What is beauty to me? Beauty is the irregularities in a world full of indescribable complexity. When I suited up for diving, I had no idea what to anticipate. But as soon as my dive instructor signaled the descent, the world became crystal clear. Through it all, the experience of hovering mid water became a transgression into my audacious, yet obstructive life. Hovering forty-feet below, the tranquility of the ocean mocked my presence. A world so opposite from my own...

"The Block Plan at Colorado College has a tradition of innovation and flexibility. Please design your own three-and-a-half week course and describe what you would do." Based on the millions of viewers the Discovery channel’s “Shark Week” attracts every year, sharks are intriguing to many. This is partly due to their reputation of aggression, as well as their mysterious representation in our society. Every year, more and more scientists are becoming more familiar with the behaviors and patterns of...

Rationality has always been my best friend. But sometimes, rationality turns into over thinking situations, which only leads to complications. I was the kid that had to process everything before committing to something. I tend to attribute this nature to my upbringing- putting my best foot forward was all I could do when living in one of the worst neighborhoods of Chicago. So you can only imagine the terror that came over me when my dive instructor told me I...

Over the horizon, the haze of orange illuminates the beach as I wake up to the rooster’s call lurking behind me. The sun slowly creeps its way across my exposed eyes as I emerge from a night in my tent. I brush my teeth, comb my hair, and put on an abundance of bug repellent to prepare me for the long day working in the fields. Kauai’s backyard, lush greenery ready to be tended to, becomes the place...

Try to do as much volunteer service as possible. During my summers, I combined my passions of community service with environmental research. Colleges really love when you can combine several of your passions into something like so. Aside from this, just stay busy. Try to do as much as you can during your summer, and try to get as much experience possible. Don't limit yourself to...

Each school is different in their interview process. I completed a total of 6 college interviews. My Harvard interview was very different from Wesleyan interview, which was very different from my Brown interview. My best advice is to always be on time, really engage with your interviewer, and be true to who you are-- they want that. For example, I got very lucky at my...

Brown had always been my dream school. However, so was Pomona, and when I got rejected from Pomona I was devastated. The reason why I chose Brown over all the other wonderful schools I was admitted to was simple. Not only did they offer the best aid package in terms of my mother not having to pay anything, but Brown was the perfect fit for me. I had narrowed down my choices to Brown, USC, and Wesleyan. USC would offer me...

I think what sets me apart from other applicants is my motivation to make a better future for myself and my family, combined with my passions. My test scores and GPA weren't the absolute best. (My GPA would've...

Don't be conventional. Be yourself, tell them why you really wanna go there. Pick certain aspects...

I have a little rulebook to follow when applying to college. You have four types of schools: safeties, matches, reaches, dreams. The majority of the schools I applied to were safeties and matches. Then I allowed for 6-7 reach...

Apply for scholarships. Don't be lazy.Literally apply to all types of...