Allow me to paint you a picture. The first brushstrokes are red, green and blue, as I paint for you the walls I was born into; colorful, bright, but walls nonetheless. As a child, I was grateful for their presence, for the façade of support they offered. But as I grew, the walls remained still, restricting me. Their colors eventually dimmed as I matured, merging into an oppressive, claustrophobic brown. You are to be a good, quiet Muslim girl. ...

"What Matters To You and Why?" Essay (Stanford). Wrote about my love for Theatre

"Roommate Essay" (Stanford). Wrote a list of instructions on how to "live with a Sona" (took a humoristic approach)

I disagree with the expression “Great minds think alike”. Having spent over six years in an international school, with students with backgrounds different from mine, I found similarity of ideas to be a rare occurrence. But the intellectual conflicts and heated arguments that followed were never unwelcome; instead, they introduced us to different perspectives, built character, and ultimately, regardless of the outcome of our debates, lead to our own academic growth. For me, being a global citizen in no way...

The Scholars’ Lion stood tall and proud as students swarmed around him. As our campus tour guide, pointing to the creature’s prominent rib cage and hanging jaw, explained the reason for the animal’s famished look – it’s hunger for knowledge – I knew I had found my spirit animal. To me, it was no longer a statue. It was an insight into each and every Columbia student, and into what united me with them. In the Lion I saw...

(Community that shaped you - Brown) The community which I believe has contributed largely to the person I have become is the family that is the student body of my international school. Although the majority of the student population only stayed in Azerbaijan for the fleeting time of 3 years – the default time of their parents’ contracts – I formed friendships that survived time and distance. Aside from granting me lifelong friends, the international community taught me tolerance, appreciation of different races...

(Wellesley) I’ve never been one to care much for limits. I refuse to force myself into schedules, and when my inspiration comes, not in patterns but in large, wonderful, engulfing waves, there is no ‘too late’ or ‘too early’. That is why I can truly appreciate the miracle that is the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center for its perpetually open doors and warm atmosphere, filled with passionate, inspired students. I couldn’t possibly try to count all the times...

As cliché as this may sound, the only "right" way to "do" essays is to be absolutely honest and true to yourself. Having said that, there are also specific approaches one should adopt when facing different types of essays from different schools. Allow me to start with the most generic type of essay - the "Why our school?" essay. For every school that I wrote the essay for and managed to get into (Columbia, Upenn, Princeton), my essays were focused...

When I couldn't find an extracurricular activity that suited me, I created my own. I...

Most schools allow for international students to apply for scholarships mid-year....

Don't only pick teachers who know you well - pick teachers who can write...

BE SPECIFIC!!! I wrote my essay for Columbia...

Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Cambridge, NYU... had a LOT of interviews, all...

I tried using a private admission counselor....