My living room, with its familiar coffee table and couches perfect for curling up with a book. The orchestra room at school, with its rows of cellos and rickety stands. On the surface, the two places have little in common, yet both places give me the same warm feeling of belonging and contentment. And it is all because of a set of hammers, strings, and music’s ability to transcend time and cultures. Piano has always been a large part...

I dash up endless stairs, aware only of pounding footsteps behind me. Upstairs, I sprint to my room, yank the door shut, and crawl under my covers. She bursts in, yelling “the ticklemonster’s got you!” as she tickles me. Eventually we collapse in giggles. My childhood was filled with these playful afternoons that I so loved. My older sister Christina and I have always been close, and she means the world to me. Since our dad suffered a fatal...

“What’s your favorite subject?” Until this past summer, I confidently answered “AP Chemistry”. While I loved contributing to Othello discussions in class, sciences and their hands-on applicability to everyday life had always been more appealing. However, the Stanford Summer Humanities Institute (SHI) welcomed me into a completely new dimension of thought. At SHI, each conversation was an intelligent exchange, whether we discussed the day’s lecture or debated the merits of public versus private schools. The boundaries of my...

Hey Roomie! I’m SO excited for this coming year – we’re finally in college! I know we’ll have tons of time to get to know each other and explore the gorgeous campus together, but I thought I’d share some of my quirks in this letter. I’m kind-of a self-professed grammar nut, so I apologize in advance if a correction just pops out in conversation. I’ve always loved reading and find it so fun to shape...

The essay about my sister was for Stanford's "what matters to you and why" prompt. The next one, about my summer experience, was tailored to Stanford's "intellectual diversity" prompt. Last is the letter to my roommate, also for Stanford. Clearly, Stanford was my first choice. I was so nervous about crafting the perfect essay that I started drafts right after finished my junior year of high school. An invaluable part of writing my essay was bouncing ideas off my mom...