable amount of effort. In college, I will use my ambitious, creative mind to achieve success. From...

Recently, my schools International Club filled shoeboxes and donated money to Operation Christmas Child. To get this project off the ground, I set up a fundraiser with my other officers. During lunch, we sold cookies to our peers. This fundraiser lasted two days. I decided that we would use the money to help pay for box shipping costs. Then, I collected 12 pre-printed boxes, bought items, and asked my club members to help pack the boxes. I took home these boxes,...

After typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines last year, my IB history teacher encouraged my classmates to join together and create a humanitarian project. My group decided that we would help people in our community as well as people in the Philippines. We set up a benefit concert, knitted scarves, and sold crafts to raise money. At first, I was intimidated by the scale of the project. Since my group was so small, I had to take on a major leadership...

I once heard a quote along the lines of the effort is in the reward. The meaning of this quote can be applied to many areas of life. Last state season, my dance team put in more effort than ever before. We competed against excellent teams. In the process, we had to become better dancers and performers. As a result, we won state for the first time in 14 years. From all our effort, we knew we deserved it. Needless to...

Future roommate, You are probably wondering what your roommate will be like. Let me paint you a picture. Don't worry about having a loud, sassy roommate. I am far from that. Even though I am organized and serious when it comes to school, I think I have a “type-b” personality. I will not try to control you and tell you how to live your life. I want us to develop a lifelong friendship. Over time, I believe we will learn...

Recently, I journeyed to Rite Aid for my flu shot and noticed something awful: their antiquated store design. The banners and signs resembled those of an advertisement from the ‘90s. People should not look past the value of good graphic design. Everyone knows it is not what you say, but rather how you say it. A company's brand and image can be heavily dependent on the way they communicate their products. In this case, even the most minutiae details matter....

Make sure you have known a teacher for at least a semester before asking...

The University of Oregon is a big sports school, but try to avoid writing about their...

I heard that there...

Apply as soon as possible. I applied on Halloween and found out about my acceptance two days later. If you have really great stats,...

I had to fill out a long, separate application for the presidential scholarship....

The U of O was the best fit for my career interests. I want to double concentrate in business, major in digital arts, and minor in journalism....

I made sure to apply to at least two safety schools and reach schools. School...