University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign Undergraduate College Application Essays

I have always considered my self-employment as a private piano teacher to be my single greatest contribution, not only to my students but to myself. I began giving lessons as a freshman, after several family friends expressed interest in having...

As a teenage girl with hyperlexia - a communications disorder that causes some social problems - my life has had its share of interesting challenges. Although my disorder is not nearly as severe as it was during my childhood, it has left some...

A petite young woman sits in the obstetrician's office, her four-year-old daughter in her lap. The little girl is restless yet unable to extricate herself from her mother's arms due to cerebral palsy. Both mother and daughter wear worried...

It was 11:30 on a chilly Thursday night, and I was taking a brief stroll through my neighborhood. My mind swarmed with overwhelming thoughts concerning school, parents, and most of all, the college application. I had been tirelessly trying to...

I defy odds. From birth, doctors predicted bad things for me based on my environment, including that I would not be intelligent, because I lacked proper motor skills and speech proficiency. Today, I have defied those odds, because my mother...

The question was "1. Having a diverse and exciting community of students is an important component in determining a great university. How can I contribute to that population?"

As I sat at my desk pondering this question, I grabbed my 7-year-old...

In 1988, drought was the main concern in my small southern Illinois town. My parents’ only blessing that year was the birth of a baby girl amidst the withering crops. What no one knew then was that the current drought crisis would ultimately...

It seemed as if it was just yesterday when I anxiously fidgeted around in the airplane seat, awaiting unexpected surprises in my new home. This, however, was ten years ago when I emigrated from China to the United States. My parents had warned me...

When I was around nine years old, I would always sit at the dinner table with my mom, waiting for my dad to come home from a busy day at work. After changing out of his suit, he would come to the kitchen and start to talk about his day. The way...

I stood on my tiptoes, clapping furiously, my mouth open in a joyous scream. The White Sox, my favorite baseball team, had won a critical game while I was in the audience. As the furor of victorious shouts died down, I noticed my friends’ faces;...

Electrifying bursts of energy flow through my veins as the excitement builds up just minutes before opening night. The lights flicker and the audience goes silent. The curtains slowly glide open as I set foot on the stage. The lights turn on and...

My room is a reflection of me. From the moment you step inside, my organizational skills and creativity are apparent. My walls are covered with pictures and magazine cutouts, but they’re not just put there in any random way. My arrangements are...

A strong collective scent of generic medicine, hints of mint, and latex gloves permeate the orthodontic dental office, exciting me as I enter the place. I take a seat in the waiting room and impatiently wait for my name to be called. While...

When deciding where to go to college, most students do not know which school is the perfect one for them. But for me, this is not the case. I know that the University of Illinois is the ideal choice for me. I know it is perfect because of the...

Out of breath, I settle down in my three point stance. Everyone on the line is pointing and yelling to say who they are blocking. On the snap of the ball I exert all my energy to push the other opponent into the ground. While football may seem...

“You save BIG money, you save BIG money, you save BIG money at Menards!”

The songs that I sang as a child were never the opening themes of Clifford or Arthur. Instead, I would sing the jingles of the commercials I saw on television: Luna, State...

It’s 3:16 A.M.

My eyes are bloodshot from sleeplessness; I stumble into my room and crash my head against the soft, plush pillow laying on my bed. I pull the blanket over my head and close my eyes, trying desperately to get some sleep before the...

I glared at the plastic contraption before me and tried one last time to summon any telekinesis powers.

Nope. Nothing. The device’s arm stubbornly oscillated at a regular pace, like a mocking tongue across a palate. I sighed dejectedly and shut...

Big data, big data, and big data. With the birth of the internet age, our world has inevitably produced massive quantities of data. Application is limitless as such data yields crucial information about human trends and preferences, clearly...

“There’s no shortage of female applicants, but we have trouble finding ones who are skilled enough,” said the female engineer guiding us at Adobe Headquarters, where my robotics team had the privilege of visiting. Her words stuck with me. I,...

“I’m afraid. Dave, my mind is going,” pleaded HAL 9000 in a monotone voice. Although I was aware of artificial intelligence, watching 2001: A Space Odyssey as a sophomore was the catalyst to my interest in this controversial field.

Specifically,...

The vibrant skyline stood dead. It was 4:30 A.M. and life ceased to exist on the streets of Shanghai. The sunrise peaked through the jungle of buildings across the river and shined onto our faces. I stared at the skyline, thinking how much the...

All I heard was giggles coming from my classmates as my name was announced back during my middle school graduation ceremony. Mr. Raleigh, my eighth-grade geometry teacher, had nominated me for the “Human Calculator” award. As I embarrassingly yet...

My interest in computer science was kindled after a basketball game in my freshman year. After the game, my father, who had been taking stats on the sideline in his notebook, contended that I had scored 21 points, yet I was absolutely certain I...