Shelby filtered colleges differently than most. “They asked about size and geography — things I didn’t care about,” she said. “So instead, I looked at which schools had the best research programs in biochem.” That’s when Dartmouth stood out. “I wanted a place where I could do research as a freshman or sophomore, not wait until senior year or grad school. Dartmouth stood out because it has a strong undergraduate emphasis — there are almost no grad students in research.”

Shelby grew up in Las Vegas, but went to a tiny high school — just 60 in her graduating class. “Growing up in Vegas, people say everyone’s only one degree of connection away. But I went to a very small high school and I didn’t feel connected to many people.” she recalled. That’s why Dartmouth’s isolation was a feature, not a bug. “Dartmouth felt like the opposite: it just seemed like such a community,” she said. “Being remote brings people together, because there’s nothing else around.” She also tested the culture directly. “I recently talked with an international student applying to Dartmouth. He told me Dartmouth students were the most friendly and inviting of all the schools he reached out to. That’s exactly the culture I wanted.”

• High School Research Program — Independent Researcher: Designed and executed a study linking sodium lauryl sulfate to eosinophilic esophagitis; applied for school grants; presented at science fair. • Science Fair Competitor — Presenter: Delivered 3-minute, under-250-word pitches; learned to explain complex science simply. • Campus Visits & Outreach — Prospective Student: Spoke with alumni parents and current Dartmouth students; confirmed culture of friendliness and support. • Outdoor Recreation — Runner, Hiker, Skier: Passion for outdoors factored into choosing Dartmouth’s environment over Las Vegas desert.

Researchers are defined by intellectual curiosity and the drive to push past classroom boundaries. For research universities, these “pre-professional” applicants are golden — ready to contribute to labs and faculty projects from day one. Colleges love them because they’re not just learning answers in class; they’re asking their own questions and chasing down solutions in the real world. Shelby embodied this archetype through her independent project on eosinophilic esophagitis, inspired by her dad’s condition. She dug into demographics, hypothesized a link, and eventually traced the illness to sodium lauryl sulfate in toothpaste. With funding from her school’s research program, she wrote grant-style proposals, presented her findings at science fairs, and even included her abstract in her application. As she put it:

Specialists choose depth over breadth. They don’t dabble in a dozen different directions — they double down on one field and make it their calling card. Admissions officers love Specialists because they bring a clear, distinctive “niche” to campus life. That’s exactly how Shelby approached her application.

Together, these archetypes made Shelby’s application stand out. Dartmouth didn’t just see an applicant from Las Vegas; they saw a budding biomedical researcher with the focus, discipline, and initiative to keep pushing science forward from the moment she stepped on campus. From everyday ingredients to complex illnesses, Shelby made science her signature.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self starting this process, what would it be?

• Tangible Curiosity — A simple “why” about her dad’s illness turned into original research. • One Action, Many Touchpoints — She wove her project through essays, activities, and supplements. • Belonging Through Community — She chose the place where connection and culture felt strongest.

Q: Why Dartmouth? A: I’ve always been very interested in research. I did a lot in high school, including a project I wanted to continue in college. I wanted a place where I could do research as a freshman or sophomore, not wait until senior year or grad school. Dartmouth stood out because it has a strong undergraduate emphasis — there are almost no grad students in research. When I visited, the staff struck me as people I wanted to learn from and be mentored by. They felt like people who could add real value to my academic journey. And also — I’m from Las Vegas. It’s mostly desert, terrible to be outside. I love hiking, running, mountain biking, skiing — and you just can’t do that here. Dartmouth’s access to water, mountains, and forests really excited me. Q: Is there skiing around Las Vegas? A: There’s Mount Charleston, but that’s more of a hill. Q: Dartmouth is remote — did that factor into your decision? A: Yes. Growing up in Vegas, people say everyone’s only one degree of connection away. But I went to a very small high school — my graduating class was 60 — and I didn’t feel connected to many people. Dartmouth felt like the opposite: it just seemed like such a community. Being remote brings people together, because there’s nothing else around. I recently talked with an international student applying to Dartmouth. He told me Dartmouth students were the most friendly and inviting of all the schools he reached out to. That’s exactly the culture I wanted. Q: Beyond your visit, how did you research Dartmouth? A: I used the big college search sites, but they weren’t very helpful. They asked about size and geography — things I didn’t care about. So instead, I looked at which schools had the best research programs in biochem. I also talked with parents from my high school who had gone to Dartmouth. Those conversations were probably the most valuable. Q: You mentioned earlier that you did some pretty significant research in high school. Was that something that defined you as a candidate? A: Oh, absolutely. I think it was the most memorable part of my application. I was really fortunate that my high school had a research program. We were given a class period every other day to pursue our own projects independently. The school also provided funding, but we had to apply for it, which was a great introduction to writing research proposals and applying for grants. That experience gave me the confidence to feel ready to jump into research freshman year of college. Q: Can you tell me about the research itself? A: Sure. My dad has a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis, and when I looked into it, I found there’s basically no cure except to avoid food triggers. I thought that was a bad approach and wanted to know what was causing it. When I started looking at demographics, I noticed it mostly affected males in industrialized countries. That led me to investigate an ingredient in toothpaste — sodium lauryl sulfate — which I found damages the esophageal mucosa. I did a lot of research to prove that connection, and I wrote about it in my application. What really stood out to colleges, I think, was that I included a section about additional research: that this could point toward a potential treatment, and if I figured it out while I was at their school, they’d kind of get credit for it. I think that was very appealing to them. Q: So you had an elevator pitch for yourself as a researcher? A: Exactly. I had practiced three-minute pitches for science fair, under 250 words, very concise. That experience was valuable. Q: Were there any ways that you emphasized that pitch in your application? A: I communicated it in a couple different places. It was one of my big extracurricular activities, so I highlighted it there. For Dartmouth specifically, I made it a big part of my “Why Dartmouth” essay. In another supplement, I tied it into a story about how my parents encouraged my intellectual curiosity, which eventually led me to pursue this research. I really tried to connect every piece of my application back to the research — almost like everything had a little kickback, saying, “Hey, this connects to the research.” Admissions counselors always say you want your application to have a story, something unified and coherent, so I centered mine around my project. Even my personal statement was about it. Since I had to keep the essays brief, I used the Additional Information section to include my full abstract, findings, and conclusion. Q: What was the toothpaste ingredient? A: Sodium lauryl sulfate. Some toothpastes are made without it. Q: If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self starting this process, what would it be? A: Not to worry so much. When I toured Ivies, guides said they were nationally published at 14, and I felt like I’d never measure up. But you don’t need to compete with that. If you pursue what truly interests you, you’ll end up at the school that’s right for you.