By the end of the college apps process, I had written so many essays it was a struggle to write anything anymore. I was completely burned out, tired of trying to write perfect essays for every college, checking and revising them seven times and never quite feeling completely satisfied with them. I also felt a bit like I lost my voice during the process. My first essays were noticeably better, and I think it's because back then I still wrote what I wanted to write. By the end of the process, I started writing what I thought colleges wanted to...

Post-college plans could change in a hurry, and that's not a problem at all. I went to UChicago planning on majoring in economics and working in finance. I ended up double-majoring in statistics and English literature, and I'll most likely be doing either data-driven marketing or sports analytics once I graduate, although even those are still flexible. The key is to explore options, keep an open mind, and talk to people. And, most importantly, start immediately.. I started off thinking I could be interested in investment banking. I went to a Goldman Sachs information session my first week at UChicago ...

Try to make sure the teachers you ask for recommendations actually know you well, have the time to write the recommendation, and (this one gets overlooked sometimes) are competent. You want a teacher that you know well, preferably one that you interact with to some extent outside of class, one that knows you as a person, not just as a student. The super-popular fun teacher that everybody loves may seem like...