by j9robinson | Jun 9, 2010
College Application Essays How to Tell a Story In journalism, writers often use “anecdotal leads,” that is, starting a news or feature story with a mini-story about a real-life event, one that puts the reader in the middle of the action. Usually, the anecdote only...
by j9robinson | Jun 4, 2010
Students often want feedback on their college admissions essays, but are not sure where to turn. Here’s my advice: 1.Be very selective who you show it to. Remember, writing is subjective: one person might love your essay and another might hate it. Parents can...
by j9robinson | Jun 3, 2010
Finding the Life Lesson in Your College Admission Essay A key component of a powerful personal narrative (essay) is what’s called a “universal truth.” They are also called “life lessons.” Basically, when the writer starts to...
by j9robinson | Mar 9, 2010
(for this to make sense, you probably need to read the previous post) Once you get the idea of how this Ladder works, now find some sample college admissions essays that you like. See if the writer shifts back and forth between the specific and the abstract. (Just jot...
by j9robinson | Mar 9, 2010
Best Advice On How to Write a College Application Essay That Rocks! “The Ladder of Abstraction” is one of my favorite writing tools, especially for writing narrative pieces such as college admissions essays. It is a wonderful way to give structure to an essay...
by j9robinson | Oct 21, 2009
A new client, who I will call Sarah, met with me for the first time to talk about topic ideas. When I pressed her about her interests, her hobbies, her passions, she kept insisting that she was a well-rounded, strong student, but didn’t have any one thing that...
