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86b067b47782 wikihub 2026-04-10
86b067b47782921209dad3909290e3361a02da6f
About.md
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+title: About
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# About AdmitSphere
+
+You shouldn't have to buy an expensive book or pay an independent college counselor to get real college essays and advice. Through collaboration, we can give everyone access to the inside knowledge they need to write a powerful application, regardless of their financial situation or the quality of their school's college counseling.
+
+## How to Contribute
+
+- Click the edit button in the upper right corner of any page
+- Submit via email: admitsphere@mit.edu
+- Send essays, advice, improvements, and new page suggestions in PDF or text format
+
+## Helpful Tools
+
+- [PDFEscape](http://www.pdfescape.com/) for editing PDF documents
+- [TextFixer](http://www.textfixer.com/tools/remove-line-breaks.php) for removing extra line breaks from copied text
+
+## Contact
+
+**Founders:** Jacob Cole (jcole@mit.edu) and Prabhav Jain (jainp@alum.mit.edu)
+
+**Additional contributors:** Merry Mou and Neal Wu
+
+Reach out with questions at admitsphere@mit.edu.
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Caltech.md
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+---
+title: Caltech
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Caltech Essays
+
+## John Smith - EECS/English Literature, MIT 2014
+
+**Application:** Caltech Supplement
+
+**Acceptance:** Caltech (with this essay)
+
+Sample Caltech supplemental essay.
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Common-App.md
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+---
+title: Common App
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Common App Essay Examples
+
+## John Smith - MIT (EECS/English Literature)
+
+**Acceptances:** Stanford, Harvard, Duke
+
+### Short Answer on Extracurriculars
+
+Smith describes teaching karate to young children aged 3-12. He emphasizes how the "Little Ninjas" class provides refreshment through their "unbridled innocence," preventing frustration and maintaining positivity during instruction.
+
+### Personal Essay
+
+**Topic:** "Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced"
+
+Smith's essay traces his unintentional journey into tech entrepreneurship. Beginning with self-taught programming in seventh grade, he progressed through freelance web development, founding the Torrey Pines Programming Club, and eventually building InSource Digital Development with peer programmers. The narrative emphasizes learning through challenge and creating value for collaborators rather than financial success.
+
+**Key Themes:**
+- Self-directed learning through exploration
+- Responsibility in business contexts
+- Mentorship and knowledge sharing
+- Personal growth through challenges
+
+## Rodrigo Martinez - UPenn/Cornell/Duke (Engineering)
+
+**Acceptances:** UPenn, Cornell, Duke (all Engineering)
+**Waitlisted:** Stanford, Johns Hopkins
+**Rejections:** Harvard, Princeton
+
+### Short Answer
+
+Martinez describes improvising piano covers of contemporary music as emotional expression and stress relief, contrasting with his decade of classical training.
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Contests-and-Activities.md
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+---
+title: Contests and Activities
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Good Contests and Activities to Do in High School
+
+Many college students later regret missing opportunities they weren't aware of in high school.
+
+## Academics
+
+- Quizbowl (Medium to High prestige)
+- Forensics (Medium to High prestige)
+
+## Business
+
+- DECA (Medium prestige)
+- FBLA (Medium prestige)
+
+## Writing/Literature
+
+- Live Poets Society of New Jersey National High School Poetry Competition
+- National Council of Teachers of English
+- National YoungArts Foundation
+- Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
+- Publication in literary magazines (Winter Tangerine Review, The Adroit Journal, PANK, DIAGRAM, Word Riot, Vademecum Magazine, The Postscript Journal, Killing the Angel)
+- Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
+
+## Science
+
+- Intel Science Talent Search (Very High)
+- Siemens Competition (Very High)
+- USNCO/IChO, U.S. Physics Team/IPhO, USABO/IBO
+- RSI, Simons/Clark/HSHSP/Garcia, SSP (Summer programs)
+- Science Olympiad
+
+## Math
+
+- AMC/AIME/USAMO
+- ARML, HMMT, UCSD Mathematics Competition, PUMaC
+- Math Prize for Girls
+- USAMTS
+
+## Computers
+
+- ACSL (American Computer Science League)
+- [[USACO]] (USA Computing Olympiad)
+- Botball, FIRST (robotics competitions)
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Contribute.md
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+---
+title: Contribute
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# How to Contribute
+
+AdmitSphere invites submissions of successful college essays and advice for high school students. Our mission is to provide free access to admission knowledge regardless of financial situation or school resources.
+
+## Submission Methods
+
+1. **Direct Editing**: Click the edit button in the upper right corner of any page to add essays, using existing templates where applicable.
+2. **Email Submission**: Send essays, advice, or new page requests in PDF or text format to admitsphere@mit.edu or info@easydefine.com.
+
+## Helpful Tools
+
+- [PDFEscape](http://www.pdfescape.com/) for editing PDF documents
+- [TextFixer](http://www.textfixer.com/tools/remove-line-breaks.php) for removing unwanted line breaks from PDF text
+
+## Site Maintainers
+
+- Jacob Cole (jcole@mit.edu)
+- Prabhav Jain (jainp@mit.edu)
+- Merry Mou (mmou@mit.edu)
+- Neal Wu (neal@nealwu.com)
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Duke.md
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+---
+title: Duke
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Duke Essays
+
+## John Smith - EECS/English Literature, MIT 2014
+
+**Acceptances:** Duke (with these essays)
+
+Duke supplemental essays.
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Essays.md
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+---
+title: Essays
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# How-to: Essays
+
+## Tips for Essay Writing
+
+- Avoid using titles
+- Write about topics genuinely interesting to you rather than what you think admissions officers want
+- Focus on authenticity; originality often emerges naturally from sincere expression
+
+## Admissions Officer Psychology
+
+Officers seek interesting people for their freshman class. Applicants should "have something to say" and present their values through subjects that genuinely matter to them.
+
+Common essay pitfalls include recycled themes (sports lessons learned, travel epiphanies, leadership through activities). The most effective essays demonstrate confidence and imagination while remaining authentic rather than cautious.
+
+One officer observes: "The great essays stick out like diamonds in a coal mine."
+
+## Characteristics of Strong Essays
+
+- Creative, specific responses with compelling openings and relevant conclusions
+- Honest presentation of personal traits and values
+- Focused, concise writing (approximately 2 pages double-spaced)
+- Unified voice reflecting how you naturally speak
+- Vivid examples showing why activities matter, rather than simply listing accomplishments
+
+## Avoiding "Gutted" Essays
+
+Rather than robotic self-aggrandizement, use concrete examples that reveal personality. Compare: listing achievements versus exploring them with humor, humility, and philosophical reflection.
+
+Specificity, voice, and personality elevate writing from generic to memorable.
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Financial-Aid.md
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+---
+title: Financial Aid
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Financial Aid
+
+## Regular Decision, First Year Deadlines and Timeline for Domestic Students
+
+1. **Everybody:** Fill out the FAFSA (if divorced, custodial parent only)
+2. **Those with colleges that require CSS:** Fill out CSS Profile
+3. **Those in California:** Complete Cal Grants and GPA Verification Form
+4. **Those with colleges that require CSS:** Fill out IDOC
+
+## Key Applications and Deadlines
+
+| Application | Link | Deadline |
+|---|---|---|
+| FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) | [fafsa.ed.gov](http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) | Variable by college/state; before March 2 in California |
+| CSS Profile and IDOC | [collegeboard.com](https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/) | College-specific deadlines |
+
+## What These Forms Mean
+
+**FAFSA** is like a bare-bones "Common Application" for financial aid that most Universities require.
+
+**CSS** is a much more detailed financial aid app from the College Board that many Universities require. It has 2 parts: the Profile, which contains basic information and estimated income, and the IDOC, a report of tax documents, which is due later.
+
+## Additional Resources
+
+- Princeton's financial aid application information
+- 5 Tips for Getting Financial Aid for Graduate School
+
+See also: [[QuestBridge]], [[Scholarships]], [[Gates Millennium Scholarship]], [[UC Berkeley Regents]]
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Gates-Millennium-Scholarship.md
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+title: Gates Millennium Scholarship
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Gates Millennium Scholarship
+
+The [Gates Millennium Scholarship Program](http://gmsp.org/) provides outstanding minority students with significant financial support for college.
+
+See also: [[Financial Aid]], [[Scholarships]], [[QuestBridge]]
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General-Principles.md
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+---
+title: General Principles
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# General Principles
+
+## 1. College Application Basics: Crash Course
+
+**Timeline:**
+- Request recommendations from teachers (different subject areas) and counselors
+- Most early action deadlines: November 1
+- Most regular action deadlines: around December 31
+- UC system: end of November
+- Harvard and Princeton priority: December 1
+- Set each deadline one day early to account for technical issues and time zone confusion
+- Plan completion well before submission
+
+**Application Requirements:**
+- Typically need 3 recommendations: 2 teacher letters, 1 counselor letter
+- Optional additional letter allowed (employer, mentor, etc.)
+- Choose schools strategically: safety, likely, reach categories
+- Use spreadsheets or software like Naviance to track schools
+
+**Tips:**
+- Error correction procedures exist for applications already submitted
+- Create alternate versions of Common Application via instructions section
+- UC system provides after-application procedures at their admissions website
+
+## 2. The Prime Directive of College Applications
+
+Present yourself as an interesting, engaging, and multitalented person -- someone admissions officers would want to spend time with on a road trip, while demonstrating intelligence and diverse abilities.
+
+As C.S. Lewis noted: "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth, without caring two pence how often it has been told before, you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."
+
+## 3. The Overlapping Jigsaw Puzzle
+
+Efficiently convey multiple facets of yourself by:
+- Structuring essays around a general theme while including varied details
+- Filling gaps during interviews when possible
+- Supporting claims with extracurriculars, awards, and achievements
+- Using letters of recommendation to demonstrate passion and character
+- Addressing serious weaknesses directly (no excuses -- acceptance or rejection)
+- Principle: "it's easier to be well-rounded than well-lopsided"
+
+## 4. What Makes an Application Impressive?
+
+The "Failed Simulation Principle" suggests that impressive applications make admissions officers ask, "How did a high school student accomplish that?" Success comes from genuine, beneficial accomplishments outside the ordinary -- not perfect grades and scores alone.
+
+## 5. The Spirit of Action
+
+You become an accomplished person through the application process itself, regardless of acceptance outcomes.
+
+Theodore Roosevelt's perspective: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles...The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood."
+
+**Requirements for success:**
+- Genuine desire for college admission
+- Open-mindedness and excitement
+- Nonjudgmental approach
+- Willingness to explore your deepest past and present self
+- Genuine engagement with the process
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General-Tips-and-Tricks.md
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+---
+title: General Tips and Tricks
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# General Tips and Tricks
+
+- Don't let anybody edit the "you" out of your essay. "When I was accepted into a university, they accepted me for who I was not who someone else wanted me to be. Maintain your own voice and speak as your brilliant self."
+
+- **Common Application Trick: Application Versions** -- you can create alternate versions of your Common Application.
+
+- Don't ponder upon your Standardized Test scores. Universities admit a student, not a score. They solicit uniqueness.
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Harvard.md
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+---
+title: Harvard
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Harvard Essays
+
+## Will Theondi - Computer Science, Harvard 2015
+
+**Acceptance:** Harvard
+
+**Prompt:** "Personal Essay - If you'd like, write whatever you'd like."
+
+The piece focuses on the applicant's relationship with Kim Grant, a tennis coach and former professional athlete. The writer describes how Kim's discipline and dedication -- forged through years of competitive tennis -- inspired them to develop stronger work habits and purpose-driven action.
+
+Key passage: "I do not grant loyalty freely, but when I grant it, I give it completely. Kim has been my tennis coach, and I am thankful for it; but Kim has also been my mentor, my role model -- and I am forever grateful for it."
+
+The essay concludes with the applicant's reflection on how the "dedication, respect for work, and purpose in action" learned through tennis continues to influence their current pursuits, including school service work and academic focus.
+
+## John Smith - EECS/English Literature, MIT 2014
+
+**Acceptances:** Harvard, Stanford, MIT
+
+Harvard supplemental essay.
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How-to-Memorize-Vocabulary.md
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+---
+title: How to Memorize Vocabulary
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# How to Memorize Vocabulary
+
+## Key Resources
+
+Use Shmoop's SAT vocabulary website and read challenging literary works like *The Scarlet Letter* and *Brave New World* to build vocabulary in context. Pair reading with dictionary tools like [InstaDefine.com](http://www.instadefine.com/) for immediate definitions.
+
+## Optimal Conditions
+
+- Adequate sleep and quiet, well-lit workspace
+- Avoid music with lyrics during vocabulary study
+- Consider changing locations to enhance contextual memory
+
+## Core Technique
+
+Group words into sets of 10 and identify relationships between terms. The more connections you have between a word and things you already know, the easier it is to remember.
+
+## Connection-Building Approach
+
+- Recognize shared word roots (e.g., "dem" in demagogue, democracy, demographic)
+- Create custom sentences combining multiple vocabulary words correctly
+- Understand etymology and make personal mnemonic devices
+- Leverage knowledge of related languages like Spanish or French
+
+## Examples
+
+- **Grandiloquent**: combining "grand" + "loquacious" (talkative)
+- **Florid**: relating to "flor" (flower in Spanish)
+- **Immutable**: connecting to "mutate" with the prefix "im-" (not)
+
+The approach emphasizes making learning playful and personalized rather than rote memorization.
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If-I-Went-To-I-Would.md
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+---
+title: If I Went To ___ I Would
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# If I Went To ___, I Would...
+
+A collaborative database of people's dreams and aspirations for different universities.
+
+This exercise helps applicants think about what they would actually do at each school they are applying to -- an important reflection for "Why X School" essays.
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If-You-Got-Deferred.md
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+---
+title: If You Got Deferred
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# What to Do If You Got Deferred
+
+- **Don't panic.** These admission results are preliminary and often appear random. Highly qualified applicants, including national and international competition winners, frequently get deferred before eventual acceptance.
+
+- **Submit supplementary materials when appropriate.** Many selective colleges including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Duke, and Caltech accept additional letters of recommendation. Strong candidates include:
+ - Non-teacher/counselor mentors (research project supervisors, employers, community leaders)
+ - Award-winning research papers or writing samples
+ - Reports on recent significant achievements
+ - Extensions of items already listed in your application
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Interviews.md
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+---
+title: Interviews
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# How to Beast an Interview
+
+## Prime Directive
+
+Be interesting/cool/intelligent/someone they would want to go on a road trip with.
+
+## The Mental Game
+
+Admissions interviewers are your friends. Be fluent and genuine. It's an amazing feeling to realize that the real you is actually good enough -- you don't have to pretend.
+
+## The Basics
+
+Your goal in the college interview is to prove that you are an interesting and engaging (and cool, friendly, positive) person; as with the rest of your application, you want to come across as someone they would find it fascinating to go on a cross-country road trip with.
+
+Talk about interesting stuff. This can be cool projects you've worked on, cool research you've done, cool internships you've had, cool classes you've taken, cool revelations you've had, cool philosophical concepts you've stumbled upon, cool books you've read, interesting recent developments in the news that provoke thought, interesting trends in modern society; steer the conversation towards items you can talk about.
+
+Be alert and well rested but completely chill. Interviewers are your friends and are trying to make a case to get you in to the college.
+
+The interviewer asks you about your life and achievements plus your interests, philosophies, and aspirations. For most of the process, the best preparation is to simply be enthusiastic about life as you travel through it. Don't lose your exuberance to nerves on the threshold of the coffee shop or cafe where you're supposed to meet the person.
+
+## Frequently Asked Questions
+
+- What would you do with $1,000,000,000?
+- What are you interested in studying and why?
+- Why do you really want to go to the school? For instance you really liked MIT's OpenCourseWare, and it helped you on X project which you wrote about in your application. Or Stanford's philosophy encyclopedia, or Princeton's WordNet.
+
+Your goal is to come across as an enlightened, positive, motivated, and profoundly interesting person who gives the interviewer faith in the future of humanity.
+
+## MIT-Specific Advice
+
+Bring a project, show it off, talk about how something clever you did actually works. If it's a website where the interface is the clever part, talk about the general and critically important trend of optimizing life that you are following in building that website. Are you minimizing keystrokes somewhere? Are you saving people time? Are you making something more efficient? All of this is conversation material.
+
+Make sure it's impressive. Practice or demonstrate beforehand and, above all, make sure that whatever you're showing off is slick and clever, even if it's small.
+
+You are allowed to mention nerdy stuff like xkcd depending on your interviewer.
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MIT.md
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+---
+title: MIT
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# MIT Essays
+
+MIT's application prompts request responses on:
+- **Activities for pleasure** (100 words max)
+- **Department/program interest** (100 words max)
+- **Creativity demonstration** (200-250 words)
+- **Personal background and aspirations** (200-250 words)
+- **Challenges overcome** (200-250 words)
+- **Optional additional information** (200-250 words)
+
+## Featured MIT Applications
+
+### John Smith (2014) - EECS / English Literature
+
+**Acceptances:** MIT, Harvard, Stanford
+
+### Fred Jones (2013) - Computer Science and Engineering
+
+### Jane Lee (2012) - Computer Science and Engineering
+
+### Oscar Munez (2013) - Physics
+
+### Nina (2016) - Computer Science
+
+The visible essays demonstrate technical depth, interdisciplinary interests, and entrepreneurial experience among admitted students.
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Making-College-Decisions.md
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+---
+title: Making College Decisions
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Making College Decisions
+
+This page documents how various students made their college decisions, including what schools they considered, which they chose, and why.
+
+## John's Choice: MIT over Stanford and Harvard
+
+**Major:** Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
+
+### Academic Considerations
+
+- Desire to study electrical engineering alongside computer science (rather than pure CS or symbolic systems)
+- Preference for MIT's stronger FPGA and circuit design coursework
+- Access to cross-registration opportunities at Harvard for humanities coursework
+
+### Community and Resources
+
+- Emphasis on surrounding oneself with capable peers and mentors
+- Value of informal learning through hallway conversations and collaboration
+- Access to entrepreneurship support, including the MIT 100K competition
+- Availability of affordable legal counsel for startup ventures
+
+### Lifestyle Factors
+
+- Geographic preference to leave California for the college experience
+- Interest in diverse activities beyond academics (sports, arts, social life)
+- Appreciation for MIT's less athletics-focused culture
+
+## Philosophy
+
+College selection should be driven by:
+- Genuine enthusiasm for the chosen institution
+- Alignment between personal interests and institutional strengths
+- Recognition that education quality varies less than peer networks and available resources
+- Willingness to actively create opportunities rather than passively accepting them
+
+References: Paul Graham's essays on college and entrepreneurship.
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Misc-Tools-and-Resources.md
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+---
+title: Misc Tools and Resources
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Misc Tools and Resources
+
+Here are some resources that will help you ace standardized testing and sound more sophisticated in your essays.
+
+## Dictionary/Definition Tools
+
+**[InstaDefine.com](http://www.instadefine.com/)** - A really fast, live-search dictionary that predicts words as you type. Hover functionality provides additional word information without leaving the page.
+
+**[EasyDefine.com](http://www.easydefine.com/)** - A very convenient tool to define multiple words at once with tons of features including flashcard generator, quizzes, and worksheet generator. Users can create accounts to save wordlists for future use.
+
+## Writing/Timed Writing Resources
+
+- Good Examples for AP and SAT Essay
+- General Strategy for Timed Writing
+
+## Study Notes
+
+**[APStudyNotes.org](http://apstudynotes.org)** - Resource for AP class and test preparation notes.
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Northwestern.md
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+---
+title: Northwestern
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Northwestern Essays
+
+## Kay Cue - Chemistry, Yale 2014
+
+**Acceptance:** Northwestern (dual degree: BS chemical engineering and BM clarinet performance)
+
+**Prompt:** "What are the unique qualities of Northwestern -- and of the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying -- that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?"
+
+The applicant describes dual interests in science and music, emphasizing Northwestern's strength in both engineering and performance. Key points include:
+
+- Interest in McCormick's chemical engineering program, highlighting faculty research in renewable energy and medicine
+- Appreciation for Bienen School of Music's resources, including performance opportunities and access to world-class musicians
+- Reference to a master class by jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels
+- Mention of Northwestern's music library as a resource for creative development
+- Interest in participating in club and intramural sports and school spirit activities
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Oxford.md
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+---
+title: Oxford
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Oxford
+
+When you go in for an Oxford admissions interview, you can be sure that they are only going to ask about your course and what surrounds it. Questions like "how to solve a Rubik's cube" or "dance now" are purely myths.
+
+Be sure that you know the school material inside out and do some further explorations in the field. The interview focuses exclusively on your field of study and related topics.
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Princeton.md
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+---
+title: Princeton
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Princeton Essays
+
+## Dory Fish - Biology, Yale 2015
+
+**Acceptances:** Princeton, Yale
+
+### "Not Cute At All"
+
+The essay explores the author's relationship with her one-day-old sister. Initially disappointed by the infant's appearance versus her idealized expectations, the writer gradually discovers profound lessons through siblinghood.
+
+**Key themes:**
+- Initial disillusionment transforms into appreciation
+- Teaching moments become mutual learning experiences
+- The sister's uninhibited joy teaches resilience and unconventional thinking
+- Personal growth through observing childlike wonder during activities like stargazing
+
+## Hieronymus - Undecided
+
+**Acceptances:** Princeton
+
+### "Pain and Perspective"
+
+This philosophical essay examines pain and perspective through concrete examples: a broken wrist from martial arts and the satiation of eating excessive cake.
+
+Pain exists as mental experience rather than physical reality. The writer discusses how perspective -- influenced by Stoic philosophy and the concept that "this too, shall pass" -- enables resilience through life's challenges.
+
+## Anatolia - Undecided, Princeton 2016
+
+**Acceptances:** Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Penn, Columbia, UChicago, Northwestern, Duke
+
+### "Vagary"
+
+Describes an impulsive decision to travel to Europe instead of returning home as planned. The author, typically characterized by routine and anxiety, follows an advertisement's invitation to "Let Yourself Go."
+
+The spontaneous journey from pragmatic constraint to liberation. The essay emphasizes how deviation from expectation led to unexpected self-discovery and reclaimed autonomy.
+
+References Kierkegaard: "To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself."
+
+### "Balancing Acts"
+
+Explores bicultural identity through a Taiwanese childhood memory of riding a Styrofoam boat her uncle constructed from scraps, accompanied by his wisdom: "Beauty lies in the balance."
+
+Growing up as an "ABC" (American-born Chinese) created tension between cultural expectations. The essay reframes this conflict through the lens of the American Dream -- understood not as cultural assimilation but as personal agency and self-definition.
+
+The author adopts a philosophy combining parental ambition with personal experience, celebrating heritage while embracing individual potential.
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QuestBridge.md
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+---
+title: QuestBridge
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# QuestBridge
+
+[QuestBridge National College Match](https://www.questbridge.org/high-school-students/national-college-match) connects high-achieving, low-income students with full four-year scholarships to the nation's most selective colleges.
+
+See also: [[Financial Aid]], [[Scholarships]]
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SAT-AP-Essay-Examples.md
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+---
+title: SAT/AP Essay Examples
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# SAT/AP Essay Examples
+
+**Good Examples for Use in SAT/AP Argumentative Essays (please contribute more or flesh out existing!)**
+
+The goal: give everyone access to a similar database of supporting examples those taking SAT prep classes get.
+
+## Basic Structure of an Essay
+
+Use one introduction paragraph. Add a creative, thoughtful opening sentence that relates to the topic, perhaps from a book you have read or a quote you have heard. Then explain how the example in this opening sentence relates to the question, then answer the question and give your two reasons for your answer in your opening paragraph.
+
+In your first paragraph, focus on your first reason. Explain specifically what the reason is, explain how it links to the question, and why the overall answer to the question is true. Same thing for second paragraph, except focus on the second reason.
+
+In the conclusion, start by restating the answer to the question and your two reasons. Conclude with a creative or thoughtful ending sentence that is related to your opening sentence in some ways. This brings the essay full circle and closes it cleanly.
+
+You don't need to read a bunch of random fiction books to get examples to pull from (although if you want to read these books for fun, you certainly should). Focus instead on using current events or even everyday activities as examples. The argumentation of an essay on the SAT matters far more than its accuracy.
+
+---
+
+## Discoveries
+
+- **Hans Christian Oersted** - Danish physicist who accidentally discovered that electricity induces magnetism by placing wire near compass
+- **Penicillin**: Alexander Fleming discovered when a strange fungus (pennicilium mold) blew into his petri dishes containing cultures of bacteria, killing them. After a moment of frustration, he realized the implications: antibiotics were born.
+- **Henri Becquerel** accidentally left uranium salts in a dark room and returned to find that they had exposed a photographic plate. Marie Curie chose to study these mysterious rays and to determine if other elements gave off similar emissions - discovered idea of radioactivity and won 2 Nobel Prizes. Becquerel also won a Nobel Prize.
+- **Mpemba effect** (appropriately warm water freezes faster) discovered by high school student Erasto B. Mpemba in Tanzania; creativity/freshness sometimes trumps experience
+- **Kekule**, the discoverer of the ring structure of benzene, "discovered the ring shape of the benzene molecule after having a day-dream of a snake seizing its own tail (this is a common symbol in many ancient cultures known as the Ouroboros). This vision, he said, came to him after years of studying the nature of carbon-carbon bonds." Not working can lead to discovery when requisite background experience present.
+- **Lasers** - they were a "solution looking for a problem," now widely used today. This is a good argument FOR scientific research and that good that can come of just thinking without a goal in mind initially.
+
+## Altruism/Kindness
+
+- **Scrooge**: literary example to show stinginess (and thus wealth) does not lead to happiness
+- **The Florida bank president** of a bank that was foreclosing who quietly distributed his exorbitant severance bonus to his employees, current and former. Was cited in Obama's 2009 State of the Union Address; inherent good of humanity.
+- **Good quote by physician Albert Schweitzer**: "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know, the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."
+- **(Relatively) Beneficent Emperor Liu Bang** of the Han Dynasty met with more success than ruthless Xiang Yu
+- **Notion that heroism is worthwhile** because your deeds live forever whereas the body is mortal: "Cattle die and kinsmen die, thyself too soon must die, but one thing never, I ween, will die, -- fair fame of one who has earned." Poetic Edda - Norse proverb.
+- **Moshe Weinberg** - Israeli wrestling coach who thought on his feet and died saving his students during Palestinian Black September group terrorist attack during 1972 Munich Olympics
+
+## Psychology
+
+- Psychology in general, especially Freudian. Know: id, ego, superego, Oedipus Complex, etc.
+- **Ramachandran** - fooling the brain with mirror therapy
+- **Autism-Schizophrenia continuum**
+- **T.S. Eliot's poem _The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock_** - fear of taking action. "Do I dare to disturb the universe?"
+
+## Society
+
+- **Joseph McCarthy**
+- **The Euphio Question** - Kurt Vonnegut. Society denatures when a "perfect sound" from space that gives listeners euphoria is discovered and sold.
+- **Vending machines in schools** are worse than advertising because they directly lead to purchase
+- **Tobacco advertising** increasing in China while banned here
+- **Aldrich Ames** - cold war mole caught via wiretap; legitimate reason to wiretap/infringe privacy
+- **Sophie Germain** - early woman mathematician; had to teach self in secret and overcome bigotry
+
+## Other
+
+### Advice
+
+- Parker (re: SAT essay): use a fixed structure of intro, 2 body paragraphs, and a conclusion
+- The SAT people don't care for complex writing, it just needs to get the point across
+- Always use 2 examples
+- If you don't have them, look up Mbaye Diagne, Amy Biehl, Moshe Weinberg, Jackie Robinson, Cassius Clay -- they can be used for anything.
+
+### Introductory Sentence Ideas
+
+"Seven score and four years ago, the Civil War, the quintessential fight for civil liberty, ended, the anti-slavery Union victorious."
+
+## Words
+
+### Before Writing - Concepts to Hold in Head
+
+- Utilitarian (ends justify means)
+- Deontological (ends do not justify means)
+- Implicit
+- Simultaneous
+- Determinism (chain of prior events)
+- Positivism (scientistic ideology)
+- **Alexander Pope**: "damning with faint praise"
+- **John Donne**: "no man is an island"
+
+### To Establish Stylistic Mindset
+
+- Epimethean
+- **Fitzgerald**: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly into the past"
+
+## More Examples
+
+- **Inspirational example**: guy who discovered that meteor killed dinosaurs did so by holding every bit of knowledge - iridium
+
+- **Anna Karenina** is indeed a good book. It also provides a wealth of good SAT quotes. Anna Karenina is commonly thought to explore the themes of hypocrisy, jealousy, faith, fidelity, family, marriage, society, progress, carnal desire and passion, and the agrarian connection to land in contrast to the lifestyles of the city. Translator Rosemary Edmonds wrote that Tolstoy doesn't explicitly moralise in the book, he allows his themes to emerge naturally from the "vast panorama of Russian life." She also writes that a key message is that "no one may build their happiness on another's pain," which is why things don't work out for Anna.
+
+- **Rubin "Hurricane" Carter**, middleweight boxer with a promising career, falsely convicted for triple murder at the Lafayette Bar in the 1960's, because he was black. Bob Dylan visits Carter in prison. Carter tells him what had happened, and how he was innocent, yet was charged since he happened to fit the ambiguous description of the murderers. Bob Dylan releases "Hurricane", a critically and commercially successful ballad which protests the unfair circumstances of Carter. After serving 22 years of his triple life sentence, Carter is finally released.
+
+- **Earnshaw's theorem**: essentially proves that standard ferromagnets cannot be used to achieve magnetic levitation because there exist no local minima in such a magnetic field. It was long thought that this precluded all possibility of levitation in this manner. But an inventor named Harrington, oblivious of the theorem, did not give up in attempting to achieve the levitation effect. He eventually found a loophole, exploiting the fact that spinning objects precess; this is a major scientific discovery.
+
+- **William Kamkwamba**
+
+- **Matthew Ridgway** - US General noted for motivating troops in Korean War
+
+- **Wave-particle duality** - debate between nature of light eventually leads to the truth
+
+- **Literary examples**: Lord of the Flies - contains symbols/concepts/morals that can be applied to almost everything. Things Fall Apart: social/cultural dynamics.
+
+- **Utilitarianism**
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Scholarships.md
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+---
+title: Scholarships
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Scholarships
+
+## College Prowler "No Essay" Scholarship
+
+- **Award:** $2,000
+- **Eligibility:** High school and college students, or those planning to enroll within 12 months
+- "We know you're busy and we know that times are tough" -- funds for tuition, housing, books, computers, or education-related expenses
+
+## California Association of Collectors Educational Scholarship
+
+- **Maximum Award:** $2,500
+- **Requirements:** 3-4 page essay on establishing good credit during college years
+
+## Microsoft General Scholarship
+
+- **Award:** Full tuition coverage for one academic year
+- **Eligibility:** Computer science, engineering, mathematics, or physics majors
+- **Requirements:** Minimum 3.0 GPA; mandatory 12-week summer internship in Redmond, Washington
+
+## California Masonic Foundation Scholarship
+
+- **Award Range:** $2,500-$10,000
+- **Requirements:** California residency (1+ year), minimum 3.0 GPA, essay
+
+## Cal Grant Programs (A & B)
+
+- **Award Range:** $1,551-$7,788
+- **Eligibility:** California residents; Cal Grant A requires 3.0 GPA, Cal Grant B requires 2.0 GPA
+
+## Federal Pell Grant Program
+
+- **Maximum Award:** $5,350
+- **Basis:** Financial need and enrollment status
+
+## Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache Awards (SAMMY)
+
+- **Award:** Up to $7,500
+- **Criteria:** Academic performance, athletic excellence, leadership, community service
+
+## Spence Reese Scholarship
+
+- **Award:** Up to $4,000 (renewable for four years)
+- **Eligibility:** Male high school seniors pursuing engineering, law, medicine, or political science
+
+See also: [[Financial Aid]], [[QuestBridge]], [[Gates Millennium Scholarship]], [[UC Berkeley Regents]]
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Standardized-Test-Prep.md
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+---
+title: Standardized Test Prep
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Standardized Test Prep
+
+- [[SAT-AP-Essay-Examples|SAT/AP Essay Examples]]
+- [[How-to-Memorize-Vocabulary|How to Memorize Vocabulary]]
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Stanford.md
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+---
+title: Stanford
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Stanford Essays
+
+## John Smith - MIT 2014 (EECS/English Literature)
+
+**Acceptances:** Stanford, Harvard
+
+### Intellectual Vitality
+
+Essay about discovering a chemistry problem-solving method using pH paper.
+
+### Roommate Letter
+
+Describes his varied interests: labs, music, sports, libraries.
+
+### Why Stanford
+
+Uses a chemical reaction analogy to explain his fit with Stanford.
+
+## Kay Cue - Yale 2014 (Chemistry)
+
+**Acceptances:** Stanford
+
+### Intellectual Vitality
+
+Responds to the prompt about a compound identification competition using innovation with sodium sulfide and pH testing.
+
+## Ted Menagerie - Stanford 2014 (Economics)
+
+**Acceptances:** Stanford
+
+### Why Stanford
+
+Uses statistical least squares analysis to correlate his traits with Stanford's characteristics.
+
+## Dory Fishie - Yale 2015 (Chemistry)
+
+**Acceptances:** Stanford
+
+### Intellectual Vitality
+
+Reflects on attending Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and connecting with peers globally.
+
+### Roommate Note
+
+Presented as a humorous "wanted criminal" profile highlighting her work ethic.
+
+---
+
+**Key themes across essays:** genuine intellectual curiosity, problem-solving, balance between academics and other passions (music, sports), connection to Stanford's location and opportunities, and authentic voice and personality.
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The-Prime-Directive.md
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+---
+title: The Prime Directive
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# The Prime Directive of College Applications
+
+Make admissions officers think you are an interesting/cool/exuberant/funny/upstanding individual -- someone they would want to go on a cross-country or road trip with, as well as a smart and effortlessly multitalented person.
+
+And remember as you embark on your voyage of composition and self-discovery:
+
+> "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth, without caring two pence how often it has been told before, you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."
+> -- C.S. Lewis
+
+> "You can write about losing the big game, but when you have finished, read it and ask yourself if anyone else could have written the same essay. No matter what you write, if you think the college might receive even one other essay like yours, rewrite it."
+> -- Director of Counseling
+
+> "Often I could be heard shouting after I'd made my way through a long string of essays, none that had told me anything about their authors. Don't tell me a story; tell me the part you played in the story. Don't tell me details; tell me how you experienced those details. Tell me about the process you went through, not the process that took place. I want to know what you did, why you did it, how you did it, and if you do it again."
+> -- Dean of Admissions, Ivy League School
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Timed-and-Stylistic-Writing.md
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+---
+title: Timed and Stylistic Writing
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Timed / Stylistic Writing
+
+This guide addresses two interconnected elements of successful timed writing: logical flow and stylistic excellence. Clear writing naturally incorporates effective style when precise word choices guide readers through coherent ideas.
+
+## Developing Writing Style
+
+### Reading as Foundation
+
+Engaging with stylistically sophisticated literature accelerates development:
+- Nathaniel Hawthorne's *The Scarlet Letter*
+- John Steinbeck's *Grapes of Wrath*
+- F. Scott Fitzgerald's *The Great Gatsby*
+
+These works build vocabulary command and grammatical sophistication.
+
+### Vocabulary Development Strategies
+
+- Use [InstaDefine.com](http://www.instadefine.com/) for immediate definitions while reading
+- Use [EasyDefine.com](http://www.easydefine.com/) for retrospective vocabulary review
+- Create sentences combining multiple SAT vocabulary terms correctly
+- Understand connotation versus denotation distinctions
+- Recognize how careful word choice affects meaning and impact
+
+### Finding the Right Words
+
+"Spend focused minutes finding the right word and right phrasing for every situation," using resources like thesaurus.com. Perfect phrasing rarely emerges on first attempts -- rest, review, read more, then revise with fresh perspective.
+
+## The Intense Writing Trance
+
+Effective timed writing requires entering a focused state where ideas emerge naturally. This mental state:
+- Isn't necessarily serious, but fully engaged
+- Produces both serious and humorous work
+- Emerges after sustained struggle OR spontaneous inspiration
+- Generates conclusions and expansions without deliberate effort
+
+## Stylistic Techniques
+
+### Alliteration
+
+Serves dual purposes:
+
+**For humor:** "Don't wallow in wistfulness; instead, seek out and seize opportunities"
+
+**For emphasis:** Reinforces powerful points through sound patterns
+
+## Additional Recommendations
+
+- Memorize well-written speeches to internalize phrasing patterns
+- Study Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
+- Examine Roosevelt's Man in the Arena Speech
+- Review introductions and conclusions in *The Great Gatsby*
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UC-Berkeley-Regents.md
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+---
+title: UC Berkeley Regents
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# UC Berkeley Regents and Chancellors' Scholarship
+
+## Selection Process
+
+Approximately the top 2% of applicants receive invitations for interviews for the UC Berkeley Regents and Chancellors' Scholarship annually.
+
+## Interview Details
+
+- Receiving an interview invitation means you have already been accepted to UC Berkeley
+- The interview process is described as friendly and not particularly challenging
+- Most semifinalists who present themselves adequately appear to receive the scholarship
+- Interviewers may or may not have expertise related to your intended major or field of study, so preparation for various topics is recommended
+
+## Scholarship Benefits
+
+### Financial Aid
+
+The monetary scholarship amount varies based on individual financial need. Some recipients receive modest amounts, while others receive substantial tuition support.
+
+### Course Registration Priority
+
+Regents scholars receive priority enrollment for all courses. This advantage is significant because:
+- Desirable classes and preferred time slots fill quickly at Berkeley
+- Course selection occurs in phases before each semester
+- Regents scholars have earlier phase times than most university students, including some seniors (with exceptions for athletes)
+- This priority access reduces stress during course selection and allows students to build optimal schedules
+
+See also: [[Financial Aid]], [[Scholarships]], [[University of California]]
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USACO.md
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+---
+title: USACO
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# USACO
+
+Those interested in competitive programming should consider registering for the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO). USACO is a coding-based, algorithm intensive competitive programming platform conducted entirely online.
+
+## Competition Structure
+
+Participants compete during a three-hour window of their choosing over competition weekend each month. Acceptable programming languages include Java, C++, C, Python, or Pascal. All competitors begin in the Bronze Division, with advancement to Silver and Gold divisions based on performance. Exceptional Gold-level performers receive invitations to training camp for the international team.
+
+## Language Recommendation
+
+For those without programming experience, Java is suggested as an accessible starting point, particularly for those familiar with JavaScript.
+
+## Getting Started
+
+First-time participants are encouraged to review introductory pages on the main USACO website. It is important to actually read and try the instructions/problems on the first few training pages.
+
+## Important Links
+
+- Main site: [usaco.org](http://usaco.org)
+- Registration: [ace.delos.com/usacoregister](http://ace.delos.com/usacoregister)
+- Training: [train.usaco.org/usacogate](http://train.usaco.org/usacogate)
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University-of-California.md
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+---
+title: University of California
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# University of California Essays
+
+## John Smith - EECS/English Literature, MIT
+
+**Acceptances with these essays:** UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine (EECS)
+
+### Essay 1: Personal Background and Dreams
+
+**Prompt:** "Describe the world you come from -- for example, your family, community or school -- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations."
+
+I'm a fifth generation Californian who's picked up a few of the habits of the region, among them surfing and computer programming. What does this mean? Having a foot in both worlds gives me a sense of balance and perspective. Beyond that, surfing has influenced my software coding and future interests in ways I never expected. I try to code like a surfer, with bravado and panache. Now, some may ask, "Programming with panache? Isn't that an oxymoron? Since when did programmers, i.e. nerdy Poindexter-guys, have any flair?" But the surprising majority of coders do! Surfing or no, computer scientists are engaging and passionate people -- really, they are poets of logic who write words that have the value of a thousand pictures. In our world view, each line of code is not only a cog in a vast and elegant machine but a dynamic, flowing brush stroke in a painting that never dries. A program must not only efficiently solve the problem at hand, but to be truly optimal, its structure must be cleanly expandable to accommodate future challenges. And this finely crafted, adaptable solution is (to all who work to comprehend it) as beautiful as it is intriguing, and worth every moment of brainwork and sleep it costs to find it. This culture of dedication, aestheticism, and internal adventure characterizes the first world from which I come.
+
+The second world is surfing. It demands a similar level of intense focus, but its excitement and appeal are more immediate and visceral. Dropping into a 7-foot barreling wave is like riding a standup liquid rollercoaster that you control (or if you fall, it's like being a cockroach in a trash compactor). But it is for more than just the sheer thrill of the ride that I paddle out into the lineup whenever I can. Surfing both requires and induces a contemplative state of mind. As you sit among the outside swells, the shore winking in and out of sight in the muffling grayness of the morning mist, the steadfast constructs of society become transient and your thoughts branch out unfettered. If you've hit a wall with a programming problem, it often melts away in the water.
+
+Furthermore, being immersed (quite literally) in nature provides inspiration. My project for the Intel Science Talent Search involved developing a microchip that could very quickly find the shortest route between two points. Where did the algorithm underlying it come from? I realized that the patterns made by the rivulets of water running down my surfboard mirrored those traversed by parallel signals in a delay network. Not only was the resulting algorithm much faster than the traditional approach, but this thought process led me to derive an efficient solution to an even more difficult computational problem.
+
+So what does all this mean for my future? Had I never surfed, I likely still would love to program. But because I do surf, I additionally harbor a fascination with alternative computing paradigms inspired by nature, and I seek to continue to research them. As information theorist Seth Lloyd comments, the universe itself is fundamentally a giant quantum computer -- every instant, it resolves staggeringly difficult computational problems. I would like to do my part to help harness this awesome power for the benefit of humanity.
+
+### Essay 2: Personal Quality and Accomplishment
+
+**Prompt:** "Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?"
+
+"I'm available all summer." "I'm interested." "I'm in!" "I would love to do this, Jacob. I'm ready to go!" With these enthusiastic words, a cadre of brilliant high school computer scientists pledged their support of an "interesting idea" I had proposed: I was going to hire them.
+
+It was the beginning of the summer following my sophomore year and the third anniversary of my first professional Web development job. Some irksome circumstances had arisen. Not only had my freelance work expanded to the point where I had more clients than time, but my talented and capable friends, in their quest for work, had largely been stuck bagging groceries at the local Safeway. Reflecting back upon the beginnings of my own professional career, I saw an opportunity...
+
+In middle school, I taught myself Web programming by reading every manual and tutorial I could find and reverse-engineering websites, sometimes improving upon the original code. By aggregating information from disparate sources (and enjoying myself in the process), I quickly became fluent in a number of major Web technologies, and more importantly, I learned how to rapidly learn. Shortly, I found myself hired to develop a website for a biotech startup company, Biomatrica, and my Web development business expanded from there.
+
+In high school, I met motivated computer science students who had deep specialized knowledge but not the complete technical and business skillset necessary to enter the professional world. This gave me an idea. They wanted to learn what I had learned and I implicitly possessed a curriculum to teach it: I simply had to retrace the steps of my own self-education, minus the stumbling blocks. So, sophomore year, I co-founded the Torrey Pines Programming Club, a venue in which I could both teach this material and learn from others. By June, our members were fluent in JavaScript, PHP, AJAX, XHTML, and CSS -- some of the most important Web languages.
+
+Fortuitously, it was just about this time that my business needed extra help. That's when I sent out the e-mail to which people responded: "I'm in!" Things progressed quickly. I matched programmers to projects and developed a modular, server-side framework that would allow everybody's applications to cleanly interface with one another. Over the following months, we delivered several high-end websites and applications to our clients at excellent prices. We continue to build sites together today, but this utilitarian end is not what makes me proud. It's that these people are now using the knowledge we built together to find their own paths to further success! Some have gone on to be hired by other clients, and some have started their own entrepreneurial websites.
+
+What is most meaningful to me, I realize, is that my actions have empowered others in ways that are leaving a positive impression on the world.
+
+---
+
+*Note: While I got in, and in fact received a Regents Scholarship at Berkeley, I didn't really like my second essay (UCs don't weight essays as highly as private schools). I in fact use my punctilious intro sentence of that essay as a canonical example of specifically what not to do on the [[Essays]] page.*
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University-of-Chicago.md
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+---
+title: University of Chicago
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# University of Chicago Essays
+
+The University of Chicago application emphasizes selecting "quirky" students with distinctive personalities. The school prioritizes learning for its own sake rather than grade optimization. Applicants should feel comfortable writing about unconventional topics -- examples include math problems, family stories, word games, and scavenger hunts.
+
+## Tips
+
+For the "why UChicago" essay, incorporate school-specific elements like urban integration, Nobel Prize-winning economists, and academic emphasis. Optional essays merit completion if genuinely interested in the school, as extra effort demonstrates commitment.
+
+For thematic essays (books, music, etc.), approach them analytically rather than superficially -- one student wrote a literary devices analysis of *Catch-22*.
+
+## Strategy
+
+One applicant swapped their Common App essay with their UChicago supplement, moving an unusual math-focused piece to where it would resonate better. This strategy apparently succeeded in gaining admission.
+
+## Sample Essay
+
+**Eric G.** - Math major
+
+**Acceptance:** UChicago
+
+UChicago Supplement essay with mathematical work and diagrams (generated using Mathematica software).
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University-of-Michigan.md
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+---
+title: University of Michigan
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# University of Michigan
+
+University of Michigan offers an immensely diverse student population and extensive resources.
+
+## Essay Writing Tips
+
+### 1. Write About Unique Personal Experiences
+
+Focus on experiences that are distinctly yours rather than generic narratives. An engineering professor who reviewed applicant essays emphasized that uniqueness matters most. Common themes like "I liked building stuff as a kid...I wanna do engineering" appear frequently and don't stand out.
+
+### 2. Avoid Forced University References
+
+Don't artificially insert University of Michigan into your essay unless it genuinely connects to your narrative. Some essays contained awkward references like "I had a maize and blue blanket when I was just a baby..."
+
+Unless you can authentically link your goals to specific academic programs or opportunities, avoid mentioning the university.
+
+### 3. Grammar and Style Matter
+
+There is a significant difference between "Allows" and "Allows for." Engineering professors at the institution are particularly attentive to such grammatical distinctions.
+
+### 4. Advanced Math Credit Considerations
+
+Students with advanced calculus coursework should note that certain transfer credits may not apply directly. Differential Equations is a required course. Professor Robert Jenkins comes recommended for this course.
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University-of-Pennsylvania.md
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+---
+title: University of Pennsylvania
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# University of Pennsylvania Essays
+
+## Fred Jones - UPenn (accepted)
+
+### Essay 1: Academic and Social Communities
+
+The applicant discusses their interdisciplinary interests spanning neuroscience, computer science, and engineering. They express enthusiasm for combining Wharton business studies with SEAS engineering, citing Penn's integration of these fields.
+
+Key points:
+- Interest in student-run initiatives like Communitech
+- Plans to engage with research facilities, specifically mentioning GRASP (General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception)
+- Involvement with religious/cultural organizations and club tennis
+- Connection to Benjamin Franklin's legacy of interdisciplinary education
+
+### Essay 2: Autobiography Page 217
+
+This creative piece describes a robotics competition experience. The narrative details building and competing with a Lego Mindstorms robot, exploring themes of engineering, programming, and the desire to understand and replicate human capabilities.
+
+The passage emphasizes the transition from classroom project to joining a school robotics team (Botball), ultimately winning first place and third overall at a Southern California competition.
+
+### Essay 3: Wharton/Engineering Dual Degree Interest
+
+Discusses the applicant's web development ventures, including creating "EasyDefine," an educational tool that gained international users. The essay connects technological innovation with business management principles and expresses interest in studying Computer and Cognitive Sciences alongside management through the M&T program.
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What-To-Do.md
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+---
+title: What To Do
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# What To Do in High School
+
+Just do what you'd like to do, be productive, don't worry about "What to do" or "What would look good."
+
+When admissions officers find themselves impressed by something a high school student achieved, you become a competitive applicant. This isn't dependent on perfect grades and scores all the time; rather, accomplishing something genuinely beneficial and out of the ordinary positions applicants favorably.
+
+## Resources
+
+- [[Contests and Activities]]
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Yale.md
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+---
+title: Yale
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# Yale Essays
+
+## Kay Cue - Chemistry, Yale 2014
+
+**Acceptances:** Yale, Northwestern (dual degree in chemical engineering and clarinet performance)
+
+This essay explores the writer's initial resistance to Stravinsky's avant-garde compositions, particularly *The Firebird*. The writer describes hearing the piece performed by a youth orchestra and discovering unexpected beauty in its contrasts between "lullaby and infernal frenzy."
+
+The narrative demonstrates how engaging with unconventional art transformed the writer's perspective, leading to broader intellectual openness in music, math, and science. The essay concludes by reflecting on how Stravinsky's influence encourages approaching "cacophonous and dissonant ideas" with curiosity.
+
+## Dory Fish - Biology, Yale 2015
+
+**Acceptances:** Yale, Princeton
+
+This essay centers on the writer's relationship with a younger sister born when the writer was twelve. Initially disappointed by the newborn's appearance, the writer describes evolving into an enthusiastic "big sister and third parent."
+
+The core insight involves recognizing the sister's individuality and carefree nature as counterbalance to the writer's perfectionism. Specific moments -- like a meteor shower observation and piano lessons -- illustrate how the sister's "unchecked innocence" and willingness to embrace unconventional ideas influenced the writer's approach to problem-solving and living.
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index.md
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+---
+title: AdmitSphere
+visibility: public
+---
+
+# AdmitSphere
+
+**Official URL:** [admitsphere.org](https://admitsphere.org)
+
+You shouldn't have to buy an expensive book or pay an independent college counselor to get real college essays and advice. Through collaboration, we can give everyone access to the inside knowledge they need to write a powerful application, regardless of their financial situation or the quality of their school's college counseling.
+
+Browse the repository or [[Contribute]] your essays and advice.
+
+## College Admission Community
+
+Get a bunch of advice, resources, and sample applications from past applicants.
+
+## If I Went to Harvard* I Would...
+
+Collaborative database of people's dreams.
+
+*Or MIT, or Stanford, or any school. See [[If I Went To ___ I Would]].
+
+---
+
+## Sample Essays / College Advice
+
+### Common App
+
+- [[Common App]]
+- [[Harvard]]
+- [[Yale]]
+- [[Princeton]]
+- [[Stanford]]
+- [[Caltech]]
+- [[Duke]]
+- [[Northwestern]]
+- [[University of Chicago]]
+- [[University of Michigan]]
+- [[University of Pennsylvania]]
+- [[Oxford]]
+- [[MIT]]
+- [[University of California]]
+- [[QuestBridge]]
+
+For more essays, see [APStudyNotes.org](http://apstudynotes.org).
+
+## Application Tutorial / Articles
+
+- [[Essays]]
+- [[General Principles]]
+- [[General Tips and Tricks]]
+- [[Interviews]]
+- [[Making College Decisions]]
+- [[If You Got Deferred]]
+- [[Timed and Stylistic Writing]]
+
+## High School
+
+- [[What To Do]]
+- [[Contests and Activities]]
+- [[USACO]]
+
+## Resources
+
+- [[Misc Tools and Resources]]
+- [[If I Went To ___ I Would]]
+
+## Paying for College
+
+- [[Financial Aid]]
+- [[QuestBridge]]
+- [[Scholarships]]
+- [[Gates Millennium Scholarship]]
+- [[UC Berkeley Regents]]
+
+---
+
+## About
+
+See [[About]] and [[Contribute]].
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