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.

“What if someone comes knocking on our door after they read what you’ve created, what if you get shot? People hate, and they will hate you for who you are and what you believe.” I only told my parent

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Why do these areas appeal to you?

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Why Yale

At Yale, I wouldn’t have to compromise my interests for the sake of my others, while also getting the chance to explore new ones. I can spend hours learning about the organizing of voucher stock marke

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Essays

Florida has horrendous drivers, and it seems like most of them are on the road during my commute to school whenever an accident-induced traffic jam makes me arrive late to school. Why should we have t

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Chosen essay

At least once every week, I drive half an hour to the Clearwater Community Sailing Center. Laying down on the cool topsoil, my friends and I spend an hour or two rigging our sails, pulling enough rope

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Additional Personal Information

After spending three Thanksgivings in New Mexico, I finally went back to celebrate one with my family in Puerto Rico. Being with them on an important holiday was great, but something was missing. Wher

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Significant Activity or Work

“It’s those damn penepes ”, my uncle would complain every morning reading about political controversies in the newspaper. Despite his bemoaning, though, he never voted or tried to change things. When

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Why is applying for the UF Honors Program important to you? Which aspects of the program's three pillars of opportunity, community, and challenge pique your interests? How would you engage with the program to exemplify these pillars yourself? How does the program factor into your long-term goals? Please be specific. (max 400 words)

Through my experiences in political writing and organizing, I’ve discovered that there’s only one constant in the world of government: interconnectedness. Each year, the world grows more and more conn

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Identify two topics you have previously studied that do not traditionally overlap. How do you envision you might bring these topics together during your time in Honors to engage a pressing societal, medical or technological concern? The concern you wish to engage could be of local, national or global scope, but you should be clear about the issue you want to address. For the purposes of this essay, the topics you identify need not have been formally studied in high school, but you should have studied them since beginning in high school. (max 300 words)

Growing up with my grandpa, it felt like a never-ending stream of vinyl records were constantly being played on his old Victrola. He would oftentimes proudly take me through his expansive collection o

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Most meaningful activity

Every weekend, I go door to door in the searing heat, opening with my usual line whenever someone answers. “Hi, my name’s Hector, and I’m out here for my friend Richie Floyd who’s running for City cou

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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)

Until the 2016 election cycle, I saw government as a game for old men. The polarizing nature of the race, though, roped me into the world of politics. I began researching policy positions and electora

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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)

Make America Great Again and Republican Party pins, a Trump Train mask which he only wore due to school regulations, and a loud presence made William stand out like a sore thumb. I’d see him in the ha

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What about being a student at Boston University most excites you? (250 word maximum)

As a potential Political Science major, Boston University provides unparalleled opportunities for immersion in the international political stage. Programs such as the Study Abroad program offer a vast

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Supplemental Essay Response

“Get the hell out of my sight, and never come back! Tell the rest of your campaign buddies that too!”  That was the last thing I heard an old man scream at me before he slammed the door in front of

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Why Tufts?

I want to attend a university where I can both continue to deepen my interest in Political Science and civic engagement, while also exploring new fields of study. At Tufts, I can continue my civic act

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Where are you on your journey of engaging with or fighting for social justice?

Nowhere is the struggle of the working class more apparent in my county than in St. Petersburg, Florida. One ten- minute car ride can take you from glitzy high rises to struggling neighborhoods feelin

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The University of Miami's official mascot is the ibis. Folklore maintains that the native marsh bird is the last to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first to emerge once the storm passes, making it an apt symbol of courage and resilience. Considering your ability to control your own motivation and behavior, how have past experiences helped build your courage and resilience to persist in the face of academic and life challenges so that, once these storms pass, you can emerge in continued pursuit of your goals?

I moved to New Mexico from Puerto Rico when I was 11 years old. I came to the middle of the desert not knowing anyone, to a culture completely different from my own. I was raised by my grandparents, s

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Why are you interested

American University provides unparalleled opportunities for getting my feet wet in the world of politics. AU’s Advanced Leadership Studies Program will provide hands-on avenues by which to deepen my u

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List the titles of the required readings from academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school.

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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.

Works in italic were read in Spanish: The Accidental Superpower-Peter Zeihan; T he Latin American Left in Times of Growth-Nils Castro; A Future for Socialism-John Roemer; The Dice Man-Luke Reinhart;

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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.

Tampa Bay Time; El Nuevo Dia; El Pais; NPR; El Mercurio; The Economist; New York Times; Jacobin; Current Affairs; Kendrick Lamar; Bad Bunny; MF DOOM; Canserbero; Willie Colon; Quilapayun; Modern Talki

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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?

Knock, Knock, Knock. Every person so far has either not opened the door or brushed me off with a peek through their window. To my surprise, though, this man actually answers. “Hello sir, I’m here

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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. Most mornings, my uncle reads about whatever political controversy is trending on the paper. Whenever I’m in Puerto Rico, I’m usually the one who arrives in the kitchen in time for him to commence his speech complaining about what he read. This is the furthest extent of his political involvement; for someone who bemoans the status quo, he sure doesn’t do much to play a role in changing it. As someone who’s lived with someone like him for a long time, I know the value of a community which doesn't just talk the talk but walks the walk as well. From anti- fascists in the 30s, to private prison divestment today, Columbia has a long history of civic engagement.

But how can you refine your views? Columbia helps with this as well. Courses such as American Urban Politics will help me further understand the intersections of urban environments, class, and race un

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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.

The air inside the plane was damp, the day cloudy, and I was still crying. At the time, I was 11 and didn’t understand why my family had taken the drastic decision to leave Puerto Rico. As I said my t

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Additional Intellectual Experiences

“What’s Russia?”, I asked my grandpa when he gave me one of the most impactful gifts I’ve ever received: a world atlas. Each page was a window into each country, as if I were travelling across the wor

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EC Essay

“It’s those damn PNPs ”, my uncle would complain about every morning when reading about political controversies in the newspaper. Despite his bemoaning, though, he never voted nor tried to change thin

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