“And it has a tail, like this.” I made my arm into a squiggly, hopefully flagellum-like tail. I was describing sperm to my 12-year-old camper, Lexus. This seems like a serious overstep of my camp counselor duties. But sadly, Lexus missed out on sex education. Not only did she miss this in her bouts of disciplinary action, but she also had gaps in her math, writing, and reading. Add in a ridiculously high number of incarcerated family members, low income,...

My primary intellectual interests are, in no particular order: history, language, statistics, law, and business. I love learning in general, but those five bring me the most euphoria. I discovered my love of history in my sophomore year, when I took Honors Modern European History, and reaffirmed it my junior year, in AP U.S. History. Reading thick packets of information, writing scholarly papers, and debating what actually happened is deeply satisfying to me. I love history because you can...

When I read the history of the Marquis de Lafayette, I delightedly realized that Lafayette has the mindset and the values that I also have. The Marquis didn’t follow his predestined path; instead, he said “Cur Non” and joined the Freemasons. Lafayette keeps this spirit alive, and I also have that spirit in myself. All throughout my high school career I’ve tried new things from golf to theatre, and Lafayette would allow me to continue taking risks and...

My freshman year I decided to pick up a new fall sport: golf. Golf quickly became one of my favorite sports to play. I play golf because it’s fun and didactic. It can be quite enjoyable when things are going smoothly, but even when I hit from one sand trap to another, golf is still fun. Golf also provides life lessons. There is no greater test of patience than playing 18 holes. Even when I’m frustrated out of my...

By looking at me you would never know that I have eight piggybanks. Specifically, I have eight piggybanks that are shaped liked pigs. This fact seems probable if you weigh my purse. My sounder of swine grew from my dislike of coinage. I never liked carrying around change because it would weigh my bag unnecessarily. For the weight of 100 pennies, I’m only carrying one dollar. This unjust proportion spurred me to begin depositing my change into a piggy bank....

It was a golf match during sophomore year. After a brief thunderstorm, the loudspeaker announced that it was safe to return to the course. Mrs. Dunn, our coach, told all four of my teammates and I to pile into and onto the golf cart. Now, a golf cart is really only meant to hold a driver and a passenger. I was holding on to the back of the golf cart with Victoria. We played together as golfer #4 and #5, even though...

There were a lot of items I really liked in the Wellesley 100, but my top two are #33, 24-Hour Shakes, and #75, Everything that is named. 24-Hour Shakes appeals to me because I love reading and reciting Shakespeare. One of my favorite English teachers frequently made our class recite passages from Shakespeare’s plays. I was one of the few students who actually enjoyed it! Although it can be satisfying to read and decode Shakespeare and all of his literary tricks, it�...

I put a lot of time into my essays. Be sure to really dig in, meaning scour the school website, talk to alumni, and try to get a feel for the school, even if it's your last choice.

Take standardized tests early! Try to get them all done by the conclusion of junior year, that way you have it out of the way and can retake if...

I applied to eight schools, with 2 high reaches, 1 high match, 4 low-mid matches, and 1 safety. My advice is to apply to a lot of matches. That way, it isn't Harvard or Podunk University. Have some schools...

I interviewed with Cornell, Brown, Wellesley, and Smith. My interviews went well at all of them! My advice is to know about the school and why you're applying there. You...