My hours are varied, my schedule is nonexistent, and my wages depend entirely on the strength of my negotiating skills. Being a pianist is far from a typical summer job. Yet, to me, very few things in life compare with the bliss of sitting at my keyboard filling in a venue's ambiance, playing soft melodies accompanied by clinking glasses and casual conversation. This bliss is the reason I lug around my keyboard, stand, and extension cord, complete with a chaotic...

My hours are varied, my schedule is nonexistent, and my wages depend entirely on the strength of my negotiating skills. Being a pianist is far from a typical summer job. Yet, to me, very few things in life compare with the bliss of sitting at my keyboard filling in a venue's ambiance, playing soft melodies accompanied by clinking glasses and casual conversation. This bliss is the reason I lug around my keyboard, stand, and extension cord, complete with a chaotic...

My ideal college community is one that will help me grow intellectually, physically, and emotionally, and one that I can support and also receive support from. In this community, its students and professors are passionate about all of their interests, no matter if it’s ornithology or playing the bassoon. In this community, everyone uses their talent and knowledge to improve the world around them, whether they are developing life-saving medical devices or teaching kids from under-served communities how to...

Columbia stands out to me as an ideal university because of its masterful balance of maintaining an engaged, tightly-knit community within a bustling metropolis, all the while integrating the opportunities that New York City has to offer into its undergraduate education. One of the most valuable aspects of a Columbia education is the Core Curriculum of Columbia College. I have many interdisciplinary interests, so being able to connect those interests via seminars and non-disciplinary faculty creates an atmosphere that I...

As someone with many interests, Neuroscience appeals to me because it acts as a collision point of an array of subjects. Within this field of study is the opportunity to weave together principles of biochemistry, psychology, and linguistics to create the context needed to understand the vast intricacies of the human mind. Already, I have explored a fascinating area of Neuroscience during high school by researching caffeine dose optimization for my Honors Science Research course. Through this project, I have...

I have chosen to apply to Yale because of the strong sense of community created by its residential colleges and the research opportunities the university offers. Because I come from a small island, the residential college system appeals to me. I value the colleges’ intimate size and the friendly competition between them in the intramurals and the Tyng Cup. Furthermore, Yale is unique in that it actively supports research among its undergraduate students, providing me with the opportunity to witness...

If you have been fortunate enough to avoid seeing a clavicular fracture, consider yourself lucky: it is not a pretty sight. It was my first day shadowing in the Emergency Department at Martha's Vineyard Hospital under Dr. Casper, and despite seeing gruesome emergency room injuries from New England Medical Journal articles and less trustworthy television dramatizations, nothing could have prepared me for the initial shock of walking into an examination room and seeing a man grimacing and clutching at the...