For the personal statement I discussed my experience as a Lincoln-Douglas debater through out all of high school as well as my role as Vice President of my high school's team. I mainly focused on how I developed both intellectually and socially as a person due to the argumentative environment I was exposed to. I really felt that much of the social awareness and ideology which has shaped me as an individual stemmed from discussing these ideas in the forum...

With society at a crossroads over what we deem morally right and wrong, the idea of a normative, universal morality has come to my attention. Humans have a set rule of morals which are considered universal based on aspects such as maintaining human life. However, as I delve into philosophy I have become skeptic of these supposed moral norms that have been placed on us by society. I believe that society’s portrayal of universal morals has led to massive...

Definitely not my best work (I wrote this as a last second thing after deciding I didn't want to write from the diversity angle since I felt it wasn't really me) but I enjoyed writing it. After having spent 4 years debating it was nice to express some of the ideas I had developed and learned throughout my debate experience and present it to the different universities. (Note: Used only for Ivies and UMich).

If you are deferred after early admission (I was deferred to Harvard under early action before being admitted under regular) you should definitely send more material to the admissions office. An easy recommendation is to send one or two more letters of recommendations from teachers who will write good letters while also being honest. I’ve always felt that...

No. I never saw the point in using a private admissions counselors to prepare...

From my first visit to Harvard, I completely fell in love with Cambridge and the east coast in general. I think Cambridge is unique in that it houses some of the most renowned colleges in the world in MIT and Harvard yet you get a sense of humbleness from the city. It is an eclectic...

Molecular and Cellular Biology 60 (MCB 60) - When I took this class, it was the first year it was offered, so there were a few bumps along the way. That being said, it was easily the best class I've taken on campus. My TF (Harvard speak for...

I interviewed with Harvard, Dartmouth, and Yale. Each interview was unique so I'll just spend a little bit of time on each. The Dartmouth one was kind of awkward; it was at the interviewers house and I felt that I was never really able to click with him. It...