Amherst College

Topic: Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence. She was the toughest; she was the best. She was also the most influential teacher I have ever had. Ms. William, my sixth grade teacher, was never one to settle for second-best. As a demanding teacher, she hadn’t always … Read more Most Influential Teacher

”Stereotyped beliefs have the power to become self-fulfilling prophesies for behavior.”Elizabeth Aries, Professor of Psychology, Amherst CollegeFrom her book Men and Women in Interaction, Reconsidering the Differences Shouting, tantrums, chiding, infuriation; I scuttled back into my room and slammed the door to defy my parents exhortations and advice. What followed was the sulking and tears, … Read more Understanding Myself, Just a Little Better

2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you. The colors through the window become inconsequential, only the forms and their faces significant. Through the window of my hometown Kolkata, India I see a half naked child running around on the street. His face depicts childish levity and … Read more Disparity Through My Windows

Choose one of the provided quotes and reflect on it. I chose the following quote: ”Art is man’s constant effort to create for himself a different order of reality from that which is given to him.” –Attributed to Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist and poet ”Art is man’s constant effort to create for himself a different … Read more An Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

A topic of your choice. I learned to write essays like prefabricated housing and sensible shoes—standardized, impeccable, identical. No flight of fancy dared disturb the military precision of my supporting arguments as they marched in brigades of four to five sentences, intent upon storming the fortress and seizing the A-plus as a trophy of war. … Read more The Storyteller

Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? This is the balcony that extends into infinite dimensions. Inside: paintings and the smell of dusk. Lined against the tiled walls are canvases both void and filled. A soft light overhead. … Read more The Balcony

Topic of your choice. Another failed sports season passed: no hits, no touchdowns. I entered 6th grade with my dreams of becoming a jock squashed. Then my parents informed me that I was enrolling in band. Still clinging to my ESPN hopes, I warned my parents that taking band would be social suicide. In the … Read more Music

Describe a situation in your life that you considered to have been a life-changing experience. Include any negative or positive variables that were associated with this event. Essay must not exceed two pages in length. “Wow,” I whispered to myself as I walked into the main doorway of my new high school. I walked through … Read more It Doesn’t Matter If You’re Black Or White,

“Stereotyped beliefs have the power to become self-fulfilling prophesies for behavior.” I stir fried the noodles, steamed the broccoli, pulled pie out of the oven, and set the table. My younger brother Roy put down the forks. We both sat down, and Roy took the first bite. He chewed for a few seconds, looked up … Read more Filling the Gap

Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations? The stage lights burst open, blinding and white. I trembled. I was at the citywide poetry slam, Verselandia, about to perform in front of hundreds. Earlier in the month, I … Read more Redefining My Purpose Through Slam Poetry