"I'm a gay person so I don't live in a free country." -ANONYMOUS The world, for me, was always made of glass, spun perfection that my very presence marred. It had been created for me, fermented in its culture, matured, solidified into an immutable form, the precision-placement of every atom reminding me constantly that I did not belong. I was incongruous with the pre-determined balance, California born but transported to southeast Texas at the tender age of four, the child...

Sent as a supplemental essay, written for the main prompt of where I felt safe but applicable to a specific question posed by the school

Not a Watchmaker, an Architect In the beginning, I was entrusted with a world. Minecraft’s big bang was the click of a button and the game out of its endless permutations created a vast ecosystem, a frontier to challenge the grandeur of that which inspired idealistic immigrants of the Gilded Age. Here, I am Aeneas come to the Italian peninsula, refugee of real-world responsibilities as demanding as the Trojan War; the year is 753 B.C. and as I gaze...

You should always take classes on things you really enjoy. I loved AP Chemistry in high school even though it was challenging so I was excited for Organic Chemistry in college. It has been my favorite course so far and I enjoyed it more...

I made a lot of mistakes during my application process that could've been avoided had I been more proactive. First, I didn't study for either the ACT or SAT, and I only took each test once. If I had studied and taken the tests again I would've gotten even better grades and stood a better chance...

I got accepted to 1 of my 3 top choices schools, Cornell University, but I did not receive any scholarship money or financial aid from them and if I had chosen to go to Cornell, I would be neck-deep in student loans. However, as a National Merit Scholar, i was awarded a full tuition scholarship to the University of Arizona. Because my future career path doesn't require an...