There is a hefty blue book in my bookcase that is older than any other book in the house. Across its spine are emblazoned the words My First Encyclopedia. For others this book might have served as a passing interest or an occasional point of reference; for me, it was the quiet, unremarked, yet vastly monumental introduction into a life shaped by the tenets of science. Science is interdisciplinary. The Encyclopedia introduced me to topics ranging from Julius Caesar to...

I am very fond of creative writing. A mix of biology lessons, fish dinners, and Shakespeare can produce something like this: Go forth, ye enzymes, ye acids, and do battle with the foul invader! Thou saliva, arm thyself with thy doughtiest amylase; ye enzymes, place thyselves where the heat and acidity best suit thy faculties. Render the fishbone into bolus; aye, and even into chime, and cast thyselves upon it so fiercely that it shall not dare to wander into...

Question: Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? Biological Engineering. The courses in this department, focused on the modern potentials of bioscience, would prepare me for the technological part of the career in global health that I intend on pursuing. The research performed in this department would then give me the opportunity to share and experiment with ideas that I have long pondered but...

Question: What attribute of your personality are you most proud of, and how has it impacted your life so far? Contrary to common belief, the reason why the elven warrior Legolas is my favorite character in Lord of the Rings is not because he’s an amazing archer or because he’s graceful in speech and battle. It’s because he is able to be optimistic when others despair, precisely the part of my personality that I have found to...

Question: Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations? The immediate world that I grew up and live in is nothing special, except perhaps in how happy and peaceful it is. I tend to see the world through rose-colored lenses, and I couldn’t change that if I tried. But in the globally connected world of today, the lives of strangers may have...

Question: Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? In junior year, my afterschool time was allotted thus: a third for schoolwork, a third for clubs and amusement, and a third for research. So when I performed poorly in successive research competitions throughout the year, it felt as if I had failed to live up to my own dedication towards research. Time and again,...

The personal statement is my common app essay, which was not part of the MIT application. The supplemental essays are for MIT.

I applied Early Action to MIT but was deferred. Their February Updates and Notes is the opportunity to send...

I went through numerous rewrites of my essays, particularly my common app essay. I started early - summer before senior year, but still...

Creative, motivated,...

I did use a private counselor for my essays, and his advice was more useful than any real editing work that he did. A lot of it comes down...

I interviewed with MIT, Penn, Harvard, and Princeton. MIT and Harvard were in person, and they were easily the best experiences. MIT the most formal, with me talking about some of my more unique experiences,...