Aus10
Aus10,
Harvard
B.A., Economics
A visionary leader at Harvard College who loves learning, conversation, coffee, music, and mentorship.
Features Included
10
Essays
9
Schools
9
Scores
5
Advice
17
ECs
3
Sports

Background

Hometown Pierre, South Dakota
GenderMale
EthnicityWhite Non-Hispanic
Class of2020
First Gen College StudentNo

Results, Essays, and Advice

Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
  • Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
  • University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN)
  • Yale University (New Haven, CT)
  • United States Military Academy at West Point (West Point, NY)
  • Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA)
  • University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Augustana University (Sioux Falls, SD)
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.

Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)

Applied for a B.A. in Economics

Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: No

School Specific Essays

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
“These are terrible,” I mutter as I cross out another couple of lines. “Nobody would listen to this song.” Another fruitless brainstorming session, stuck at the piano with chord progressions and key signatures running through my head—but no words. It makes no sense. Just merely sitting down at a Yamaha or Steinway is enough to fill my mind to the brim with syncopations and arpeggios, which my hands quickly convert to notes on the keyboard. Nevertheless, for all of...
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The United States Military Academy is regarded as the premier leadership training program in the United States. Training officers for the Army is no small task, yet the Academy goes above and beyond, which shows through on a national scale. What many forget, however, is that these leaders are also some of the most academically gifted students from across the nation. Not only are these young men and women leaders, they are also intelligent. The reason why I wish to...
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The attached .mp3 file is part of the album that I released this summer in May 2018 with my a cappella group, The Harvard Din & Tonics. I am on solo for this song Wait for the Moment, with the other eleven members of my group (plus a background recording of myself) singing the backup track. I share this recording for two reasons. First, in a way I consider it the “magnum opus” of my two years of singing in the group...
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Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
760 Words
To My Future Roommate, Living with you this coming year is not going to be terribly difficult for me. Three younger siblings have built up my tolerance to unbelievable levels, and I actually still share a room with my younger brother. I would be more embarrassed if I had a choice otherwise, but c’est la vie. Before living with me, however, here are a couple of considerations I ask you keep in mind. Future roommate, please understand my seemingly...
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Supplemental Essay: Other
366 Words
While each may have different backgrounds and circumstances, every single successful USMA cadet has some similarities. Although tangible skills are necessary to achieve success, many aspects of an Army officer cannot as easily be classified. Through watching the students who enter West Point, and then seeing the officers who are produced, three main qualities have stood out to me personally. The first of these qualities is dedication. By attending the US Military Academy, an individual commits to four years of...
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Supplemental Essay: Other
341 Words
Obviously, America represents a wide range of people and walks of life. It goes without saying that every demographic imaginable will be represented in one way or another throughout my time at the US Military Academy, and the Army afterwards. Certain approaches are necessary to cooperate successfully with different groups of people. The first thing to remember is that ignoring differences does not solve anything. The differences between genders, ethnicities, and religions must all be accounted for, otherwise people will...
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Supplemental Essay: Other
386 Words
Is there anything else which you would like to share that may not come across elsewhere in your application?
Thank you for reviewing my application. If nothing else, the following are a few interesting points that may not already come through on my application. I am the oldest of four kids, and thus have learned patience more than most. Achieving at my highest capacity is very important, and I push to excel at every activity I participate in. Music is my primary outlet for self-expression and creativity, which is why my list of activities is heavy in that direction;...
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Supplemental Essay: Extracurricular activity
146 Words
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.
My largest challenge in high school has definitely been athletics. For years it seemed like no matter how far I ran, or how many reps I counted off, I just wouldn't improve. One summer, I decided to run 500 miles to prepare for the upcoming cross country season. I fell just short, finishing with about 480 miles. The first race of the year was my best ever; I flew by those who hadn't worked themselves during the off-season. The victory was short-lived,...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
190 Words
What excites you about attending Notre Dame?
This past summer, I went on a college tour trip with my father. Notre Dame was the second stop on our trip, and we visited another eight colleges afterward. While all were very impressive, Notre Dame had something special that the others lacked. Pinpointing exactly what excites me about Notre Dame leads to three possibilities. Maybe the college's rural setting, which would naturally attract me as a South Dakotan. Part of it was the Catholicism, with the Basilica of the...
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Supplemental Essay: Intellectual interest
206 Words
What question fascinates you? Tell us why.
My life is infinitely different at eighteen than my father’s was. I ensure that my social media is updated to the minute. Often I can be found working my way through online college applications and scholarship forms while listening to digitally downloaded music. When my father grew up, he milked cows twice a day. Twitter was the noise that a bird made in the spring, and it wouldn’t be until graduating from college when he would go to...
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Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
206 Words
What's broken, and how would you fix it?
School is too focused on quantitative knowledge. Maybe this is the fault of elementary school, which focuses on moving each student from point A to point B, and teaching facts like the alphabet and arithmetic. At every step from elementary through graduation, standardized tests ask questions to measure understanding of concepts and ideas. This approach falls away from the true purpose of education. What both schools and students need to understand is that education should not teach an individual what...
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Supplemental Essay: Strong beliefs/principles
496 Words
Please reflect on something you would like us to know about you that we might not learn from the rest of your application, or on something about which you would like to say more. You may write about anything—from personal experiences or goals to interests or intellectual pursuits. (Please answer in 500 words or fewer). We encourage you to visit http://admissions.yale.edu/essay, where you will find helpful advice.
Perspective is one of the most underrated aspects of an individual. While often overlooked, this lens through which we see the world and make decisions may actually be the most important tool at our disposal. Living in one of the most sparsely populated states, nearly four hours from the nearest “large town,” it’s easy to make decisions using hometown thought processes. I have affectionately coined this as the “hometown perspective.” Such a narrow scope of understanding is not only...
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School Specific Advice

List of schools I interviewed with and my interview experience
167 Words
I interviewed with Harvard, Yale, and West Point. The interview process for West Point was multi-faceted and complex due to the application process. I met with nomination boards for congress members, and then had several calls with someone from the national level. Harvard and Yale both allowed me alumni interviews....
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My extracurricular activities in college, and why I chose them
373 Words
My primary activity (for the first two-three years of college in particular) was music; I am in an a cappella group at Harvard called The Harvard Din & Tonics. I chose this group because I have wanted to be in collegiate a cappella ever since I started watching The SIng Off and (especially) fell in love with Pentatonix. The Dins have really become a sort of family away from home for me, and a group of musicians that I feel I can rehearse with, live with (one of my roommates is in the Dins with me), and bond with. Music plays...
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More Essays

These essays haven't been tagged by school. Click school logos above to see tagged essays.

General Admissions Advice

My advice about getting recommenders
91 Words
Make a cover letter for each letter you want, each time you want it. Deliver it with the envelope already attached. Giving your recommenders hard copies of...
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What I’d change about my application process
124 Words
Don't write the college application essay that YOU think that college admissions officers want to read. Obviously you're smart and capable and have done a million activities and ran half of them during your years before college....
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What set me apart from other applicants
328 Words
I wish that I could say that I was super smart and already had a Nobel or something, but I didn't. Three things explain how I got into the school where I am currently enrolled. First of all is music. The experiences I have had through music, both domestically and internationally, set me apart on the achievement side of things. I may have been a pretty run of the mill applicant pertaining to grades, but my accomplishments in music turned the heads of admissions officers. Second was leadership. I didn't just become president of organizations, I found a way into...
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High School Performance

Unweighted GPA
4.00
 
Rank
Top 1%
 
College Classes In High School
Academic Performance in High School Steady

Test Scores

Highest ACT
36
 
ACT Score Details
 
Other ACT Scores
ACT Prep
PSAT Scores

AP / IB Classes and Scores

Details6 classes and scores

Sports

SportsBasketball, Cross Country, Track & Field

Extracurriculars

ActivitiesBoy/Girl Scouts, Choir, Community Cleanup / Service, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Homecoming committee, March of Dimes, Mock Trial, National Honor Society, Nursing Home Volunteer, Prom Committee, School Choir, School Newspaper/Magazine/Journalism, School Theater/Plays, Special Olympics, Student Council / Government, Tutoring/Mentoring, Student Activities Committee
Elaborate on Extracurriculars or Work

Experience & Awards

Volunteer Experiences
Awards Received

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