My eyes were fixated on the screen. It was the only thing illuminating the dark room; there were no windows. A few rays of light could be seen under the door, but they were miniscule. I was conscious of every heart beat, yet my mind was racing. I felt as though the classroom was a prison, and I was trapped watching the closest thing to a horror movie I had ever seen. For the record, I have never actually seen...

I don't have my original essay, but I wrote about how I had school spirit (something Northwestern desperately lacks).

I knew Northwestern was looking to build school spirit, so I wrote about how I had a lot of school spirit and how I was planning on trying out for cheerleading. Write about what you can do for them, and not what they can do for you. Try and find out if they are looking to develop somewhere (athletics, clubs, greek life, etc.), and write about how you can help that development.

THIS IS CRUCIAL: Take classes at your dream school over the summer...

I looked solely at academics. I went to the top ranked university I knew I could...

Take...

Tell them what you can bring to the school. I wrote...

My essay was...

Take summer classes there, and become friends with your professor, and then have him write...

Take...

I love Northwestern. We have the perfect location being so close to Chicago. We are close enough to...

I wouldn't...

Talk about what you can...

Taking a class there over the summer, and holding...

Take summer classes and have your professor write a letter of...

I ultimately chose Northwestern because it was the best academic school...