I thought I could read my friends’ minds as I left the land of the colorful lighting and the blasting music: “Come on, Chloe, don’t be so boring.” I always appeared stiff and uncomfortable at school dances. This is not me. I’m the introverted Taiwanese girl, I told myself as an excuse for leaving early. I did not want to see my friends’ frustrated faces after they gave up pulling me into their dancing circles. No one understood...

I thought I could read my friends’ minds as I left the land of the colorful lighting and the blasting music: “Come on, Chloe, don’t be so boring.” I always appeared stiff and uncomfortable at school dances. This is not me. I’m the introverted Taiwanese girl, I told myself as an excuse for leaving early. I did not want to see my friends’ frustrated faces after they gave up pulling me into their dancing circles. After all my...

Why I Have Chosen Carnegie Mellon At age six, I went to my first funeral. Too young to understand the full scope of what was happening, I only knew that my angelic older cousin who gifted me with the blue robot car toy would never visit me again. It was not until a few years later did I discover more about his illness — primary carnitine deficiency, a genetic rare disease. Also, I learned about the difficulty of getting the treatment...

My parents used to joke that I was like a goat that consumed everything. I have always been an avid reader with broad interests, hungry for all kinds of information. I enjoy the process of acquiring knowledge and making it my own. Like the feeling when a child unwraps a present and finds a toy she has longed for, the revelation of a previously unknown answer ignites a feeling of thrill in me. Even a dull session of SAT reading...

Intrepid. This word was a “gift” from my social entrepreneurship teachers. I recall their exact words: “Solving a social issue is not easy, but enjoy the process, take risks, and be proud of yourselves.” It was my favorite course in high school. Every class was an intense debate that left me craving for more. My teachers never rejected our ambitious ideas like creating an online, civic engagement platform for all high school students in Franklin County, instead, they suggested possible...

At age six, I went to my first funeral. Too young to understand the full scope of what was happening, I only knew that my angelic older cousin who gifted me with the blue robot car would never visit me again. It was not until a few years later did I discover more about his illness that took him away, primary carnitine deficiency, a genetic rare disease. Also, I learned about the difficulty of importing the expensive medicine for rare...

The Golden States Warriors touched my heart the summer of 2015 when they won the NBA championship, working as a team. Ever since then, I longed for kinships with passionate teammates. However, my dream didn’t appear to fulfill the requirement. I wanted to be a scientist, but, in every book, most of them were eccentric, antisocial, and never worked well with others. I believed that in order to be a successful scientist, you must undergo the road to glory alone. ...

I have always felt somewhat connected to NYU. “New York City is a city of magic!” My mom recalls her days studying in NYU’s graduate school nearly thirty years ago. She came to love the city, and often told me tales about the place where dreams came true, including hers. However, the chaos and overwhelming amount of people did not quite fit the ‘city of magic’ I envisioned when I first visited the city at twelve years old. Not...

I started my search for an ideal college with a checklist in mind: a small school that fosters an intimate community, a top-notch liberal arts education that satisfies my broad interests, strong in STEM to facilitate my goal as a scientist or engineer, motivated and free-spirited students, intelligent and devoted professors, and, finally, an ultimate team with a cool name. After visiting several liberal arts colleges, I believe that Swarthmore was the only school that checked all the boxes. Months...

I wanted to quit ultimate frisbee. The first few practices were awful: heavy rain, strong gust, and my terrible skills. Five hours later, I still could not do something as basic as throwing a disc right. I felt utterly defeated. I thought of giving up. However, there is a difference between quitting something I dislike and something I cannot do. My pride did not allow me to admit that I was a bad player; I had to prove to myself...

“Vassar Class of 2020!” A new post popped up on my Facebook news feed. It was from one of my upperclassmen friends. His excitement sparked my interest in Vassar. The more I learn about Vassar, the more I am certain that this is where I want to be for the next four years. Vassar is known for its tight-knit community. I spoke to two of my friends, one who had a chance to visit and the other a current Vassar student....

Tanner Conference “Hey, are you coming to the workshop about Asian American Representation?” It’s almost my favorite day of the year again. I always feel energized at the thought of attending Diversity Day, one of my school’s long-standing traditions where students and teachers hold workshops on topics of their choice. I enjoy the sharing of diverse experiences and the dialogue fostered by different opinions. Therefore, when I learned about Wellesley’s Tanner Conference, I was thrilled: I knew...

Sun. Grass. Frisbee. Team. There are so many unique characteristics of ultimate that I can talk about the sport forever: the strategies, the fun-loving community, the songs we sing after each game, and, most importantly, the spirit of the game. I started playing in my freshman year, and it has since occupied a significant portion of my life. My best memories of the four years consisted of throwing, catching, running, and laughing with the team. Foremost, I enjoy the sport...

“Here you go!” The work job student at the mail center handed me a transparent box, which contained one thing that always sparked joy in my heart. It was a frisbee. I quickly ripped open the thin plastic and took the circular object out, my fingers trimming along the edge of the disc. My mind wandered to the neat white font printed on it. Carleton College. This came as a total surprise. College applications seemed far away. The only things...

Carleton is renowned for its excellent teaching and close professor-student relationships. I would love to learn under the mentorship of passionate and knowledgeable professors since I have also had the opportunity to develop a close relationship with my teachers and advisors in my high school years and hope to do the same in college. Besides, Carleton’s trimester schedule is similar to my high school’s semester schedule. I know from experience that this system suits me well as it...

I am empowered by people who... love and believe in me and who have been through the same as I have. I appreciate my community because … it has helped shape who I am now. In the future, I hope to explore… different fields like cultural studies, languages, and history; as well as way to help the world with technology, especially regarding biochemistry and engineering.