Pizza essay wins admission to Yale

Carolina Williams, 19, calls Brentwood, Tennessee, her home. She applied for admission to several universities last year, including Yale and Auburn. For her Yale application she had to write 10 essays. One essay was about "what you love to do," in less than 200 words. She wrote about her love for ordering Papa John's pizza from home, explaining in part, "When the delivery person rings my doorbell, I instantly morph into one of Pavlov's dogs, salivating to the sound that signals the arrival of the cheesy, circular glory." An admissions officer emailed back that she was accepted to Yale, adding that "I laughed so hard at your pizza essay, and then ordered pizza."

                                                                                                                         Kathy Williams
Papa John himself responded, offering her an internship, free pizza for a year, and a free pizza party in her new college dorm. But it won't be at Yale. She decided to attend Auburn University in Alabama instead. Why? "Because I love the South and the whole school spirit there." She's the first person in her family to go to college, and believes "Auburn is just a better fit for me." And Auburn has one more advantage. "They have a Papa John's in their student center on campus, so I'll be there all the time."