"C'mon. Let's get up." I offer my hand to the boy writhing in the snow, one ski off, for the umpteenth time. Again he refuses, continuing to shriek and cry, immobile. A ski instructor's nightmare. But for me, it's just another lesson. Evan, the severely autistic 12-year-old I'm teaching, is one of my many students—all suffering from some sort of disability—at Waterville Valley Adaptive Snowsports. I've been blessed with immense opportunity my entire life, so I wanted to...

We always hear about the starving children in Africa and about the plight of the citizens of third-world countries many of us can’t even find on a map. We feel sorrow and sympathy for these families who can’t afford food for dinner every night. We’re concerned, with good reason, that so many people in these third-world countries can’t provide themselves with the basics needed to sustain basic life. But neither can so many of our fellow...

“Men’s youth lightweight eight. Finals.” The loudspeaker ruptured the still silence and intense concentration that had permeated the air. “Lane one. Friends of Port Rowing A.” Oh, we so have them. “Lane two. Wayland-Weston Rowing Association A.” That’s me. That’s my race. Okay. Okay. “Lane three. Community Rowing A.” No way. They got this in the bag. “Lane four. New Canaan A.” They beat us yesterday, but it was just by two seconds. I bet we can...

I was deferred and sent in...

...

Suck up...

You really have to be exceptional at everything, particularly things that nobody else...

Get an internship that mirrors what you're looking...

It's Harvard....

I let coaches know I was interested in the team,...

Cambridge is the ultimate college town, and Boston is the most amazing city on the planet. We've got everything...

Write what comes to mind in your essays. I spent like three months on one...

My extracurriculars and my essays. They really do...