I’m not one to dwell on the past; however, I can’t resist flipping through my art portfolio every so often. Since my family was never big on scrapbooking or filming home videos, a decade’s worth of sketches and doodles record my chubby-cheek days. Sprawled across crumpled notebook paper and sturdy cardstock, each drawing illustrates a chapter of my life. In the distant future, I visualize myself using these creations to unfold my life story to wide-eyed grandkids...

Benjamin Franklin once said, “All mankind is divided into three classes: Those who are immovable, those who are movable, and those who move.” Which are you? Excerpt: "Military camp pushed me to my extremes. I was expected to be movable by conforming to every whim of my commanding officer. Though I can play the part of obedient comrade to a point, I draw the line when my immovable core values are threatened. Like Ben Franklin during his time, I am...

Question: How will you engage academically at Penn? Essay: Wednesday, 9:00 A.M. at the Wharton School of Business: “Shall I gather more data, or use a different collection technique?” I ask Professor Khan, my mentor as I serve as Wharton’s Behavioral Lab Off-Campus Coordinator. She reviews my summary for her marketing research project on high-end retail pricing trends and replies, “No, this is just what I need. Thanks, Emily.” “Great! I’ll be sure to share any insights I...

Takeaway: Excel at something unique and do your research early on. Extracurriculars: The typical Penn student is curious, sociable and diverse. Make sure your extra curricular involvements and essays showcase your unique passions. Admissions officers will be less receptive to cookie cutter and generic resumes because they don't add value to the university. ...

I only interviewed for MIT and Penn. Both interviewers were older alum. MIT: Interviewer was a guy who worked for a military engineering firm. Very easy going guy. We were able to talk about interesting topics beyond MIT and academics, which was great. Surprising, he didn't know that MIT had a business school (Sloan) of which I was applying to. Questions covered what I wanted to do in the future, how MIT could help me achieve those goals. Interview lasted just over 1 hour, held in the conference room of his firm. Penn: Interviewer was a woman working for environmental services....

I had references from my Math Teacher and English Teacher, plus a supplemental reference from my French Teacher (Mentor, wasn't my teacher then, but I was very close to her and she knew the most about my involvements) I definitely recommend English teachers, they know how to write well. Even though I knew my Math teacher better than my English teacher, my English...

Start Early. Many of these are available your junior year. Make a calendar with deadlines for all of your scholarships. Cater your essays for each. Don't copy and paste your common app. Ask for...

Do something interesting you can talk about. While school is in session, you get to shape your mind. During summer break, you get to shape your character. The foolproof way to fully utilize your summer is to do something you are very passionate about. Inevitably you'll create something worth mentioning by the end of the summer. This could be a service trip abroad, starting an non-profit or business, doing research at a university, creating artwork, honing your sport/musical talent, etc. This life experience will be useful for your interviews and essays as well. You aren't required to go to...

Penn is an ideal city university. It's only a 30 minute walk/15 minute train ride from downtown. It's also in University City which has the safety and feel of a college campus. The culture can be summarized by four words: Work Hard, Play Hard. You may have heard that Penn is the social Ivy, and it is no joke. Thursdays to Saturdays, you'll hear people outside your window at night going to parties. Sun-Thursdays, you'll see...