Original Version (912 words): Biology & Botany-oriented
“Absolutely nothing with furs or feathers, or even scales for that matter!” was my mother’s adamant answer to my imploring question. So my childhood desire to nurse a pet along inevitably turned to something less gnawing but did grow, and grow rather well at that, too, to my enthusiasm, with care. I first began with a tiny herb called the Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens), then moved on to something bigger, namely the Dwarf Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola) and Zanzibar Gem (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), then to something even bigger, the soaring Rubber Fig (Ficus elastica), the drooping the Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina), and the sprawling Fatsi or Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica)...

But as I slowly grew out of my childhood so did my naïve ideas of wanting to live on a Christmas tree or in a tree house of a jungle, had it been possible...

Abridged Version (492 words): Botany-oriented
“Absolutely nothing with furs or feathers, or even scales, for that matter!” was my mother’s adamant answer to my imploring question. So my childhood desire to nurse a pet along inevitably turned to something less gnawing but did grow with care, and grow rather well at that, too, to my enthusiasm...

Common Application: Personal Statement
Please write an essay (250 words minimum 500 words maximum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. This personal essay helps us to become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself.
1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
5. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
6. Topic of your choice.

Cornell: On a separate sheet of paper, please respond to the essay question below (maximum of 500 words) that corresponds to the undergraduate college(s) or school(s) to which you are applying. Be sure to include your full legal name exactly as it appears on passports or other official documents and date of birth, and attach the page to the back of this form. If you are utilizing the Primary/Alternate admission option, you must complete an essay for both colleges/schools; please complete the essays that correspond to your primary and alternate choices.

College Interest Essays
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: How have your interests and related experiences influenced the major you have selected in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences?
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning: How does the major you would like to study in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning match your intellectual, academic, and career interests? Discuss any activities you have engaged in that are relevant to your chosen major.
College of Arts and Sciences: Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study.
College of Engineering: Tell us about an engineering idea you have, or about your interest in engineering. Describe how your ideas and interests may be realized by - and linked to - specific resources within the College of Engineering. Finally, explain what a Cornell Engineering education will enable you to accomplish.
School of Hotel Administration: What work and non-work experiences, academic interests, and career goals influenced your decision to study hospitality management? How will these contribute to your success at the School of Hotel Administration?
College of Human Ecology: What do you value about the College of Human Ecology perspective and the majors that interest you, as you consider your academic goals and plans for the future?
School of Industrial and Labor Relations: Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting. In your essay please address how the ILR curriculum will help you fulfill these interests and your long-term goals.

498-word version
“Absolutely nothing with furs or feathers, or even scales, for that matter!” was my mother’s adamant answer to my imploring question. So my childhood desire to nurse a pet along inevitably turned to something less gnawing but did grow with care, and grow rather well at that, too, to my enthusiasm...

Stanford: What matters to you, and why? (2000 characters)

340-word version
“Absolutely nothing with furs or feathers, or even scales, for that matter!” was my mother’s adamant answer to my imploring question. So my childhood desire to nurse a pet along inevitably turned to something less gnawing but did grow with care...