Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

I love going to bed sunburned, my skin stretched taut over my cheekbones and my eyes droopy from squinting against the ocean’s glare. ­­There’s a deep ache in my bones, a feeling of contentment, that

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Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words)*

[Name Redacted] is our captain, an all-American girl who single-handedly fills our student section with raucous fans. We’ve read each other's minds on the field since the third grade. [Name Redacted

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What inspires you? (35 words, 200 characters)

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Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it? (250)

“The physics of light, Boyle argued, showed that Whiteness was ‘the chiefest color.’” Kendi’s words slice through the page. Boyle. Robert Boyle, a “founding father” of chemical law - the same man I h

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Why do these areas appeal to you? (125 words or fewer) (I applied as a comparative literature, French, or chemistry major)

“Folks, it’s not as hard as conjugating French verbs!” “Objection.” AP Chemistry. With a grammar sheet in my backpack, and a nomenclature exercise on my desk, I blurt: “Mr. Huybers, in no way is nam

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Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six students. What do you hope to add to your suitemates’ experience? What do you hope they will add to yours? (35/200)

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Tell us about your relationship with a role model or mentor who has been influential in your life. How has their guidance been instrumental to your growth? (250)

When I arrive at soccer tryouts one late August morning having thrown up bad eggs the night before, the new coach – all of five-foot-two – looks me over: “If you want to run the fitness test, go ahead

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Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington. (300w)

The poor mom’s face is beet-red, tears dripping down her cheeks as my dad eagerly looks on. “So,” he poses, “do you like it?” His voice lilts, the vowels drawn out and consonants clipped. My second-g

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The George Washington University encourages students to think critically and to challenge the status quo. Thus, civil discourse is a key characteristic of our community. Describe a time when you engaged others in meaningful dialogue around an issue that was important to you. Did this exchange create change, new perspectives, or deeper relationships?

The frantic texts pour in: I’m in shock; I went to a dance competition with Jaime Guttenberg, we were friends. Today, 17 people my age are dead. Overcome by the numb feeling deep within my chest, I s

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You may wish to include an additional essay if you feel that the college application forms do not provide sufficient opportunity to convey important information about yourself or your accomplishments. You may write on a topic of your choice, or you may choose from one of the following topics: (no word limit, optional, but highly recommended): - An intellectual experience (course, project, book, discussion, paper, poetry, or research topic in engineering, mathematics, science or other modes of inquiry) that has meant the most to you - The Harvard College Honor code declares that we "hold honesty as the foundation of our community." As you consider entering this community that is committed to honesty, please reflect on a time when you or someone you observed had to make a choice about whether to act with integrity and honesty. - The mission of Harvard College is to educate our students to be citizens and citizen-leaders for society. What would you do to contribute to the lives of your classmates in advancing this mission?

It’s the week before winter break, and the world outside my English classroom is dreary and grim, sleet pelting the corrugated metal exterior of my high school, whose architecture bears an unfortunate

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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)

In his book When Breath Becomes Air, Dr. Paul Kalanithi states that “when there is no place for the scalpel, words are a surgeon’s only tool.” I often return to this phrase, transfixed by Kalanithi’

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What brings you joy? * (50)

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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)*

My study of Chemistry was fundamental, shaded mostly by my explosion-prone AP teacher whose antics gave character to the iconic laws of “stuffy old dudes” (his words). Their names soon obsolete, I sav

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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?* (250)

Eighteen, Indigenous; seventeen, white: our first impressions over Zoom are grainy; her thousands of miles away, in a college library in frozen Iowa; myself at my kitchen counter. An hour lat

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What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?* (50)

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What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?* (50)

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