Navigating my way through our school hallways, I glance at the passing students. Among 3500 classmates, there are still so many unfamiliar faces. The features I notice are minuscule—a sparkly backpack, purple glasses, shaved head. We are all just American high-schoolers. All just part of one large category. But then, I wonder about the Asians I come across. I wonder if they are Korean like me. I wonder if they were born here or if they immigrated. I wonder if...

A short semester class that I took in junior year was my first introduction to psychology, yet I quickly developed a strong interest in the field. As I have become almost trilingual over the years, I am especially interested in cognition and language development, which happens to be one of the research foci of USC’s department. PSYC 490 would allow me to join an ongoing research project and collaborate with faculty and doctoral students in the lab. I would especially...

The first time I played the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, I was only in 8th grade. I had never played a full symphony before and felt bewildered by the 45-minute piece. To my amazement, that time flew by in a rush of wild joy, as I discovered that music could be more than just an extracurricular. The symphony immediately became my favorite piece. I still remember the wonder of listening to a college orchestra perform it live in February of 2012, and...

My gray J. Crew flip-flops cautiously step into the empty classroom. I glance around at the white boards with remains of a red dry erase marker smeared all over, then shiver at the sudden wave of AC blowing through the room. As I sit down in the third row, two petite girls enter, laughing uncontrollably as they discuss their newest celebrity crush. Two boys of very different sizes follow, debating the outcome of a soccer game. And then comes the...

My admission counselor was Katherine Chi at Admissions Academy. Although I lived far away from her,...

The only thing I would change is to not be...

I chose my school because I loved everything about it. I know that may not be possible, but make pro & con lists of each option. Choose the one with...