Essay[]
Biographical/Hardships Essay for Questbridge
Seeing my younger brother shiver under layers of heavy winter blankets despite the sweltering
heat of the summer and reach with a clammy hand to the tissue box beside his bed, I cannot
help but feel concerned. Hardly discernable through his reddened cheeks and puffy nose, a
slight smirk breaks upon his face, causing the thermometer to drop from his mouth. ““100.9 °
Fahrenheit”” my mother murmurs as she quickly picks it up from the thick layers of insulation.
Her voice, despite the clear combination of worry and anxiety, belies the good news: today we
are going to a doctor. Although not the first time since my father lost his job at AT&T nearly
seven years ago, our visits to the doctor’’s office have been few and far between. His severance,
terminating our health insurance policy and forcing my family to avoid seeing doctors to evade
the exorbitantly high medical fees, made us akin to the millions who suffer financially. My
firsthand experience with the heart-wrenching sacrifices of lack of medical coverage ultimately
leads to my interest in a medical profession.
Last winter, I suffered nearly five months of constant coughing, wheezing, and shortness of
breath before finally receiving proper medical attention. No doubt, my physical pains were
eclipsed by the emotional toll my parents paid when opting to postpone medical care in hope my
condition would naturally resolve itself. Evidently not the case after three months, my parents
wavered in their staunchness and reluctantly took me to the nearest emergency clinic for a cheap
diagnosis. However, this economical approach was not the case as I ““required immediate chest
x-rays to rule out bronchitis””. The $550 charge, in addition to the administrative fee, more
than tripled the money my parents had allocated to solve my medical mystery and required a
withdrawal from our dwindling checking account. Obliged to consent to the imaging, my mother
nervously awaited the results to see if I had been ravished unknowingly by a deadly infectious
disease. The images, although showing no signs of bronchitis, were ambiguous in context to the
original symptoms. Frustrated with having spent so much money only to find out what was not
bothering my lungs, my parents seemed to redouble their hopes in letting my body recovering on
its own.
In two months, my condition deteriorated to the point where I constantly coughed blood
and mucous. Finally forced to make an appointment with a real doctor, my mother returned
to my pediatrician despite several years of absence and foregone check-ups. Dr. Silverman
professionally diagnosed my acute symptoms as asthma with a short listening with his
stethoscope. Amazed at how he was able to confidently diagnose without the assistance of
powerful x-ray imaging, I retold the story of my prior experience with the emergency clinic.
Shaking his head, Dr. Silverman grimaced as he said ““You were scammed””. Then continuing
to explain how many medical practitioners order expensive tests to ““rule out”” certain
diseases, he prescribed an inhaler which almost instantly minimized my symptoms. Sighing as
he lamented ““the restrictive access to accurate medical information”” that ultimately leaves
patients vulnerable to fraud, Dr. Silverman waived the consultation fees, bringing tears to my
mother’’s eyes. This gesture of kindness in a health care system wrought with deception and
obscene charges inspired me to emulate the compassion my pediatrician showed me.
No longer dreaming about multiple cars, fancy mansions, and heaps of money typically
associated with success, but rather aspiring to help others, I have grown to recognize the blatant
selfishness around me. The dilemma of healthcare, seen firsthand, encourages me to avoid the
root of the problem: money. Determined to run a non-profit organization dedicated to treating
the needy free of charge, I have shed the self-absorbed bubble of youth and realized that today’’s
problems are only solvable by tomorrow’’s leaders.
Questbridge essay (significant experience)
Faced with the monumental task of writing an essay that somehow defines me or makes me
stand out and seem memorable, I swelter in the heat of my own indecision and hopelessness.
Whittling all my high school achievements, both inside the classroom and out, to one significant
experience proves to be challenging. I futilely vacillate between the positive influences
Student Government Association has had on refining my leadership skills and the numerous
awards I have won for my exuberant volunteer work. Then my involvement in multiple school
organizations and my rigorous curricular schedule come to mind, effectively stifling all progress
towards anything slightly resembling a finely tuned application essay. Frustrated, I reach for the
one dependable source of solace in my room now littered with stressors: a Rubik’’s Cube.
The multicolored cube buried beneath the dishevelment of papers and pencils covering my
desk functions more as stress reliever than a mental exercise. As I probe the untidiness, the
familiarity of its sharp corners and grooved faces on the tips of my fingers brings comfort and a
brief reprieve from the clutter in my mind. In my hands, the six gleaming colors grin at me from
their solved state. I quickly scramble the cube until it is no longer recognizable as the simple
paper weight of moments ago, but as a mechanical riddle of intricately woven pieces. My goal
is simple: match the nine squares of all six faces with their corresponding colors. Giving me an
encouraging nod, the Rubik’’s Cube logo smiles at me as I study the faces intently, memorizing
key positions for reference later. I start twisting and turning the cube dexterously in my nimble
hands. Beginning with the white side, I first manipulate a cross and fill in the remaining corners
of the first face. Then, turning the cube upside down, I attack the puzzle layer by layer, seeing
it not as an amalgamation of six faces but a combination of three separate stratums. From here,
habit takes over as I am free to wander aimlessly in my thoughts as my trained hands adroitly
perform the complex algorithms in order to situate certain pieces in their proper positions.
Professional as I may seem while solving the Rubik’’s Cube, I can never escape my humble
beginnings. Recalling how, as a novice, I performed basic and calculated experiments to discover
any unique properties, I realize that this cube has acted as a catalyst for my mental maturation.
The puzzle that lies unlocked in my hands retained its secrets long enough to instill patience and
determination, all while entertaining me. But moreover, the cube taught me what brute resolve
or infinite willpower cannot: perspective. Necessitating counterintuitive thinking to solve this
complexly engineered puzzle, I have gained a unique perception, applicable to more than just
mind puzzles. Last, but not least, the Rubik’’s Cube as rekindled a penchant for discovery as
nothing is quite like the feeling of achievement in one’’s hands.
Third Questbridge Essay
Gliese 581g, despite its unflattering name, holds the power to change our world. Locked in
this rocky planet nearly twice the size of the Earth could lay the gratification of centuries
of searching the night skies and over many millennia of pondering the deceptively
simple question: ““Are we alone?”” In the habitable zone of its star, Gliese 581g is the
first ““Goldilocks’’ planet”” ever found in the known galaxy. Not too close in its orbit to
resemble the charred deathbed of Mercury nor too distant to liken to the frozen ice ball of
Pluto, Gliese 581g is positioned ““just right”” to be the potential oasis of Earth. Liquid water,
a very real possibility for this otherwise unremarkable planet, completes the bare minimum
requirements for life. Fascinatingly, the discovery of Gliese 581g could very well house an
unimaginable array of life, from colonies of simple bacteria to civilizations even far more
technologically advanced than our own.
Just the thought of discovering extraterrestrial life, even if totally uncharacteristic of the
numerous alien creatures described in countless science-fiction novels and movies infiltrating
human culture, is enough to excite me nearly to the point of obsession. My interest in the
discovery life outside of our planet is mainly associated with, ironically, the implications it
would have for life on Earth. Thrusting humankind into a new era of understanding by realizing
that life is not simply secluded to the inconspicuous corner of the galaxy that is the Earth, the
breakthrough findings of life elsewhere in the universe could provide a uniquely humbling
and uniting experience. Rational thought would prevail as the masses removed from their
previously ignorant minds the conceited assertion that our home planet is the only one of
its kind. The single discovery of extraterrestrial life would have the impact of what multiple
combined ““Enlightenment”” movements can not achieve: unifying the human race as one.
Seeing past racial, ethnical, national, social, economic or cultural barriers, the world would gain
a whole new perspective as the realization that life does not discriminate sinks in.
Pondering the possibilities of life, I am bombarded with multiple questions in my head. How
much is life there similar to life on Earth? Has intelligent life developed? Is it possible for us
to communicate with them? I futilely try to answer these questions with hypothetical answers,
knowing that they, although possible, hold the slightest chances of being correct. Personally, I
envision a wealth of intelligent life forms not based on the genetic code of deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA), but something unimaginably different. Visualizing communication, despite the inherent
differences between life forms, through the intermediary language of mathematics and science, I
dream of intergalactic symbiotic relationships forming. As knowledge of unprecedented events
and unique experiences on both worlds are shared, an unparalleled period of worldly peace and
scientific advancements would commence. However, the unknowns are far too great, and for
now my excitement is placated by the potential of Gliese 581g.
Colleges Sent To[]
Emory University : Accepted
UVA: Waitlisted
University of Pennsylvania : Denied
Amherst: Waitlisted
Northwestern: Waitlisted
Vassar: Accepted
Pomona: Denied
Williams: Waitlisted
Credentials[]
GPA: 3.9
SAT: 2250 (1500 M+R/ 750W)