By Mateo Perez ‘23

Dear Admissions Committee,

You want dedicated, creative, and hardworking students, and I am right here. You need me, and I need you. Why are we beating around the bush? When do I start?

In all seriousness, this college essay was a little difficult; I’m not going to lie. You know how people have writer’s block? Well, I had that and reader’s block. It was difficult to understand some prompts because they were lengthy and wordy! Believe me–it was a laundry list! I think I took a break every 5 minutes because I needed to process what I was reading, or perhaps, it was because I was hungry. Regardless, I was stuck!

On behalf of almost all the high school students applying to college, cut us some slack, please. Not only do we have to write essays and apply to colleges, but we have to keep our grades up.  Especially at Brother Rice, where we have to make sure our faces are clean shaven, our phones are in our lockers, and our shirts are tucked in. So, you know, it’s hard.

Admissions officers, when my application comes in, you can go ahead and put it on the “accepted” pile. Don’t even worry about it! I mean, while we’re here, you might as well give me that scholarship, too!

From your very qualified and outstanding prospective student,

Mateo Perez