Growing up as an only child, you get used to playing one-player video games, building LEGOs by yourself, and forcing your parents to participate in activities a little sibling would be more excited to join in on, like roughhousing or playing Pokémon cards. As much as my dad loved playing a card game he had no comprehension of whatsoever, I’m sure he and my mom would’ve enjoyed having a second kid around to, ironically enough, give them...

When I was in kindergarten, my teachers called my parents and told them that I was in trouble. Apparently, I had been telling all my classmates that Santa Claus didn’t exist and they were all distraught. My parents sat me down and tried their best to convince me that Santa was real and I was guaranteeing myself a spot on the naughty list and a lump of coal in my stocking. I wasn’t having it. “Mom,” I argued, �...

Academically, I’ve always been interested in a wide variety of subjects and disciplines. The curriculum of Penn’s College of Arts & Sciences has majors for both Political Science and History, along with a minor in American Public Policy, so I can find a path to the political career I’ve always wanted. The college offers the classes to satisfy nearly every undergraduate student in the world, but there’s a difference between taking a course and taking advantage of...

1) Am I movable, immovable, or do I move? I chose immovable because I felt like the other two would likely be chosen more often, and thus my essay would stand out. 2) Just the usual academic essay. It's funny to see how much my interests have changed since I wrote this!

I sent in an extra letter to Columbia once I got waitlisted, and a letter to Yale after I got deferred early action. Although...

No, I did not. However,...

I had a horrible interview with Penn (short, tense, draining atmosphere) but I ended up getting in. I had a great interview...

I applied to pretty much every "top tier" school and decided I would pick which one to go to based on who accepted me. Don't do...

I would do a lot more research into the social scene at the schools I applied to. I think I overestimated my ability to adapt...