50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays

Bringing Together Multiple Facets of Your Life
“I selected the theme of ‘the power of people’ as my essay topic, and re-
lated two life events and my career aspirations to that theme. First, I related 
my experience while riding in the MS150 bike ride and explained that I felt a 
deep connection with the event and the other participants because my father 
has multiple sclerosis, and their help may help find a cure for it.
“Then, I described the selfless acts of kindness experienced by many peo-
ple from the Houston-galveston area during Hurricane Ike, specifically in my 
own family.
“Finally, I displayed my true belief in the theme by showing the essay 
reader how my career aspirations (public health) relate to it.
“I chose a semi-broad topic to write about because I knew I could relate 
many different facets of my life to it and would not feel the need to repeat 
information in my essay. In addition, I could relay information about my per-
sonal beliefs, my family, my background, and my goals all in one concise, 
two-page paper. It was the easiest way to make all of these aspects of myself 
cohesive and interesting for the reader.”
—Suzanne Arrington, Columbia University