I would really recommend writing your personal statement about a mistake you made and how you grew from that mistake. This gives you a chance to show the admissions committee that you are a real person, that you are not afraid of taking risks (i.e. making yourself look like a fool in front of a group of people you're trying to impress), that you learn from your mistakes, and that you can be funny. If you are describing an...

I picked out things that are unique to that particular college, programs or classes or opportunities that could not be found anywhere else in the country. I then described why I NEEDED those programs/classes/opportunities to get where I wanted to go in life.

I am not diverse. Not even a little bit. Blonde hair, blue eyes, white, upper-middle class. But I got creative. I wrote my diversity essay about how I am super super short and how that has been somewhat of a struggle for me. People often don't take me seriously because they think I'm twelve.

The "why us" essay-- This one is super hard. You have to write SO many of these, and it takes a long time to get them right. You don't want to regurgitate their brochure or their website. Pick out things that are unique about the college, and be sure to connect everything back to yourself. The diversity essay-- Expand the definition of diversity. Think about your hometown (do you live in a super rural or super urban location, how has...

There are schools I wish I had applied to and schools I wish I hadn't applied to. Make sure you LOVE every single school on your list before you apply. You want to apply to eight...

I did use a private counselor. Honestly, I think I could have done without one. They are super helpful for moral support/counseling and essay reviewing. Sometimes I would write a draft and my counselor would just flat out tell me it was horrible. It's...

Don't be nervous for alumni interviews. They are...

Location matters. I turned down Emory mostly because I hate humidity, and while that seems insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it's not. This is the place you are...

I chose my school (Dartmouth) because (1) I have lived in the south all my life and I...

You don't think about this when you are first starting your college applications, but money is HUGE. I had so many friends who got into their top choice but...

I highly recommend this. I probably would not have chosen the school I did if I had not reached out to a Dartmouth...