50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays

Figured out My Academic Passions
“I learned that I had a lot more passion for certain academic fields than 
others and saw what I considered my strengths. This helped a lot my first year 
in college, because I went with these passions and took classes that would 
revolve around my passion, helping me enjoy my first year very much. It also 
taught me that with hard work and sufficient time, that I could do real well 
in a lot of things. The essays also reminded me a lot of my struggles and how 

---

221
Chapter 23: What I Learned from Writing the Essay
even if college would be a struggle itself, that I had made it so far all right, and 
that I could definitely continue to do the same.”
—Andres Cantero, Stanford University