“So Mukul, you’re next in line! Will it be Harvard for you, too?” Increasingly, aunties, cousins, even friends, have posed this question to me during one too many dinner table conversations. This question speculates the fate of my future compared to that of my very accomplished older siblings, both of whom navigated the murky waters of our parents’ divorce, became financially independent and supported my mom and me, and entered careers where they committed themselves to serving communities in...

One of the biggest draws to BU is that I am well acquainted with the city of Boston since I came often to visit my two siblings who attended graduate school in Cambridge and Boston. When I came to visit, I was inspired by the diversity of the students and the intellectual vibe the city had to offer because of its plethora of universities and colleges. BU is at the heart of all this, and I would love to be...

There are a variety of reasons I am applying to Occidental. One, my sister graduated from a liberal arts college in southern California many years ago, which has allowed me to get an insider’s sneak peak at the kind of education a liberal arts college provides. Combining her experience with the research I’ve done on Occidental, I am excited about the possibility of being part of a school culture that values intellectual thought and dialogue, and socially aware...

New York is a vibrant, global city with diversity that is unparalleled, and this is a springboard for my aspirations of working in diverse, socioeconomically marginalized communities and creating a positive difference there. NYU’s leadership in global issues is something that I would like to be a part of, as I look forward to taking advantages of it’s connections throughout the world by studying abroad and meeting people from diverse backgrounds. This will in turn allow me to...

It’s a cold, dreary day and I’m craving something that’ll warm me up from the inside out. I go to a local restaurant that typically quenches this craving. Inside, I notice a sharp contrast from the dry, unforgiving atmosphere to an environment rich with heat and spice. I sit down, hardly glance at the menu before ordering the usual, and play the waiting game, anxiously observing the waiters serve other people with steamy dishes of colorful, aromatic...

Make sure you ask people who you want to write letters for you as early as possible, to give them enough time to write a great...

I ended up choosing UC Santa Cruz because it was far from my home in the suburbs of...

Definitely try to look for jobs or volunteering opportunities. Colleges like students who use...

Definitely applying to fewer schools. I feel like I overestimated myself during the application process and cast...

Imagine a school with a forest on one side and the beach the another side. That's Santa Cruz for...