There is a scene in the movie Argo where protesters gather in front of the American Embassy in Iran during the U.S. Hostage Crisis of 1979. More than 30 years later, in 2011, I stood outside of San Francisco's City Hall with thousands of other Egyptians. I felt like an extra from the movie as we chanted, "masr, masr, tahya masr, Egypt, Egypt, long live Egypt," challenging Mubarak's military dictatorship. Given the strength in our voices, it was surprising to consider that...

I started high school knowing one thing: I wanted to be a lawyer. My yearning to become a lawyer stemmed from my interest in and personal entanglement with politics. When the Arab Spring erupted in 2011, I watched the countries that my origins lie in become entrapped in a political maelstrom. I thought that by being politically involved, I could help my people. As the Egyptian revolution digressed, I was trapped in a never-ending conflict. Nothing seemed to bring the struggle...

I would talk about a supportive and friendly community that I belong to, but the community that made me the person who I am today was quite the opposite. The community that once caused me to despise my identity is the reason for my unwavering beliefs today. Growing up in a non-Muslim country where locally and nationally I was automatically associated with extremism and thereby experienced discrimination, I hated being Muslim. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that were more...

I started high school knowing one thing: I wanted to be a lawyer. My yearning to become a lawyer stemmed from my interest in and personal entanglement with politics. When the Arab Spring erupted in 2011, I watched the countries that my origins lie in become entrapped in a political maelstrom. I thought that by being lawyer and having a presence on the political scene, I could help my people. I immersed myself in politics. I checked the news on my...

I love how math is process oriented and that there is only one answer. However, I have learned that contrary to what I believed, math is not simply following regimented steps to reach an outcome; it requires conceptualizing higher material in order to legitimately grasp the information. In math, although there is only one right answer, there are different ways of arriving to that answer. It’s not just about the ability to use a formula, but to understand how...

example of an optional essay I included for Harvard where you can write about anything: I have always been a very empathetic person. Reading and watching the news has always troubled me because of my inability to forget about whatever I heard when I turned off the T.V. The misfortunes of others take dramatic toll on me and bad news has the ability to my ruin mood for quite some time. I have an uncanny ability to put myself...

Harp on how you are different from every...

Don't pick a teacher who taught a subject that you think is...

What I did, and I think this worked, is mention lots of specific stuff about the school. The first thing go to the school's website and find a professor that teaches what you to major it. Go look at research they have...