Santa Clara University

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

Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? The piano is predictable. If I hit the right key, it will play the same note every time, and if I play a song correctly, there will always be harmony. Life … Read more Feel the Music

Describe a situation when you learned an important life lesson from someone you know. There is a special bond that forms between a dog and its owner. Sandy and I were no exception. That was why I wasn’t really surprised when my mom told me the news. In a way, I already knew. My family … Read more Sandy’s Lesson

Describe a situation when you overcame a great obstacle. Most people are surprised to find out that I am dyslexic. Of course, most people don’t know. It’s not that I am ashamed of it, just that I don’t like to tell people about my problems. It is hard to hide, however, when a teacher asks … Read more As I Am

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. The external reflections of my admiration are subtle. A red and blue toothbrush, its handle laced with white plastic webbing, stands among bottles of makeup remover … Read more Spiderman

Common Application: Indicate a person who has had significant influence on you, and describe that influence. Most big brothers can dish out advice and guide their younger siblings. My big brother is different. I can’t remember the specific time that the transition occurred, but at some point Brandon went from being my big brother to … Read more Being Brandon’s Sister

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? The smell of delicious, warm, chocolatey cookies filled the car, and four pairs of hands rushed for the … Read more Never Too Young for Economics

Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. Home-schooled. For the longest time, I assumed that all children, like me, were homeschooled by their mothers. I attended Chinese school and art classes, but my mother delivered … Read more The Joy of Learning

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are? Slowly walking down the stairs, wiping the sleep from my eyes, I head directly towards the kitchen. The cold metal … Read more A Sweet Experience

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are? There was a gleam and bright blue spark in my teacher’s eyes as she taught piano. The young student looked … Read more Music Is My Passion