I have always been a bookworm, devouring chapter books by age four. My elementary school's idea of learning to read and write through phonetically based "kindergarten spelling" seemed nonsensical and counterproductive to me, who saw no point in learning to spell words based on how they sounded rather than how they were actually spelled. At six, I was making rudimentary attempts at Harry Potter fan-fiction, determined to sell my ideas to JK Rowling for her next story. I realized early...

Start on your applications the summer before senior year! It may not sound...