“Slacker”
 “He opened his heart to Christ present in those oppressed by poverty and injustice. May we follow his example of faith and generosity...” for years, I have heard, but not truly understood Edmund Rice’s prayer. Going to a Catholic school, I have been expected to serve those less fortunate than I; however, until last year, I simply saw this as 30 hours of meaningless chores. Although Vancouver is home to the poorest neighbourhood in North America, my parents have...

Note: This is a recreation/summary and not the actual statement (unfortunately I could not retrieve it). From a young age I participated actively in sports. At school I loved playing basketball, volleyball, and anything else available. In eighth grade I was cut from both the volleyball and basketball teams. I did not know what to do; this was the first time that I had experienced failure. That year, I did not play on any sports teams; and while that...

Actual submitted essay: After failing to make the basketball and volleyball teams and not having a stellar season rowing crew, I picked up a disc for the first time in the spring of 2009—immediately, I knew I had found something special. Ultimate required strength, skill, speed, and, above all, spirit. Initially I wondered why opposing teams mingled so freely, but I soon realized that this was the culture of Ultimate. The game thrives on honest competition and all-out effort. Laying...

Personal Statement: I played around for a while deciding what to write about, and I finally chose one that reflected more about myself with fewer words. I actually got help from a peer, and not any teachers or adults. The opening and ending (excerpts from a prayer) really solidified the message and showed some good form. I wanted to convey that, despite whatever I was doing, I could always do more/always had room to improve. The true story about...

I personally did not experience this, but in talking to an Admissions Officer, he recommended to not bombard...

I did...

I interviewed EA with Harvard. I was paired up with a College and HMS alum. I got the email on very short notice (around 3 days prior to the actual interview). My advice would be not to freak out thinking you all of a sudden need to know all this random knowledge– you don't, and, quite honestly, you probably can't. You got the interview for what you already submitted and that's who you are. If you try to read up on something and end up talking about that, you won't have enough substance to keep any conversation going. As such, stick...

As a Canadian student attending a US college, this was a little different. I basically searched through scholarship databases online; I also looked at the...

Quite honestly, all of my US applications were stretch schools. Since the costs were so much higher I only selected Ivy League...

From experience in meeting my class/schoolmates and brief conversations with Admissions officers, you get in with breadth and/or depth. Good grades and good test scores are pretty much automatic (though a slightly lower test score can be forgiven especially if the rest of your application is...

As in high school, I am not doing an absurd amount of activities in college. I am still playing Ultimate Frisbee (club team), I am on the business board of The Crimson (school newspaper), a peer tutor (through Harvard's Bureau of Study Counsel), completed a Research Assistant job, and am a...

I am still unsure, but I will most likely be working a full-time job out of undergrad. Currently I am looking at a consulting or marketing...

I did not...

My high school summers were actually just working manual labor jobs. I worked at a restaurant one summer and a fair another; senior summer I just enjoyed with my friends before going off to college. As for college summers, I was once told that the general progression was (Freshman-enjoy, Sophomore- do something, but not too intense, Junior-Internship, Senior-work/one last trip) With this in mind, I would recommend a summer abroad (either with a for-credit program or just for fun) in your Freshman or Sophomore year. If you want to/need to do research, this would come Sophomore year. Otherwise,...

Boston is a great location as it is very close to New York, and many other schools. While we are also close to Boston (the actual "city"), Cambridge is not so separated from...

I think I would have been more prepared; I did not seriously consider applying to the US until beginning of senior year. As such, I was unaware of many of...

For me, the "Why Harvard" essay is that it exposes me to the best in many things....

I do not know for sure, but I believe my dedication to the things that I did. I was in a top 1 or 2 position for everything on...

My math teacher and my history teacher wrote my recommendations. This conveniently showed that I was able in both the social studies and the STEM side. More...

I did not end up applying to any other schools in the US...

As mentioned above, it was objectively...