On a snowy March day two years ago, school was cancelled, giving me a whole day with a sudden lack of agenda. I could have spent the time playing in the snow, or planning summer longboarding runs with my friends, or watching documentaries on black holes. Unexpectedly, it would turn out to be a day that I learned something big. Longboarding is a sport directed by friction and gravity, the forces that let a rider slow down and speed up. ...

Throughout my education, I have found great value in customizing my studies. I completed Algebra 1 and 2 independently to increase the flexibility of my schedule and maximize the level of challenge and depth of my high school math classes. Hamilton will allow me to continue to push myself to the horizon of my abilities, as I explore science in the context of a liberal arts education with classes in fields such as linguistics and philosophy. An important aspect of Hamilton’s...

Last April, I visited Brown University and went on a tour and attended an information session. One unique thing that hasn’t happened at any of the other schools I’ve visited so far has stuck with me. As I followed the tour group across campus, numerous students were waving and smiling, shouting at the prospectives to “come to Brown!” This gave me an insight into Brown’s living environment. Another piece that jumped out at me during the information...