My diversity statement elaborated on my love for performing as an extension of my talents and opportunity to showcase my unique abilities that make me who I am.

If I could do high school over, I would have obsessed less about taking the most advanced classes and maxing out my schedule. I overloaded every year, completing 15 AP classes and receiving all 4's and 5's on the exams except in two classes (those were 3's). It was entirely unnecessary. Although it earned me the title of NY State AP Scholar (only one female and one male student in the state receive this title), my grades and sanity suffered. I was so caught up in taking the most challenging courses...

If you have a rough idea of what career path you want to pursue or a particular academic interest you may want to carry over to college, test it out. Conduct research, shadow a vet, help at a law firm, intern at your local newspaper. Anything. It's better to find out the areas you're NOT interested in earlier on so you don't waste time in college switching majors halfway...

My application strategy wasn't really a strategy. I applied early to Harvard because it was my dream school. My heart was so set on Harvard that I didn't seriously look into starting my other applications for the regular decision round. By the time I found out I was deferred, I had to scramble. I ended up sending applications out to all the top schools, but their quality suffered because I didn't invest adequate time and effort into customizing them for each school. If you apply early, please don't let your desire for/confidence in a particular school blind you to...

I submitted an additional personal letter of recommendation from a Harvard alumnus after being deferred at Harvard. He was able to vouch for my character and the value I'd bring to the student body. I ended up being wait listed. I'm not sure the letter helped (at least not enough to admit me in the regular decision round), but it definitely didn't hurt. If you are deferred or wait listed, anything concrete that demonstrates you are serious about wanting to attend that school will be considered ...

While I didn't take a gap year, I now believe I would have benefited greatly from time off between high school and college. Taking a year off before college was not something I even remotely considered as a possibility since it was a given that everyone who got into college from my hometown would go straight through. Now, having met a number of friends who did take a year off to explore other passions, travel, save money, and develop professional skill sets, I wish I had done the same thing and given myself a break after 12 years of intense academic...