50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays

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what i lEarn Ed 
Fro M writin G  
th E Essay
What Makes Me ME
“The way I brainstorm is to just start writing and throw a bunch of ideas 
onto a paper, then toss out what I don’t like and start over until I am satisfied. 
Sitting down and thinking about ‘what makes me ME’ was a really rewarding 
experience and helped me gain a lot of confidence in knowing what made me 
exceptional.”
—Robert Lee, Columbia University
Nostalgia for the Family Business
“I learned that I actually had some nostalgia for the family publishing busi-
ness, whereas I would have told you before that I did not like it AT ALL.”
—Zachary Richner, Harvard University
Reinforced What I Thought about Myself
“The essay certainly framed my experiences more formally and made my 
life seem like it made a little more sense, but there wasn’t anything I didn’t 
already know or think about myself.”
—Jason Y. Shah, Harvard University

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50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays