I dedicate this post to all the essays that were inspired by my favorite show, The West Wing. There are really only two different essays written based on The West Wing, but one of them was rewritten and adjusted many times per college, and as I spent more time in the college application process, making it slightly different for each version.
Season 1, Episode 22: What Kind of Day It Has Been
Case Western Reserve University (Accepted)
In the college application process, you are constantly prompted for a list of your achievements, awards, and accomplishments. While this information is useful to us, we are interested in hearing more about you. Describe an event, achievement, or experience of which you are particularly proud but that will not show up on a resume, may not garner any recognition, and does not appear anywhere else on your admission application. This essay should not exceed 750 words in length.*
I did not become the President of my school’s National Honor Society. In fact, when I decided to run, I knew it was a long shot. My opponent was popular—more well-known than I. My friends who were running for other positions wondered why I did, and I simply told them this: I wanted to give the people a choice.
In the TV series The West Wing, President Bartlet tells a group of college students, “Decisions are made by those who show up.” That idea resonated with me profoundly. Participation is essential to be heard. One cannot complain about an action if they had not attempted to let their voice be heard in the first place. But what if people show up, and there is no way given to them to express their voice at all? What if they had no way to choose what or even who they wanted?
It didn’t sit right with me that the other candidate was running unopposed. Especially for the position of President. There wouldn’t be an option to choose from, but rather a definitive decision that they would become President regardless of what the other students wanted. I didn’t like that, so I stepped up, deciding I wanted to give them the choice. I quickly submitted the election form, and a few hours later, I saw my own name listed under the candidates for President. It was all a blur from there: developing my goals for expanding the NHS, planning and filming my campaign video, creating posters to promote myself, and gathering support. My campaign plans revolved around the idea of choice. My posters varied from a law theme, a medical theme, and even a cute Mars theme to showcase variety. I wanted to show them different sides of myself as a candidate so they could connect to me better and think about what kind of president they wanted. Doing so guaranteed that my opponent would also have to work harder for their campaign, as well as made it an actual election process.
Days later, when the results were announced, my opponent’s name stood against the president title. I lost. Except, I didn’t feel disappointed. I never truly cared about what the result was or how many votes I had lost by. Going in, I had only one objective in mind: to make them think. In the end, I was ultimately satisfied knowing that my goal had been achieved.
This was more than just a school election, but a reminder of American democracy and the values upon which it stands. Voting is a fundamental right; a way for the people to have power. While we had people show up to vote, what if no other competitor showed up? It becomes an illusion of our freedom—of our right and ability to choose. History has shown that systems without competing voices can drift into tyranny, where citizens really have no power and leaders face no accountability. While a simple school NHS election wouldn’t likely descend into such a situation, it served as a smaller-scale model for real-world issues and events we see today. Running for NHS President became my own reflection of that: leadership must be earned through choice, and not assumed by default.
While my run for the NHS Presidency may never show up on a resume as a “win”, it is one of the most meaningful steps I’ve ever taken. Simply offering people a choice can be leadership itself, and you don’t need to win a title or grand achievements to do that. More than that, the decision gave me something more valuable: the confidence to take a step forward, even if success isn’t guaranteed. The ability to take that step forward in itself is often more powerful than the outcome.
There will be countless times when I may succeed in something, and just as many times when I don’t. But regardless, I will always show up and make the first step in whatever I do. Because just as The West Wing reminds us, decisions are made by those who show up —and when we don’t, we leave room for someone else to decide for us. (694 version)
Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, Johns Hopkins (Rejected) – This is just one of the short essay versions I wrote
Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a student body with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. How will the life experiences that shaped who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?* (150)
Decisions are made by those who show up. Though I didn’t become my school’s National Honor Society President, I ran to give people a choice. The other candidate was running unopposed, which didn’t sit right with me. Without competition, leadership can become assumed rather than earned. My actions prompted others to consider their ideal president, while making my opponent step up to prove they were also worthy. Running for president gave me the confidence to take the first step forward, even when success isn’t guaranteed. This confidence has helped forge better connections with peers, take a firm stand on my ideas and beliefs, and branch out of my comfort zone in anything and everything I do. Because just as The West Wing tells us, decisions are made by those who show up —and when we don’t, we leave room for someone else to decide for us. (146 words)
NYU
Tell us about a time you encountered a perspective different from your own. What did you learn—about yourself, the other person, or the world?
I didn’t become my school’s National Honor Society President, but I ran to ensure a choice. From the TV series The West Wing, I learned that “Decisions are made by those who show up.” However, during this election, I faced a different reality: indifference.
The collective apathy towards an unopposed candidate bothered me. For me, this was more than just a school election, but a reflection of democracy. Without a challenger, elections can be reduced to a mere coronation–a formality. Without competition, leadership can become assumed rather than earned, becoming systems without accountability. It didn’t sit right with me that a position with so much influence was being handed over without debate. Refusing to let that happen, I decided to run. My campaign’s focus on values dictated the debate agenda, compelling the electorate to re-evaluate the standards required of a president. Furthermore, my opponent now had to step up to prove they were also worthy of the position.
Though I didn’t “win”, running was one of the most meaningful steps I’ve ever taken. I discovered the confidence to take the first step forward, even when success isn’t guaranteed. I will never let life happen on autopilot– I will always show up to challenge the norm. Because just as The West Wing reminds us, decisions are made by those who show up —and without a voice at the table, we surrender our right to decide.
Season 4, Episode 1: 20 Hours in America
NEF Scholarship (Earned $2000)
In 250 to 500 words, explain why you should be selected for this scholarship, including what sets you apart as a candidate, how you plan to use the funds, and what you hope to accomplish through your continued education.
My goal is to become a biomedical lawyer. In a world where we’ve blurred the boundaries between reality and imagination, going as far as implanting a chip in someone’s head—Neuralink— to control and be controlled by a computer, we’ve been able to make our wildest dreams of Legilimency come true. Modern innovations are so advanced that we need a strong foundation to guide these developments, and yet, laws cannot keep up with the rate at which they progress. For this reason, we need future policy makers or even experts who are well-versed in the grounding thinking behind these innovations, as well as the law itself, to bridge the two together. My goal is to develop regulations that protect the privacy and rights guaranteed by our Constitution, while encouraging progress and innovation. The path for this goal, however, is incredibly rigorous.
My parents have always supported me. They say that as long as you work hard and you do your best, then you have nothing to worry about. That’s how I’ve lived my life for some time now.
I’ve never been the smartest person in my class. There’s always been someone better than me–several, actually. For that reason, I’d always have to go the extra mile just to get ahead. From late evenings to early mornings, hours of school crammed between extracurriculars, I still piled on more. With the path I’ve carved for myself–to take on two different fields and merge them, just so I could pursue both of my interests at once–I know that it’s going to be hard. But if it means achieving my own dreams, then I’m willing and ready to take it on. It should be hard, actually–in fact, I like that it’s hard. But it could be simpler–just a little easier–because that small difference goes a long way. I believe that a scholarship is more than just a financial investment; it’s also an acknowledgement that someone is going in the right direction and encouragement that makes it just a little easier to keep doing so. So that’s all I really ask for—just a little encouragement.
Bonus (No specific episode)
Yale (Again because I love this essay)
Reflect on how your interests, values, and/or experiences have drawn you to Yale (125 words or fewer)*
Simply put, it’s where I see myself. My parents always said, “If you can see it, you can be it”. For a while, there were several great colleges I would’ve loved to go to, but none were my heart’s desire. Surely enough, my heart started lingering at Yale. Was it because Meryl Streep, an actress I love, or even Joshua Lyman from The West Wing, a character I deeply respect, were both Yale alumni? Or possibly because of Yale’s high esteem, I found myself gravitating to its venerability. I may never know, but at this moment, I know this: Yale has now become my heart’s desire, and if I close my eyes, I see myself rushing to a class across Cross Campus.
