20
Colleges
0
Q&As
9
AP/IBs
76
Essays
5
Awards
10
Activities
Applying to colleges can be a daunting task, but being prepared makes the whole process much easier! I applied to 20 schools, and staying organized is the most important thing. One big piece of advice, whether applying to 30 schools or 3, is to make sure that you would be okay with going to any of the schools you applied to! Especially when choosing safeties, some people find themselves deciding between a couple safeties that they do not want to go to. There are lots of really amazing schools that can be considered targets, safeties, and reaches!
P
20
Colleges
0
Q&As
9
AP/IBs
76
Essays
5
Awards
10
Activities
P
Race
Black or African American
Gender
Female
School Type
Public
Legacy
No
Low income
No
First generation
No
International
No
Recruited Athlete
No
GPA (W)
4.6416
GPA Scale
5
SAT
1520
ACT
35
# AP/IB Exams
9
Personal Statement
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? (600 word max)
I remember the school. I remember the studio. I remember the music. But most of all, I remember the fear. In the summer of 2014, I was involved in the Anne Arundel County Summer Dance Intensive, a t
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University of California Essay
Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. (max. 250 words)
Dance has been my creative outlet since I was two-and-a-half years old. Every aspect of the activity oozes creativity: creating choreography, arranging performances, finding musicality, etc. However,
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Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? (max. 250 words)
How did I start school early? I was in preschool, but the staff thought I was too advanced for the coursework, so I was put in kindergarten for one month on a trial basis. For context, the kindergarte
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Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. (max. 250 words)
My academic history paints a deceiving picture of me, one that emphasizes my love of mathematics, so some are shocked when I tell them one of my favorite subjects: sociology. Sociology, or the study o
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What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? (max. 250 words)
Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish… In simple terms, founding my school’s Excel Club is my most significant contribution to making my community a better place. Part of discoveri
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Stanford University
What’s the most significant challenge society faces today? (max. 50 words)
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How did you spend your last two summers? (max. 50 words)
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What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (max. 50 words)
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Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (max. 50 words)
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Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford. (max. 50 words)
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The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (max. 250 words)
There is currently no known cure for schizophrenia…but why not? As an aspiring psychiatrist, learning this fact in AP Psychology was captivating. I asked aloud, “If schizophrenics have extra dopamine
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Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate – and us – get to know you better. (max. 250 words)
Future roomie, Honestly, I’ve got lots of quirks, so let’s take a moment to unpack them… There’s a reason the only phrase I understand from my parent’s native language is “Kasa dodo,” or “You talk
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Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why. (max. 250 words)
“Daddy wherever you are, remember me, and whatever you do, I love you.” Lucky Dube wrote this chorus to “Remember Me” about an absent parent, but I like to think that it was actually written for me an
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Harvard University
Your intellectual life may extend beyond the academic requirements of your particular school. Please use the space below to list additional intellectual activities that you have not mentioned or detailed elsewhere in your application. These could include, but are not limited to, supervised or self-directed projects not done as school work, training experiences, online courses not run by your school, or summer academic or research programs not described elsewhere. (150 max)
Sophomore year, buried in the corner of a Southwestern restaurant, my friend and I were making our way through an arduous Pre-Calculus assignment when she offhandedly mentioned being dual-enrolled thr
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Harvard has long recognized the importance of student body diversity of all kinds. We welcome you to write about distinctive aspects of your background, personal development or the intellectual interests you might bring to your Harvard classmates. (no word limit)
Picture a bakery. It’s a quaint establishment, one comprising an array of scents that each smell promising, but altogether create that lovely bakery aroma. To each customer, there is one particular it
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Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 max)
Personally, one of the most important elements of high school has been engaging in volunteerism. Though I was fortunate enough to discover early a fitting place to volunteer, the Panhandle Animal Welf
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Yale University
Why do these areas appeal to you? (up to approximately 125 words)
Since viewing an episode of a Disney Channel show that hilariously portrayed a student psychology project, I’ve had a keen interest in pursuing psychology as a subject and a career. AP Psychology conf
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What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)
Students dream of attending Yale, some for the world-renowned liberal arts education, some to be surrounded by legions of high-achieving students, and some to follow in the footsteps of society’s grea
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What inspires you? (200 character max)
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You are teaching a new Yale course. What is it called? (200 character max)
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Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak and what would you ask them to discuss? (200 character max)
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Yale students embrace the concept of ‘and’ rather than ‘or’, pursuing arts and sciences, tradition and innovation, defined goals and surprising detours. What is an example of an “and” that you embrace? (200 character max)
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Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it? (250 words or fewer)
A young teen sprints in an empty hall, carefully avoiding corners as she maneuvers around open lockers and stray backpacks. All at once, she’s anchoring onto a doorknob and swinging into the science c
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Reflect on a community to which you feel connected. Why is it meaningful to you? You may define community however you like. (250 character max)
Between 16 years, 5 states, and the Army, I've lived in eight houses, so if there’s any fact I can corroborate, it’s that a house does not make a home. But what does? I wake up to reggae blasting in
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University of Pennsylvania
Considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected, how will you explore your academic and intellectual interests at the University of Pennsylvania? For students applying to the coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer these questions in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay. (300-450 words)
The first unit of AP Psychology was the only one I needed to solidify my career in the subject. Though it was simple, it was a combination of the surveying aspect of statistics and questions that infl
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At Penn, learning and growth happen outside of the classrooms, too. How will you explore the community at Penn? Consider how this community will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape this community. (150-200 words)
The first thing I noticed about The University of Pennsylvania was how progressive the school was for being almost 300 years old. There’s incredible diversity; every gender, age, political group, and
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Johns Hopkins University
Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)
Picture a bakery. It’s quaint, comprising an array of scents that each smell promising, but altogether create a lovely bakery aroma. Outside of the overall bakery scent, there’s one particular item th
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Vanderbilt University
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (200-400 words)
For the first time in Fort Walton Beach High School history, if you were to drive by the school’s parking lot, you would see a myriad of painted parking spots. Years of rejections, and all it took was
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Describe an aspect of your identity (for example, your religion, culture, race, sexual or gender identity, affinity group, etc.). How has this aspect of your identity shaped your life experiences thus far? (250 max)
Between 16 years, 5 states, and the Army, I've lived in eight houses, so if there’s any fact I can corroborate, it’s that a house does not make a home. But what does? I wake up to reggae blasting in
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If you could change one thing to better your community, what would it be? Why is it important and how would you contribute to this change? (250 max)
One of the most important elements of high school to me is engaging in volunteerism, and though I was fortunate enough to discover early a fitting place to volunteer, the Panhandle Animal Welfare Soci
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One family tradition I cherish
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This I believe
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The quality I most admire in myself
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One protagonist I identify with
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Emory University
What academic areas are you interested in exploring in college? (200 max)
My interest in psychology began with an episode from the Disney Channel show “Dog With A Blog”. One character had a psychology project that required her to hide a beeping noise in a room and record h
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When was the last time you questioned something you had thought to be true? (150 max)
Giving the middle finger is a gesture meant to insult the receiver, but until I was 15, I thought this gesture was fatal. From kindergarten to second grade, I attended a small Christian school in Texa
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New York University
Incoming first-year applicants who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to civic engagement and social progress are invited to apply to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program at NYU. To learn more about this immersive, cohort-based honors program, please click here. Optional: Tell us more about why you are interested in this program. (200 word maximum)
As an African-American woman, I’m fortunate enough to say that I’ve never experienced life-threatening discrimination, but sadly, this isn’t universal. Following the brutality against George Floyd in
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We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses. We want to understand - Why NYU? (400 word maximum)
If I were to be asked what my college plans were in sixth grade, the answer would be consistent; attend university for two years, then study abroad my junior year. Where? It didn’t matter to me; I jus
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University of Southern California
USC believes that one learns best when interacting with people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Tell us about a time you were exposed to a new idea or when your beliefs were challenged by another point of view. Please discuss the significance of the experience and its effect on you. (250 max)
After the month’s first Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meeting, the officers convene to plan that month’s meetings. At one meeting, we were planning an agenda for the See You At the Pole praye
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Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (Approximately 250 words)
June 2018 was the first time I visited USC. On the tour, the guide asked me what I wanted to major in, and after saying psychology, she provided almost every detail about the psychology department and
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Describe yourself in three words. (100 characters max)
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What is your favorite snack? (100 character max)
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Best movie of all time: (100 characters max)
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Dream job: (100 characters max)
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If your life had a theme song, what would it be? (100 character max)
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Dream trip: (100 character max)
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What TV show will you binge watch next? (100 character max)
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Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate? (100 character max)
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Favorite book: (100 character max)
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If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be? (100 character max)
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The word “education” can take on a variety of meanings. To some, receiving a high school or college diploma is the ultimate mark of being “educated,” while others take a different view. Looking past receiving a diploma, what does it mean to you personally to be “educated”? What standards will you put in place to define whether or not you’ve obtained a great education?(250 max)
Education is such a prominent part of life that we tend to forget that it lies far beyond classrooms and assessments. Education tends to be viewed numerically: by how much we learn or retain. However,
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University of Florida
Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 max)
My most meaningful commitment outside of school was volunteering at the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society. There was never a visit where I left feeling as if I did not help at least one animal, whether
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Brown University
Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)
Brown was designed for students who love to learn, not for gain or vanity; even if I had no knowledge of the program, I would’ve understood the appeal of this curriculum instantly. Why? Because it’s t
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Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond? (200-250 words)
After the month’s first Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meeting, the officers convene to plan that month’s meetings. At one meeting, we were planning an agenda for a See You At the Pole prayer
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Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (200-250 words)
Don’t be surprised if you see the Nkwantabisa family on your TV screen in 2025. In a family that loves being correct almost as much as they love numerical point systems, it’s no surprise that we’re s
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Carnegie Mellon University
Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 max)
My interest in psychology began with an episode from the Disney Channel show “Dog With A Blog”. One character had a psychology project that required her to hide a beeping noise in a room and record h
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Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience? (300 words)
Ask me to name a celebrity I find inspirational, and I won’t hesitate: Lin Manuel-Miranda. As an avid Hamilton fan, Manuel-Miranda seized my attention with his 2015 musical, but it wasn’t his success
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Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committee’s consideration? Highlight something that’s important to you or something you haven’t had a chance to share. Tell us, don’t show us (no websites please). (300 max)
While psychology is my primary interest of study, I’ve always believed in the importance of interdisciplinarity, something apparent in my course history. However, amongst my diverse fields of study fr
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Florida State University
FSU’s Honors Signature courses facilitate curiosity; intellectual breadth; the ability to analyze and integrate knowledge across disciplines; and self-driven learning. You must design an Honors Signature course that facilitates the above characteristics and addresses a societal problem. Describe the societal problem that you want to address and explain why it is important. Name the course and list two source materials you would use to highlight the problem, including written works and/or audiovisuals such as podcasts, films, or others, and explain, briefly, why you would use them. (300 max)
Welcome to “Stigmas in Society”. The most dangerous societal problem is the presence of stigmas. Many issues afflict our society, including substance abuse, discrimination, and homophobia, but the si
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Imagine putting together a team to work on the societal problem highlighted in your response to the prior question. Indicate the characteristics (e.g., skills, experience, expertise, and character traits) you would seek in your team members and why. Describe at least three steps you would take with the team to address the problem and provide justification. (300 max)
Since stigmas are essentially a problem of ignorance, the main way to combat them would be to raise awareness. To do so, I would assemble a team of open-minded individuals who are well-educated on sti
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The Honors Program enriches the educational experiences of its students through four core values: personal and intellectual growth, an engaged and inclusive community, interdisciplinarity, and diversity of individuals and thoughts. Please rank each of these core values according to their importance for creating positive social change and explain why you ranked them this way. (300 max)
An engaged and inclusive community, diversity of individuals and thoughts, personal and intellectual growth, interdisciplinarity. Despite being my lowest-ranked value, interdisciplinarity is still in
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University of Central Florida
Why are you interested in UCF? (250 max)
What draws me to UCF is the way in which it surprises me. Being both the largest college in the United States and located in one of the United States’ largest metropolitan cities, it can seem as if be
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Discuss your reasons for pursuing the academic program (major) selected above. (250 max)
I have wanted to be a psychiatrist for as long as I can remember. Though I cannot remember precisely when this subject piqued my interest, I have always been absolutely fascinated by psychology. It’
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Columbia University
List the titles of the required readings from academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school (75 max)
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List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 max)
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We’re interested in learning about some of the ways that you explore your interests. List some resources and outlets that you enjoy, including but not limited to websites, publications, journals, podcasts, social media accounts, lectures, museums, movies, music, or other content with which you regularly engage (125 max)
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A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and live in a community with a wide range of perspectives. How do you or would you learn from and contribute to diverse, collaborative communities? (200 max)
It’s 8:35 on a September night, and though we should’ve been sanitizing the kitchen, the Panera Bread Mary Esther workers were too engrossed in their conversation. With the dinner shift usually only h
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Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (200 max)
“imagine supporting/defending something you know nothing about!! that’s so dangerous(: educate yourselves PLEASE.” This October 2020 post is my Pinned Tweet, but behind the string of colloquialisms li
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For applicants to Columbia College, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the areas of study that you previously noted in the application. (200 max)
My interest in psychology began with an episode from the Disney Channel show “Dog With A Blog”. One character had a psychology project that required her to hide a beeping noise in a room and record h
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P
Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words)
Personally, one of the most important elements of high school has been engaging in volunteerism. Though I was fortunate enough to discover early a fitting place to volunteer, the Panhandle Animal Welf
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As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in about 250 words)
Ever since watching an episode of a Disney Channel show that hilariously portrayed a student psychology project, I’ve had a keen interest in pursuing psychology as both a subject and a career. AP Psyc
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At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? (350 max, aim for 250)
After the month’s first Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meeting, the officers convene to plan that month’s meetings. At one meeting, we were planning an agenda for a See You At the Pole prayer
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Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. (250-350 max)
Lin Manuel-Miranda: “You have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” Although he said this in reference to Alexander Hamilton’s desire for a legacy, to me, this line refers to what was
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What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? (50 max)
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What brings you joy? (50 max)
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What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (150 max)
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Do you have any additional info to share?
Junior year/last year was an uncertain and unstable time for almost everyone in the world due to an endless barrage of strange and unfortunate circumstances. Unfortunately, on top of all of these circ
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