Sample 1 (Tell Us Your Story)

When I was very little, I caught the travel bug. It started after my grandparents first brought me
to their home in France and I have now been to twenty-nine different countries. Each has given
me a unique learning experience.

At five, I marveled at the Eiffel Tower in the City of Lights. When I was eight, I stood in the
heart of Piazza San Marco feeding hordes of pigeons, then glided down Venetian waterways on
sleek gondolas. At thirteen, I saw the ancient, megalithic structure of Stonehenge and walked
along the Great Wall of China, amazed that the thousand-year-old stones were still in place.

It was through exploring cultures around the world that I first became interested in language.

It began with French, which taught me the importance of pronunciation. I remember once asking
a store owner in Paris where Rue des Pyramides was. But when I pronounced it PYR–a–mides
instead of pyr–A–mides, with more accent on the A, she looked at me bewildered.

In the eighth grade, I became fascinated with Spanish and aware of its similarities with English
through cognates. Baseball in Spanish, for example, is béisbol, which looks different but sounds
nearly the same. This was incredible to me as it made speech and comprehension more fluid, and
even today I find that cognates come to the rescue when I forget how to say something in
Spanish.

Then, in high school, I developed an enthusiasm for Chinese. As I studied Chinese at my school,
I marveled how if just one stroke was missing from a character, the meaning is lost. I loved how
long words were formed by combining simpler characters, so Huǒ (火) meaning fire and Shān
(山) meaning mountain can be joined to create Huǒshān (火山), which means volcano. I love
spending hours at a time practicing the characters and I can feel the beauty and rhythm as I form
them.

Interestingly, after studying foreign languages, I was further intrigued by my native tongue.
Through my love of books and fascination with developing a sesquipedalian lexicon (learning
big words), I began to expand my English vocabulary. Studying the definitions prompted me to
inquire about their origins, and suddenly I wanted to know all about etymology, the history of
words. My freshman year I took a world history class and my love for history grew
exponentially. To me, history is like a great novel, and it is especially fascinating because it took
place in my own world.

But the best dimension that language brought to my life is interpersonal connection. When I
speak with people in their native language, I find I can connect with them on a more intimate
level. I’ve connected with people in the most unlikely places, finding a Bulgarian painter to use
my few Bulgarian words with in the streets of Paris, striking up a conversation in Spanish with
an Indian woman who used to work at the Argentinian embassy in Mumbai, and surprising a
library worker by asking her a question in her native Mandarin.

I want to study foreign language and linguistics in college because, in short, it is something that I
know I will use and develop for the rest of my life. I will never stop traveling, so attaining
fluency in foreign languages will only benefit me. In the future, I hope to use these skills as the
foundation of my work, whether it is in international business, foreign diplomacy, or translation.

I think of my journey as best expressed through a Chinese proverb that my teacher taught me, “I
am like a chicken eating at a mountain of rice.” Each grain is another word for me to learn as I
strive to satisfy my unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Today, I still have the travel bug, and now, it seems, I am addicted to language too.
 Sample 2 (Why X University)

The human body’s greatest asset is its ears. They come pimpled, freckled, mushed, bent,
rounded, and pointed. But, despite their differences, they share a single purpose: to listen.

X University is all about ears. It not only understands the importance of empathetic and open
dialogue, but also the ways in which listening can be the first step towards bridging deeply
entrenched ideological divides. Whether I’m learning from guest lecturers at the Center for
Innovation and Leadership, engaging in dialogue at the Global Health Forum, or exploring my
sexuality through the Intercultural Center, I know I’d be at a place that values collaboration,
honest discourse, ethical leadership, and creativity invested in the public good. Everything at X
University is about putting those cartilage appendages on the sides of your head to good use.

As a person drawn to audio and visual storytelling, my life has been defined by listening. At X
University, I would continue to foster the quality relationships I’ve created and the love I’ve
spread by inviting people to share their stories on my podcasts. Majoring in Film & Media
Studies or English Literature, broadcasting at WSRN, and writing for The Review is the next
chapter in my life of listening. I would creatively explore how narratives have been told in the
past and can be redefined digitally for a new generation of ears. Swarthmore knows that global
change starts with an honest conversation. I want to be pioneering new networks of connection. I
want to be starting those conversations.
 Sample 3 (A Challenge You’ve Overcome)

Tears streamed down my face and my mind was paralyzed with fear. Sirens blared, but the silent
panic in my own head was deafening. I was muted by shock. A few hours earlier, I had
anticipated a vacation in Washington, D.C., but unexpectedly, I was rushing to the hospital
behind an ambulance carrying my mother. As a fourteen-year-old from a single mother
household, without a driver’s license, and seven hours from home, I was distraught over the
prospect of losing the only parent I had. My fear turned into action as I made some of the bravest
decisions of my life.

Three blood transfusions later, my mother’s condition was stable, but we were still states away
from home, so I coordinated with my mother’s doctors in North Carolina to schedule the
emergency operation that would save her life. Throughout her surgery, I anxiously awaited any
word from her surgeon, but each time I asked, I was told that there had been another
complication or delay. Relying on my faith and positive attitude, I remained optimistic that my
mother would survive and that I could embrace new responsibilities.

My mother had been a source of strength for me, and now I would be strong for her through her
long recovery ahead. As I started high school, everyone thought the crisis was over, but it had
really just started to impact my life. My mother was often fatigued, so I assumed more
responsibility, juggling family duties, school, athletics, and work. I made countless trips to the
neighborhood pharmacy, cooked dinner, biked to the grocery store, supported my concerned
sister, and provided the loving care my mother needed to recover. I didn’t know I was capable of
such maturity and resourcefulness until it was called upon. Each day was a stage in my gradual
transformation from dependence to relative independence.

Throughout my mother’s health crisis, I matured by learning to put others’ needs before my own.
As I worried about my mother’s health, I took nothing for granted, cherished what I had, and
used my daily activities as motivation to move forward. I now take ownership over small
decisions such as scheduling daily appointments and managing my time but also over major
decisions involving my future, including the college admissions process. Although I have
become more independent, my mother and I are inseparably close, and the realization that I
almost lost her affects me daily. Each morning, I wake up ten minutes early simply to eat
breakfast with my mother and spend time with her before our busy days begin. I am aware of
how quickly life can change. My mother remains a guiding force in my life, but the feeling of
empowerment I discovered within myself is the ultimate form of my independence. Though I
thought the summer before my freshman year would be a transition from middle school to high
school, it was a transformation from childhood to adulthood.
Describing your personality
Adaptable Адаптируемый
Capable Способный
Competent Компетентный
Consistent Последовательный
Customer-focused Ориентированных на клиента
Dedicated Преданный
Determined Определенный
Diligent Прилежный
Effective Эффективный
Efficient Эффективный
Experienced Опытный
Expertise Экспертиза
Flexible Гибкий
Focused Сосредоточенный
Goal-oriented Целенаправленный
Hard-working Трудолюбивый
Helpful Полезный
Honest Честный
Keen Увлеченный
Proactive Проактивный
Productive Продуктивный
Proficient Опытный
Profitable Выгодный
Qualified Квалифицированный
Resourceful Находчивый
Successful Успешный
Thorough Тщательный
Trustworthy заслуживающий доверия
Valued Ценный
Versatile Универсальный
Willing Готовый
Action verbs
Achieve Достигать
Administer Управлять
Communicate Общаться
Complete Завершить
Coordinate Координировать
Demonstrate Демонстрировать
Distribute Распространять
Ensure обеспечивать
Expand Расширять
Facilitate Содействовать
Interact Взаимодействовать
Liaise Для связи
Maintain Поддерживать
Network Участвовать в нетворкинг
Operate управлять
Participate Участвовать
Perform Выполнить
Planned Планировать
Present Представлять
Process Обрабатывать
Program Программировать
Promote Продвигать
Provide Предоставлять
React Реагировать
Represent Представлять
Respond Ответить
Specialise Специализироваться
Undertook Провести
Volunteer Волонтерству
Phrases to Describe your past experience
Demonstrated skills in...
Proven track record in…
Extensive academic / practical background
in... Experienced in all facets / phases /
aspects of... Accurately checked...
Experience involved / included…
Knowledge of... / experienced as...
Successful in / at developing...
Extensive training / involvement in...
Reported to senior management when...
Constant interaction with…
Disseminated results of analysis...
Provided technical assistance to…
Professionally handled…
Worked closely with...
Familiar with…
Efficiently organised...
Supported customers and colleagues with...
Planned and managed...
Researching, assessing and synthesising...
Initiated financial savings by…
Promoted to….
Phrases to describe your interest
I am interested in this program, because…
This program is attractive to me, because..
I am prepared for this program, because…
I would like to work with Professor X/in Lab
Y Я готов к этой программе, потому что…
My interests align with…
This program is a good fit because…
I want to research topics such as…
I am inspired by…
I am passionate about…
Продемонстрированные навыки в...
Подтвержденная репутация в…
Обширный академический/практический
опыт в... Опыт во всех
аспектах/этапах/аспектах... Тщательно
проверено...
Опыт работы включен/включен…
Знание.../опыт работы...
Успешный в/в разработке...
Расширенное обучение/участие в...
Доложил высшему руководству, когда...
Постоянное взаимодействие с…
Распространенные результаты анализа...
Оказана техническая помощь…
Профессионально обработан…
Тесно сотрудничал с...
Знаком с…
Эффективно организован...
Поддерживал клиентов и коллег с помощью...
Планировал и управлял...
Исследование, оценка и синтез...
Инициирование финансовой экономии за
счет…
Повышен до…
Меня заинтересовала эта программа, потому
что…
Эта программа привлекательна для меня, потому
что..
Я хотел бы работать с профессором X/в
лаборатории Y
Мои интересы совпадают с…
Эта программа хорошо подходит, потому что…
Я хочу исследовать такие темы, как…
Меня вдохновляет…
Я увлечен…