arya.jemal
arya.jemal,
Swarthmore
B.A., Environmental Studies
Swat '19 + Columbia '22! I'm from California and I play tennis + violin + love the outdoors
Features Included
5
Essays
7
Schools
11
Scores
10
Advice
6
ECs
1
Sports

Background

Hometown Mission Viejo, California
GenderFemale
EthnicityWhite Non-Hispanic
AdmissionEarly Decision, Recruited for Sport
Class of2019
First Gen College StudentNo
English First Language Yes
Other Language(s) Spoken Spanish

Results, Essays, and Advice

Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
  • Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA)
  • University of California - Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
  • University of California - Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
  • University of California - Davis (Davis, CA)
  • University of California - San Diego (La Jolla, CA)
  • University of California - Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
  • Brown University (Providence, RI)
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.

Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA)

Applied for a B.A. in Environmental Studies

Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: No

School Specific Essays

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 look up. It’s one hundred and ten feet to the top, the best place to view the whole ship. With a harness across my chest and prussic attached, I stand on the rails, put my hands on the metal, and begin to climb. It is my first summer on the tall ship SSV Tole Mour, and I feel just like Jack Sparrow, dreadlocks and all. I don’t dare look down, my legs shaking as I step higher...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
253 Words
Why Swarthmore?
I am not well rounded; I am well sliced, dividing my time amongst all that I feel passionate about- violin, Help Our Planet (HOP) Club, my high school’s recycling program, tennis, and sailing. High school feels like a time of concessions, trying to squeeze every activity into twenty-four hours with barely enough time to reflect on my choices and decisions. After visiting Swarthmore twice and talking to multiple professors and the tennis coach, I believe this is a college...
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School Specific Advice

5 adjectives that describe a typical student at my school (Feel free to elaborate!)
93 Words
Hardworking, Progressive, Nerdy, Go-getter, Passionate Most Swarthmore students and graduates will tell you that the typical Swarthmore student is extremely passionate about something specific. Those passions can...
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My favorite course thus far, and why
168 Words
My favorite course: Environmental Justice with Professor Giovanna DiChiro Why: Taking environmental justice with Professor DiChiro not only exposed me to the world of environmental justice, but opened up so many doors and opportunities to engage in environmental justice movements and organizations. Part of our coursework for Environmental Justice...
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Why I ultimately chose my school
55 Words
I eventually chose to apply to Swarthmore College early decision because I was excited about a...
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List of schools I interviewed with and my interview experience
70 Words
I interviewed with two schools, Brown University and Swarthmore College, and felt that interviewing was not only a good supplement to...
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What I now know about my school that I never would have known prior to enrolling
58 Words
I never would have known that most of the students at Swarthmore are so down to earth...
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What are opportunities unique to my school
210 Words
Swarthmore has so many amazing opportunities! These are some of the opportunities I took advantage of: - Travel course in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on water policy --> I took an environmental studies and political sciences course on water policy that included a 0.5 credit travel portion to China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. I was able to travel...
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More Essays

These essays haven't been tagged by school. Click school logos above to see tagged essays.

Supplemental Essay Issue of personal significance
533 Words
I used to think the William Saroyan photograph hanging at my grandmother’s house was my uncle. They both have the same large gray bushy moustache, Saroyan’s slightly lengthier than my uncle’s. As a child, being Armenian was only defined by similarities in appearance- dark hair, brown eyes, old men with large beer bellies- and likeness in food. I now understand that we are a people defined by more than similar facial hair and meat at every meal....
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Supplemental Essay Unique question posed by school
481 Words
I open my eyes - it's St. Patrick's Day 2014. Today is the day that Mission Viejo High School will be visited by a magic different than that of a Leprechaun. St. Patrick's Day has never meant anything to me, but today it meant I was going to kick-off my campus-wide recycling program. After unpacking and lining over fifty blue recycling bins, my Help Our Planet Club cohorts and I broke into a frenzy, running like madmen to distribute all the...
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Supplemental Essay Other
54 Words
My personal statements and essays had the same general theme - I focused what I really cared about as opposed to trying to present myself as someone I was not. Although I might not have given a school an essay they were expecting, in the long run, it displayed my uniqueness and passions accurately.
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General Admissions Advice

Reaching out to professors and coaches at schools I applied to
56 Words
As a tennis player, I made sure to email coaches of schools I was interested starting in...
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Recommended summer activities during high school and college
118 Words
Some recommended summer activities: - Intern somewhere that has to do with what you may study in college. It's ok if your interests change! - Take a course at a community college -...
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Post-college plans
90 Words
Post-college plans look different for everyone. My advice is to first make a list of your short term and long term goals. Your list of goals should...
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My insights about AP (Advanced Placement) courses and exams
98 Words
AP courses and exams can definitely help you prepare for college. When deciding whether or not to take the AP exam, I highly recommend checking on the schools you...
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High School Performance

Weighted GPA
4.46
(equivalent to 3.70 unweighted)
Rank
Top 10%
 
High School TypePublic
College Classes In High School
Academic Performance in High School Steady

Test Scores

Highest ACT
29
 
ACT Score Details
 
Other ACT Scores
ACT Prep
Highest SAT
1470
on 1600 scale
Highest SAT
2110
 
SAT Score Details
 
Original SAT Score2110
Other SAT Scores
SAT Prep
PSAT Scores

AP / IB Classes and Scores

Details7 classes and scores

Sports

SportsTennis

Extracurriculars

ActivitiesHelp Save Our Environment, School Jazz / Orchestra, Model Congress / Model UN, Nonprofit, NGO or Charitable Organization, Clean Ocean Beach Sweeps / River Cleanup, Conservancy Volunteer
Elaborate on Extracurriculars or Work

Experience & Awards

How Spent Summers
Volunteer Experiences
Awards Received
Application Additional Materials

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