francesm1205
francesm1205,
Claremont (CMC)
B.A., Neuroscience
Student at Claremont McKenna College pursuing a degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Legal Studies
Features Included
13
Essays
10
Schools
1
Scores
3
Advice
6
ECs
2
Sports

Background

Hometown Ann Arbor, Michigan
GenderFemale
EthnicityWhite Non-Hispanic
Class of2020
First Gen College StudentNo

Results, Essays, and Advice

Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
  • Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA)
  • University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)
  • Scripps College (Claremont, CA)
  • Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
  • Pomona College (Claremont, CA)
  • Pitzer College (Claremont, CA)
  • Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA)
  • Macalester College (St. Paul, MN)
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.

Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA)

Applied for a B.A. in Neuroscience

Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: No

School Specific Essays

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
My breath fogged the window as I watched the swiftly-passing countryside give way to downtown Ann Arbor. It was 5 o’clock on a Saturday morning, and the sun had yet to peek over the horizon. As we pulled into the Farmer’s Market, I hopped out of the truck and wrapped my Hello Kitty blanket around me. I sleepily watched my father unpack the tables, the signs, and, most importantly, the vegetables. Eventually I would get up to organize the...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
169 Words
What influenced you the most in your decision to apply to CMC? Please limit your response to no more than 200 words.
From a young age, I have had a passion for learning and hard work. This is not so unusual in my family: my father is an organic farmer, my mother a nurse practitioner, my grandmother a CEO, and my deceased grandfather was the controversial publisher of Grove Press. My family has always taught me to seek education, work for my future, and pursue my interests with passion and dedication. I now approach college with the aspiration to grow my presence...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
309 Words
Reflecting on your involvement throughout high school or within the community, how have you engaged with one or more of Pitzer's core values?
I walk into the small, fluorescently lit conference room and am greeted by an enthusiastic figure. This is Ricky, my boss at the Planned Parenthood Peer Educator Program. He hugs me and points me toward the table filled with snacks and juice boxes, where the rest of the peer eds are gathered. This is a routine I have come to love. My Wednesday afternoons are now the highlight of my week, rather than the often dreaded mid-week slump. As a...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: Extracurricular activity
141 Words
If you could only do one of the activities you have listed in the Activities section of your Common Application, which one would you keep doing? Why?
When I sent out inquiries to do lab work over the summer, I had a hazy idea of what I might end up doing. The first few days of my internship at a University of Michigan pharmacology research laboratory were hard: pipetting delicate chemicals and calculating molarity required intense focus and attention to detail. It felt like I had run ten miles at the end of each day; but I remained determined. I have wanted to attend medical school since...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
290 Words
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 walk into the small, fluorescently lit conference room and am greeted by an enthusiastic figure. This is Ricky, my boss at the Planned Parenthood Peer Educator Program. He hugs me and points me toward the table filled with snacks and juice boxes, where the rest of the peer eds are gathered. This is a routine I have come to love. My Wednesday afternoons are now the highlight of my week, rather than the often dreaded mid-week slump. As a...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
493 Words
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?
The common theme I have heard most often over the past 6 months of looking at colleges is “big vs small”, and I have been fortunate enough to visit several colleges of both sizes. In fact, because I live in Ann Arbor and interact with the University of Michigan on a daily basis, getting to visit other colleges was an experience I really appreciated. After a summer college campus tour I came back to Ann Arbor with new appreciation for the...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
669 Words
Pomona's Critical Inquiry course is required of all first-year students, and is designed to be highly interdisciplinary and engaging. Recent class titles include: ''The Politics of Classical Art,'' ''Seeing Science,'' and ''The Theatre and Environmental Activism.'' Imagine you were hired to design and teach a Critical Inquiry course. Describe the title of the class, its contents, and why you chose
Offensive and Objectionable: an Account of Censorship in America What does it mean to censor? What does censorship look like? How does it affect us as individuals and as a nation? America has seen its fair share of controversy over censorship. From The Tropic of Capricorn to Catch-22, hundreds of books and films have been banned by various entities including the US Postal system, schools and religious organizations. Scientific research, political opinion and religious beliefs have been deemed unacceptable time...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
140 Words
What about Scripps College has inspired you to apply?
As a young woman intending to pursue a career in the STEM field, I will face many challenges. Talking to a family member about my concerns, I was advised to consider a women’s college for my undergraduate education. She told me that at a women’s college, I would find strength and confidence in the classroom that I will not find anywhere else. In my search for a college that will support my aspirations and give me an interdisciplinary...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
143 Words
Briefly describe how you learned about Santa Clara University.
As a child I loved to talk to my relatives about college. I couldn’t wait to move to a new city and learn new things. Although I didn’t completely understand the concept of higher education, I understood the effect it had on people. My grandfather was especially passionate about his alma mater. He told me story after story of basketball games and his favorite professors. He always said that he couldn’t wait until his grandchildren were old...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
294 Words
Santa Clara University's strategic vision promises to educate citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion and cultivate knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world. What aspect of SCU’s strategic vision appeals to you? Why?
As a child, I loved going to Detroit. I would occasionally go to a hockey game in downtown Hamtramck, and get saganaki cheese in Greektown with my aunt afterwards, or go to the Detroit Art Museum to see the Diego Rivera mural; I always loved finding new scenes in the large fresco. It almost felt like a vacation, but as I grew older the disparities between my hometown, Ann Arbor, and the neighboring city of Detroit became more obvious. Entering...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
468 Words
Macalester is a community that includes people from many different backgrounds, some who have lived around the world and others who have lived in one place their entire lives. Please write an essay about how your background, experiences, or outlook might add to the Mac community, academically and personally.
Ann Arbor, Michigan: home to impressive public schools, liberal activism, and the University of Michigan. Growing up in between the two cities gave me a unique perspective on my predominantly white, liberal hometown. If you stand in front of an Ann Arbor middle school in the few minutes before the bell rings, you can hear middle aged parents’ whispered conversation: the superintendent wasn’t spending money in the right places, Forsythe middle school had a pot problem, and their kids...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
504 Words
How did you learn about Colorado College and why do you wish to attend?
Community High School is a small alternative public school in the middle of downtown Ann Arbor. When I first arrived at Community as a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect. I had accepted a spot at Community in order to take smaller, more personalized classes, and have a more open curriculum. Community’s block scheduling allows students to take longer, more in-depth classes. Throughout high school I took advantage of all that Community has to offer and realized...
Read more...
Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
233 Words
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.
Explaining Consciousness: the Battle of Science and Philosophy What is consciousness? Where does it come from? What separates a simple object from an animate being? The separation between the mind and the body continues to be one of the most disputed mysteries of human existence. In this course we will explore the long debated mind-body problem through both a philosophical and scientific analysis. We will study both historical and modern texts from across the globe to piece together a clear...
Read more...

School Specific Advice

More Essays

These essays haven't been tagged by school. Click school logos above to see tagged essays.

General Admissions Advice

What set me apart from other applicants
123 Words
Despite the immense pressure to have the highest GPA, the best ACT/SAT score, the most AP classes and extracurriculars, I have come to realize that ultimately the application process is about finding a match between yourself...
Read more...
What I’d change about my application process
144 Words
Applying to college is an extremely stressful process that can often end up hurting the applicant and their success in applying. When I applied to college I became so concerned with the idea of not getting into any schools that I overcompensated and...
Read more...
How I made up for low grades in high school
110 Words
During my freshman and sophomore year of high school I struggled academically due to numerous reasons including health and a learning disability. As I progressed through high school I slowly overcame these issues...
Read more...

High School Performance

Unweighted GPA
3.70
 
Rank
Top 25%
 
College Classes In High School
Academic Performance in High School Low at first but improved

Test Scores

Highest ACT
32
 
ACT Score Details
 
Other ACT Scores
ACT Prep

AP / IB Classes and Scores

Sports

SportsRowing (Crew), Tennis

Extracurriculars

ActivitiesNational Honor Society, YMCA/YWCA, Research, Nonprofit, NGO or Charitable Organization, School Newspaper/Magazine/Journalism, Nonprofit, NGO or Charitable Organization

Experience & Awards

Similar Profiles

kak946
Princeton


Accepted to Princeton, UChicago, UMich, Williams, Pomona, Northwestern, JHU, Wesleyan, F&M, Rice, Duke

A history and health nerd trying to survive the jungle of New Jersey.
jackiemdietric…
UPenn


Accepted to Temple, UPenn, USciences, Drexel, Penn State

I am an incoming freshman at University of Pennsylvania as a member of the Class of 2019 and wish to major in biology. I live on the borderline suburbs of Philly and look forward to moving into University of City in the fall.
UPenn445101
UPenn


Accepted to UPenn, Rutgers, BU, Binghamton

Penn undergraduate interested in health science!
Lia_Columbia
Columbia


Accepted to Columbia

I'm a student at Columbia. I love writing, activism, terrible jokes, and binge-watching Netflix. Aspiring PhD students/teacher.
riya16
Claremont (CMC)


Accepted to Claremont (CMC)

Freshman at Claremont McKenna College. College apps is a stressful process for many, but I have found that writing essays can be therapeutic if you make them as "you" as possible.