I always thought that I was somewhat of a go-getter. Entering contests for scholarships, studying for the SAT, selling my old clothes to buy new ones…I considered myself a girl who really valued ambition and embodied it to the fullest. So as I was watching a small boy spread some paint on a piece of tile in the rainy city of Porto de Galinhas, Brasil, I didn’t really think anything spectacular about it. Just a little boy trying...

Columbia's "describe-a-significant-event-and-explain-why-it-stuck-with-you" prompt: With as much broken English as she could manage, Amartaivan, like a daily alarm clock, would quiver with excitement. "Tomorrow...we to go Mother Tree." I smiled and nodded, but I wouldn't understand until the next day as she coaxed me onto a questionable bus for a curious adventure. As we clattered along, I watched the landscape change from luscious greenery, to dusty, barren wasteland. I hobbled out of the vehicle and was given matches, milk, and...

Columbia App: For a girl who has never eaten a Sabrett’s hot dog, seen the Empire State Building in person, or been to a Yankees game, New York just seems like an unattainable daydream…not a place I could actually attend school. I have always fantasized life as a ‘New Yorka’, being able to live it rather than through the vicarious experiences of Seinfeld and Alicia Keys. But more important than all the stereotypical wonders of the area, is...

Columbia's "Why-are-you-interested-in-your-field-of-study" question (I changed my mind on what my major would be once I got in college, but I was interested in Optometry when I first applied). When I was little I remember filing into my mom’s mini-van and excitedly going to the eye doctor. Dr. Bowers was such a friendly guy, and though I never understood exactly what he did, I was always interested. He would bring out the intricate glasses and ask me, “Better? Can you...

Georgetown School of Foreign Service Essay: The jungle is a place where living things flourish. Dart frogs scurry, their blue and black speckled backs flash across the jungle floor. Somewhere nearby a hoatzin bird sings for his mate. The hot, Brazilian sun peeks through the elephant-ear sized leaves. They become parasols for the various creatures beneath. The sound of the rippling river echoes through the forest. A piranha bobs above the water in pursuit of its smaller, unfortunate prey. A...

Bates' "Respond to a particular part of our mission statement and why you wish to come here for that reason" essay: Mission Statement: "Since 1855, Bates College has been dedicated to the emancipating potential of the liberal arts. Bates educates the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. With ardor and devotion - Amore ac Studio - we engage the transformative power of our differences, cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action. Preparing leaders sustained by...

Columbia is the most diverse Ivy League school. I felt that, because I was from New Mexico, I would feel like a minority, but what...

I had a counselor at my school that knew some of the admissions officers. Even when she did not know them, she would email them. ...

Ivy League schools generally do not do interviews. I did, however, interview with Bates and Bowdoin. ...

Each institution has different flavor--a certain type of person they are looking for. Columbia really likes students that have a broader view of the world (and I don't just mean travel experiences, even though that's what I wrote about). A lot of my friends wrote about being a second generation Chinese, Russian, Pakistani, [other...

This year I was an event planner for (CCSC) Columbia College Student Council 2017. We...