University of Virginia Admission Essays

“Hey now, hey noowwwowww.” A Hilary Duff Song set to the tone of a grieving walrus. That is basically what I sound like. All the time. Why all the time? Because I sing all the time. Why a grieving walrus? Well you probably haven’t heard…

In this essay, I will explore the unique experiences and challenges faced by a third culture kid as I recount a tragic incident that occurred shortly after my family’s arrival in Afghanistan. This event not only left a lasting impact on my perception of the…

As I reach into the back of my closet for my go-to tee and gently tug it off its hanger, its hem brushes against a yellow tote bag that hasn’t left its spot on the bottom shelf for months. Without opening or even peering down…

I grew up in a nonreligious household, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve been taught to worship my academics as the key to my success in the future. Instead of praying 5 times daily or memorizing biblical verses, nearly every day my…

“Live the Fourth!” The Fourth of July you might ask? Not quite. I mean the Fourth day of the Kairos Retreat, when we made resolutions and the Kairos spirit was at its peak. Kairos means a spiritual time-a time that can’t be measured in minutes…

I wish I didn’t have to turn on the news every morning to be enlightened by a perpetually worsening inventory of the events of our civilized world’s current catastrophic plight. In fact, I wish I could watch the news and witness, just once, a report…

When I was in ninth grade, my sister ran into my room and threw a book at me. “Read this,” she demanded. “You’ll like it.” She had no idea what she had just started. That fateful book was Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s Half the…

Floccinaucinihilipilification [flok-suh-naw-suh-nahy-hil-uh-pil-uh-fi-key-shuh n] (noun) – The action or habit of estimating something as worthless. As long as written languages have existed, curious words have been nestled in the pages of out-of-the-way texts. In English, words such as set (with the most definitions of any word,…

When asked how to get to Carnegie Hall, a wise musician replied simply, “Practice.” Although I did plenty of practicing leading up to playing at Carnegie Hall, it was performing in New York that launched me towards true musicianship. The first time I really saw…

He reached out, unfurled his hand, and looked up at me with what can only be described as a look of pure desperation. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a crumpled five-dollar bill and handed it to the man. “It’s a cold one,”…