I walked back from my laboratory, a tear threatening to trickle down my face. Day after day during the kinetic trials, my chemical reactions failed to produce the expected results. I repeated the experiment innumerable times, hoping for the indicator of success, a downward slope in the graph of absorbance versus time. Instead, a horizontal line traversed the screen with each trial I conducted, indicating my synthesized compound failed as a catalyst. Dejected, I turned to my mentor for advice....

MIT - When I was a child, my favorite television show was "Unwrapped," which spotlighted companies in the food industry and described how treats were manufactured. Although I failed to realize it at the time, the machines captured my interest and led to my fascination with engineering. As my knowledge in and love for mathematics and chemistry grew, I happily found that engineering involves more than factories and moving metal. Course 10 appeals to me because it provides an opportunity to...

I have difficulty identifying with one specific cultural background because I was raised at the center of three immensely rich cultures and languages. A child of a Brazilian mother and Mexican father, yet raised in America, I have grown accustomed to conflicting ideologies as my free-spirited South American mother often offered different views than my conservative, macho father, with neither totally fitting with the cultural milieu of my schoolmates or stepfather. I appreciate my uniqueness however, because it distinguishes not...

In the spring, I regular do schoolwork in my backyard, enjoying the fresh air. Unfortunately, the chirps and fluttering of birds often distract me. I become ensnared in a realm where the blue jays - my favorite bird - interactwith squirrels and live a life free from the demands of my world. Schoolwork forgotten, you will find me with binoculars, observing with enthusiasm, an amateur birdwatcher in the making. Despite living in a busy city, bird watching and a growing...

Stanford's Intellectual Development question - My days begin and often end with a visit to my locker in the band hall, my home base at school. There during my freshman year, I found a huddle of teenage boys jesting while showing off their knowledge of physics or retelling the latest anecdote from Mr. Stones, the Calculus teacher. Naïvely, I yearned to enter their world, but was baffled by their jargon-filled conversations. Soon, however, I learned and deciphered their language...

Rice - As an impressionable middle school student, my mother took me to tour Rice University, a seemingly magical place similar to Hogwarts with its Residential Colleges, natural beauty, and well-respected academic programs. Because of my early exposure, I did everything in my power to challenge and distinguish myself so that I could prepare myself for its grueling coursework. My sophomore year of high school, I specifically searched for and attended a program that combined my two loves, mathematics and...

Forty cousins figuratively surround me in two tight clans, each a different representation of my parents’ heritages. I, the youngest first cousin, living in yet a third nation, find myself caught in the integration of three immensely rich cultures and languages. A child of a Brazilian mother and Mexican father, yet raised in America, I have grown accustomed to conflicting ideologies as my free-spirited South American mother often offered different views than my conservative, macho father, with neither fitting with...

I highly recommend attending some sort of camp or opportunity that fits your interest. For example, if you are interested in math and science, google summer camps at universities and find something to match your interest. Apply to as many as you can! The year between my sophomore and junior year in high school, I attended the Rice Mathematical Institute for Young Women. I love this experience because it opened me up to a new field and gave me a...

It was such a struggle choosing between MIT and Stanford. I always said that I’d be the luckiest girl in the world if I was given that opportunity to stress over that decision, and well, I got lucky. However, the biggest thing that led me to MIT was the people. The...