Pushups, Handprints, and Life At first glance, my bedroom seems to be the bedroom of the regular, overworked teenager; a table hidden beneath piles of schoolwork, a perpetually unmade bed overlooked by walls painted a jarring shade of neon green that I regrettably chose in 3rd grade, and weeks’ worth of clothes tossed in piles on the floor. However, directly in front of my bookshelf is something that is unique to my room: a pair of handprints imprinted into the...

Innovation requires two things: preparation and flexibility.To be the scientific innovator I want to be, whether as a volunteer physician in Haiti, or a pharmacist trying to discover the treatment for the next deadly outbreak, or a researcher trying to unlock the secrets of the regenerative properties of the zebrafish, I need to be prepared academically. With the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts’s numerous undergraduate research and internship opportunities ,such as UROP, and its reputation as...

I learned a lot about being Korean in a very dusty alley in one of the poorest parts of Seoul. The underprivileged kids that I taught were about to return the favor by teaching me one of their favorite games. The game involved choosing a rock from the many piles of rubble laying around, balancing it on a body part, and attempting to get from one line to another without the rock falling. The game left the kids, but mostly...

You've heard it all before, and, unfortunately, it's true. Essays are an important portion of the undergraduate admissions process. If you're applying to a top-tier university, it's likely that a majority of the kids will have 4.0's and perfect test scores, a slew of extracurricular activities, and sparkling recommendations from whom they consider their second parents. Chances are, if you're being reasonable about applying to a certain set of schools, your chances of getting into your reach school without the...

My story is a bit complicated. I grew up in a Northwestern Family: my brother, mother, and father were all Wildcats. My essay for Northwestern was incredible and straight fro the heart. For the longest time, it was my top choice, and I had always believed that it was my dream school. I ultimately ended up not applying early decision because the cost of tuition was just too high: my brother applied early, and after seeing the financial burden it cost my parents, I decided that I couldn't commit to such a heavy financial burden. I applied to lots of...

I applied to too many schools. I had a back-up I would be content with attending, and I included other schools I that I was pretty confident that I could get into, like Michigan and Notre Dame (looking back, though, I may have been a little cocky). However, I realized a couple things when I got into Cornell: I did not want to go there. I had never visited, never talked to anyone that went there, knew nothing about the campus culture, and, frankly, didn't really want to know anything about the school. I applied because it was a good...

I received only scholarship offer, and it's an incredible opportunity. The great thing about it is, for the University of Michigan, it doesn't cost any extra money to apply for...