My Canvas To the outsider, the chain-link and barbed wire fence enclosing the field did nothing to enhance its appeal. Save for a few trees and a couple of patches of grass that lay around the edges, the field was flat, brown, and dusty. On some days, when the wind was blowing just right, I could chase the dust twisters. I imagine that it resembled the sort of fields my Midwestern ancestors encountered during the Dust Bowl. Back then, more...

For Yale University Please reflect on something you would like us to know about you that we might not learn from the rest of your application— or on something that you would like to say more about. My previous residential life took place in what some endearingly refer to as “hardship” posts. Our State Department postings abroad lasted two to five years. Yet, in these countries with high poverty, unequal income distribution, and corruption, things were not bad for us....

For Yale University On my visit to Yale, I planned to observe a chemistry class. With my bad sense of direction, I eventually ambled into an important-looking science facility instead. Awaiting the arrival of any stranger with a key card to let me out, I soaked it all in. I saw true investment in science--lab coats, postings with science events, brand new rooms, complicated machinery, space for thought. I didn't learn chemistry, but I learned that Yale cares about my...