... wrote a killer why Penn essay based on visiting Philadelphia and ... that in my essay. The heart of my essay though was that ... of submitting that Why Penn essay though, I was in. Without ... that trip and that essay, I would not have made ...
Ugh the Duke/Cornell/Stanford one. No way I would get into any of those schools, but not sure why they'd invite thousands of kids to an event at a firm.
They aren't to trick you. I'd just be forward and answer honestly. And if you're worried about schools not taking you seriously, then write a "WHY X" essay for each school you are serious about attending.