Past Essays We Love

From Admissions

Students always ask about the essay. Topic selection, length, style, message – there is so much to think about. We realize that it is not an easy process, to say the least. So it is our pleasure to share with you exceptional essays penned by members of the Tufts Class of 2015.

These pieces capture the distinct voices of these young men and women, and forge a powerful and affective human connection with their readers. They truly helped to set these students apart in our applicant pool. They compelled, magnetized, and fascinated us. They demonstrated creativity and illuminated curiosity. We hope that these works will inspire you to find your unique voice as you craft your words and stories in the months to come.

The Essays

I learned so much, swimming in heaps of onions and fava beans in the kitchen at NOPA, a restaurant in San Francisco. Chopping and peeling, shucking and coring, cleaning and pitting, I came to see who I was in an entirely different light. It was like a sort of meditation, cutting the ends off of brussel sprout after brussel sprout, carrot after carrot. ... Read more.
Kirk Jackson
San Francisco University
San Francisco, California 

I have always had the intense feeling of how utterly strange it is to exist.  I have also always had the inkling that there is an in-group of people out there, somewhere, that knows how the world really works.  What makes me tick is my desire to infiltrate this group. ... Read More
Brendan Fleig-Goldstein
Doane Stuart School
Cornwallville, New York 

My neighborhood has been called "dirty," "poor," and "dangerous." I prefer to call it "lived in." ... Read more
Zobella Vinik
The Basis School
Tucson, Arizona 

She kept touching her ear as if it were confirmation that she was real. He wore two left boots, one pragmatically and the other symbolically. They sat across from each other, making clear that there was far more between them than distance. ... Read more
Zobella Vinik
The Basis School
Tucson, Arizona  

Have you ever had the insatiable urge to challenge something? I sometimes crave tacos at midnight or time-travel to the Victorian Era, but these wishes do not affect me quite as much as the need to question. It is one of the few characteristics that I don't believe I will outgrow. ... Read more.
Samantha Ferello
Nazareth Academy
Billerica, Massachusetts

I have always been intrigued by irony -- coincidence with an amusing twist, and perhaps appropriately so, I believe that everything happens for a reason. Amid a multitude of Russian accents, foreign traditions, and immigrant mentalities, developed a distinct affinity for English as a literary art. ... Read more.
Marian Shtyrkov
Swampscott High School
Swampscott, Massachusetts

Optional Essay: Youtube video
Benjamin Berman
Cape Elizabeth High School
Cape Elizabeth, Maine