Last month's edition of Teen Ink, which was themed around college information, included four pages full of college esssays of Teen Ink contributors. Among these, I found the piece Diary of a Synesthete to be particularly interesting. The essay, by Sophia Nikolayev, described what it is like to have synesthesia, a mental condition that manifests in her associating colors with sounds, numbers, or letters. I found this piece to be beautifull written, and described this unusual and fascinating condition in a way that even those who do not experience it can understand. 

Although I've read the odd book about synethesia, I know little about how it actually impacts someone's life. And although, I did associate genders or personalities with numbers and letters when I was younger, I've never experienced synesthesia first hand. It was my ignorance about this topic that made Nikolayev's essay so interesting. She not only described what it felt like to be a synesthete, she also explained how it affected her day to day life, and the person she is. The author writes, "...In fact, sounds and colors are the reason I've learned to understand the subtleties of different cultures and create literary works of my own." Overall, I found this essay to be beautifull written, engaging, and deeply interesting, and it comes as no surprise that it resulted in Nikolayev's acceptance into Harvard.