Hamilton College

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. I sat quietly at my desk on the morning of September 4th, 2005, steeling myself for my first day of second grade. Thus … Read more Taking a Handicap in Hand

Common app – What is a movie that impacted your life? As a child, I worried about everything. Things that most kids enjoyed like school, roller coasters and junk food made me nervous and uncomfortable. I became used to having a persistent stomach ache; I was always anxious and reluctant to try anything. Consequently, I … Read more Modeling Maude

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

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. If at any given moment there is not at least one child screaming, one dog barking, any variation of an alarm sounding and/or … Read more Shadows Beneath the Sun

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that helped to shape your indentity or understanding of the world. It’s been three years. The edges of the photo are soft now, and the colors have dimmed. It has been worn thin and fragile, and there is a deepening crease down its center from the years … Read more Wandering Feet

Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. According to tradition, every … Read more My Own Teacher

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence. It was two weeks before my 8th birthday and my little head was overflowing with dreams of Barbie’s, toys, cakes, and princesses. The invitations had been mailed, the pink cake had been ordered, and I was convinced that my princess-themed … Read more Learning to smile through tears

Topic of your own choice: vignettes of personal experiences By now, color and form are two essential ways I express myself. In my art I often draw myself as a stick figure with a shock of bright red hair. My family, friends, and even strangers have always commented on the thousands of freckles that pepper … Read more Drawing My Life

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? This is how my nightmare begins. I’m standing in the heart of a pristine university campus, surrounded … Read more Nightmare

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. I have shared victories that have come from striving toward a common goal with other swimmers: Lauren, Brittany, Lizzie, Kelley. Those ten-year-old girls would cheer with spunky screams when participants of our neighborhood swim team … Read more Swimming: An Ethical Endeavor