Back to Artwork Line Back to Sections Cianna Nadal - What is Line By Cianna Nadal November 1, 2020 Photography Volume 1 Issue 1

Back to Artwork Lights On for Education Back to Sections Shape and Form Study By Kimberly Shrestha April 22, 2021 Study Volume 1 Issue 7

Back to Articles Science & Technology Back to Sections A Scholarly Quest in Statistics By Ala Paruch and Lucy Wu Volume 1 Issue 8 June 8, 2021 Image provided by the Corporate Finance Institute With the rush of submitting the last few assignments and completing in-class finals for the school year, students were distraught and stressed. So rather than take a boring paper final, as per tradition, AP Statistics students were instead sent on a ‘quest’ to design, carry out, and present a research study or experiment of their choice. Researching a Question To begin our little ‘quest,’ we formulated our research question with the limitations of Covid in mind. In past years (aka the “before Covid”), students were permitted to conduct their study by going around the classrooms and asking students questions, or even asking them to taste test different foods. However, this year, we tried to avoid studies structured that way in the interest of time, but primarily in the interest of safety as well (I know, I know, we could have answered the age-old question of Pepsi vs. Coke, but I guess that’s another unknown in this world). As much as that seems like a disadvantage, it gave us a good opportunity to utilize Teams and send everyone their surveys digitally. Equipped with as much determination and motivation as juniors in a pandemic can have (to be fair, it’s dwindling quite quickly…) we are committed to making our project work, regardless of the treacherous obstacles in our way. This also sparked an idea for our research question. Since the start of quarantine, most people have been using technology more to stay connected. We assumed that to pass the time, most people have probably binge watched many TV shows (at least we have). So why not examine exactly that? In the end, we decided to research whether the grade of the student is associated with their favorite TV show. Designing the Experiment (How do we do this?) Once we determined our research inquiry, we had to finalize a few more details to continue our quest. First, we had to establish the explanatory and response variables in the study, or in other words, what causes (explanatory variable) the outcome of our study (response variable). Looking back at the question, we can safely say that the grade level affects the preference in the TV show , and not the other way around, so grade level is the explanatory variable and TV show preference is the response variable. Next, we had to formally establish the parameter of study (what we are studying) and the population of interest (who we are studying). Here we were looking at the favorite TV show (parameter of study) of all students at Valley Stream North from grades 7-12 (population of interest). Seems straight-forward so far, right? Well, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details - the experimental design . We had to establish a random method of collecting our data to fairly sample the population and get a representative sample. To equally represent each grade in our experiment, we chose English as the class we would send the survey to, since all students in the building are required to take English every year (and no, we didn’t want to randomly select from a roster because that would take an EXTREMELY long time to obtain all the names). Next, we established a system of selecting one class period per grade. Thanks to Ms. Small, we obtained a list of all English classes, along with their class period and name of the teacher. We then organized all classes by grade and assigned each class within the grade a number from 1 to n (n being the total number of English classes per grade). This process is also known as cluster sampling . Using the random integer generator function on the Ti-84 CE calculator (your trusty yellow Algebra I calculator), we randomly selected our sample classes, one class from each grade. Each student in each one of the selected classes is part of our sample . Upon choosing our sample, we expanded on the research question and formed a hypothesis, or rather the null and alternative hypotheses (those are fancy statistical words to define no statistically significant change vs. a statistically significant change - and don’t worry, we’ll cover what statistically significant means in a little bit). Collecting Our Data (and now… we wait) As stated before, we wanted to harness the power of Microsoft Forms to obtain our data for easy distribution and even easier analysis with Microsoft Excel (by the way, this article was NOT sponsored by Microsoft in any way, shape, or form). In fact, if you want to take a look, here’s the link to the original Microsoft Forms survey we used: https://forms.office.com/r/km5zdEekpz . We simply asked each student in our sample two questions: their grade level and TV show of preference from the list (we’re not perfect, so we will address this limitation later, but you can take a guess at what we probably should have done in the meantime). Luckily, we obtained 100 responses to the survey. Since it was a voluntary survey, we did not anticipate that all 140 students would fill it out, but we attempted to account for this by picking a slightly larger sample. By the way, shoutout to all of the amazing English teachers who took the time to share the survey with their students! Significance Testing (sounds scarier than it is) In statistics, to obtain “evidence” that something is either statistically significant or not, we can use a fancy math test known as a significance test (literally does what it says: it determines how likely an event is to occur by random chance in comparison to a claim). Since the data that we collected contains two distributions (a mathematical function that shows the possible values for a variable and how often they occur), the grade of a student and the favorite TV show of a student, and we are testing the association between them (NOT CAUSATION), we used a Chi-Square test to perform our calculations (FYI it’s pronounced KAI not CHAI). But alas, it’s never that simple, is it? There are three flavors of the Chi-Square tests: a Chi-Square test for Goodness of Fit , a Chi-Square test for homogeneity , and a Chi-Square test for independence , with each having different thresholds and conditions. Since we are going to have a single sample of data (not two samples) with multiple choices (not a single line of data), this fulfills the conditions to use the Chi-Square Test for independence , where you test whether two distributions are independent from each other as the name suggests. At this stage, we select our alpha value (commonly written as α ), which just sets the level where we conclude that there is either evidence of significance or no evidence of significance. If the p-value (probability value, or how likely something is to occur) generated by our significance test is HIGHER than our alpha, there is no evidence that there is a significant difference, whereas if the p-value is lower than our alpha, there is statistical evidence that there is a significant difference. Since this is a non-life-threatening decision, we used the standard 0.05 threshold for our study. After picking the alpha, there is one more task we must complete to perform the significance test, and that is ensuring that the conditions for the test are satisfied. The conditions for a Chi-Square Test for independence are as follows: The Random Condition , which requires the researchers to obtain a sample randomly or to randomly assign a treatment to a group of volunteers. This checks whether bias occurred in the sampling process and helps eliminate it. The 10% Condition , which uses the formula. 0.1N n (Where n in the sample size and N is the population of interest size). In simpler terms, this means that the sample we pull from the population has to be less than or equal to 10% of the size of the population of interest. The Expected Counts Condition estimates the probability of each cell in a two-way table of a Chi-Square data set considering the null hypothesis is correct. In short, it calculates the estimated probability for each category in theory, which we later compare with real life results. However, this condition requires all values in the data set to be equal or greater than 5. We fully met the random condition and and the 10 percent condition, because we randomly picked the class periods to fill out the survey, and it is safe to assume that there are more than 1000 students (n*10 = 100*10 = 1000) at Valley Stream North High School. On the other hand, the expected counts were not fully satisfied, with a few values below 5; however, we still continued our experiment, but continued it with caution . Analyzing the Data You know the drill now! First, we sorted and tallied the data by TV show preference for each of the grades. We input that table into a matrix in our calculator. Using the X2-Test (Chi-Square test) function on our handy calculators, we generated a p-value for our data. Place your bets now on whether the test was statistically significant or not, and no cheating! Drumroll please… with a p-value of 0.54 which was (drastically) higher than our alpha value of 0.05, the test was not statistically significant! With this rather disappointing result, we fail to reject the null hypothesis that the tests are independent. We did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant difference between the two distributions. Why use the confusing wording to formulate our conclusion you may ask? Well, let’s try to understand. The term “ fail to reject ” implies exactly what the second sentence of the conclusion said: we did not find enough evidence (or our p-value was nearly not small enough) to say that the null hypothesis was wrong. However, just because the null hypothesis isn’t incorrect, it doesn’t mean that it is correct and using statements such as “ accept the null hypothesis ” would mathematically be incorrect and just would also just be a statistical faux pas. Discussing our Limitations ( uh-oh …) Sailing was smooth… until it wasn’t. So, we ran into some rough waters at certain stages of the process. When designing the questions, we only realized when it was too late that we should have probably asked the questions in terms of TV show genre rather than specific shows, to decrease the likelihood of a student choosing “other” and inflating that category, compromising the integrity of our study. We were pressed for time, so we had to rely on the integrity of the students (most of whom did very well) to answer the survey. Since this survey was a voluntary response survey, we could not control the nonresponse bias, so anyone who didn’t respond was sadly not part of the study. There was also the risk of the teacher posting the survey for their class not responding. Since we decided to give out the survey digitally, we reached out to the teachers on Teams in hopes that they would be willing to post our survey on the teams for each designated class. With that arose the possibility of them not seeing the message or even humanly reading it and then not responding, besides the usual risk of them saying “no.” Thankfully, that didn’t happen; however, it was significantly harder to ensure we got any responses at all. Lastly, (and perhaps most unfortunately), out of all the shows we anticipated would be popular among students, not a single student picked Jeopardy! as their favorite show to watch. Besides the shame this is, it also posed problems during the data analysis. Finishing with Conclusions (Hooray! We did it.) If you take anything away from this article, please remember: AP Statistics is the best class at Valley Stream North High School (and no, we received no extra points for saying that). We hope you will embark on the same journey we took and challenge your own perception of statistics. Going back to formal conclusions though, as we mentioned earlier, we did not get a statistically significant result, so we can sadly admit that as of now, there is no clear association between a student’s grade level and their favorite TV show. Even though we didn’t get the exact results we were hoping for, there are still a few things we learned from this experience. Firstly, we learned that designing an experiment is more (emotionally) draining than we initially thought. We also learned how to design an experiment that is safe for the public amidst a pandemic. Lastly, we tested the bounds of our friendsh- just kidding, we had a lovely time working with each other! We did spend long phone calls discussing the appropriate Chi-Square test to use, alongside collecting responses from many, many students. Yet because of this quest to design an experiment, our friendship only grew stronger with each statistical obstacle we overcame. But even if things don’t work out (like our expected counts), remember to hold your head up high, triple-check your calculations, and just "keep swimming! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Portrait Back to Sections Zaiden Jackson - Portrait - 2 By Zaiden Jackson January 20, 2021 Photography Volume 1 Issue 4

Back to Artwork Perspective Back to Sections Nayab Raja - Perspective - 2 By Nayab Raja December 16, 2020 Photography Volume 1 Issue 3

Back to Artwork Heckscher Back to Sections Lake Harmony Entry 9 April 14, 2022 Photography Volume 2 Issue 6

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections North’s 7th Grade Fun Day Akilan Subramaniyan Volume 6 Issue 3 June 8, 2026 Image Provided by Akilan Subramaniyan On Tuesday, the 26 th of June, seventh graders of North High School participated in a special event designed particularly for them: Fun Day. Fun Day was strategically placed between Monday and Wednesday, both days being off for Memorial Day and Eid, respectively. This field trip-like day is for seventh graders only. It lets them harken back to their elementary school roots where they used to experience recess almost every day. So, what activities do these grade seven students get to experience? Here is my personal first-hand account as a seventh grader, of Fun Day! Seventh graders as usual arrived at school and attend periods one through four. My first period, which happened to be gym, was fun where I played outside with my friends (although I was literally going to do just that three periods later). Next, was my English period which was honestly relaxing. My third period was Health where my class and I binged on a movie while doing work on the side. My last and fourth period was lunch. Even though I and the rest of my grade would receive lunch outside, we were still allowed to eat. After completing my “starter,” it was time for Fun Day! All grade seven students were directed to go out of the building to the field through the gym back doors, only after pit stopping to their lockers to leave or take any belongings. Soon a huge crowd of my schoolmates and I were ushered out. I was hit by sunlight and the thick, humid air outside. It was a beautiful day to be outside with an almost cloudless sky, and the field of North High School shimmered. The turf glistened, reflecting the sun’s rays. I took the time to apply sunblock, knowing it was going to be a fair day. There was some confusion, and it took awhile to get into our groups. After a bit, I was collected by my SPO leaders (more on them later) to my group: Group 16. Although it was difficult to join our groups, we were allowed to eat lunch immediately then. I had a turkey sandwich made from home which was savory and delicious. Every bite was packed with juicy turkey. In addition, I had the school’s ham and cheese sandwich. After taking a refreshing sip out of the lemonade I packed from home, I decided to socialize with my buddies. Soon enough, our first activity began. The first activity my group got to participate in was kickball. The group I was in had mostly girls, with whom I was not familiar. Despite this, throughout Fun Day, I found out that many friends were next to me in other groups that I was allowed to converse with. Kickball is not really my thing; however, I got to talk to one of my friends. During my conversation, my friend noticed a rainbow right above the softball field - the one behind the school or in front of the track. It was a small and slightly faint rainbow, but it was noticeable. Behind the light, pastel, sky, the rainbow was magnificent, almost looking magical. It glinted, its vibrant and striking colors showing off, a spectacular sight. The next activity was a chalk art session, which functioned as a cooldown in my opinion. As I talked to my buddies, I created a smooth nightscape. A half crescent moon with yellow highlights tucked behind two white smooth and silky clouds. This is how I would describe my creation. Remembering it was Memorial Day, I decided to start by adding blended red and blue streaks on the clouds. I ended up adding The United States Flag in the background. The overall appearance was phenomenal, yet I have not worked with chalk often. I felt satisfied. The next four activities are a repetition of our group going to the baseball field and to the softball field in the front of North. We started out in the baseball field where I played frisbee and spike-ball with a group consisting of peers and my SPO leaders. This was fun and comfortable. We moved onto the softball field where we played this variation of soccer or ball. This was not particularly my favorite. We switched back to the baseball field, where I picked up and peeled an orange. As I peel the orange, I can feel the citrus oils on the orange fill the air around me, spreading a sweet aroma. The first orange slice was amazingly refreshing although I was taking regular sips of water. In no time, I completed the orange leaving me with a sweet mouth and sugary-sticky and citrus-smelling hands. We played two games of Telephone in the baseball field. The second game, the schoolmates I played with somehow changed the original sentence into another completely unrelated phrase. This intrigued me. After completing our two games, we walked right back to the softball field where we played a game over and under with a foam-like ball. This game was mediocre only because many of my peers playing were not paying attention to the ball when it was given to them. Some just straight-up flung the ball out to the person behind who was inches away. Nonetheless, it was fun seeing others trying to get the ball behind. By this time, I was tired from all the activities, walking, and mostly the sun I experienced that day. We took a break in the softball field where we just sat around, passed time, and where I got to socialize some more. Now you could be wondering about what are these “SPO leaders”? SPO is the Student Peer Organization in North. It is the fancy way of saying “upperclassmen who help lowerclassmen.” SPO members were given the responsibility to lead and supervise seventh graders in each group. I got three SPO members in my group who were kind and friendly, and I had a wonderful time talking and getting to know them. Shout out to Leah, Ashley, and Lili for being spectacular SPO members for my group. All the hardworking and resolute SPO members did splendid jobs. It is not easy work to deal with all my fellow grade seven students who can be a bit of a handful. After our break, we headed to the “gym back door” area where grade seven students and SPO members could participate in Tug of War. I participated in a few games, and it was fun working as a team. It is especially hilarious when a side says they will dominate and be victorious only to get obliterated and defeated by the other team. At this point, my back was sticky from sweat and I felt as if I had been roasted and baked at the same time by the unrelenting heat. This is when me and my schoolmates were taken to the softball field in front, to get refreshing treat: ices. Although I was aware of this, I was still excited and surprised at the sight of the boxes of ices on a table. I requested a SPO member for a cherry ice. The pre-opened cherry ice looked mesmerizing under the sun, condensation over its sides. Its vibrant red syrup slushing around the tube, with tiny air bubbles drifting about. The first bite was reawakening with the sweet, cold, cherry flavors hitting my dry, flavorless, warm tongue. The slushie-like treat left me feeling cool and energized for activity, but I have already reached the end of Fun Day. Fun Day in my opinion was a great in-school field trip that encouraged seventh graders to step outdoors and socialize among their schoolmates. It is a nice break from the usual lifestyle and is a fantastic way to begin the summer. Although, I did feel some of the activities were not appealing. On the other hand, from what I have noticed, the entire grade seven student body enjoyed this event despite minor complaints. Nevertheless, the end goal was to have fun, and I and most of my peers certainly did. This outdoor event is a nice exception made for my peers who are young in comparison to upper grades. We have changed our elementary school ways, made great commitments, and became mature overall. Fun Day breaks the seventh graders’ responsible “shell” and lets us be care-free once again. Just before we venture off into eighth grade, high school, and beyond. Just before we voyage into responsible and accountable lives ahead. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The Sasquatch: Fact oar Fake? – Homophone Edition By Alena Moreira and Lucy Wu Volume 1 Issue 7 April 22, 2021 Image provided by Patterson-Gilmlin Original article by Matteo Somma: The Sasquatch: Fact or Fake? *Note that the original article will be temporarily inactive but will be reuploaded on Friday, May 7th, after contest results have been announced.* Contest rules are listed in the flyer in Teams and on the front page advertisements. How many homophones can you find? Fur centuries their halve bin countless sightings of the Sasquatch, moor commonly referred two as Bigfoot, do two its large foot sighs. Over 10,000 “witnesses” claimed two have scene a tall, Harry figure walking on too legs. The species Sasquatch inn question has bean spotted everywhere from awl the way north inn Alaska two the swamps of Florida. Weather it bee a person dressed up fir attention oar a failed science experiment, won thing’s fur shore: there’s something out their. The common name Sasquatch comes from the primitive ages of the Native People. Sasquatch is believed two bee a simplified version of the Salish word Sasq’sts meaning “wild man” ore “Harry man”. The Salish people, known as the Sta’ailes, claimed two have a clothes spiritual bond with the Sasquatch. The Sasquatch can bee described as tall and Harry. But if u look deeper into the Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, and other similar creatures that awl faul under the Sasquatch profile, u can c a common theme among awl of them; muscular and slim. Unlike bares, the Sasquatch is vary muscular and thin. Also unlike bares, the Sasquatch towers at an outstanding nine feat tall and is rarely seen on awl for legs, rather standing on its hind legs like humans. The Sasquatch is also reported two have ape-like footprints similar two humans but substantially larger. Inn the United States, only won state out of fifty has yet two report a Sasquatch sighting and that wood bee Hawaii. The Sasquatch has bin reported inn countries awl over the whirled such as Russia, Switzerland, Canada, and Indonesia. Why’ll naught awl descriptions match North America's description, they awl faul under the same category oar tall, muscular, Harry, and walking upright. Won of many theories on the Sasquatch is that it is a group of Neanderthals that never dyed off ore developed into modern-day human beans. A prime peace of evidance fir this is Zana. Zana was a female Sasquatch/Neanderthal that was captured inn the Russian wilderness inn the 19th century. After the Russian government captured Zana, they kept her inn a cage for the wrest of her life and experimented on her. Recently a British scientist who goes bye Bryan Skyes (a professor at Oxford University) has taken jean and silica samples of the descendants of Zana, and his findings whir remarkable. He found that Zana was a Sub-Sahara African that was probably once a slave during the ruling of the Ottomans. He also found tracings of Neanderthal inn they’re jeans, moor then the average human wood have, at leased. Billions of dollars have bean put into proving the Sasquatch’s existing but almost awl have come two a dead end. Sew that question lays on ewe, is the Sasquatch a fact oar a fake? How many homophones did you find? The answer is 92 homophones (see answer key below). Fur centuries their halve bin countless sightings of the Sasquatch, moor commonly referred two as Bigfoot, do two its large foot sighs . Over 10,000 “witnesses” claimed two have scene a tall, Harry figure walking on too legs. The species Sasquatch inn question has bean spotted everywhere from awl the way north inn Alaska two the swamps of Florida. Weather it bee a person dressed up fir attention oar a failed science experiment, won thing’s fur shore : there’s something out their . The common name Sasquatch comes from the primitive ages of the Native People. Sasquatch is believed two bee a simplified version of the Salish word Sasq’sts meaning “wild man” ore “ Harry man”. The Salish people, known as the Sta’ailes, claimed two have a clothes spiritual bond with the Sasquatch. The Sasquatch can bee described as tall and Harry . But if u look deeper into the Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, and other similar creatures that awl faul under the Sasquatch profile, u can c a common theme among awl of them; muscular and slim. Unlike bares , the Sasquatch is vary muscular and thin. Also unlike bares , the Sasquatch towers at an outstanding nine feat tall and is rarely seen on awl for legs, rather standing on its hind legs like humans. The Sasquatch is also reported two have ape-like footprints similar two humans but substantially larger. Inn the United States, only won state out of fifty has yet two report a Sasquatch sighting and that wood bee Hawaii. The Sasquatch has bin reported inn countries awl over the whirled such as Russia, Switzerland, Canada, and Indonesia. Why’ll naught awl descriptions match North America's description, they awl faul under the same category oar tall, muscular, Harry , and walking upright. Won of many theories on the Sasquatch is that it is a group of Neanderthals that never dyed off ore developed into modern-day human beans . A prime peace of evidance fir this is Zana. Zana was a female Sasquatch/Neanderthal that was captured inn the Russian wilderness inn the 19th century. After the Russian government captured Zana, they kept her inn a cage for the wrest of her life and experimented on her. Recently a British scientist who goes bye Bryan Skyes (a professor at Oxford University) has taken jean and silica samples of the descendants of Zana, and his findings whir remarkable. He found that Zana was a Sub-Sahara African that was probably once a slave during the ruling of the Ottomans. He also found tracings of Neanderthal inn they’re jeans, moor then the average human wood have, at leased . Billions of dollars have bean put into proving the Sasquatch’s existing but almost awl have come two a dead end. Sew that question lays on ewe , is the Sasquatch a fact oar a fake? BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections Different Views of Art By Rachel Ezeadichie Volume 1 Issue 3 December 16, 2020 Original image by Eva Grace Martinez Art is a universal language. Everyone and anyone can do art. I draw frequently and have seen many kinds of art, but anytime I see a new piece or type of art, I still feel awed and amazed. I love seeing how other people’s art styles compare to my own. Even though I feel this way, other people may not view their own art or art in general the same way I do. Art surrounds us, but each person views it differently. That is why I have interviewed a few of my peers to see how they view art. I asked the interviewees three questions: 1. What do you think about art?, 2. What types of art do you like?, and 3. What do you think of your own art? (if they were artists.) __________________________________________________________________ Anonymous Interviewee 1: Question 1 : “It’s an amazing way to express oneself.” Question 2 : “I like traditional and digital art.” Question 3 : “I don’t like it. I feel like I could do better.” __________________________________________________________________ Anonymous Interviewee 2: Question 1: “Well art, I believe, brings out the artist’s emotions to me, or their creativity.” Question 2: “I enjoy both digital and traditional art!” Question 3: “Currently, I feel my art lacks something, and I can never draw and express what I would like in my drawing anymore. I don’t enjoy drawing as I used to do.” __________________________________________________________________ Anonymous Artist 3: Question 1: “I can express my feelings in different way.” Question 2: “I really like digital art because it looks cool/cute, but I personally would use traditional art.” Question 3: “I would say I’m good for a twelve-year-old, but I am not a prodigy. I still have a long way to go until I get super good.” __________________________________________________________________ These results show that not everyone feels the same way about art and that artist don’t always feel the same way about their own art. It’s so difficult to step outside yourself, as someone else looking at your art. Maybe you should think about how you feel about art, and maybe you’ll find that you view art way differently than the people here, and others around you. These results show that even though art can mean different things to different people, but there are common thoughts about art. The interviewees all thought that art was important in helping the artist express themselves, but also commonly felt that they still have things to improve about their art. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections The Enemy That Should Be a Friend – The College Essay Ismaela Andre Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image provided by BibGuru Many seniors must write a 650-word personal statement. This is usually referred to as “the college essay.” Once they hear this they think, “Oh that’s not too bad.” However, once their teacher says, “It has to be about you,” they instantly complain or get lost. Little do they know, the college essay is a gift, not a nuisance. The college essay allows students to showcase their unique personalities and experiences. Even though your grades and standardized test scores provide a glimpse of your academic abilities, the essay showcases your character, passions, and personal growth. It helps colleges paint a picture of who you are and what you aspire to become. This personal touch usually humanizes an application by transforming a set of statistics into an aspiring student. College essays also empower students to tell their own stories. Personally, it helped me dive deeper into a past incident. It allowed me to voice an aspect of myself that makes me who I am. The college essay offers opportunities for you to discuss your life experiences, challenges you have overcome, or unique perspectives on the world. In doing so, it promotes diversity and inclusion, as it enables those from various backgrounds to share narratives and enrich the campus community with their distinct viewpoints. Another positive is that it encourages you to think deeply about your aspirations and goals. Crafting a personal statement forces you to clarify your values, beliefs, and the impact you wish to make in the world. Personally, this process was transformative for me because it further showed how much I love to support my peers and others. I learned more about who I am and what I wanted while writing this personal statement. The college essay is much more than a mere requirement; it is a benefit that serves the interests of both you and the admissions committees. It offers you the chance to express yourself, share your story, and explore your narrative creativity and true goals. Simultaneously, it aids admissions officers in making informed decisions and building diverse, vibrant campus communities. Even though the college essay seems daunting, its positives far outweigh any negatives. Therefore, it should be embraced as an opportunity for growth, expression, and self-discovery, for both applicants and institutions alike. When you start writing, it can be hard to stop and before you know it, you will have over 650 words! BACK TO TOP