Occidental College

In addition to an intellectually rigorous experience, Oxy’s residential community seeks a vibrant and interesting student body. What’s your idiosyncrasy? From saying “Rabbit-Rabbit-Rabbit” on the first day of the month, to drinking hot water (with exactly three ice cubes), I personify idiosyncrasy. However, I have one secret quirk that begun several years ago with Fluffy. … Read more idiosyncrasy

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. What’s the biggest thing you’d want me to know about you? I have the soul of a 74 year old grandmother. I used … Read more Old Soul in a Modern World

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

Describe an environment in which you feel most comfortable. What do you do there and why? I step into the studio, a room dominated by a towering record collection and the flashing fluorescent lights of a soundboard. It’s a very small room, but its endless possibilities for transmitting different types of sound make it seem … Read more The Studio

How have you taken advantage of the educational opportunities you have had to prepare for college? “Those who do not know their opponents’ arguments do not completely understand their own.” My mother had emailed me the quote, saying it reminded her of me. As I read the quote, I saw how it reflected my life. … Read more Educational Opportunity

Write about a personal quality, experience, talent or contribution you will make to the University of California. When we were young, we were all asked what we wanted to be in the future. Some of us said a firefighter, some said an engineer or a lawyer, and the some even said school janitor. However, I … Read more Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

We want to get to know you as well as we can. We ask that you use this opportunity to tell us something more about yourself that would help us toward a sense of who you are, how you think and what issues and ideas interest you most. With the wind in my face, my … Read more Pain

Personal essay that will help us to know you better. Families, intellectual and extracurricular interests, school and community events, people who have influenced, significant experiences, personal aspirations, or anything that pops into your head. My brother lives in a “gated community,” one of those manufactured neighborhoods. It was like we were driving through the streets … Read more The Listening Party

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. The strong smell of cigarettes filled my senses as I entered into a solemn hallway. I stared into the lights which flickered off … Read more Healing Hearts with My Furry Friend

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. “At 6.00 … Read more Violence Against Women