When lightning stri- The music stopped. In that moment, the constant stream of sound in my head, just, stopped. Sound has been deeply embedded in me for as long as I can remember. It began during my toddler years as I attempted to express myself through song, but produced inexplicable sounds. My parents assumed something was wrong and brought me to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to visit a hearing specialist, but still, I produced no words--just sounds. As I entered...

If there's anything else you want us to know about you, now's your chance. But remember, you should use this space only if you want to describe anything that you have not had the opportunity to include elsewhere in the application. This shouldn't be an essay, but rather a place to explain unusual personal or family circumstances, or anything that may be unclear in other parts of the application. This should not be used to answer an additional personal insight...

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? (349 words) July 20, 2016, 8:55pm: scrolling through Twitter, I stumbled upon a post reading “RIP Wade Young.” This was strange, because my best friend’s name is Wade Young. Wade went hiking that morning and should’ve been back by now, so I texted him. After minutes with no response, I wandered into my parents’ room...

What is the one thing that you think sets you apart from other candidates applying to the University of California? (338 Words) Scavenging through the sleek white shelves, I knocked down each toothpaste one-by-one into the shopping cart. One...two...three...As I frantically counted each slip of paper, a drop of water descended down my forehead and caressed the edge of my lip. Glancing at my phone to check the time, I realized that two hours already passed. With a...

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. (346 words) “When words fail, music speaks.” Like any other freshman in high school, I lacked a sense of belonging. Belonging in regards to after-school activities, academic rigor, and social groups. Exhibiting this sense of isolation, I would turn to my parents for comfort when a problem arose,...

Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. (338 words) I remember receiving the letter mentioning a medical program in Illinois. I decided to enroll, already aligning my future with anesthesiology, but that would soon change. The decision to start the journey to becoming a magician of medicine commenced the minute I laid foot on campus with the array of purple flowers illuminating my eager eyes and the...

What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you? (250 word limit) Scavenging through the sleek white shelves, I knocked down each deodorant one-by-one into the shopping cart. One...two...three...As I frantically counted each slip of paper, a drop descended down my forehead and caressed the edge of my lip. With a cart full of unnecessary amounts of products, I passed through each register, examining characteristics of the cashiers: “that person looks young, that person looks agitated,...

Prompt 1: Most Pomona students enter the College undecided about a major, or they change their minds about their prospective major by the time they graduate. Certainly we aren’t going to hold you to any of the choices you’ve made above. But please do tell us why you’ve chosen the major or majors (or Undecided!) that you have (in no more than 250 words). “But how?” That was me, and it drove my parents insane. As my education progressed,...

If you could only do one of the activities you have listed in the Activities section of your Common Application, which one would you keep doing? Why? (Required for all applicants. Approximately 100 words) Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do. The complicated array of music notes emanate out of my mouth, shaky from the rush of nerves in my vocal chords. As a freshman in high school, I was ignorant of the musical terms associated with choir. Whether it was the resonating crescendo deviating from a...