Accepted7 schools NYU, Columbia, Duke, Rochester, UToronto, Fordham, KCL
Waitlisted or Withdrew2 schools Northwestern, Grinnell
Denied4 schools Case, Cornell, Harvard, Northeastern
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.
New York University (New York, NY)
Applied for a B.S. in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
Accepted and Enrolled
Legacy: No
Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
The day the Mandra floods occurred in Greece, I was sitting in the comfort of my History of Social Sciences class. As the ideas of Plato, Schopenhauer, and Kant filled our morning, our teacher stopped abruptly to inform us of the news. One of my country’s poorest communities, one that has been chronically struggling with societal inequalities, was now left with almost nothing. That same afternoon, we assembled a small...
Harmony. The harmony that dominates our existence has been one of the wonders which have fascinated me from a very young age. Life is characterized by it in each and every aspect; all cells, all tissues, all organs working in an absolute harmony inside each individual, creating the euphony of existence. This is exactly what drew me to science, the way the entirety of the universe seems to be drawn into parallel with all of its aspects. The complexity of...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
406 Words
We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. We are particularly interested in knowing what motivated you to apply to NYU and more specifically, why you have applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and/or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please tell us why you are interested in each of the campuses, schools, colleges, or programs to which you have applied. You may be focused or undecided, or simply open to the options within NYU's global network; regardless, we want to understand - Why NYU? (400 word maximum)
New York University Abu Dhabi, to me, is a form of liberation truly unique. It offers me the academic freedom to pursue whatever ignites my curiosity from Bioelectronics, to Middle Eastern Politics, to Applied Psycholinguistics. As a FinTech entrepreneur who spends her afternoons building quantum algorithms and her weekends chairing Model UN committees on legal issues, I have always found it difficult to fit into a single, cookie-cutter form of a student. At NYUAD, I will not have to compromise...
Supplemental Essay: Other
363 Words
A list of books you have read during the past twelve months
Diving into the world of quantum mechanics and scientific self-discovery
Michael A. Nielsen and Isaac L. Chuang, "Quantum Computation and Quantum Information"
Martin Laforest, PhD, "The Mathematics of Quantum Mechanics"
Theodore A. Jacobson and Renaud Parentani, "An Echo of Black Holes"
George Musser, "The Quantum Physics of Free Will"
Hans C. Ohanian and Remo Ruffini, "Black-Hole Thermodynamics; The Hawking Process" from Gravitation and Spacetime
John Stachel, "The Rigidity Rotating Disk as the 'Missing Link' in the History of 'General Relativity'"...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
151 Words
If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (Please limit your response to no more than 150 words.)
I aspire to study engineering because I believe it to be an excellent way for me to harness my curiosity for the world around me and my passion for sustainability and global justice. Going into engineering, I am excited to utilize scientific knowledge to create tailored biotechnology solutions for developing countries. There truly is no better way for me to do so than Duke's Engineering World Health program.
At Duke, engineering takes its most 'outrageously ambitious' form. With research areas...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
655 Words
Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected? Please discuss how your interests and related experiences have influenced your choice. Specifically, how will an education from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell University help you achieve your academic goals? (650 words)
The switch is flipped, and I watch my teammates’ eyes glisten as they wait for the screen to display the results. I count down silently: 3, 2, 1. Suddenly, the VDU lights up with our data, which took 3 months to be developed.
During those three months, my robotics teammates and I took up the challenge of the World Robot Olympiad to develop a robot that could detect household energy use and suggest more sustainable habits to the house owners. We spent our afternoons...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
299 Words
Other parts of your application give us a sense for how you might contribute to Northwestern. But we also want to consider how Northwestern will contribute to your interests and goals. In 300 words or less, help us understand what aspects of Northwestern appeal most to you, and how you'll make use of specific resources and opportunities here. (We HIGHLY recommend you complete this essay.) (300 words)
Scientific pursuit with purpose has always been my foremost priority in my education. As a summer scholar at Perimeter Institute's ISSYP program, I spent my summer exploring quantum technologies, finding myself baffled by the opportunities that quantum computing could prospectively offer to LEDC development. Similarly, as a Biomedical Engineering major at Northwestern University, I could pursue this 'spark' through the Center for Quantum Devices in tandem with community outreach through ISEN.
An aspect of a Northwestern Education particularly appealing to...
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
512 Words
Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Science – Graduate Engineering at Rochester (GEAR) Prompt
What relevant experiences or insight have led to your interest in this particular program? Describe how Rochester’s facilities, faculty, peers and research will meet your academic and personal ambitions. Describe your confidence to succeed in the challenging profession(s) you want to enter as a Rochester graduate. (Max: 500 words)
My journey in Engineering began with the F1 in Schools Engineering challenge, where I designed an F1 model using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Finite Element Analysis, and Computer Aided Design tools. As my team’s Design Engineer and Research Manager, I also engaged in a research project at the National Technical University of Athens developing new models of hydrodynamic testing and new systems of correlation for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) - lab water tunnel testing.
One of the most perspective shifting...
Supplemental Essay: Intellectual interest
252 Words
Fugitive slave, abolitionist, entrepreneur, feminist, intellectual, and Rochester luminary Frederick Douglass said “Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.”
You’re showing us your “ability to do” in this application. Please describe also how you apply your “powers to things needed to be done.” Explain why you want to join our Rochester community of independent thinkers who create positive change and make the world “ever better.” (MAXIMUM OF 250 WORDS)
My ‘ability to do’ flourishes through ‘eureka’ moments- finishing that final mathematics proof that perfectly knits together my research, a new resolution for an MUN resolution, or simply receiving a ‘thank you’ note from one of my mentees. It is the moments that define my work as significant and impactful, at the smallest level, that constitutes the moving force of my academic career.
Living in a country defined by the problems it faces, my ‘ability to do’ bloomed under the...
Supplemental Essay: Using a metaphor
756 Words
Write a formal, academic essay in which you imagine that you are in a position of leadership in your country or your local community (note that while many leaders who affect change are politicians, they can also be scholars, activists, scientists, artists, etc.). Choose an issue about which you, as this leader, feel passionately and describe it in detail, giving your informed reader a sense of the arguments and counterarguments associated with the issue. Tell us where you stand and why, using description and analysis of real-world evidence as well as your unique perspective.
In the midst of an extensive economic and humanitarian crisis, political corruption in Greece is raging on at alarming rates. Hundreds of global corporations are withdrawing from the country, shocked by the cronyism and political immorality that dominates the public sector, while thousands of corruption cases are being brought forward in courts. During the three years that I have been serving as Secretary-General of the World Justice Project, I have become very well acquainted with the mechanics of corruption in...
Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
130 Words
List a few words or phrases that describe your ideal college community. (150 words or less)
Busy. Buzzing with the energetic diversity of the city, filled the tranquility of scientific exploration. A community unapologetically original, yielding from every corner of the world.
A place where a difference of opinion is celebrated, not condemned, and intellectuality of thought is welcomed with open arms. Where friends are the ones you spent your breakfasts with, daydreaming about your spring study abroad semester over homework, but also the ones who show up in your dorm at 3 am with popcorn and...
Supplemental Essay: Other
163 Words
List the titles of the required readings from courses during the school year or summer that you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
Michael A. Nielsen and Isaac L. Chuang, "Quantum Computation and Quantum Information"
Martin Laforest, PhD, "The Mathematics of Quantum Mechanics"
Theodore A. Jacobson and Renaud Parentani, "An Echo of Black Holes"
George Musser, "The Quantum Physics of Free Will"
Hans C. Ohanian and Remo Ruffini, "Black-Hole Thermodynamics; The Hawking Process" from Gravitation and Spacetime
John Stachel, "The Rigidity Rotating Disk as the 'Missing Link' in the History of 'General Relativity'"
Kenneth N. Waltz, "Structural Realism after the Cold War"
Robert...
Supplemental Essay: Other
168 Words
List the titles of the books you read for pleasure that you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
Khaled Hosseini, "The Kite Runner"
Amy Poehler, "Yes Please"
B.J. Novak, "One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories"
Paul Beatty, "The Sellout"
Don DeLillo, "Great Jones Street"
Alice Walker, "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens"
Alice Walker, "We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting for: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness"
Samantha Power, "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide"
Georgios Dertilis, "Seven Wars, Four Civil Wars, Seven Bankruptcies: 1821-2016"
Robert P. Crease and...
Supplemental Essay: Other
43 Words
List the titles of the print, electronic publications and websites you read regularly. (150 words or less)
Scientific American, Discover, Popular Science, Vox, Foreign Policy, Bloomberg Business & Politics, Vol.1 Brooklyn, World Economic Forum, Periplus: A Notebook for The Letters and Arts, New Yorker, Backchannel, The Believer, The IEEE Spectrum, n+1, Asymptote, Economist's 1843, Inside the Perimeter, Catapult, 3:AM Magazine, Nea Estia
Supplemental Essay: Other
78 Words
List the titles of the films, concerts, shows, exhibits, lectures and other entertainments you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
Rob Spekkens, Perimeter Insitute for Theoretical Physics, "Can Quantum Correlations be Explained Casually?"
Neil Turok, Perimeter Insitute for Theoretical Physics, "Discussion with Neil Turok"
7th Astronomy Festival, "The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud"
Museum of Cycladic Art, "The Forms of Beginning"
Avanti Dario at Irodio Theatre
Moonlight (2016)
Under the Sun (2015)
The Lives of Others (2006)
The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
304 Words
Please tell us what you value most about Columbia and why. (300 words or less)
I am fond of Columbia's openness to different ways of thinking. An interesting way I realized the diversity of the Columbia community was by looking into the profiles of the faculty that comprise it, and discovering the idiosyncratic, joyful HTML websites unique to each professor. It truly reflected what I later discovered the concept behind Columbia to be- unique individuals improving the Columbia community by bringing in the unique pieces of their personality into it.
The Columbia Experience is exciting...
What I now know about my school that I never would have known prior to enrolling
211 Words
The engineering program at NYU Abu Dhabi is bad. There are many reasons for that. It saddens me to have to say this, as I am one of the only to defend it as soon as controversy arises, but quite frankly it's horribly structured and does not prepare you for much. Personally, I am really frustrated over the fact that I’m in...
Colleges care A LOT about your post-college plans. In fact, at Harvard, they look at your application completely from the framework of your future profession (a friend who received his reviewed application after attending Harvard saw this...
Why I declined other schools
112 Words
I was dying to go to Columbia - until I visited during its admit weekend. It may be personal, but as an international student, I simply did not feel welcomed, felt like a forgotten ...
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