The phrase “the greatest nuclear disaster in history” reverberated in my head, but the only thing that stood out to me when I arrived was the silence. The entire town of Pripyat, the former site of the Chernobyl nuclear reactors, was deserted, with trees growing straight through the abandoned houses, the inhabitants of which had fled over twenty years ago. The impact of such a disaster, visible in the various forms of cancer it caused in surrounding areas, as well...

Flipping through channels on my grandmother’s ancient television, I tried to find something that wasn’t just static. Coming upon a Bollywood channel made me feel simultaneously confused and intrigued; how could the same Russians who created an existential children’s cartoon about a hedgehog enjoy the lighthearted song and dance that comprised the core of Bollywood culture? Since I discovered that Bollywood channel, wedged between old Soviet cartoons and Russian news updates, I have been fascinated by the...

“What’s the age at which it stops being acceptable to say ‘I like to play’ without a direct object immediately after?” At Duke, work and play are not mutually exclusive. I will take challenging Russian and Hindi courses, and later brush up on my grammar with Duolingo, developed by Duke alumni. A Duke education is interdisciplinary and personal, to the point where I could grab FLUNCH with my Russian Art and Politics professor after discussing how a combination of...

“Anything with chemistry is a good field for Russians. We had Mendeleev!” The combination of that encouragement from my relatives and an education at the Wiess School of Natural Sciences will provide me with opportunities to succeed at Rice. The plethora of research in Rice’s natural sciences department would help me prepare for medical school and enrich my undergraduate academic experience. The education at Wiess is focused but interdisciplinary, with seminars ranging from what the depiction of monsters tells...

I wish my big city were a small town. -----, Florida: largest city in the contiguous United States by area, where each of my friends lives twenty minutes away in every direction. Of course, I understand that Houston is far from a small town, but even in Houston I can get the close-knit atmosphere I want at Rice due to the residential housing system. The Oxford (and Hogwarts) style housing would introduce me to Rice students from all over the...

Flipping through channels on my grandmother’s ancient television, I tried to find something other than static. Coming upon a Bollywood channel made me feel simultaneously confused and intrigued; how could the same Russians who created an existential children’s cartoon featuring a hedgehog enjoy the lighthearted song and dance that comprised the core of Bollywood culture? Since I discovered that Bollywood channel, wedged between Soviet cartoons and Russian news updates, I have been fascinated by the junctions where cultures...

Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the U.Va. culture. In her fourth year at U.Va., Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why? Please provide your response here: Kaleidoscopic Cultures: A Flash Seminar I am far from fluent in Hindi, but there are moments when even...

I wrote about a lot of similar anecdotes or experiences, which let me repurpose essays to fit a variety of questions. Edit your essays! Make sure they are polished but still very expressive of your original intentions.

I would've written my essays early (which I did) but waited a few weeks without looking at them...

I did not, but reddit.com/r/applyingtocollege and even CC were super useful and you'll...

Do something interesting that you like. Apply to A TON of prestigious summer programs (aka...

Money all the way. I ended the app season with 4 full tuition/full ride offers (UF would've...

Use an anecdote or some specific detail about the school and connect it to why you want...

Pick junior year teachers (junior + senior would also work) and pick them early! They will...

School ended up being so cheap that I didn't need loans but I applied for SO MANY scholarships....

Have high stats and INTERVIEW. I think...

My decisions were made 100% on a combo of merit scholarship and "fit". Almost all of the schools...