Common Application: Personal Essay The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose th..

Before coming to America, I was but an average high school student who had twelve classes from seven in the morning until ten o’clock at night, but without any clear goals and falling asleep from time to time in classes...

Johns Hopkins: Johns Hopkins offers 50 majors across the schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering. On this application, we ask you to identify one or two that you might like to pursue here. Why did you choose the way you did? If you are undecided, why didn`t you choose? (If any past courses or..

595-word version: ...Yes, I was the captain of the ship of my “dreams.” ...Yes, I am the coxswain of our little boat, and every time I sit on it, I reflect on the first day I started crew... 696-word version: At the 50th round in the same old ice rink, the coach yelled out “..

228-word version: Although I could have stayed home...I decided against it because I wanted to find out for myself if I could do the work I aspired... 338-word version: Although I could have stayed home...I decided against it because I wanted to be...completely independent... I wanted to find..

UC—Berkeley: Additional Comments (optional) If you wish, you may use this space to tell us anything else you want us to know about you that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in the application. (no more than 550 words) 474-word version: As I am always open to new op..