Parents often want to help their kids with their college essays. The question is, how much “help” is too much? How can you truly help your child craft a college essay that will best represent them, and where are you stepping over the line? Suzie Wynne, Diana Hanson and I (Evelyn Jerome-Alexander) have been … Read more
It’s become a staple of the college application process – the “Why Us?” supplemental essay! As colleges review applications in a holistic manner (what does that mean?), they look at grades, test scores (sometimes but also sometimes not!), activities and leadership, recommendations from your teachers, the quality of your writing, and finally, in many … Read more
If you missed our “Four Keys to Success in College Admission” webinar, it’s here to the right, and the slide deck is below. These tips are specifically geared to help YOU – parents of high school seniors – through your child’s college admission process, while maintaining your sanity and your relationship with that very … Read more
As colleges place less importance on test scores, they’ll look even more closely at students’ activities and college essays, as they try to really figure out who you are and how you’ll contribute to their campus community. There are a lot of resources out there about college essays, but we’ve compiled our top tips and … Read more
The passive voice is a style of writing that emphasizes something other than what you really want the reader to focus on. It’s common for high school students to write in the passive voice, because they’ve been taught by their English teachers for years that they should not be the subject of their writing … Read more
Rising high school seniors sometimes approach their college essays in the same way they approach their English class essays. They are two totally different things! And therefore, students should approach college essays differently. Here are some basic differences: There’s no thesis statement. This is not an analytical work – you aren’t comparing or contrasting literature, … Read more
It’s mid-October, verging on late October (where exactly is that dividing line?). You’re looking for things to do to avoid working on your college apps, aren’t you? It’s really just the essays, right? Well there are lots of other ways you can be moving the ball forward as deadlines approach. Here are some suggestions: SEVEN … Read more
As summer winds down and rising seniors turn their thoughts in earnest to their college applications, we thought we’d try to help with this step-by-step video walkthrough of the Common Application. With over 900 colleges accepting applications through this one platform, it’s likely that your rising senior will need to complete the Common App. … Read more
I. Thou shalt not allow your parents (or anyone else!) to write your essays, in whole or in part, for you. College admission counselors know the difference between a 17-year old’s writing, and an adult’s. It is not in your best interest to have anyone else write your essays for you – only YOU can … Read more
We’ve published many, many posts about college essays – aside from building your college list, it’s probably the topic that challenges and confounds students the most. If you’re looking for college essay advice – there’s lots of it out there! Just last week, Georgia Tech Admissions Director Rick Clark, whom we quote and link to … Read more