In March of my sophomore year, Morgan told me I was her “third-best friend.” She reasoned that she had known her top two since grade school, even though, she admitted, their friendships were often somewhat volatile. It was a strange - and maybe even rude - thing to say. I’ll admit, though, that I was actually pretty proud. I had made somebody’s top five! Mission accomplished! Harborfields High School is a small high school, part of a system...

The following is an excerpt from my supplemental essay for Harvard. There was no specific prompt, so I wrote about how a funny experience led me to really fall in love with my intended major. “Happy birthday!” Mom shouted as I unwrapped the unusually-shaped gift on the counter. As I struggled to rip the paper off (my mother is a tape-happy gift wrapper), I saw what looked like a furry pink spring. I squealed and giggled with delight (forgetting momentarily...

I think I'd definitely apply to a couple more schools. I applied to 10 - 5 were Ivies, and the other 5 I didn't especially care for. It worked out for me, but...

My school's guidance counselor was of no help at all, so I hired a private counselor...

I interviewed for Harvard, UPenn, MIT, Columbia, Yale, Brown, and Carnegie Mellon. Usually you will be contacted by (or, in MIT's case, you will have to...

Definitely do as much as you can! It all depends on your interests, but I spent a lot of time working at a neuroscience lab near...

I wish I knew what really set me apart - I don't. If I had to guess,...

Gosh, what DON'T I like? The Boston/Cambridge area is lively, historical, and so fun!...

Another one I don't have an exact answer for - my best advice would be to do as much as you can in high school, put a lot of...