My Mom, Play-Doh, and Me Cheeks flushed salmon pink, I focused on my shoes, drawing simple patterns on the tiled floor to avoid eye contact. I felt the lingering gaze of my mom’s college classmates, who hovered over me like scientists examining a microscope slide. Their eyes bounced between my mom and me, scrutinizing our features. Mere seconds felt like eternity until finally, they concluded, “Wow, you look exactly like your mom!” The comparison was outrageous. At 14, I wanted...

I talked about why I loved LSM, the research and business and service opportunities at Penn, with the theme of searching for the perfect smoothie blend of college characteristics. This was based on my own personal experience with a specific smoothie food truck at Penn and my summer experiences on campus. I was able to tell a vivid story because I spent a month at Penn myself during LBW.

Here is my advice for how to write the "Why Penn" essay that I shared with a couple of my friends. Of course, adapt this to whatever college/program you may be applying to! Hope it helps! 1) Make it personal to you. Think of it almost like you're trying to prove that Penn is a great fit for you in terms of academics, service, and research opportunities (you can choose to focus on the aspects that are most important and applicable to you). The college application process is kind of like dating; it takes a while to find the "perfect...