“I can’t stop now,” I thought, as my mom called me down for lunch, and I immediately returned to scribbling numbers on the paper beside me. In front of me were two Disney World planning books, and sprawled around me were pages and pages of charts and calculations. I had spent hours each day for many days analyzing which rides, restaurants, and hotel would be best suited to our family on this first trip to Disney World. I had...

Fast forward to 2019. Outside, the sounds of Philadelphia fill the air. Inside, I am getting ready for work. My University of Pennsylvania diploma hangs above my desk, and the Spanish news is on the television. Every time I watch the Spanish channel, the knowledge and love of Spanish I gained at Penn emerges, and sometimes I am even inspired to switch on the Spanish Pandora station on my morning commute. Each morning, I head to work where I consult the...

I sat upset at the kitchen counter, wondering why my second grade classmate made fun of me for reading on the playground. “It is not that strange,” I thought. “I just wanted to read!” My mom gently reminded me, “Honey, all you can do is worry about your own actions. All that matters in the end is if you do the right thing.” These strong ethics are my foundation. Integrity in all situations, kindness to everyone, and respect for myself...

I did not use a private admissions counselor. I only used the resources from my school -...

I chose the schools I applied to based on many factors, one of them being the most important. Of course, I looked at resources, opportunities, living arrangements and dining quality, the services offered, classes offered, and the other typical criteria. ...

I had some interesting college interviews. I had a phone interview for Columbia on my birthday (it was changed from in-person because there was a huge snowstorm that day). My interviewer was very serious and asked me about things like my opinion on Obama's fiscal policy. He didn't seem to want to get to know me at all, and it didn't seem like a...