At the age of ten I had the jarring realization that parents are not perfect when I discovered that my dad was a gambler. He left in the middle of the night, pawned my Wii, and played poker until I called him to scream for what felt like an hour. I have never understood his reasoning for gambling, insisting that it was to “help out with money.” Sure he was thinking about our family and hoping that one day he...

In Stanford's supplemental essay on intellectual curiosity, I described my experience with research and how it changed my outlook on education and the nuances of knowledge in this era.

Calculus III because it really teaches you how to...

I applied through the QuestBridge National College...

HAVE A THEME. This is your time to be introspective of the past 17-18 years of your life and a chance to come to terms with what plans, dreams, and aspirations you may have in your future. You do not have to be the most well rounded student or a nationally-ranked athlete in order to get into the college you want. Personally, my theme focused on my strong STEM background, political...

Rather than trying to get the most "prestigious" people to write your...

My top three reasons for choosing Stanford is 1. amazing...