50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays

Writing about an Uninteresting Food
“I did not discover anything particularly earth-shattering about myself 
while writing this essay, but I did learn that I can write passionately about a 
food in which I have no interest.”
—Mariam Nassiri, Duke University
Connecting the Dots
“Thinking about what to write made me think through all that happened 
in my life, where I am now, and my future. Writing this essay let me put my 
life into perspective and weave it into a structured story. I learned that in life, 
following your passions might seem risky, and looking forward you can’t see 
where you’re headed. But looking back years later, all the things you did are 
like dots that connect and form a beautiful picture.”
—Pen-Yuan Hsing, Duke University