College Application Essay Samples
1. An Ideal Match
When I began planning for college, I looked for a very rigorous school focused on math and science. I want a school that will be extremely challenging academically. After four years, I want to look back and be able to say that I learned as much as possible. Using these criteria, Caltech quickly rose to the top of my list. The academic program seems to be very vigorous and varied. The housing system is also very appealing to me. To a New Englander who is getting sick of cold winters, the Southern Californian weather doesn’t look too bad either.
Most importantly however, the atmosphere of the school seems to be exactly what I want. I long to be in a place where I am surrounded by people at least as motivated as I am, and where everyone has diverse interests. I want a place where I can do meaningful research, even as an undergraduate. Above all else, I want to be in an environment where I know I can trust everyone around me. The Honor Code of Caltech addresses this concern very well. On many levels, it seems that Caltech perfectly matches what I desire in a college.
I also think that I am exactly what Caltech is looking for in a student. I have always done well in school, but I have never felt like the curriculum was pushing me to my limits. I spend a lot of my free time learning about things I am interested in, and I have acquired a lot of knowledge about a wide range of topics, from Japanese to music theory to electronics. I am always hungry for more information. I believe I would contribute greatly to the college community. I try to be the best person I can, and I am always trying to improve myself. I work well under pressure, and I try not to let the pressure affect my attitude. I try to keep one step ahead of stress by maintaining an optimistic disposition and keeping things in perspective.
I have a wide range of non-academic interests that bring me a lot of pleasure. I am a big fan of music from the eighties, and I have an embarrassingly large collection of Synth-Pop albums on vinyl. I enjoy watching campy movies, especially seventies and eighties horror movies. I have always enjoyed computer games, although these days it seems I spend more time programming than playing them. I also occupy my time with solving Rubik’s cubes, juggling, and yo-yoing. I think my sense of humor and fun will be a benefit to the community.
Of all the colleges I have investigated, Caltech seems to be the closest to my ideal. I think that I could contribute much to the community, and I think that the community and the academics would do much to improve me as a scholar and as a person.
2. An Influential Person: A Second Dad
Tom Parr is a man who has greatly influenced my life. In his prime, Tom was one of the best quarterbacks in Colgate University history. Dazzling teams with his incredible footwork and speed, Tom was so impressive running the ball that he was selected for the Division I All-East team; that squad included Tony Dorsett, winner of the Heisman Trophy and future member of the Dallas Cowboys. Tom Parr may have had a similar athletic future, but he badly injured his knee and was no longer able to play football.
However, Tom is still active in the game as the head coach of the Hopkins football team. I have admired Coach Parr since seventh grade and could not wait to play under his guidance. Now, as captain and quarterback of the Hopkins team, my relationship with Coach Parr is as strong as can be between a coach and player. As captain, I have met with him numerous times to discuss the team; he expects leadership and dedication from me during the season and throughout the year. As quarterback, the position at which he excelled, I listened to every word he said to help me become a better player.
As best friend of his son, Dana, I have visited the Parr home on many occasions. Coach Parr’s hospitality has been more than I could ask for, making me feel part of the family. When not in classes at school, I am usually in his office. In fact, this is the first place my parents call when they need to talk to me!
Coach Parr has helped me grow from the boy who arrived the first day of preseason freshman year to the man who left the field after my last game senior year. Coach Parr knows that some players can be yelled at without being bothered by it, while other players will take it personally. As the quarterback and a leader of the team, I have been yelled at plenty (third, I think, only to his two sons, Dana and Andrew). At the end of the season he thanked me for not complaining about him yelling at me all year. However, through his passion he was able to convey to me the importance of personal commitment to improvement. By pushing me beyond my limits, he has helped me become a man on and off the field.
After our final game this year, I thanked him for all he had done for me. Tears filled my eyes as I stood on the field with my arms around the man who had become a second father to me. In turn, I knew I had made Coach Parr proud when I looked into his eyes as he handed me the “For Love of the Game” award from my teammates. His guidance and instruction, now part of me, will serve me well throughout my life. It has been an honor to know Coach Parr as a coach and a man.
3. An Influential Person: A Valuable Lesson for Life
Family cookouts always meant laughter, corn on the cob and grass stains. My cousins’ tiny yard had an above ground pool that kept six kids occupied for hours. When the sun started to set, we’d nag the parents to join us. My uncle John was always the only one to oblige. He’d cannonball into the pool. Like leeches, we would cling to him, wanting to be thrown through the air or jump from his shoul-ders. One by one, he’d give us all turns flipping, jumping and splashing.
Last year on my cousin’s 13th birthday, there was no cookout. Not that her family forgot. My uncle was in a hospital, strapped to a bed. For four years now, he has struggled with brain tumors, cancer, surgeries, hospital bills, medications, and scars. He struggles to stay awake long enough to eat breakfast and struggles with the hardships caused by his sickness. He can’t drive anymore, he can barely hear, and he has lost most of the vision in his left eye. His face is badly deformed from surgery and he has to wear an eye patch. He can no longer throw anyone around the pool.
Helen Keller once said that one should “always look to the sun and you will never see the shadows.” It is a philosophy that I have always been able to comprehend but am now able to live by because of my uncle.
There is no doubt that he is one of the bravest people I know. He faces each day with renewed enthusiasm, even though he knows he will have trouble just getting out of bed. When we get together, he is still the most animated person at the table, telling stories with gusto. His laughter still rings out no matter where we are.
For his everlasting optimism, I consider my uncle to be an influential figure in my life. I have always loved his personality and upbeat energy. However, until he was diagnosed, I didn’t realize how truly admirable and valuable these traits were. His positive attitude and courage have taught mehow to be a better person. He has taught me to look my challenges in the eye. He has taught me to cherish my day-to-day life, because simple things, like driving or sleeping, could vanish in a heartbeat.
4. Going the Distance
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” –Steve Prefontaine
This quotation speaks to me on a number of different levels. It affects my approach towards everyday life, athletic endeavors, and most importantly, education.
For those of you who may not know, Steve Prefontaine was arguably the best distance runner in the world throughout the late 1960s and into the 1970s. Many had claimed he would win the next summer Olympics in 1976 had he not passed away in a traffic accident in 1975. I model my running habit after Prefontaine’s saying (mentioned above). Whether I am not into a race mentally or the pain is just too unbearable, I work through these roadblocks continuously to the finish line. I finish the race hard and strong, despite these weaknesses that are trying to hold me down. I realize that it is only a race and I do not want to be bogged down with the thought of “what if ” the rest of the day.
A tradition highly valued at Biddeford High School is student participation in extracurricular activities. I take great pride in the organizations I am involved with at school. Participating in multiple clubs can be a challenging and time consuming task, but if balanced correctly, it can truly better a person both mentally and physically. I learned how to manage my time and prioritize the events in my life, as well as develop my approach to communicating with peers.
Growing up within a school system that encourages strong academic excellence, I developed a desire to want that seemingly unattainable level of success. Throughout my entire high school career, I have been enrolled in accelerated courses with the same core group of fifteen students. Placement into such an environment entices students to become highly competitive with one another in hopes of achieving their personal best. It is in situations like these where I learned very quickly that I must work harder than all my peers if I wished to stand out in the end.
This quote best exemplifies my feelings and beliefs toward obtaining an exceptional education. It expresses in words the actions I take on a daily basis in reaching my scholastic goals. I feel you are born with the inner ambition to strive and do your best, no matter what obstacles may lay in your path. It is up to the beholder how they with to exert these powers. Fortunately, I believe I am of a rare breed of students today who enjoy learning and broadening their education. I am willing to read that extra book, stay after school for help, or choose a study session over a sporting event if it means I will understand the topic in discussion. Through the views of my teachers I have come to see that it is better to get ahead when you can than stay back as just another member of the pack.
5. High School Acomplisments
My high school career has been characterized by both academic (honor roll) and athletic successes. With regard to my work experience, my first paying job outside of my household has been as a cashier at the market in my community. I began working in April of 2004. In addition to my cashiering responsibilities, I also train new staff and work for the owners in their own homes as needed on special projects. During the school year, I work between 10 and 12 hours on weekends only (usually Sunday) because of my varsity running schedules for cross-country and indoor and outdoor track. During the summer months, I work 30-40 hours per week at the local market.
Beginning in the fall of my junior year, I was also hired by the local newspaper, the Town Times, to write a weekly sports column. I cover the cross-country meets as well as indoor and outdoor events. This has given me an opportunity to show-case some of the top achievement of the team. I was elected captain of the cross-country team for my senior year and have worked extremely hard to cultivate the incoming freshmen and provide training and conditioning in the preseason practices I have held since the beginning of August. We have a great team and I believe that in my role as captain I am helping to build more camaraderie through encouraging everyone’s best efforts. Our school won the Shoreline Conference XC Championship this fall and three of our runners (myself included) earned All-Conference honors and ran in the State Championship class meet. I was voted by my team for both the MVP and 100% effort awards at our banquet a week ago. In addition, I was named the Benchwarmer Club’s Athlete-of-the-Month for my achievements in cross-country in October. I consistently placed in the top one, two, or three places for every race of the 2005 season. Counting my senior year, I have earned eight varsity letters (3 in XC, 2 in indoor track, and 3 in outdoor track).
My volunteer work includes feeding the homeless in New York City as part of a Youth Service Opportunities Project with Rochester Federated Church. I also have run the cross-country/track lemonade stand at each year’s agricultural fair to raise money for the school’s athletic programs. I have worked for more than 6 years as a volunteer in the town committee’s pie and dessert booth each fall.
I have played the trumpet for eight years, four of them as a member of Rochester’s concert band. I have participated in five performances (all adjudicated) on high school band trips to Orlando, FL and Virginia Beach. My educational goal is to acquire an excellent foundation in business management while accumulating credits in marketing as much as possible (perhaps as a minor). I have excelled in my business classes at Rochester High School and believe this would complement a career that combines marketing aptitude in some facet of business that relates to sports management. Just as important, I want to give back to the college community and believe that my leadership strengths and strong sense of commitment to a goal will be an asset to the school. If I am accepted by the University of Hartford, I am committed to working hard and using all of my leadership abilities to personally excel and to help others achieve their goals.
6. A Personal Accomplishment
Waking up one calm damp morning, I realized that I was truly in Kentucky. As my ears cleared, the distinct echo of our coordinator Alan struck home. Like an impressive grizzly bear attempting to startle intruders on his territory, Alan bellowed his trademark “Good morning people!” By this time, my feet became acclimated to the cold, dirty concrete floor. Satisfied that everyone was finally moving around and filling the vehicles with equipment, Alan sorted out our assigned worksites. Having spent my entire life in a somewhat sheltered middle class world, I wondered how I would react to a church-sponsored trip to Appalachia.
Reflecting on where we were headed during the nearly 800 mile trip to the poverty-stricken, sparsely populated county of Owsley in Kentucky, I had plenty of time to ponder how this experience might alter my thinking. On my first worksite, I met a young mother named Abby, who lived with her husband and their two children. I easily connected with her because I have a cousin who is the same age. With two children in a small trailer without electricity or running water, Abby needed more space. We built a large, square addition on the side of her trailer. All the while, she insisted that we use her parent’s facilities even when they were not home. Showing a kind generosity, Abby would not let us leave without ripe, juicy cantaloupes each night. Just being a part of this work was the greatest satisfaction because I knew we were helping others. When the end of the week arrived, a bright sparkle in Abby’s eyes was visible as she witnessed the white room that was to be her children’s.
Although I had never been away from home for more than a few days, I was excited to stay nearly two weeks in a part of the country I had never visited. Until I ventured far beyond Rhode Island’s borders, I did not understand how the rest of the nation was different. Not only was the Appalachian region new to me, but its people were also very different from my neighbors in Rhode Island. Looking at their lives, I thought that life would be hard and unrewarding for these people, but I quickly learned that they had a certain pride that was unmatched back home. Traveling through the coal-mining heartland of West Virginia and Kentucky, I was taken aback when I noticed how people were willing to risk life and limb by traveling far under the Earth to mine coal with the sole purpose of putting food on their tables. The whole experience shaped my thinking in that I realized I should never prejudge anything. Going into new situations, however daunting, with an open and fresh mind was what I learned in Kentucky, and more importantly what I realized was that people living in difficult circumstances can have much more dignity and generosity than others living in a more privileged environment.
7. Piano 101 Cultivated a Work Ethic
As I watch my two young piano students bounce eagerly through the front door, I think back to my earliest days as a pianist. Too well I know those nervous eyes and trembling hands that are so easily intimidated by the teacher sitting beside the piano. Once I was that child of eight, afraid to touch the keys lest they make noise, hesitant to take a guess at the notes, lest I be mistaken. Before long, I was a girl of eleven, making myself out to be older but still filled with insecurities. By then I knew I could identify the notes correctly, but still, in touching the keys delicately, I hoped that any mistakes or imperfections would go unnoticed. Today a near adult with stronger fingers and greater confidence, I am no longer afraid to share my interpretation of a composition. When I play, the songs become a musical creation of my own, rather than just a reproduced collection of scales and chords. When I make a mistake, I simply stop to fix it and move on, satisfied with the knowledge that in solving the problem I am only progressing towards the final, polished piece. The genre of the composition is of no matter: my fingers cannot differentiate between styles and know only that the same passion must be poured into each note, be it that of a Beethoven Sonata or an Elton John tune. When I am focused on the small black notes harshly juxtaposed to the cold white of the pages, the pressures of daily life ease, even if they do so only fleetingly.
Beginning to play the piano at the age of eight was more a result of my mother’s ambitions than my desire to learn an instrument, yet I harbored a certain curiosity. My mother and grandmother were accomplished musicians, and if they could play, I certainly could too. Entering the lesson room for the first time, I had little idea of the number of times I would beg my mother to allow me to give up the piano. Watching my teacher play made it seem so easy; learning it myself was often tedious and frustrating. How could a child of eight have known that aside from learning to read music, one would have to master timing, technique, and theory to become an accomplished pianist.
Through all these years, my mother never once compromised; day after day she convinced me to push through exercises and sonatas. At times I loathed her for it, but today I appreciate her resolution. The self-discipline I developed as a musician carries over into all aspects of my life including academics, athletics, and now the transition into college. Playing the piano has helped me to develop a work ethic, but more importantly it has helped me to understand the importance of performing to the best of my ability in every undertaking. While not every goal in life is easily accomplished, success—be it making money or evoking musical poetry from a keyboard—will come only from perseverance and a desire to continue learning.
8. An Important Experience: Volleyball Plus a Hurricane
We were the last two of our group left in the pool as the wind began to swarm above us, making each palm tree move chaotically. There were about twenty other people outside with us, but we knew it was going to become dangerous quickly so we decided to leave. We reluctantly climbed the stairs and ran for the warmth of our towels. Teeth chattering and tightly wrapped up in our white hotel room towels, we scooped up our clothes and slid on our flip-flops. As Heather and I walked towards our hotel room we heard the shrill sound of the lifeguard’s whistle calling for everyone to get out of the pool. It was closing because Hurricane Frances was about to hit Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Back in our hotel room, after showering off the chlorine, my two coaches, my twelve other teammates, and I huddled into one of our rooms for a meeting. Coach Hanner explained to us that we should take our meal tickets and collect as much food as we could from the cafeteria since no one knew how long lock-down would last.
By the time we were ready to go down to the cafeteria it was pouring rain and the wind had strewn palm tree leaves all across the soggy grass. We carefully made our way to the cafeteria, dodging puddles and taking precaution not to slip on the pool deck. We arrived to find the cafeteria was swamped with other teams and families. The noise bounced off the walls as a sea of wet rain coats pushed their way through the crowd to get their needed food. We purchased our grilled cheeses, Uncrustables, and Dasanis and puddle-hopped our way back to our hotel rooms prepared for what we didn’t know would be one of the most memorable nights of our lives.
Our team was divided into two pairs of adjoining rooms to go into lock-down, each one with a coach and a parent. Since it was still the beginning of the season my group decided that instead of starting on our homework right away we would have some team bonding time. Our coach taught us some games and we quickly forgot about the hurricane just on the other side of the wall. The only thing that reminded us about it was the mattress propped up against the window to prevent anything that might come through it from hitting us. Throughout the evening, the phone rang incessantly with worried parents on the other end, wanting to know if we were alright. With every call we received, the fear in the room swelled like the giant storm outside. Around ten o’clock we were all tired from waking up at six that morning and playing an intense day of volleyball (we even managed to take on all three mountains in the Magic Kingdom). We knew that if we fell asleep soon we wouldn’t be able to worry about the hurricane, so we drifted off to sleep as the wind continued to demolish the grounds. I awoke the next morning to find that the wind had become even fiercer; it sounded like we were traveling down the runway, just before the plane left the ground. I took my Disney Princess blanket and sleepily stumbled into the adjoining room where the rest of my group was watching Mulanon the Disney movie channel. We spent the rest of the day comforting each other so that we could try to forget about the storm. We tried to focus on what the next day’s endeavors would bring us.
At six o’clock that night, lock-down ended. A year earlier, when we started planning our Disney Volleyball Tournament, no one would have guessed that we would have had to endure a hurricane, but not only did we improve our volleyball potential, we also made lasting friendships and bonded as a team.
9. No Fear of Any Challenge
Pectus excavatum, a condition that occurs in 1 out of every 1000 people, is cosmetically unappealing, restricts breathing, and reduces athletic performance; lucky me, I had it. In medical terms, it is the abnormal growth of the cartilage connecting the sternum to the ribs, so it grows inward instead of flat. In layman’s terms, it looked like I was punched, so hard in the chest, it left a dent; a dent so deep that I could literally eat a bowl of cereal out of my thorax. Sounds attractive, huh?
So, I had the option of getting my breastbone surgically “popped out” and reinforced with a steel bar; it was probably going to hurt, but I chose to do it anyway. At the hospital, I was led, scantily clad, into the operating room. The doctors, decked out in blue scrubs, told me to lie down on the black-cushioned operating table surrounded by large, expensive-looking machines and sharp pointy objects attached to wires; it was reminiscent of something found in an old Frankenstein movie. A thin layer of moisture began to gather on my forehead as I looked around. The doctors were taking their respective stations. A black mask was placed over my mouth and I began to feel as if someone was turning the dimmer switch on my brain.
“Okay, we have to do this while you’re still mostly awake, give me your arm,” said the anesthesiologist. I felt a slight poke, followed by the sliding of a wide needle under the skin of my right forearm. It slid back out. It figures they missed with the I.V. the first time, darn my narrow veins. Then, it was all black. As I was resuming consciousness, the remaining anesthesia didn’t allow me to open my eyes for more than ¼ of a second at a time; my speech would not return for another hour. I could perceive the distinct feeling that an overweight, stubborn grizzly bear had taken a seat on my body right below the neckline. The pressure was so great I emitted groans “resembling Chewbacca from Star Wars,” according to my parents.
My chest now looked “normal.” Dressing covered two small incisions beneath each breast where a custom-fitted metal bar ran under my sternum and was wired to my ribs on either side. Imagine your torso being squeezed by a vise and inflated like a balloon simultaneously; that’s how I felt. I had oxygen and morphine at the press of a button (every 6 minutes). Thank the Lord for that button. Basic things such as swallowing, walking, lying down, and especially sitting up were now great chores. Thankfully, things got better with time, as my hospital stay was only four days. Four years later, and two years after removing the bar, my chest looks much better, and I am happy. I never once regret having surgery. Whenever something seems difficult, I can look back on this experience and say with confidence that I have been through worse pain and conquered it.
10. Bridging Two Cultures, Two Homes
However cliché the saying may be, the hardships in my life which I have learned to overcome relate to the phrase that the grass is always greener on the other side. Throughout the past seventeen years of my life, I have struggled with the despair of being in a constant state of division. I was torn between the life that my parents have established for themselves here in America, and my heritage and family across the Atlantic in Italy. While I am here in America, enjoying the benefits of my education and the company of my friends, I cry for my family and long for the “Italian way of life” which is so deeply rooted within me. While I am in Italy, I find myself acknowledging and understanding the fact that I have endless opportunities awaiting me in America.
My childhood memories consist of my brother and me racing through my grandfather’s gardens and into the piazza, where our friends and neighbors greeted us with wide smiles and warm hugs. Jovial conversation resonated throughout the square as my family and friends sipped their espresso and exchanged stories, laughter, and advice. As I grew older, I began to understand that the community of that small Italian town served as more than a gathering of friendly faces, but also as a tool in my growth. The community’s uninhibited flow of love and concern for one another has instilled in me the importance of acceptance and embracing the positive attributes of each individual. When I returned to America seeking these same qualities from my community, I became distraught when I was met with reserved cliques that seemed to be focused solely on their own personal matters and agendas.
Yet, when I applied the optimism and positive outlook that I had adapted from my Italian environment, I found that these “agendas” were driven by self-motivation and the aspirations to achieve the coveted American Dream. My parents, who moved to this country with nothing but self-determination, perseverance, and a hard-work ethic, serve as a prime example of America’s ability to allow one to grow from rags to riches. It is that fortitude and resolve that has been evident in every aspect of my life—from academics to soccer—that has been a source for the success that I have achieved thus far. I was also aware that with this same work ethic, paired with the goal-driven atmosphere of our country, opportunities for continued success would be bountiful.
Eventually, I came to realize that I would have to accept that the situation would never change, and the distance between my two homes would never shorten. Instead, I have learned to bridge this distance by incorporating the positive attributes that I have attained from both countries into my daily routine, and I now live my life by this resulting philosophy. Stepping back from the despair that the feelings of being torn provided, I have come to understand that I am exceptionally lucky to be blessed with the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds.
This experience is not only enriching, but also serves as an instrument for me to live my life by my maximum ability; utilizing my community- and family-based ambitions as well as my eagerness and resolve to succeed. Although the pains of distance still periodically take effect of me, I have learned to view the bigger picture with the gratitude and optimism that now dominate each aspect of my life.