Application Essay Excerpts

When I first started university I had a very different set of goals driving me than I do today. I declared my International Relations because I had decided I was going to work at the United Nations; I was going to change the world, or I was at least going to make it a better place in the biggest ways possible...

A dentist looks at my medical records and asks, “How do you pronounce your name?” I reply, “Chin chin. It’s as if the Qing and xin sound the same.” Another one that occurs regularly: a secretary in the school office says, “Name, please.” “Qingxin.” “How do you spell that?” “Q-i-n-g-x-i-n.” Then, she proceeds to write down Quinxin...

My waterskis skimmed the glassy surface of Lake Arrowhead. As frothy, white water splashed around me, I gazed out onto the pine trees that surround the alpine lake. I love it here. It’s my place to get away from the commitments and pressures I have at home and take time to enjoy nature and the people I love...

Global warming, climate change and pollution are huge issues facing the United States and the international community. The ramifications are only increasing as developing nations such as India, China and Mexico strive to compete in the global economy...

When people ask if I have any siblings, I always respond, “Yes, I have a dog!” Until recently, I never realized the extent that being a dog lover defined me. My puppy Cassidy is my fourth golden retriever; in her mind she owns me. I see golden retriever traits in myself...

While sorting through a box of old letters, I came across a Christmas card my grandfather gave me last year. As I read his messy scrawl, tears welled up in my eyes. “He’s really gone,” I thought. I suddenly realized I would never receive another special note from him. As I stared at his little doodle of a Christmas tree, I reflected on the tremendous impact my beloved granddad had on me...

It all happened within a split second. I held the orange leather ball firmly between my hands as steaming droplets of sweat ran from my forehead to the tips of my fingers. My lungs desperately begged for oxygen as I stood right before the maroon line fifteen feet away from the basket, crouched into my shooting stance that had been perfected through the hours of repetition spent on this very spot...

I may not be an inventor, but I must have some innovative blood and a genetic drive to make life better. As a young boy, my great great uncle, Chester Greenwood was known for his ears; Maine winters turned them deep purple, sickly white, and even blue on the coldest days of the year...

Sweaty and exhausted, I lower the volume knob to zero. But the gymnasium is anything but silent. I put my hands in the air, the crowd screams, and I feel the euphoria with them. For the past three hours, I layered sounds and ideas on top of each other, resulting in a room full of excited kids...

“We even have a tree-climbing club!” our tour guide laughed. Immediately, my dad turned to me with a grin. As if I hadn’t already fallen in love with the regal stone buildings and bustling atmosphere of the University of Pennsylvania, it even had a club for my favorite pastime. Clearly, just like the branches of a tree, a Penn education was the ascent to success...