New York State of Mind I grabbed the cold, metallic key, which shook in my sweating palms as I entered the dark, empty room on the 25th floor, already knowing I was above any building and opportunity in Kansas. I stepped into the towering dorm, trembling with anticipation, 1,400 miles away from my home and family. I knew that once I passed this threshold, I would never be the same again. The freedom of having my own dorm room was incredible,...

Sophomore year, I joined my school’s DECA business club because, at the time, I was interested in pursuing a career in business finance. DECA is a club that focuses on networking people who enjoy business. I have had opportunities to attend international conferences where my chapter contributed to the ideas of a global community. From the many contributions of DECA, I was primarily interested and motivated by the aspect of competition. Although some of my other interests are more...

I anticipate that the intellectual environment of USC will cultivate my academic interests. I chose to apply to USC instead of a music conservatory because I crave the strong academic foundation that it will provide. Within the prestigious music program in the Thornton School of Music, I will study as a composition major and expand on my already evolving talent. I intend on pursuing my goals with the extensive resources, in terms of faculty, facilities and other students that the...

If I could only keep doing one of my activities, I would continue to compose music and take composition lessons. I have decided to major in music composition because I need to compose music for both others and myself. Music, for me, has become not only a way of art, but also a way of life. I have found that not only has my music become a channel for my creativity and ideas, but it also enhances the art and...

At NYU, I aspire to pursue my academic interest of music composition within the Steinhardt School. When I was attending the NYU/ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop this past summer, I became inspired after walking through Washington Square Park for the first time. I noticed that NYU doesn’t have a fence or border that separates it from the city. This is important to me because the opportunities that this city has are endless. My time at NYU was life changing,...

As great artists, like Pablo Picasso, have successfully developed their art over the course of their lives, I hope to develop my music and find my unique compositional voice. Picasso began his artistic career as an incredibly talented, realistic painter. Over the course of his life, Picasso successfully manipulated the rules to form a unique form of abstract art known as cubism. As with Picasso, I hope to undergo a similar type of evolution that both allows me to master...

Casting the Music I seek to make my music stand out among the abundance of music in existence because I have to create something new and original in order to satisfy myself. Throughout history, music has evolved to represent more than just sonic elements or notes, but rather programmatic ideas that often involve the romanticizing of emotion. Even with the oldest identified compositions, music served a purpose. Now, many art music composers use architecture and art as primary inspirations for...

Several unique qualities of Northwestern and the Bienen School of Music make me want to attend the university. Primarily, the Composition and Music Technology program is one of the best in the country. I admire how this incredible program combines strong academics at an elite research university with an in-depth music curriculum. I will use opportunities to take upper-level courses, like “Computer Sound Synthesis” or “The Art of Noise,” to network with graduate students. I hope to take advantage of...

One community that I strongly identify with is the community of International Baccalaureate students at my high school. In Kansas’ largest high school, with over 2400 students, it was essential for me to find a supportive group that I could relate to. There are only 60 candidates for the IB diploma in my grade. This provides me with an intimate gathering of students and dedicated teachers that I can trust. I have depended on my IB community in many of my personal...

I spent months writing and refining these - I did hundreds of drafts and showed everyone that would look at them. Take your essays seriously because they could literally make or break it for you at a college.

Through my high school, we had 2 college counsellors that were assigned to us 60 students...

Because it has an amazing program for my major ...

Definitely get recommenders that (1) you did well in their class and they saw that you worked hard and...

Post-college I plan to either pursue...

My unique major: although at some schools, the composition...

My college is extremely well-rounded in the field of extracurricular activities - basically anything that you want to do can be done. Sports and Greek...

Intro to Videogame Scoring with...

Driven, Balanced (we...