Tufts: Every day, people make decisions that force them beyond their comfort levels. Perhaps you moved to a different country or left behind your neighborhood friends to attend a school outside your home district. Maybe you have a political, social or cultural viewpoint that is not shared by the rest of your school, family or community. Where did you find the courage to create a better opportunity for yourself or others? How did you find the voice to stand up for something in which you passionately believed? Why did you persevere when the odds were against you? (200 words)

199-word version: Tufts

...New experiences are born through new cultures and new people. By talking with these people and exchanging cultures, I am able to decide which direction I should go and discover something I did not know about myself...

364-word version: Rice

...New experiences are born through new cultures and new people. By talking with these people and exchanging cultures, I am able to decide which direction I should go and discover something I did not know about myself. When I was young, I used to visit towns near where I lived...

648-word version: Georgetown

I love traveling because, through it, I can discover a new aspect of myself.

New experiences are born through new cultures and new people. By talking with these people and exchanging cultures, I am able to decide which direction I should go and discover something I did not know about myself. When I was young, I used to visit towns near where I lived...

I chose a mountain to climb—Georgetown...