College Application Essay help

Do College Application Essays Matter?

Posted on February 16, 2026

This is a trick question. Of course college application essays matter, whether you’re writing your Common App essay or supplementals! And they are one piece of a much larger mosaic of considerations as colleges consider you. Essays make you come alive on the page/screen, they reveal your academic and other interests, and indicate what you Continue Reading »

College Acceptances & Your College App Essays

Posted on December 13, 2023

A big week for college acceptances and your college app essays. My stomach is in knots, waiting to hear news from all the students I advised on their Common App essays and applications. This is the first of the high anxiety weeks! Fingers X’d for all of you (& your families). — You’ll get 1 Continue Reading »

College App Essays for Early Decision

Posted on December 12, 2022

You wrote your hearts out in your college app essays for Early Decision and Restricted Early Action apps. And this week is The Week. Yes, this is a true nail biter of a time for you, your families, and me! (No, it’s not all about me, but my work involves me in the lives of Continue Reading »

A College Essay Consultant on 7 Expert Tips for 2022-23

Posted on October 8, 2020

As a seasoned college essay consultant, I was recently asked to contribute to “7 Expert Tips for the Common App Essay,” published by BestColleges.com. It’s a beginner’s look at the personal statement. Once you read it, please come back and delve into my many posts on the subject. My strategies are based on decades as Continue Reading »

Want All the College Application Essays in One Doc?

Posted on August 12, 2020

Shoot me an email and I’ll send you a Word Doc with the Common App prompts, the Coalition, U California, U Texas, MIT, and about 35 college’s supplements. P.S. Princeton STILL hasn’t finalized their supplements!  ElizabethBenedictOK@gmail.com   

New/Old Testimonials: How I Coach Personal Statements for College & Medical School Applications

Posted on May 25, 2020

Reading a new testimonial and one sent to me five years ago that I somehow forgot to post (how did that happen?!), I have been thinking about what it is I do when I work with people. Students come to me with their talents, their accomplishments, and their stories. They know what their accomplishments are Continue Reading »

College and Medical School Acceptances from Don’t Sweat the Essay!

Posted on March 30, 2020

In these uncertain days of The Virus, every bit of good news is magnified by ten or maybe by 100. So I’m especially excited to share this year’s news from my clients about where they’ve been accepted. This year, clients got in early action/early decision to Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and Notre Dame, and regular decision Continue Reading »

Princeton & Brown Require Graded High School Paper/ Essay for College Admissions

Posted on March 18, 2019

Future applicants to Princeton have a new requirement for applying: Instead of submitting test scores for the SAT and ACT Writing Sections, applicants must submit a graded paper, written in the previous three years of high school. Details are here and this page leads to a list of FAQs that should answer all of your Continue Reading »

Can I Rewrite My Common Application Essay after ED Rejection/Deferral?

Posted on December 9, 2018

If you’re a senior in high school applying to college – or live in a household where someone else is – this coming week may be the most stressful of the process to date. This is the infamous “mid-December” when tens of thousands of students will hear from first-choice colleges and universities about EARLY DECISION Continue Reading »

Beware: Hidden Brown University Application Essay!!

Posted on August 17, 2018

For those applying to Brown, take note! The Writing Supplement section of the Common App lists 3 questions unique to Brown – one fewer than last year. HOWEVER, as you fill out the Common App for Brown and you answer all sorts of questions, and then you get to the ACTIVITIES section, there’s a surprise Continue Reading »