At 17 years old, there are hundreds of things a person ought to know. They should know how to make dinner, drive a car, and send thank-you notes on time. At 17, I knew how to do all these things. However, there was one skill I had yet to master. Sure, I know how to use the quadratic formula and parallel park, but I hadn't learned one of the most basic skills of all: how to ride a bike. It was not...

There’s a lot to like about Davidson College. With less than two thousand students, it is a close-knit community. There is nothing more important at Davidson than the strict honor code. I want to go to a school where I can trust my fellow classmates. From the stories I have heard from students, it is clear that not only do Davidson students trust one another, but professors trust them as well. This is obvious from the fact that Davidson...

The summer before my junior year, I realized I needed to go to an Ivy League college. That summer, I went to an elite math and science camp. For some people, being surrounded by some of the smartest kids in North Carolina would be intimidating, but I found it invigorating. I knew then that I needed to go to college with other students who cared as much about their education as I do. Out of all the Ivies, Brown is...

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150-400 words) When I first joined my school's Chem Club, it was simply to make my AP Chemistry teacher happy. She was the club's advisor, and I figured being in the club might help me understand chemistry a little better. I mean, it was called Chem Club, so surely that meant there would be a bunch of nerdy kids solving chemical equations or even - dare I say...

When you meet someone for the first time, what do you want them to know about you, but generally don’t tell them? A paragraph to a page in length is ideal. Thank you! As a white, upper-middle class female from the south, most people who meet me for the first time already have a stereotype in their mind of what I must be. As much as I may want to immediately dispel these visions they must have of me,...

The summer before my junior year, my mom convinced me to go to an academic camp called Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics. I had applied a couple of months earlier and had been accepted, but I was not thrilled about the prospect of spending half my summer taking college-level math classes. What teenage girl wants to spend her summer differentiating equations? My mom pointed out that hanging out on a college campus would be more fun than spending all...

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (250 word limit) The summer before my junior year, I was accepted to an academic camp for the top high school students in North Carolina, called Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics. I was not thrilled about the prospect of spending my summer taking college-level math classes. What teenage girl wants to spend her summer differentiating equations? Still, my mom pointed...

Everything you could want to know about me, you probably think you could figure out by my Twitter. From there you can tell I love Burger King fries, Buzzfeed quizzes, and watching The Office. I obsess over the Boston Red Sox and Stephen Curry. I love playing on my school's tennis team and recruiting people for my clubs. In about five minutes, you've already figured out who your new roommate is! Except there's always more than meets the eye. There's...

Religion matters to me. It isn't so much that Christianity matters to me, although I am a Christian. I believe that religion helps guide people and give them something to believe in, regardless of which religion they celebrate. It helps me choose between right and wrong and gives me hope. When I feel like nothing is going right, I know God is looking out for me. I did not grow up in a religious household. My parents only took me...

If you could have a do-over of any moment in your life, what would it be? April 29, 2009. After nearly seven years, you would think this date would have been long forgotten. However, nothing can make me forget the shock I experienced that day and the inner torment I have dealt with ever since. At eleven years old, I should have been having a carefree day. My class was going on a field trip to Camp Thunderbird, a nearby YMCA camp....

Pay attention to different topics on college applications. Many colleges have similar essay topics, so you may be able to submit the same essay to several schools. For example, the majority of the schools I applied to asked me to explain one of my extracurricular activities. I was able to adapt one essay to submit to eight or nine schools. This helps save a lot of time when you have a lot of essays to submit.

List of Schools I Interviewed With: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Duke, Stanford, Elon (for the Fellows Program) My main advice to you is simple: be yourself. I spent so long preparing for my first couple interviews and trying to figure out what a school would WANT me to say. However, it became pretty clear in one of my interviews that I was just trying to sound good. My interviewer stopped me in the middle of an answer and said, "Look, I need you to be honest with me. I know that's not your real answer. So just start over and...

I was accepted into four schools: Elon University, University of Connecticut, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Davidson College. I ultimately picked Elon to attend, mainly because of problems I had with other schools. I first ruled out UConn, as it was the only out-of-state school I was accepted into. Also, it had been...

I ultimately decided to go to Elon University because I was accepted into their Honors Fellows program. As an Honors Fellow, I would be guaranteed research and I would...

I would've started applying to schools WAY earlier. CommonApp.org opens on August 1, and while I began my application when it opened, I didn't do much work over the summer. I wrote a common drafts of some essays and filled out the basic information, but it didn't amount to much. It was really frustrating during...

Starting in junior year, I started considering which teachers I wanted to write my recommendations. I wanted one math/science teacher and one English/social studies teacher, as I felt that would even out my application. I wanted schools to see that I'm not just a math person; I excel in all subjects! I finally asked my junior year English teacher and my favorite science...