I always start practice with a jump. Every good dive starts with a jump, with a perfect take off from that turquoise colored piece of aluminum fastened exactly 1 or 3 meters above the surface of the water below. That jump defines the rest of practice. Either my feet catch the end of the board at its lowest point, and I am flung unnaturally high into the air, or I stomp the end of the board, flat-footed, and continue practice knowing that...

I have always known that I am different from my sister. From a young age, I have tried to appease my parents, while my sister always picks battles with them. While I found a group of friends to enjoy most of my time at Bronxville with, she struggled to find people who would accept her for who she really was. Mary was always looked as a follower, never a member of a particular friend group. Socially, Bronxville is an extremely...

Every child who shows some aptitude for math and science is immediately told to pursue engineering. As one of the few girls in my grade with this inclination, many teachers and mentors passed along the same message to me. Not entirely sure how engineering was different than pure physics or pure biology, I looked deeply at the definition of engineering. The marrion-webster dictionary defines engineering as the application of science and mathematics by which the properties of matter and the...

Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held, if not already detailed on the Common Application. (2500 characters) The summer between 10th and 11th grade I spent volunteering at the Bronxville Field Club as well as babysitting a local family. Having spent 10 summers on the Bronxville Field Club diving team, I was ready to take on the responsibility of running practice alongside the employed coach. Additionally, I...

1. Recall an occasion when you took a risk that you now know was the right thing to do. Band class used to be a struggle for me. Every day Ms. Slote would find something to call me out on in front of the entire ensemble. She would constantly blame the chatty group on my voice, which would no doubt carry out over all the rest, but nonetheless was not alone. I remember telling her: “It’s not like I sit...

Northwestern University offers an extremely diverse group of schools and people attending those schools to create a learning experience unparalleled by any other institution. Most fascinating to my interests and me is the McCormick School of Engineering. At McCormick, the research-based education prepares students for any challenges ready to be tackled upon graduation, as well as focusing on “whole-brain engineering.” Engineering is much more than the ability to calculate difficult equations or produce an accurate number, but to think creatively...