Application Essay Excerpts

I struggled to find a word that meant “now”. As in right now. Despite my years of learning Spanish that had rendered me a proficient speaker, I failed to find a way to communicate in a way that was unexpected and frustrating...

“I survived, but it’s not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to war.” I have always loved reading for the allure of being transported into another place, time, and life, as well as the beauty of written language, and I have envisioned myself as a writer since childhood...

“Expecto Patronum” I think, waving my hand under my desk, as pre-race jitters fill my mind the day of a cross-country meet. Silly, I know, since muggles like me can’t do magic. But nonetheless, the idea of being able to cast away my fears with a powerful force of positive energy is appealing. I wonder idly what form my patronus would be- maybe a cheetah (hopefully not a sloth)...

Into two giant squares, where the tallest buildings in New York City once stood, falls an unending rush of water from all sides into a dark abyss. “Reflecting Absence,” the new 9/11 memorial, commemorates the emptiness that now exists where a symbol of American identity once stood...

The Power of One is the ideal book for Boston College's First-Year Convocation program because by examining South Africa during World War II, a nation wrought with racial tensions between numerous ethnic groups, Bryce Courtenay, a former resident of South Africa under the apartheid system, conveys the positive change that one individual can bring about through faith and dedication...

At Penn, I intend to pursue my love of writing and literature, as well as my desire to work internationally, by enrolling in the College of Arts and Sciences and majoring in comparative literature. A degree from Penn, with its unique course and extracurricular offerings, will provide me with a strong foundation in the skills I need to continue to grow as a writer and a communicator...

Watching sports and playing sports is the extent of most high school athletes’ relationship with athletics. I guess I’m just different...

An enormous change occurred in my life during the summer of 2003. My family did not practice any specific religion and I was left with the question, who is God? Most of my knowledge of religion came from school and friends so I still did not know who God really was. A series of events brought me to attend a youth conference at Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site), where I have found God and I am currently a service-attending member...

As I turn a page in my life moving from the insular realm of high school to the expansive world ofcollege, I think it is time for me to make a confession. I do this with the hope that it will let me reach an emotional catharsis...

I peeked over the top of the ledge and my stomach lurched as I saw the thirty-five foot drop below me into the rushing current of the breech way. I hated heights to begin with, I wouldn’t even ride rollercoasters, and my friends expected me to free-fall off a thirty-five foot bridge. It wasn’t happening...