University of Connecticut

Describe an experience that you have had or a concept you have learned about that intellectually excites you. When answering this question, you may want to consider some of the following questions: Why does this topic excite you? How does it impact the way you or others experience the world? What questions do you continue … Read more An Intellectually Stimulating experience

Topic of your choice. I had a dream last night that my most revered mentors came together to weave their unique threads into the fabric that ultimately became my Common Application essay. Kurt Vonnegut, my favorite novelist, was in charge of the introduction to this reverie: “Call him Benjamin. His parents did, or nearly did. … Read more A Dream

What is an aspect of yourself that has made you who you are today? There was something about the feeling of that squishy muck squirting through my toes after a heavy rainfall that simply made me feel alive. Or to feel the gritty road pushing against every inch of my sole and the rough gravel … Read more My Bare Feet

How have you contributed to the issues of multiculturalism and diversity? I stood in front of a fourth grade classroom, all eyes fixed on me. For some reason, I felt nervous, as if I were bare, exposing all my past secrets to the world of susceptible minds. I held up the book The Colors of … Read more A Student Ambassador

Write page 217 of your 300-page autobiography. (UPenn’s application) I have encountered a fork. Should I again submit to my father’s demands as I am sent to the kitchen to serve or should I refuse and risk tainting my role as the ideal Vietnamese daughter? I succumb, and fetch a repulsive-smelling platter of duck, over-roasted … Read more A Fork

Write about a significant experience in your life. “I think we’re lost,” I said to my parents as I stood on the corner of 114th Street and Broadway carrying a large bag of luggage. I stopped confused as to where I was going. I knew I was close; I could tell by the number of … Read more New People, New Dreams

Personal Statement for the Common Application Two years ago at summer camp, I hiked the better part of the Northville-Lake Placid Trail.No one from camp had gone on this trip since some time in the seventies, so we had a certain air of bravado. We were a group of 14 and 15 year olds attempting … Read more Northville-Lake Placid Trail

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others “A girl walked along the beach tossing marooned starfish back into the sea. How could she possibly save them all? Why try when the act seemed futile? A man discouraged her from her task … Read more My Starfish

Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? The best way to learn is through blood, sweat, and a little bit of vomit. Prior to my relatively new experiences in EMS I always believed that the classroom was where you … Read more Challenging the Classroom

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. There simply was no solution. With tears of … Read more Value of Diversity