Harvard is a wonderful school, and after visiting in the spring of my junior year, I decided that it was my first choice. I was in love with the residential house system, which creates smaller communities within the Harvard. I also loved the location within Cambridge. Boston is one of my favorite places, and I also have many family members in the Massachusetts area. I was comforted by the idea that I would have the close by if I needed some familial love. I also did research into some of the extracurricular activities offered, and they seemed right up my...

I created an initial list by completing a "College Match" search on Naviance, the website that my school uses for college counseling. I narrowed down my list and added new schools over the following months given the following considerations. Many people will advise you to consider size when considering what schools to apply to. This was difficult for me,...

I interviewed with alumnae for Georgetown, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Penn, and Columbia. These interviews were conducted at local coffee shops and were very laid back. Because I am a girl, I have only female interviews. They asked questions like: What do you do in your spare time? What do you think about your current high school? How would you describe yourself?...