Emory University Admission Essays

“Click.” The sharp, decisive sound of the chess clock suddenly snapped me out of my concentration. My opponent had made his move. Deadlock — At that moment, it wasn’t just about victory; my faith and integrity were challenged. Winning meant betraying my honesty, losing meant…

I wake up an hour before the stampede towards the shower begins in my summer camp residence hall. Quietly, I close my dorm door so as to not startle my week-long roommate awake–I had to be alone. My clothes and towel hang on the stall…

Playing the guitar is nothing new to me. For the past decade of my life, my fingers have danced along the sturdy neck of my six-string. However, each time I pick up my hollow acoustic, my fingers caper to the rhythm of a new song….

I opened the door, immersing myself in the crisp, chilly air of Portland, Oregon. I had just traversed the vast Pacific Ocean, and I was now in America. How I ended up here, I was not quite sure. All I knew was that I stood…

“The world is flat.” When I was little, I never believed this line. I would always show off in class, proudly proclaiming: “The earth is a sphere!” But now, I see the line again, on the title of a book by Thomas Friedman—and, this time,…

Each pounding step sends shockwaves up my body. My breathing is labored, but controlled. Inhale for two steps, exhale for two steps. Repeat. Midway through my run, my body has begun to complain. Amidst a sea of thoughts fighting for my attention, a sound breaks…

ASSIGNMENT: Simulate a disaster victim. My home was destroyed by a hurricane. We hurry into a disaster relief shelter set up by the Red Cross. We are handed a care package with a meal and a toothbrush. My mind races as I try to understand…

“We’re moving,” my father announced to me, a happy eleven-year-old boy being picked up from his first summer at sleepaway camp. Excited that we might finally be moving out of our too-familiar house in Miami and into a house closer to all of my friends…

Each of our plates was piled high with crab legs, easily the best part of the buffet, our taste buds descended from the seafood rich island that had raised us. We passed around the poor quality plastic crackers, at first, patience feeding off of our…