Your personal statement and supplements are critically important these days. For MIT applicants and University of California applicants, with their unique sets of essays, they are just as important. Essays matter whether you’re a top student with outstanding ECs or an uneven student who needs to demonstrate academic seriousness. As an essay coach-tutor for 17 Continue Reading »
JFK’s college application essay to Harvard has been floating around the Internet for years, but his terrible high school grades have escaped my notice–till now. When I went looking for it tonight, I saw his entire application to Harvard–a photocopy that’s in the Kennedy Library archives. And I was surprised by what I discovered! There Continue Reading »
I bet Joan Didion’s college app essay to Stanford was pretty darn good. But it wasn’t enough to get her admitted to the Farm, as it’s known. I’ve known this story for most of my adult life. Joan Didion, one of the most influential writers of the late twentieth century — who meant the world Continue Reading »
Looking for college app essay help? I’ve got a confession to make: I love the Common App Essay prompts. As a coach for 18 years, I’ve seen the prompts evolve. Nine years ago they changed dramatically. Every year, the list is studied and analyzed by colleges and the Common App Organization. Fortunately, the consensus is Continue Reading »
Merit aid may be the answer for you. Today’s New York Times has a fascinating article about merit aid for college applicants. All but the most selective colleges entice students to attend with financial help based on grades, NOT family income. Need-based aid is determined by income and assets. Merit aid is different. As we 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 »
I’ve been checking the University of Chicago’s website for weeks, hoping they’ve posted this coming fall’s new supplemental essay prompts – because UC’s are always the most cerebral, the most philosophical, oftentimes, the most demanding. Well, no essay prompts for this year yet, but today the University made headline news around the country for another Continue Reading »
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