Diabetes. It still haunts me sometimes, though I have outgrown the fear much like a child outgrows the fear of the dark. It does not bother me normally, but I am always aware the reason I was once afraid of it: nurses in soft lavender scrubs deceivingly armed with syringes and vials and sympathetic eyes. Sometimes they could not bear to make contact with my fearful eyes, pleading for answers and a normal life. There were no answers to be...

The essay prompt -- where is your favorite place to get lost? Armed with a water bottle, my mom, and a pocket dictionary, I meandered down L'Avenue des Champs-Élysées with wide eyes and open ears. The Parisians had their baguettes and poodles, walking in stilettos as perfect French flew effortlessly from their ruby red lips. I stared dumbly, too fascinated to speak. It was a completely different world, and I was lost in the beauty; I was lost...

The prompt -- describe a piece of art that has had significant impact on your life It was fall of my junior year, and by this time I was tired of being a student with homework and classes. Most weekends, I was busy with band competition on Saturdays and homework on Sundays. But this weekend was different. We had an all-day band camp on Saturday, and nobody, including me, wanted to show up. But we came anyway, reluctant and lethargic,...

The prompt-- why do you want to further your education. I have always loved reading. I love the feeling of sitting down with a book and a blanket and enjoying the feeling of being alone and diving into a story. Then, when the books turn to movies and I go see it with friends, and see them react to the ending in the same way as I did: in shock, in tears, or in love. I love having a sense...

UVA has a very "preppy" stereotype, and I don't exactly fit into that. While I was looking here during the application process, I toured here and saw a sea of Vineyard Vines and Khaki pants (what exactly is a Vineyard Vine? why are...