SUNY New Paltz Undergraduate College Application Essays

When my mother was going into labor, she felt inclined to call my grandmother, who was long awaiting my birth. Frantic with excitement, my mother rapidly spoke into the phone, informing my grandmother of the news. My grandmother's shaky voice was...

When most people think back to their early childhoods, they tend to remember the play dates, scraped knees, and carefree feeling that comes with being a kid. For some reason, my mind is mostly filled with the memories of drowsy, everlasting car...

“Oh, wow! You look like your skin's gotten lighter!” were the first words out of all my relatives’ mouths when I visited Bangladesh. Everyone expected me to say “thank you” as if it were a compliment. I’ve always known that within the South Asian...

The world was closing in and the flame of desire to be a beautiful fire dancer was rapidly burning out with every shallow, poorly-oxygenated breath that I took. I was my own show, and not the one my parents drove three hours to come and see as my...

The night air is just cold enough to see my breath through my facemask as the familiar “clacking” of our cleats on the pavement continues to the luminescent stadium that is our haven. The once low rumble of the crowd becomes a roar as we draw...

I have been pricked a thousand times by them. They always get stuck in the bottom of my favorite running shoes and I can count the scars I have from brushing up against them. Growing up in Arizona, I cannot remember ever having a lack of...

I woke up to the sound of sergeant instructors yelling to the top of their lungs at 4:30 in the morning - myself bloused in desert camis, and covered in blisters from the six mile hike the night before. Marine Corp Training is not a place to be...

Growing up, I often felt like an observer in the background, blending into the scenery of high school life. My shyness was like a shield, protecting me from the vibrant and overwhelming world around me. It wasn’t until my freshman year that I...