Ting! Metal clanks against metal, voices chirp like content cicadas. Sitting on a rough, navy blue rug, I find myself looking up at people of different ages, excitedly talking and sharing stories as they wait for the usual routine: football. Every Friday during the fall, we gather in this room and await orders to get dressed, sit in our sections, and be ready to perform. The room perpetually buzzes with excitement and anxiety, as many of our first-timers worry about...

For my personal statement, I chose a topic that allowed me to be really creative without addressing academics. Personally, I cannot do one of those “Why us?” essays or “Talk about a difficulty you’ve overcome.” I feel so confined in those questions, pressured to say the right thing or say what the school wants to hear. I wanted to write freely and have as much liberty as I could have to be creative and really make what I had...

Don't doubt yourself! At all. Don't overthink about those "average student statistics" or "median test scores" because all it's going to do is either bring you down, or stress you out. Getting into any college, especially Duke is not all about getting the perfect test score! What really matters, and increases your chances, are how well you express yourself and draw in your admissions counselor through your personal statement, and what you can say about yourself through your extra-curricular activities. My test scores definitely weren't up to par with what you would think a top school would look for, or...

As a first generation student, I always found higher level colleges to be prissy or uninterested in you as a person. They were just interested in your intelligence, and mass-produced rigid, boring people. I now know, at least at Duke, that everyone is really silly and fun and excited about passions aside school....

Colleges ask for recommendations to get an idea of who you are through other people's eyes. They want to see what other people think of you in settings other than just academics. Find recommenders who genuinely care about you, and have seen you grow as an individual. They will write great things about you, and they definitely will write about how you've progressed as a...

I genuinely believe that what truly set me apart from other applicants was being in Key Club, and I'll explain why. This goes along with climbing up the ladder of leadership in a club or group. I started in sophomore year as a member, progressed...

When you start your journey of looking for colleges, you have to think about it as a home and a stepping stone to your "adult" life. I chose to apply to the University of Florida as my first choice, University of Central Florida, Stetson University, and Duke University. University of Florida was my first choice, because I visited the school and thought it was beautiful. You're going to live year for at least 4 years, you...