Every Chinese New Year, my parents give me a red envelope containing money with the condition that I speak Chinese: I must recite, ““Xīnnián kuàilè” and “Xièxiè.” While this may seem like a simple task, my every attempt to speak with the fluidity and grace of my parents often leaves me in a toothy smile wanting to hide. Nevertheless, my parents force me to say “Happy New Year” and “Thanks” in a language that I can�...

My recent experience volunteering at the Oncology Nursing Unit at the White Plains Hospital reaffirmed my desire to become a nurse. One day, I observed two RNs, Melissa and Carrie-Ann, wrapping up a woman in her sixties who had just died of sepsis. I was struck by how personal this process was: Melissa told me that she could not get herself to wrap up or even look at a deceased patient for months since her grandpa passed away. I admire...

Approach teachers who you have had close relationships with throughout your high school career. Do NOT go to a teacher simply because he or she teaches a subject that you are planning to major in. Remember that a recommender's job is to write about you as a person (and on a lesser focus, how well you did in the class). If you do not have...

For Penn, specifically, I would say that the best essays will always include mention of Penn's unique...

To be quite honest, my application process was very simple compared...

After visiting a couple colleges (I did not visit many compared to a majority of my classmates; I visited Brown, Columbia, Barnard, Cornell, Yale, and of course Penn), I ultimately decided on Penn because I loved the atmosphere and its convenient...