It all happened in an instant. Guilt. Sorrow. Regret. Pain. Everything seemed to pile upon itself. There would be no more trips to the park to feed the ducks stale bread, shared McDonald’s happy meal toys, or chopstick sword battles. My mother had taken her life. Not knowing what to do, I no longer thought about my future. I became engulfed in the past. My mind filled with “I could haves:” “I could have stopped her.” “I could have...

According to my father, unless pipes are healthily maintained, the infrastructure of a home will clog. Despite all of his skills under the sink, our home has been hopelessly stagnant for years. Poverty has been the biggest obstruction my family has faced. My father, stepmother, baby sister, and I are caught in the seemingly endless cycle of poverty. Only with the help of food stamps and government-funded health care are we able to remain precariously afloat. Our push to break...

Vassar enables me to look at medicine for the underserved from multiple perspectives. I hope to raise my hand in the new science buildings and to take classes like “Behavior Mediating Infections” and “Community Development.” Outside of class, I hope to work with activists in the ALANA center to ensure healthcare access. The opportunity to seek a future at the intersection of medicine and social justice makes Vassar my top choice.

I struggle to gulp down the bitter, sewage-smelling herbal tea. Boiled together in a black, ominous liquid, it is difficult to understand how Eastern medicine works. Western medicine, with its smooth, odorless pills, candy-colored syrups, and boxes covered in explanations, is far more accessible than Eastern medicine has ever been. I believe there are innovative treatments that lie between Eastern and Western approaches. It is in this realm of medicine I wish to do research and to practice. To gain...

Given the chance, I would jump at the opportunity to learn from Dr. Cheng who is using eastern influences on western medicine to yield stronger cures. I also hope to learn about the evolutionary direction of disease from Dr. Stearns. Outside the classroom, I would love to participate in MEDLIFE to help low-income communities gain access to quality medical care. The ability to engage in the study of medicine from multiple perspectives with voices from around the world makes Yale...

Be specific to yourself and be completely personal. Do not be afraid to share yourself to the admissions officers.

Look further into what your academic interests are. You'll often find schools that are...

I was lucky enough to have won a community award after I had sent in my college application. Once you hit the submit button, you're efforts...

Always be prepared for your interview. Know where your academic interests lie. Even if you're not set on a major, show that you have clearly done research of the academic fields you find interesting. Also, read further into the major. What are the real world applications of being an environmental studies major? Such an example could be sustainable architecture. This is...

I used a bunch of scholarship websites. If you literally type that in to Google, you'll find them. Use the major ones because they are the most reliable. I also applied...

I was lucky to be a part of a college access organization and they helped me a...

I choose my school based on the individual ranking among departments. I noticed that Stanford had an incredible sociology department, which immediate drew my...

Do something you are passionate about. Do something that can have measurable and noticeable change. If you're going to some third world country to play games with underserved children, then you're not changing the...

My math and biology teacher wrote my recommendations. They were amazing people and I got to know them very well. Ideally, you would want recommendations from a diverse set of disciplines. For example, an English teacher and...

I wish I had been more outspoken from...