My Little Sisters College Admissions Personal Statement

Satori was in her Senior year of HS and wrote this as her admissions personal statement letter. She got in. Currently at USC in 1 of the most prodigious dance programs in the world. 32 of over 400

I met my big brother when I was 13 years old. Before then, growing up, we somehow managed to co-exist without any serious interaction that I can remember. We made our rendezvous on the weekends when all the kids ventured from our respective mother’s houses to visit our dad. It was as if we were acquaintances that shared similar DNA, and before I could even learn his birthday, he moved to Washington with his mother. Suddenly the entire idea of “my brother” was 1,000 miles, 15 hours and 36 minutes away. The five years that followed consisted of sporadic phone calls from this “brother” I vaguely understood or knew. His entire existence disappeared into a four letter name that barely could form itself into a familiar face until “Brother,” who was now 18, was coming back to live in California. The day he arrived at my dad’s apartment I wasn’t sure what to say to this “Brother” that was mine but I had yet to properly meet. I opened the door to the apartment only to be surprised by a head full of curly hair, brown eyes, an athletic build, and a face that looked just like mine. He greeted me with a quirky “Hello Sister!”, and with no choice but to greet him back, I smiled and said, “Hi Brother, it’s nice to meet you.” The months that followed continued like a montage. Every weekend was a party whether we were eating grilled cheese sandwiches or running around Downtown Los Angeles. I earned the nickname Princess and I called him Brother. It was as if we had a bucket list to fill and every Saturday and Sunday we had a different agenda. Our moments together were sheer bliss. 

What is beautiful about life, is that we will find someone who will stand as our mirror to reflect all the things of ourselves that we can’t see. He was all the things I never understood about myself and as his mystery unfolded so did my own. I gradually discovered he was quirky and funny, and that brought out the quirkiness in my personality that I had never embraced before. I observed his inquisitiveness and began to inquire about interesting subjects myself. As he grew to be confident and intuitive, I watched myself evolve into a different person. We would spend long nights on the roof of the apartment building or on the couch contemplating life, religion, or relationships. Before I knew it, those intellectual talks we had transferred into my life at school and I was a straight “A” student taking honors classes and speaking my inquisitive mind at every opportunity I could. I remember having so much to say about the novels we read in my 10th grade English class that I was the only student pre-approved to take AP English in 11th grade. To this day I live by the best advice he ever gave me. He said, “You shouldn’t worry too much, Princess-- sometimes you just have to be happy. Just be happy.” Looking back, he was crucial in sculpting me to be the free-thinking and happy person I am today. I know that with my brother’s relentless support I’ll adjust to college smoothly. I imagine him calling me after classes to hear about my day and ask if I’m making friends. Though the phone calls may grow short and less frequent as college progresses, his love and encouragement will stay with me. I can picture myself thinking, what would my brother do? And I’ll be able to answer, just be happy.