I fell in love on Valentine’s Day. I was seventeen years old, a junior, and had never experienced anything like it before. It’s not what you think, though. It wasn’t one of the cliché, fleeting romances based on the overwhelming number of Hershey’s Kisses, the fluffy pink teddy bears, and the catchy slogans of Hallmark cards that generally accompany the holiday. None of these things caught my attention that day. Valentine’s Day 2013 was the day...

Describe yourself in three words. First Word: tenacious Second Word: quirky Third Word: compassionate Favorite food: Chai Tea and pumpkin scones (together, preferably) Favorite fictional character: Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) from Silver Linings Playbook Greatest invention of all time: written languages What do you like to do for fun? read/write poetry; listen to/play music; ski; surf; rock climb; travel Role model: my group facilitator from HOBY (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) Favorite book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower Best...

My biggest piece of advice when applying to competitive schools is to come up with something original and fun to write about. The hardest essays to write in an original way for me were the ones about "why ___ school?" Here is my "Why UPenn?" essay... When I visit the University of Pennsylvania, the first place that I hope to go is the Institute of Contemporary Art. No, I don’t plan to study anything art-related. So then why, you may...

I didn't use a college coach and am actually very glad I didn't. A lot of my friends that did have college coaches seemed to actually be more stressed out than those that...

One of the first things people ask me about when I say I go to USC is if it's safe. USC's location has a bad reputation because it is located in South Central LA. I know that...