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 »
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 »
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 »
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this morning: “A survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting said Monday that Harvard University has rescinded his acceptance after recently surfaced screenshots showed him using racial Continue Reading »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 »
Beware, college applicants and parents! As you scour the Common Application for required and optional essays before filling out the application, be sure you’re looking in all the right places. I believe that the college’s sprinkle the writing requirements into the application as though you will just come to them as you’re filling out the Continue Reading »
UPDATE! The 2022-23 U Chicago essay prompts are out! Click right here to read about them. The following post is from two years ago, but the University of Chicago is so unconventional that you can use a prompt from any year if you wish. Read on and use your imagination: “You’re on a voyage in Continue Reading »
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