I really really liked Yale, but ultimately decided Harvard was where I wanted to go.

I talked about family issues/responsibilities as the oldest kid in an immigrant/raised by single parent. My mom, who raised me, is an immigrant and English is her fourth language, so starting from elementary school I helped a lot with house work, making appointments, translating, helping my younger sister with homework, etc. I talked about how my parents' rocky relationship affected my education, upbringing, and goals in my essays/interviews/other information sections. MY ADVICE: First, take care of your mental health. This process can be SO toxic and SO stressful! If you get frustrated or have writer's block, take a break. Let your thoughts ruminate for a few days if you have to. Remember that everything will work out in the grand scheme of things. Don't compare yourself to others. This is so important to staying sane throughout all of this! Start early!!! I am probably an extreme example of this, but I started brainstorming college essay ideas as early as sophomore year. I did not get serious until the end of junior year, however. I spent all summer before senior year doing research and brainstorming essay topics/application approaches. I did a LOT of writing and drafting, both in Google Docs and on paper. Write down every idea you have! if you're starting a new draft of an essay, save the old one just in case you want to look back on it in the future. Do research. Chances are if you are reading this, then you are already on the right track. Make a list of every school you are interested in, and read about their academics, location, social environment, etc. Visit their websites and social media pages, attend their virtual programs, talk to their students. This may be a hot take, but you really don't need to apply to 15+ colleges. I saw so many people apply to colleges just for the sake of it, without actually liking or wanting to go to the school! That is a waste of time, money, and mental energy. I recommend applying to a selection of schools you like/could really picture yourself at, and once you have a more manageable list of schools you'd like to attend, make every application meaningful. For reference, I applied to 1 safety school, 5 reach/low match schools, and 3 dream schools. Take advantage of your resources. My college essay editors were my English teacher and friends. I met with my English teacher once or sometimes twice a week for feedback on college essays I wrote. He got to know me really well and actually became the advisor to the music club I started. He wrote me a letter of recommendation, which I haven't read but assume was very strong. I asked my three closest friends to read my essays once I was pretty much done with them. I also had 2 friends who were college students attending the schools I was applying to help with editing and feedback. You also have a community here! I received a lot of suggestions and advice from strangers on the Internet. Sometimes it's really helpful to get a second opinion on things from someone who doesn't know you, because that's what the admissions officers will be like! Do lots of self-reflection. Who are you, really? What are your core values, really? What are your interests, really? How are these things reflected in your extracurriculars/academic interests and performance? What do you have to show that this is who you are? How can you explain who you are through what you do? What specific activities, experiences, or memories can be used to tell your unique story? I'm not saying you need to package yourself into a product, or devote yourself completely to one 'spike' or activity, but it can help you brainstorm how you'll talk about yourself in your essays. Be thorough and comprehensive. That is how you will "be yourself" through this process like everyone always says. My apologies if this post is atrociously long. I hope it helped in some capacity. Why I was admitted into Yale is still a bit of a mystery to me, as I'm not a physics genius, or the next Joshua Bell, or Lori Loughlin's third daughter. All I did was share who I am as a person, as accurately as I could. Stay friendly, humble, graceful, and positive. You've made it this far, you can do it! Good luck to you all.