Bleary-eyed and sullen, I blinked, squeezed my eyelids shut, and blinked again before managing to fully open both eyes. The dissonant notes struck on my brother's keyboard jolted me into consciousness. Thanks to Alex, I never needed an alarm to wake up for school. Living with autism isn't easy. Living with a brother who has it isn't any easier. Countless parties and playdates were missed taking Alex to his therapy appointments. Homework was done to the discordant tunes he churned...

Harvard Supplement: How to Make Interesting Small Talk Step One: Acquire a carbon fiber case for your instrument. Step Two: Carry it with you everywhere. Though this recipe may yield varying results, it will guarantee a conversation far more interesting than chatting about the weather. Just last week, as I was heading toward my car, violin case in hand, an elderly woman rushed up to me, breathlessly asking if I was carrying a violin or a viola. When I told...

Princeton Supplement: "If you are interested in pursuing a B.S.E. (Bachelor of Science in Engineering) degree, please write a 300-500 word essay describing why you are interested in studying engineering, any experiences in or exposure to engineering you have had, and how you think the programs in engineering offered at Princeton suit your particular interests." My mom always told me that when I was a child, she hated taking me places like the mall or even the grocery...

Princeton Supplement: "Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way." "Punch it!" snapped Ms. Booher. She prowled her way from aisle to aisle as we hurriedly dug around our backpacks for a calculator. Any student unfortunate enough to have left his or hers at home would be eyed frostily and berated mercilessly in class. She ruled over her honors chemistry and AP chemistry classes with an iron fist. Ms. Booher was relentless, harsh, and berating,...

When I went through the undergraduate admissions process, I wasn't entirely confident of my application essays, how my resume would be framed, or how to do well in an interview. Compared to other college admissions consulting companies, Admissions Hero seemed to be the cheapest and most fine-tuned to my needs. If you're confident of your writing abilities...

Currently, I am involved in the Bach Society Orchestra (a student-run orchestra), Harvard Yearbook Publications, Harvard College Engineering Society, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association. Having played violin throughout middle and high school, naturally I wanted to continue playing it in college, and a student-run orchestra would have a much more relaxed atmosphere and time commitment versus the...

So far, my favorite course at Harvard was Introduction to Electrical Engineering (ES50). I enrolled thinking of studying computer science of government, having not even considered electrical engineering (AP Physics C E&M...

proactive, knowledgable,...

Honestly, there are a lot of things I got wrong about college in general, not just Harvard, that I realized when I arrived in Cambridge. Harvard is put on such a pedestal, but once you get there, you realize that it has a bevy of institutional problems, just like any other place. That said, you still get an amazing undergrad experience! A lot of things aren't perfect. At first, you assume everything will be flawless, given the huge endowment and all, but people forget that Harvard is extremely old. That means wooden and brick everything, insects and rats, lack of...

Your recommenders should have known you for at least two years, in my opinion, but if that's...

As someone who isn't an admissions officer, take this with a grain of salt (no one at Harvard knows WHY they got accepted, given...

Definitely apply to as many scholarships as you can! Money + resume material. Make sure to check with the financial aid office though, because after a certain point the money may be used to decrease the college's own scholarship, since...

For engineers, it is less critical to go to grad school to get a...

I interviewed with Harvard, Princeton, and MIT. My Harvard interview went well; it lasted around 40 minutes and took place at a Starbucks. My interviewer was an eye doctor, and we both were introverts, so we kind of bonded over that. I asked lots of questions about Harvard student extracurriculars, and he talked about his experience as a student travel blogger. He asked stereotypical questions, like "Why Harvard?", though one surprising question I got asked was, "What kind of roommate would I be?" I was honest and admitted to being pretty messy :P The Princeton interview was my very first one,...