I discussed how I have synesthesia and used that as a template to write about many aspects of my life. I started out with "I have synesthesia. No, it's not a disease." I definitely let my fun side shine through, but I also pondered things like, maybe there's a connection between my synesthesia and love for math - because I associate colors with numbers as well as letters, it's possible that numbers and equations were already more beautiful and interesting...

Roommate essay: I did a casual essay, speaking in first person to a potential roommate, starting with, "Hey! Wassup?" I took this essay as an opportunity to show my non-academic side: my personality, hobbies, interests, etc.. I talked about how I love arts and crafts, running and playing sports, how I'm super competitive and love mind games (board games, card games, Rubik's cubes, and such).

I referenced as many specific details about the school as possible. Applying from the East coast for schools on the West coast, I made sure to emphasize how familiar I was with the culture, how I have relatives there, how my parents lived there for a while and I love their stories and want to experience that myself. I also maintained the serious-but-fun tone (referencing the Doc-Ok band leader and swim team running in speedos and such). This was my ...

We were asked about "intellectual vitality" and what it meant to us. I wrote about a physic problem that my teacher junior year had posed for us. He was a retired army colonel from West Point who tended to mutter "damn communists" whenever something didn't work. He gave us a problem where he put a rubber sheet with a hook flat on top of a metal stool. When he pulled up the sheet by the hook, the stool came up...

I had a lot of fun writing my application. I felt like I got to show many different sides of myself and that my reader would really get to know many of my dimensions. Other applications in comparison felt empty, after completing this one.

Yes. This was really good in forcing me to get my work done early, before craziness of senior year kicked in. It was also really good because we were able to focus on what was best...

I visited schools a lot. That being said, there were two schools that I visited twice, and for both of them...

I knew I wanted a school with a lot of school spirit and pride. Often this comes in...

I did not want to apply to any school within a 200 mile radius. If you can afford it financially, college is a great opportunity to live in a different culture; the US has SO many diverse communities that...

Do something that is related to your interests or try something random with the intent of learning from it. If you're doing something related to your interests, it will reinforce your explanations on paper for what you're "passions" are....

How everyone does amazing things but are super modest about it. I love being surprised by people, learning months after I know them that they started a company or an...

The leave of absence policy is also really good. It's super easy to take time off and come back to Stanford, and other...

Greek life has been my main extra curricular activity. I was actually super anti-Greek life when I was applying to colleges. I rushed on a whim simply because I was curious what all the hype was about, and I figured if it wasn't for me at least I'd walk away with an understanding of one...

You think you have it all figured out, but you don't. Worse, those of us who think we...

I would have worked on more applications sooner. I spent so much time on my early application that I neglected working on...

My two teachers who wrote my recommendations taught the two subjects I love the most: math and history. Ironically, these were the two classes I actually had my lowest grades in (B+ each). But, these were also the classes I worked the hardest in, because I cared the most, and the teachers definitely saw that about me. A good recommendation will be from a teacher that respects you and also who...

Why Stanford's culture is important to you. You're going to get a good education...

I used a really fun tone. I...

Honestly, Stanford is such a unique place, there was barely any competition with other schools meeting my ideal...