I hear the familiar blending of the espresso machine, sputtering of whipped cream, thank-yous, footsteps, random chatter and laughter around me. In front of me is my empty coffee cup, half-finished research paper, articles peppered with highlighting, and post-it notes scattered around. As I take a break, a man asks me, “Hey, what are you working on?” I tell him about my topic on school funding issues in America, which launches us into an hour-long conversation about our education system....

Yale is both big and small. I love how it maintains the philosophy of a liberal arts college while providing huge opportunities that can rarely be matched. Because of the sheer number of research its undergraduates participate in, I know that I, too, will be given the chance to discover something meaningful, experiment with new ideas -- and not just in STEM fields either. I adore how the "shopping period" will let me try new interests or confront old prejudices...

I squinted a little as the stage lights brightened. Slowly, I began to distinguish their faces, some I’ve been friends with since grade school; others I’ve only passed by in the hallways. I smiled nervously and adjusted the podium mike. “Hey guys! My name is R____ A__, and I’m running to be your school secretary…” Throughout the two-minutes of my speech, I could hear my heart pound and hands shake as I worked to enunciate and keep...

Last spring, as I was scrolling past the college promotions, junk advertisements, and insignificant newsletters, a heading struck out. “The Frick Collection.” I quickly opened it and, to my surprise, read the word “accept” and “Frick Forum” in the same sentence. I rushed to tell my parents, excited at the chance to be a part of an art discussion group. But before I could even tell them what the program is about, I heard the “no.” My parents and I...

Because I applied through Questbridge, Yale read both my Common App and Questbridge App. I copy and pasted all three essays (two for Common App, and one from Questbridge). The question I answered for the common app was this: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? (650 Words) And then in the supplemental section, Yale asked me this: In this essay, please reflect on...

Looking only at numbers (my GPA, SAT scores, APs, etc.), I would say that there were a lot of students in my school that were considered "better" than me academically. So when college application season came around, my acceptance to Yale came as a shock not only to me,...

I wasn't expecting on getting into Yale - I applied because it was non-binding, and why not. So when I was doing my college search, I was focusing on getting into liberal arts colleges like Amherst,...