Reed College Application Essays

I glanced upward from my computer and saw a wall covered with posters, each displaying a beautiful computer modified image of a college campus. One of them struck me for months. It was a clear aerial view of a field of green trees dotted by…

The line between water and sky is two shades of black. Silence hides between the crevices of elements, and I convince myself that I can weigh the air. I cannot see my body or my paddle or my kayak, but I am kayaking. The trees’…

In today’s food-centric culture, different cuisines give communities and regions distinct identities, from the wine and brie of France to the beignets and Chicory coffee of New Orleans. Yet for all the conversations we have over food, we rarely talk about the unavoidable political consequences…

I had never before seen a sleeping bee. Yet there it was, nestled among lavender petals. I could see the yellow pollen dusting the bee’s delicate wings. As I looked around, I could see other life in the garden settling down as well. The constant…

I arose unusually early that morning, rather disheveled. My typically straight and stagnant hair had deteriorated into a lopsidedness that seemed to defy the laws of physics. My pajamas, generously dotted with dinosaurs of the multicolored persuasion, had been tangled by a night of twisting…

I am a wilderness survivalist. Over the years, I have found myself thriving in conditions ranging from torrential rain in the Valley of the Kings to white-out conditions on top of Mount Lassen. Some would call these situations miserable, but to me they are just…

I grew up with my grandparents in a rural town near the coast of eastern China. I have never seen my biological father. This is not an obstacle, however, because my mother has always been my source of motivation. She first introduced me to the…

“Lower your lids!” Gilad, my drama instructor, paced back and forth on the stage, arms folded over his belly, Israeli impatience rising in his voice. His eyes narrowed, scanned me through bushy slits, and he barked new commands. “Let your smile raise your cheekbones… Arch…

Welcome to Dancing for Terrible Dancers 101, taught by me, the world’s worst dancer. Nope, this isn’t an oxymoron; it’s just me sharing what I’ve learned after finally coming to terms with the fact that I’m a terrible dancer. Dancing is a vital part of…

I’ve always had a special interest in physics, and if I could teach the Reed community anything, I’d want to talk about Biocentrism. Biocentrism is a relatively obscure theory that states that we, with our consciousness, create the universe, instead of the other way around….