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 »
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 »
As an essay coach, I’m often asked, “What’s the Common App essay timetable? When should my kid start writing The Essay?” I’m so glad you asked! It’s not as easy an answer as “the 4th of July”– though that CAN be a good time to start. The Common App Essay, AKA the Personal Statement, is Continue Reading »
I was recently asked what a mother should tell her very sensitive son if he’s rejected at his first choice college when decisions come out next week. She was talking about one of the most selective colleges in the country, where only about 7% of the applicants are admitted. Aside from offering your child tea Continue Reading »
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 »
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 »
I don’t need to tell anyone reading this post that this is a spring for high school juniors unlike any other. Instead of being in school, you’re home, taking classes online. Instead of playing sports, maybe you’re playing ping pong with your siblings. Instead of visiting with your friends, you’re … well, wondering how long Continue Reading »
For a student whose recent life has been rocked by tragedy and high drama, a little more drama has just come his way. From The Hill this morning: “A survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting said Monday that Harvard University has rescinded his acceptance after recently surfaced screenshots showed him using racial Continue Reading »
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 »
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 »
You must be logged in to post a comment.