I had to concentrate on breathing. It was the only way I could relax myself. In and out, in and out. Surrounded by the skirt of my 1930’s white-lace dress, I sat huddled in the cold pit below the stage. I rubbed my arms for warmth, passing over the millions of goose bumps that had reared their ugly heads just in time for the show. The lights of the theater faded out and I was left in darkness. Behind me,...

I am exploding. Overflowing with the thirst for more existence. So far, I have existed just fine for seventeen and a half years, living in the same house, on the same street, in the same small town. I have enjoyed a lot in life, but it is time to move on. I need more. As I have matured, developing my own principles and ideas, I have become convinced that all knowledge—whether it is of the academic, political, ethical, artistic,...

In fifth grade, I did a project on Benjamin Franklin. I wish I could say that the project changed my life forever, but truthfully, all I got out of it was that I should never fly a kite with a key attached to it in a thunderstorm. Since then, I’ve learned a lot more about him. Between reading his autobiography in an English class, touring Penn, and watching all of the promotional videos and reviews, I could probably spout...

When applying to colleges, I knew that I wanted to attend a school with a solid communications program. I wanted to go into advertising or public...