The call was unexpected: “Rachel, you are a top Navy ROTC applicant and we want to offer you a four-year scholarship for use anywhere.” I almost dropped the phone – I could go to any school regardless of cost. My parents had warned me that I didn’t qualify for financial aid. Yet, my parents aren’t wealthy and can’t write $60,000 checks each year. The amount of merit aid might force my choice of school. But this call was the...

Harvard, Yale -- For many people, the term “family” means their nuclear family – the parents and siblings they live with – that’s all. Luckily for me, the word family encompasses a great many people: my nuclear family, grandparents, great aunts and uncles, cousins, distant relatives, in-laws, and their friends – more than sixty if I were to count. I am fortunate to be part of this very large, and very close-knit, family. My maternal grandmother was born and raised in Colombia,...

Pomona -- While running, I tried pulling my hair back into a ponytail. It’s a hard feat to achieve, but it was utterly necessary if I wanted to beat my cousin. My 6-year-old cousin had wanted to race me all the way from the Teacups ride at Disneyland to Star Tours. I could not let him win. We were almost there, when something caught my eye. I came to a stop, but Julian kept going. From about a hundred...

I interviewed with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, USMA, USNA, USAFA,...

MCB60 - Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine - the information...

I hope to go...

Find people who know you well and you know will write good things...

I had good grades and decent test scores, but what I think set me apart was that I...