University of Pittsburgh

“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?” I am an explorer. At 10 months old, my travels began with my family’s first move. Over the years, we … Read moreExploring New Territory

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. I am convinced that I only have friends because of my mother’s cooking. Friends always seem to come through the door … Read moreMy Greek Roots

Describe a historical figure or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. One of the most important books in the world is The Records of the Grand Historian. Written by Sima Qian in the first century B.C., it elucidates more than two … Read moreThe Gift of Translation

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. One year ago, on a muggy summer morning, I boarded a plane with some of my classmates and teachers, headed for … Read moreAsking Why Not

Write about a person who had a significant impact on your life. Annie’s face is as vivid in my mind now as it was four years ago. I can see the passion for life that sparkled in her eyes and the crazy, intense grin that stretched across her face like a bridge across the sea. … Read moreAnnie

Tell us something about yourself that isn’t apparent from your academic records–something that will give us insight about you as an individual. Throughout my younger years, wearing a blazer, collared shirt, and nice pants to preschool always set me apart from my classmates. As I got older, selling pencils to kids who needed them right … Read moreYoung Entrepreneur

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.(Common App) Here’s a sob story for you: my father died when I was four. My mother has always been legally blind, but shortly after my father’s death, when I was six, she fell and broke … Read moreMy Invisible Army

The essay was not prompted question by a particular. It is the common application essay, required for all undergraduate applications. I remember in kindergarten, during my troubled sleeps, my mother would come in and sing the Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday”. I didn’t know what the lyrics meant then, but I do know that in her voice … Read moreSaxophone Colossus

For its series “Uninvent This,” The New Yorker asked writers to discuss what they wished had never been invented. Answers covered everything from technology to mundane objects to concepts. In that same spirit, what would you uninvent, and how would your life—and the world—be different without it? Photos freeze the world in place for just … Read moreUninvent Your Camera

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. (650 words) Before I open my laptop I can hear it. Every beat, every base drop comes to life faster than my hands … Read moreLiberating Beats