Application Essay Excerpts

“You Are What You Read”I turn off the Siren calls of television whispering into my ear to return to the blissful refuge of idleness; I am Odysseus - I have agendas to write, deadlines to confront, budgets to wrestle...

The sun is beating unmercifully as the temperature cruises over three-digits. The cotton fabric of my “kurta” sticks to my skin while my hands drip with sweat.As I approach the mausoleum, I hear the cries of hundreds of Muslims from within, mourning the life and sacrifices of the religious martyr, Imam Hussain. This is Karbala, Iraq...

I’m afraid of heights.I always have been, but somehow, this has never managed to satiate my craving for rollercoasters and the adrenaline that accompanies them. Neither has my phobia prevented me from accessing my favorite place in the world: the balcony.Now, this may seem a little weird, and a little masochistic even – why in the world would I consider a place that inspires great fear in me as the place in which I am most content?..

While I do affiliate myself with several diverse communities, from race to ideology, my high school swim team is the “community” that shaped me into the individual I am today. I cannot tell you what it is exactly, but I always felt more myself as a Lady Knight than anywhere else. From the moment I joined the team, I never felt like I had to be someone else to fit in...

Ever since I was a little kid, I wholeheartedly imagined myself as that pediatrician in the adorable scrubs wearing a stethoscope around my neck. As I have grown older and developed a love for medical drama shows, my genuine idea of helping my family and friends and ultimately improving the wellbeing of the public has not left my sights one bit...

Did you know that bird’s nest soup is considered a delicacy? I didn’t until this summer. As a first generation Thai-American, I often felt split between worlds...

​“ ‘To the dumb question “Why me?” the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply: ‘why not?’ “ - Christopher Hitchens, MortalityOn May 17th, 2011, I received a call from a good friend. I picked up, only to hear her struggling to hold back her tears. I could immediately feel my heart sink into the back of my chest from hearing the weeping in her trembling voice...

While being one of the country's premier universities in engineering, Georgia Tech has distinguished itself from others in my mind. The first reason is that Georgia Tech places a tremendous emphasis on research and a hands-on approach to its undergraduate education...

While being one of the world's premier universities in all areas, Duke has distinguished itself in my mind. The first reason is that Duke allows its students to pursue an interdisciplinary education very easily...

I’m not going to go on and on about how Columbia is in New York City, and the opportunities that lie therein. I love the city, but that isn’t the only reason I love Columbia. While being one of the world's premier universities, Columbia has distinguished itself from the others in my mind primarily with its Common Core...