Duke（1.3） Admission Essays Examples

(Optional) Our university seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you'd like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you've had to help us understand you better-perhaps related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background-we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 word limit)
While sitting on her wheelchair on the way to the hospital for her dialysis, my grandmother expresses a sense of serene harmony. Accompanying her to the hospital is the first thing I do every Saturday. This has been my constant activity for three years, from which the path we take has been engraved in our minds, such as the steps towards the hospital’s front door, the slope we must cover, and other things that became part of our weekly hospital visit. Despite the encumbrance, I feel gratified whenever I see her regains her strength after her dialysis.
Chinese culture expresses a strong family bond. However, living with both parents and grandparents is not a common Western practice. I live with my parents and grandmother and this gave us the opportunity to have a shared responsibility to take care of my grandmother since she acquired a renal failure. Caring for the elderly is not only a tradition in my family, but also a traditional Chinese ritual. It enables us to witness her aging, which is unacceptable, yet an inevitable thing.
It is hard to admit that the vibrant, lively, charming lady who cared for me when I was young now deteriorates her memory. We do what we can for my grandmother. We frequently spend time with her and whenever she mentions tiniest detail from the past, I feel satisfied. An elderly needs more than just a physical care and taking care of my grandmother has taught me patience and unconditional love.
If you are applying to the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences as a first year applicant, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something particular about Duke that attracts you? (Please limit your response to no more than 150 words.)
As a science student, I have a strong commitment to research and the diverse, liberal atmosphere at Duke is extremely appealing. Duke has a renowned Physics Department with leading research opportunities and excellent resources, such as the NSF Research Experiences. I am excited to join the GERN Summer Student Program in Geneva to enrich myself within the multidisciplinary environment. The most intriguing part of college experience is learning and creating new things that may have an impact on the surroundings, which can all be fully achieved at Duke, which highly values and celebrates the diversity and knowledge-application in the service of society. I am willing to participate in the Duke ChangeWorks and work with the top thinkers and innovators exploring the best ideas towards social change. Thus, curriculum flexibility ensures me the interdisciplinary study and encourages me try and learn new things and attending to both my intellectual growth.