I wrote a creative piece describing how I taught myself violin, not because my parents wanted me to (they didn't actually think I needed to learn violin) but because I loved it so much. I spent a lot of dedicated time to practicing, and eventually, I learned how to do vibrato. I described that triumphant moment.

It was about "Why Harvard" and the specific program and research I was interested in (stem cell research) and why it appealed to me.

I also sent a personal research topic paper about stem cell biology that summarized the current research that had been done at that time.

I would say that, as someone who now interviews for Harvard University, the biggest advice I'd give is to...