My little feet ache and my mouth yearns for some trail mix. Hikes, in my opinion, should never boast more miles than I did years, but my mother always seemed to ignore that perspectice. She beckons me from the top of a nearby hill and, with a final, exhaustive burst, I scurry to the top to meet her. The summit is only a few strides awat when, abruptly, he catches my eye: the Sleeping Dragon. He's such a surprise that...

It was five o'clock in the morning, and an intruder was in my home. His vile gurgling sounds had crawled into my room and slinked under my covers, his deafening beeps had yanked me from sleep. I now lay frozen, listening intently for any other noises -- footsteps, perhaps? The screams of my family members? -- but the house fell silent. Slowly, I slid out of bed and tiptoed into the dark hallway. The intruder was definitely near -- his...

These are my essays for the University of Virginia, which I had a lot of fun writing. I think that if I didn't get into Harvard, I would be joining UVA as an Echols Scholar this fall. Prompt 1: We are a community with quirks, both in language and traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is a part of who you are. Response: My construction boots and I met by completely serendipitous circumstances: I was meandering through the...

UVA Prompt 2: What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way? Response: Her voice slipped out of my speakers and filled the room like smoke. "Never really felt bad about it... as we drank deep from the lie...." Hers was a coy, breathy tone, and it floated on top of a rhythm that sank as deep as the oceans and soared as high as the galaxies all at once. My...

Harvard asks you to "briefly describe one of your extracurricular experiences" in 150 words or less. Here's my response: Pieces of my heart are scattered across the world. For this, I must thank Paint the Town. When I arrive for work, the familiar smell of Murphey's Oil Soap and freshly unpacked canvases washes over me. After I slip into my paint-splattered apron, customers flood the studio to browse our selection of over 500 paintings. Nothing touches me more than when someone is...

Although I love writing, the essays were probably the worst part of the entire application process for me. I think a lot of my resentment stems from the fact that I wildly over-thought and over-critiqued mine. Here's the whole story: I began writing my essays in June/July before senior year, even though I wasn't planning to apply to anywhere until October/November. Giving myself so much of a headstart, I argued, would just give me more time to craft...

I love interviews! Seriously, the interviews were my favorite part about the whole admissions experience. That might have to do with the fact that I am naturally a very outgoing, talkative person (some of my shyer friends HATED interviews and actually opted out of the optional ones) but I find them a wonderful chance to help add a human touch to the process. My interview with Harvard was probably the best of the nine I had (including Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Georgetown, MIT, Brown, U Penn, and U Chicago). I absolutely loved talking to my alumnus because, even though we were...

Student government,...

After college, I would like to go to law school. Although this isn't the most intuitive path for a neuroscience major (but I mean, we'll see what my major...

Driven, engaged,...

I really don't feel like it's necessary to hire a private counselor. If you have a good team around you (such as your parents, your teachers, and perhaps Gibby from College Confidential), a private counselor probably won't offer...

Honestly, do what you love. The most important thing colleges want to see is that you have a few, select passions in which you are always striving to better yourself. For example, if you love dogs - wonderful! Volunteer at a dog shelter, start a charity for abused dogs, or maybe even use...

After decisions came out, I was left to choose between UVA, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, U Penn, Boston U, and CU Boulder. UVA was an amazing choice, and I was accepted as an Echols scholar, but...

In the end, I chose Harvard because of its rich history and traditions, its networking/career opportunities,...

Harvard is honestly a perfect fit for me. The culture is very energized and the students are completely engaged in their passions. Although at times it can become a little "every man for himself", I...

After getting waitlisted from Harvard in December, I was really bummed. It felt like all my work and stress had gone to waste. However, I knew that Harvard was still my #1 choice and if I wanted to impress the admissions officers, I should work to strengthen my case. So I wrote an additional essay explaining why Harvard was my ideal school (elaborating on my interest in specific professors, my goals for the future, etc) and I asked two more adults to write me letters of recommendation (my principal and my math teacher). I also reached out to the Harvard swim...

Alright, so looking back on my application process I can see how totally and completely unhealthy I was. I spent five months thinking -- no, stressing -- about my Harvard application, only to be deferred and then have literally three weeks to finish 15+ other applications. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't stress as much about any of it. I know that's easier said than done, but if you give yourself a healthy interval of time (long enough to think clearly and polish your work, but short enough to pressure yourself into creativity and be okay with...

Honestly, I don't know. I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but let me tell you a little story. So, the valedictorian of my school (his name is Koby) and I have been competing against each other for years. Whenever one of us received an accolade, the other would quickly accomplish something more prestigious. College decisions were no different; when March came around, we incessantly questioned each other about acceptances to see who was the "winner". (I should mention here that Koby and I are actually incredibly good friends. When we're not competing against each other, we're...

When I started looking at colleges, I first chose places that had highly ranked neuroscience programs. This lead to A LOT of the Ivy League and Tier 2 schools, so to narrow down my choices I started considering things like location, school size, and campus culture. I absolutely love being near cities and detest rural areas, so that specification crossed off schools like Cornell and Dartmouth pretty quickly. I also knew that I couldn't handle a school too small (10,000) so that got rid of a lot of liberal arts colleges and some state schools. Finally, I was really drawn to the...

My advice about getting letters of recommendations is to ask for them early! Seriously, I asked for them in August when school started up again. Although it usually only takes about two weeks for letters to be completely finished, you just want to play it safe (one of my recommenders uploaded hers the day applications were due in November). When you ask for recommendations, I would first approach your teacher/counselor/coach/other important adult in real life and, if they agree to write one, shoot them an email soon afterward. In the email you should 1) thank them profusely for...