Try to find two to three teachers who you really click with - your choices should be obvious to you by them time you decide. As a student who is applying to top tier colleges, your academic performance should generally speak for itself. While great test scores are a good indicator of participation in class, that should not be your focus. Lots of students are do well in school and you should not base your choice on pure academics. With my two choices, I wanted my teachers to tell a story rather than throw in big adjectives into my recommendation....

Do what you love and love what you do! I applied with an intended Biology major so I tried to portray myself as a typical pre-med applicant which worked. You don't have to do crazy things over summer to get in to great colleges - you just need to demonstrate that you are participating in said activity because you enjoy and excel at it. A good rule of thumb is you should spend a minimum of half your time throughout your whole summer out of the house doing something to help develop your character (and your CV). Volunteer work is...

If you go through all my supplements, you can catch a very obvious and KEY pattern between acceptances and rejections which we'll discuss in depth below .. First of all, start early. Start in the summer. I was submitting applications MINUTES before the deadline and rushed applications aren't the best (albeit some work out). Always use simple diction and don't try to thesaurus everything. When your unadulterated, pure personality comes forth in clear concise language onto your essays is when you'll have the best shot. Looking at all my essays, you'll notice anecdotal (more interesting to read a story than a...

I think you should capitalize on your strengths - your absolute strongest points. All of us applying to Ivy leagues have great academics and a myriad of of extracurriculars under our belts. So the key step here is to take your strongest points and address each individually in your essays. Your strongest points in your application need not be Intel awards or Gold metals at an International Olympiad .. my achievements...

For scholarships, try your best to apply early and compile all the financial information you need in one place for easy access. It can be incredibly daunting when you have 10+...

Don't use an admissions counselor ($$$ !!!).. I didn't. I did however try my best to access previous accepted student profiles and essays to help me get creative with writing techniques. After reading a TON of essays (and even more trial and error), I was finally able to nail my writing technique for my essay. If you're looking for a "counsellor", why don't you talk to your teachers (those you asked for...