People often ask me why I love baking. It's because I love each ingredient, and how it waits patiently on the shelf. First, flour: the blank page. To it, you can add sugar, eggs, butter…anything, really. Each ingredient has its niches to be filled. Each holds its breath, waiting for its chance to shine. And I, with my bowl in one hand and mixer in the other, can bring that potential to life. I become the conductor. I control...

I never quite had a single goal. My interests seemed too dispersed: I loved being friendly and fun, but craved a respected leadership position. I loved traveling and foreign language, but excelled in math classes too. I dreamed of being a chef in a successful restaurant, but didn't want to be limited to the kitchen. I was torn, until I discovered that a career in hospitality and the SHA's alliance with the Culinary Institute of America would allow me to...

-Interesting: Many people at Cornell have really varied talents that make them cool to talk to. For example, my roommate's boyfriend is a very successful birder who travels the word photographing rare birds and going to conferences about them. It helps that you can join a club here for anything from Israeli dance to wine tasting. -Grounded: Cornell is *not* the stereotypical snooty Ivy college....

Ithaca is gorges! It's a small town in the middle of nowhere in the Finger Lakes of NY. It's pleasant in the summer, absolutely stunning in the fall, frigid but beautiful in the winter, and lively in the spring. There are bridges...

I was deferred from Early Decision. So, I emailed the admissions director I met when I interviewed at the school and asked her...

I'm on the DanceSport (competitive ballroom dance) team and it was one of the best decisions I made at school. It's...