The library was quiet and calm the day I discovered my favorite poet. I drifted through the narrow stacks with light steps, not wishing to disturb the fragile peace of the place. It seemed to me a massive dovecote, filled with pale-winged pigeons of books, wings folded, asleep. I ran my fingers gently across their bindings, a fond touch, asking for nothing; I would let the next book find me. I had no idea which section I had wandered into...

Penn’s devotion to the intellectual growth of its students is clear. With a flexible curriculum and opportunities for undergraduate research, Penn makes sure that its students are free to pursue all their intellectual passions. I have always had unusual interests--Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Ethnobotany, Papyrology, Argentine Tango, etc.--and any interest I have becomes a passion almost immediately. I don’t do things halfway. I like to delve deeply into a subject, looking for connections, following the rabbit holes into infinite...

Last year I went to an Argentine tango class on a whim. I arrived late, coffee in hand, too many bags draped over arms, utterly unprepared. I had found out about the class in an email just minutes before, thought, ‘tango might be interesting’, and abandoned my homework for a later hour. So there I was, yanking my boots off to reveal mismatched socks and joining the circling mass of new dancers practicing the tango walk. I pretended to know...

In a competitive college application environment where high scores on the SATs and a dozen extracurriculars have become the norm, your essays are absolutely the most important part of your application. It’s important that they give the admissions officer a picture of who you are and why you’re good for the school. Think of the qualities the school might be looking for for—leadership, teamwork, honesty, creativity, curiosity, determination, etc.— and pick a topic that highlights how you...

I would have applied early. It really does increase your chances of getting in and it shortens the process a lot. I regret that so much of my senior year, my last...

For me, choosing which schools to apply to was mostly a matter of money. I focused on the ivies because they have the best financial aid out there (no loans!) so if you're not really wealthy they'll actually be cheaper than most selective, smaller liberal arts colleges. It's also important to be aware of whether a college has need blind admissions or not. The ivies do--note that I...

After I was waitlisted, I sent in a letter to restate my interest in the school, offer an update on my academic and extracurricular career, and offer some explanations about my unconventional curriculum (which I realized too late was probably the reason I had some trouble getting in.) Also, many of my...