CLOSE-UP ON THE CARPET. BOOKS, CARDS, AND CLOTHES ARE SCATTERED AROUND, AND THE WHOLE ROOM IS IN COMPLETE DISARRAY. PAGES ARE OUT OF PLACE, CARDS ARE FACING UP AND DOWN, AND DIRTY SOCKS ARE STREWN UNEVENLY ALL OVER THE FLOOR. WE SEE AUGUST'S FEET QUIETLY MANEUVER AROUND THIS UNIMAGINABLE CHAOS. SHE IS TRAPPED. These are some of the opening stage directions to Buzz, a short screenplay. While the descriptions may seem mundane, these four simple sentences were agonizingly difficult to...

I am a sculptor of stories, a puppeteer of characters, a craftsman of words. I want to use the power of the stage to tell stories that are larger than life, and that reveal the most about who we are as human beings. I have had many incredible opportunities to study and cultivate my passion for the dramatic arts, primarily in performance and playwriting. For example, I am currently the Co-Artistic Director of Studio 216, my school's student-run theatre company, I...

I wrote an interpretive poem about a particular school's theme, and what that means to me as a prospective student.

In my belief, the most effective essays display a human side to an applicant not otherwise seen through test scores and transcripts, and the best advice I can give is to be as open and honest as possible, and realize that these admissions officers are not looking for perfection, but for an individual who will be a productive member of a learning environment.

I ultimately chose Fordham University because I felt that the school...