Standing as far back in the corner as possible, hoping to become invisible, I counted down the minutes until I could leave, never to return. Nevertheless, whether by choice or coercion, I ended up in the same situation the day after that. And the day after that… My extreme aversion to giving up drew me back to the studio day after day, year after year, until it started to become home. I did not know it at the time, but...

University of Pennsylvania I love using my hands to build a product, and for the past four years, my summers have followed that one theme: hands on. I spent the first three summers at the Interlochen Center for the Arts learning metalworking including skills such as: Arc, oxyacetylene, oxygen, and butane welding on steel, soldering on nickel silver and copper, and training on the machines one would find around a shop. These are skills that I would love to put...

Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? I love using my hands to build a product, and for the past four years my summers have followed that one theme: hands on. I spent the first three summers at the Interlochen Center for the Arts learning metalworking including skills such...

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. I began my schooling at a Jewish preschool, and then moved to Hillel Day School for kindergarten to eighth grade. During my years there, my days were spent in two worlds. Half of my classes were...

My high school had a college counseling office dedicated to junior/senior college admissions. Whenever my counselor would read over my essays she would tell me to sound collegiate, use larger words or move developed thoughts, but not to do so at the expense of my personality...

Letters of recommendation are possibly the most important part of the application besides the essays. It's ideal to find a teacher or adviser freshman year who can watch you grow and excel throughout high school, but that doesn't always happen. If it does, approaching them and asking them for a letter should not be difficult. In my case, I...

I am an active member of the Penn Hillel and the Holocaust Education Committee within that. I am also auditioning for the Penn Ballet Company, as well as for the University Choral...

Apply Early Decision, simple as that. Spend a summer on campus in one of the school’s summer programs in order to be able to show in your essays and in the interview specifics of what you love about the school. ...

After being admitted I contacted the head of the choral program, the heads of the student run Ballet Company, and the head of the Hillel. I suggest doing so to make a name for yourself before even getting on...