Princeton University Admission Essays

My hands are shaking as I hold the radio in the Strait of Hormuz. My voice cracks as I state, “We are a sovereign United States warship operating in international waters.” The same Iranian gunboats that opened fire near an aircraft carrier days prior now…

In my opinion, something which should be given a lot of weight in an application is the student’s involvement in his or her community, whether it is in school or outside of school. Being involved in the community encompasses many things, from being a member…

“I believe the process of going from confusion to understanding is a precious, even emotional, experience that can be the foundation of self-confidence.” Brian Greene, as quoted in This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women As the protein bands darkened, distinct…

On any given dusky afternoon, I find myself asking the pressing question: Will I make it a third time in a row? I raise my arms, examine a dulled orange orb clinging to my aching, sweaty palms, and squint at the near-invisible net. Far from…

Sometimes, I find thought-provoking wisdom in the most unexpected places. From Wii error messages that state “Everything saved will be lost” to Hellman’s mayonnaise telling us to “Keep cool, never freeze,” I occasionally get my daily filling of enlightenment from inanimate objects. But other times,…

I was born May 10, 1987, the third child in my family. I enjoyed the title of “the youngest” for exactly 754 days (and 3 hours) until I lost the coveted title on June 2, 1989 when my brother and sister were born. I now…

One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of the human brain. After a particularly lacklustre discussion in my religion class, our teacher gave us an extra writing assignment. “Who is responsible,” she posed to the class, “for the loss of…

Soaring over rocky peaks, the colossal metal bird carried me in its belly, and after hours of flight, I finally reached my destination: Baltimore, Maryland. Despite the sea of people around me, I was alone on this voyage. During this sweltering summer of 2006, I…

I was a master of my hometown, of its shortcuts, playgrounds, and potholes. I knew all of the secrets of Cary, North Carolina — admittedly not difficult in our traditional, white, conservative community. The houses were, by law, as beige as their inhabitants. One early…

I have been solving problems my whole life, from mathematical proofs to the dilemmas of the pendulum. These problems are the glowing embers inside my heart. The elegant approaches of masterminds, like Gauss, are the kindling to the flame. I fell in love with the…