In broken Arabic, I asked the counselor at my table to “pass me an apartment”. My cheeks glared with embarrassment as the entire table burst into laughter. The counselor, quick to help me recover, drew an apartment on a napkin and said “shaqq,” then held up a fork and said “shawka.” Mortified by my mistake, I took the fork from her hand and focused on the steaming, celery-laced couscous on my plate. This was my first night at Al-Waha, a...

When I was growing up, my dad always found a new “passion of the day”. After I came home from school, he would tell me about some article he had read or podcast he had listened to. Sometimes, I was annoyed by his constant stream of seemingly random information, but as I grew older, I realized that I was becoming more interested in the things he was talking about. Whether waxing on political issues, the newest Apple presentation, or the...

The purpose of higher education is to build a broad knowledge base and to discover connections between seemingly disparate fields. Nestled in the heart of the City of Bridges, Carnegie Mellon is the prime location to build these bridges. Academics at CMU require studying the world through interdisciplinary lenses, as evidenced by the many majors at the intersection of two or more departments. During my career, I want to apply my knowledge of Middle Eastern culture, Economics, and Mathematics to...

Although I am not an engineering major, I want to attend Georgia Tech to participate in a program with a strong technical emphasis. As a chemist, I want to develop new medicines, a field which requires the kind of focus on practical application that defines academics at Georgia Tech. The students at Georgia Tech have a reputation for innovation and hard work, and I believe I would benefit from learning surrounded by peers who would challenge me to further develop...

Math in the Humanities- Students would have the opportunity to learn about the mathematical principles and logical structures that explain the other subjects that we study in school. Patterns are all around us, and almost every academic subject can be analyzed through a mathematical lens. For example, logarithmic and trigonometric functions can help explain why certain patterns of music sound better and how humans hear different frequencies. Logic functions can be used to translate ancient languages and analyze similarities across...

A life-long Texas resident, I have always seen Rice as the light at the end of the tunnel, my stepping stone from high school to the workforce. My visits to campus only cemented the impression I already had of Rice: that it was the place for me. The students at Rice arrive with a diverse range of backgrounds and are all extremely motivated. After attending TAMS, I know that I want to continue to be surrounded by academically-focused peers, who...

Living in McConnell Hall during my last two years of high school gave me a fresh perspective on the meaning of community membership. Even when I first moved in and knew no one, I made friends quickly, friends who left sweet notes on my door before a test, baked cake on birthdays, and gave me advice in the absence of my normal family. The caring culture of TAMS guided my actions as well, as I too began to make time...

During my time at TAMS, I was a member of Model United Nations. Every conference we attended allowed me to explore a different topic. In the first, I focused on historical Mongolian invasions; in the most recent one, I researched literacy and women’s rights. Helping the juniors prepare for their widely varying topics as the educations coordinator for Model UN helped me realize that public policy, especially that of the United Nations, incorporates ideas from almost every field of...

The interdisciplinary nature of the academic environment at USC is what first encouraged me to apply. The purpose of higher education is to build a broad knowledge base and to discover connections between seemingly disparate fields. It was difficult for me to settle on Chemistry as my major, out of all my interests, but I eventually realized that I could direct all of my knowledge into a single field. I want to apply my knowledge of Middle Eastern culture, economics,...