If your essay starts by relating something that happened, the reader is going to dive right into it and not stop until they are satisfied–until they know what happened.

Read more

SHOW the World You Come From

by | Oct 4, 2013

URGENT UPDATE! The University of California CHANGED its essay prompts for 2016-17. Learn about the all-new requirements by clicking HERE!   THIS POST IS OUTDATED! How to Describe a Place in a College App Essay If you are applying to the University of California,...

You Are Not Alone

by | Sep 28, 2013

  I gave away 100 copies of my ebook guide last week. (If you missed the giveaway, I’m planning on doing another in October.) Even though I’ve always had visitors from all over the world, I was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic students from so many...

Should You Humblebrag in Your Essay?

by | Sep 26, 2013

  A smart dad sent me an email recently asking how college-bound students could work in related achievements and accomplishments into their personal, narrative-style essay, without sounding like they were blowing their own horn. It’s definitely a fine line....

Insider Essay Advice from Tufts

by | Sep 23, 2013

When people visit my Essay Hell web site, I can see where they come from on my Google analytics page. (I know, kind of creepy, but that’s just how it works now.) I noticed a recent spike of visitors from a blog written by an English teacher in Southern...

Work First, Surf Second: A Lesson in Mundane Topics

by | Sep 17, 2013

A student who I will call Ryan arrived for his tutoring session yesterday, and showed me what he had written for his English class. His essay started with how he worked with Habit for Humanity and a trip he took to work with Native Americans. Oh no. Not the old...