Writing a College Application Essay
By letting what you think “they want” dictate the contents of your essay, your writing can wind up feeling self-conscious and manipulative.
What We Can Teach Our Children During the Coronavirus Crisis
As a college application essay coach, I deal with many students each year. As a dad, I deal with two. My son is 28 and a career counselor at the University of Washington so my immediate impact on his life has become marginal, to put it mildly. My daughter, however, is a college junior so I still retain at least a modicum of influence on her. In fact, she is back at home now, taking
More Guidelines for Choosing Your Application Essay Topic
five more simple guidelines that will help you find the perfect essay topic
Dig Deep for Your Application Essay Topic
five more simple guidelines that will help you find the perfect essay topic
SIMPLE GUIDELINES FOR CHOOSING AN ESSAY TOPIC
five simple guidelines for choosing your college application essay topic
The 2018-19 Common Application Essay Prompts: How to Write Essay #5
Learn more about writing Common Application Essay Prompt #5
The 2018-2019 Common Application Essay Prompts: How to write #4
Tips on writing Common Application Essay Prompt #4
The 2018-2019 Common Application Essay Prompts: How to write #3
How to write 2018 Common Application Essay Prompt #3
The 2018-2019 Common Application Essay Prompts #1
Common Application Essay Prompt #1 can be the inspiration for an effective application essay.
A College Application Essay Tutor Reflects
During the ten years I’ve been a college application essay tutor, I have always focused my blogs on practical ways students could improve their essays, and their writing in general. I have written about how to start an essay, end it, deal with the word count, describe feelings rather than events, and much more. (https://collegeessaysolutions.com/how-to-make-your-college-application-essay-the-best-writing-youve-ever-done-1-of-25/) In the coming months, I will continue posting blogs about writing the application essay but this one, my first of
The 2017 Common Application Essay Prompts – #7
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Along with number six, the other new Common Application essay prompt for 2017 (https://www.commonapp.org/whats-appening/application-updates/common-application-announces-2017-2018-essay-prompts) is number seven, “Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.” This is actually a repeat of a prompt from several years ago, that the folks at the CA decided to take off the
The 2017 Common Application Essay Prompts
There were several changes to the Common Application essay prompts (www.commonapp.org) this year and I thought it would be helpful to offer a strategy for responding to them. I’ll start with the two new prompts (one is actually a revival of an older prompt), then circle back and offer some tips for answering the holdovers, and revised ones. The first new prompt is number six. “Describe a topic, idea or concept you find so engaging that
Finding an UNCommon College Application Essay Topic
Finding an uncommon college application essay topic is one of the biggest challenges facing high school seniors applying to college. And understandably so. Most high school seniors have a scope of experiences that is markedly similar. Interactions with family, friends, school, sports, and enrichment activities fill up the majority of their days. Essay topics, therefore, unless you happen to have spent your formative years in a tree house in the Burmese jungle… tend to fall
Knowing Yourself = Writing a Better College Application Essay
Most college application essay prompts ask students to reveal, in one way or another, who they are and what is important to them. Yet “knowing yourself” (https://www.prolificliving.com/the-greatest-discovery-of-all-getting-to-know-yourself/) is not that easy, especially for a young adult who is still learning about the world and his or her place in it.So, for this blog, let’s put aside talking about writing university admission essays, and try to better understand that fascinating person that is “you.” Answering these
MORE! College Application Essay Writing Tips
Here are two more guidelines that will help you write the best college application essay you can possibly write. Answer the Prompt While this may seem obvious, many students veer away from fully answering the essay prompt, and wind up hurting their chances for acceptance. Admissions Directors are expecting all aspects of an essay prompt to be addressed and anything less will be considered an inability to follow directions. Even if your essay is perceptive
Write Your BEST College Application Essay (#1)
Last year, I did a series of blogs called, “Twenty Five Ways to Make Your College Application Essay the Best Writing You’ve Ever Done.” The blogs included conceptual guidelines for writing an effective essay, as well as many technical writing tips. Longish title notwithstanding, response to the series was extremely positive. For this year, and at this early stage of the college application “season,” I’m going to abbreviate those pieces and incorporate them into a series
Writing the College Application Essay: The Parent Trap
Writing the college application essay is a family endeavor. Of course, this doesn’t mean that parents should actually write the essay, that job belongs solely to the student. But parents are part of the process and can help tremendously. Writing college application essays is stressful because … High school seniors usually don’t have much experience writing personal essays. Then, suddenly, they are told their future could depend on crafting a good one. They also have
Your College Application Essay “Idea List”
START BUILDING YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY IDEA LIST TODAY! One of the best, and easiest, ways to start preparing to apply to college is to create a college application essay “Idea List.” Whether you do it on your phone, computer, or in a dedicated composition notebook, this will be an evolving catalogue of potential essay ideas that might occur to you over the next few months. Once compiled, it will provide an easy way to
THE “#BLACKLIVESMATTER” STANFORD APPLICATION ESSAY
#BlackLivesMatter One Hundred Times For many years, one of Stanford University’s (www.Stanford.edu) college application essay prompts has been, “What matters to you, and why?” It’s a wonderful essay topic and has often been answered with passion and creativity. This past year, a student responded to the prompt by writing “#BlackLivesMatter” (www.blacklivesmatter.com) one hundred times. That was it, the entire essay. Because the student was ultimately accepted at Stanford, much has been written about this particular
Don’t Get Hacky – Keep Your Standards High!
Don’t Get Hacky – Keep Your Standards High What does writing your college application essay and writing an episode of Full House have in common? Well, frankly, not that much, unless you count the caffeine intake. Having spent a good deal of time in television “writers room,” however, I’ll share with you a writers’ expression you might find helpful: Hacky. The Television Writer’s Dictionary Hacky. As in, “of or related to being a hack.” And, in case
Avoid the Last Minute Essay Writing Panic
Welcome, students and parents. Please come in and lie down on the couch. I assure you, everything is going to be all right. October 1 is almost here and, students, you have not yet written your college application essays. You’ve entered the last minute essay writing phase of applying for college. Many of your friends have already completed all their essays, and are walking around your school gloating about it. You’ve begun to think you’ll never
Short Paragraphs Make the Best College Application Essay Format
Choosing the best college application essay format As you write your college application essay, pay attention to formatting! Don’t forget: your audience is human! So, use specific techniques like using short paragraphs and making your essay look inviting to keep your reader happy! Your College Application Essay “Audience” When writing the college application essay, students usually focus on what they want to say and the impression they want to make. In doing so, however, don’t forget
Don’t Let Your College Application Essay Topic Get Too Cute!
A GREAT IDEA FOR AN ESSAY, OR IS IT? Cyrus had a great idea for his college application essay. In answer to Common App Essay Prompt #4 – about an intellectual challenge he’d like to solve – he would write a question mark. That’s it, one giant question mark. For the entire essay. The more Cyrus thought about this idea, the more he liked it. After all, wouldn’t it demonstrate to colleges that he was
Outlining Your College Application Essay
Rolling with the College Application Essay Josh figured he’d write his college application essay like he did everything else – making it up as he went along. After all, wasn’t that how he became the freestyle skateboard champion of Bakersfield, CA? Bringing this approach to his Common Application essay, however, proved difficult. He would start an essay – he had decided to write about how many times he broke his wrist before perfecting his signature move,
Discovering the Essay Topic
Roger’s parents were determined he would write a college application essay that stood out. So they got him essay tutors, sent him to essay workshops, could not get through a family meal without peppering Roger with suggestions for his essay topic. But one day, Roger finally had enough. His mother burst into his room (always a questionable move with Roger) waving a sheet of paper. “Here it is, honey. The itinerary for your trip to
Danger! Application Essay Samples Ahead!
The truth about college application essay samples There are many books on the market, and websites online, containing college application essay samples. They might be sample essays by students who were accepted to Harvard or simply “outstanding application essays.” Reading a few of these gems can be useful and the conscientious high school senior should definitely engage in that exercise. And yet, there is… DANGER! Essays chosen for “sample” books and blogs are the absolute
Why Your College Essay Shouldn’t be Perfect
I would like to clear the air regarding a major misconception about writing the college application essay. There is no perfect way to write an essay. That’s right. There is no perfect college essay. Sure there are lots of experts generating lots of lists (I’m one of them) about how to write an application essay. And much of that information will be useful. But if you try to follow every single guideline you will wind
Essay Dialogues #5: A Student Reads His Common App Essay In Class
In a high school English class, JACK, tall and confident, reads his Common Application essay in front of the class. JACK: “Helping that family rebuild their home after the fire was — ” SABRINA, knows everything, raises her hand. SABRINA: Ms. Arnold? Can I make a comment? MS. ARNOLD, sixties, was ready for retirement ten years ago, looks sternly at Sabrina. MS. ARNOLD: Let him finish, Sabrina. SABRINA: But his essay is all wrong. MS.
Essay Dialogues #4: A High School Senior Meets With the School’s College Counselor
RANCE, a high school senior, meets with his school’s college counselor, MS. LEWIS. MS. LEWIS: Hi, Rance, how are you doing with your Common Application essay? RANCE: Solid. Making progress. MS. LEWIS: Can I read your first draft? RANCE: Sure, here you go. (Rance hands Ms. Lewis a sheet of paper.) MS. LEWIS: Uhm, this has one word on it. “The.” RANCE: Yeah, I know. I heard that the first sentence is important so I
Essay Dialogues (#2): Parents Talking About Their Child’s Application Essays
MARC, fit, nervously watches his wife, ALEXANDRA, as she reads a sheet of paper. MARC: What do you think? ALEXANDRA: (she finishes reading, lowers the paper) It’s amazing… MARC: All right! (He lifts his hand for a high five. Alexandra doesn’t reciprocate.) ALEXANDRA: … if Schuyler was forty six years old, VP of Marketing for DeSoto Furniture Company and had chronic tendinitis in his elbow. MARC: What do you mean? It sounds just like him.
Essay Dialogues (#1): A Couple of Parents Talking about College Application Essays
Starting a new series of blogs today called “Essay Dialogues.” Simple concept, people – students, parents, teachers, whomever – talking about the college admissions essay. Here’s the first. I hope you find it enjoyable, enlightening, even comforting. (Hannah, efficient, crisp, the kind of woman you’d trust to pack your parachute, enters her local coffee spot, approaches her friend, Paige, sitting at a table.) HANNAH: I have no idea what I’m doing. PAIGE (laid back, adheres
Essay Dialogues (#3): Two High School Seniors Talking About Their Admission Essays
Bart and Ian, 17 years old, stalwart young men, sit on a bench in the park. They are dressed in athletic gear. A basketball sits on the ground in front of the bench. Bart exhales. Ian looks up in to a tree. Bart’s right leg bounces up and down aggressively. Ian rises, stretches out his neck, sits back down. BART: Uhhh… IAN: Whew…. BART: We done? IAN: Yeah, man, I can’t talk about these essays
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#25 OF 25)
The final of my twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done could just as well have been the first. That’s because it can not only improve the quality of your essay, it can elevate the experience of writing it. #25. Use the writing of your essays as a journey of discovery. When starting to help students on their essays, I often tell them, this is a chance
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#24 OF 25)
In truth, there are probably a hundred ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done. And perhaps next year I’ll add another seventy five. But for now, here’s the next to last one for 2015. #24. Avoid being too general, or too complicated. The too general essay speaks in broad generalizations, clichés, and platitudes, and usually takes on a bigger subject than an essay can handle. It is short on
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#23 OF 25)
An interesting fact about written material is that everyone has an opinion about it. After all, most people have at some time in their lives written something – anything – which they feel qualifies them to be the last word in literary criticism. But that shall remain a gripe for another blog series. Today we will be discussing Number Twenty Three of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (23 of 25)
Number Twenty Three of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done might seem merely technical, but it can contribute mightily to your chances for acceptance. #23. Respect the word count. As it relates to the Common Application essay, this one is easy, as the application will not allow you to upload more than 650 words. But for those students who are writing supplemental essays, or applying
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#22 of 25)
There is an old show business adage (attributed at times to both P.T. Barnum and Walt Disney), “Always leave them wanting more.” As it relates to your college application essay, however, I would suggest a slight adjustment: “Always leave them wanting you.” Easier said than done, of course (what isn’t?), but Step Twenty Two of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done might make it easier.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#21 OF 25)
As a tribute to that time in my career when I was writing television soap operas, my previous blog contained a cheesy cliffhanger, stating that I would next reveal another important key to having your application essay achieve its objectives. And yet, dated tactics aside, Step 21 of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done is, in fact, one of the most important to the success
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY THE BEST WRITING YOU’VE EVER DONE (#20 OF 25)
Number twenty of the twenty five ways to make your college application essay the best writing you’ve ever done is often a tough one for students to accept. Simply put it’s… #20. Don’t sell yourself (at least obviously) Everyone, including the Admissions Committee member who will be reading your essay, is fully aware that you are trying to make a good impression. Yet students who come on too strong risk arousing “push back” in the