American University

Why do you want to go to college? Looking down at the college preparation pamphlet laying on my dresser never seemed so dramatic, but with every word I read, and every page I turned, I could practically feel my future rushing towards me. As I approach the end of my high school I experience, I … Read more Why I Want a College Education

Topic of your choice (Common App essay) “Repeat Dojo-kun. Seek perfection of character. Be faithful. Endeavor. Respect others. Refrain from violent behavior,” I call out. To my left, the line of kneeling students repeats my words. “Sensei-ni, rei,” I call to the line, and we bow to our teacher. He bows to us, dismisses the … Read more The Dojo-Kun

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. When my mom gave birth to me, I weighed in at nine and a half pounds and measured twenty-two inches. One … Read more 4’11 Forever

Free Response: Tell us something about yourself that makes you a unique addition to our community. 1. At four, her dad left a pot of coffee on the counter (a pot meaning twelve cups) while he went upstairs to take a shower. She climbed on the counter, took out a mug and drank the entire … Read more Ten Facts about Cindell

A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you. To the outside world, my high school is … Read more The Diversity of Thought

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. I remember when the flowers stopped blooming. All throughout my childhood there was always one thing that would instantly make me … Read more The Backyard

Imagine that you are the editor of a major national news magazine. Write the cover story you would choose for the issue that would be on the newsstands January 1, 2025. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the United Nations committed to eradicating poverty by the year 2025. Many foreign nations were skeptical at … Read more The Face of Poverty

Please write a personal statement. Please write a personal statement.The day Kurt Vonnegut died my friend Becca called me crying. “So it goes,” I said, and we chuckled in spite of our sadness. We had become devotees of Vonnegut since our introduction to Cat’s Cradle two years ago, and had long talked about holding an … Read more Nice, Nice, Very Nice

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. The thought that nearly eight hours later we would be dragging a canoe through a swamp in the dark never crossed anyone’s mind as we began to film. Clad in American Revolution-era attire, my friends … Read more Life in a Canoe

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Darkness permeates the early hours of a weekday morning as sleep wraps a blanket around New York City. The beaming moonlight … Read more Two and a Half Rotations