by j9robinson | Jul 20, 2018
Okay, so this is a bit of hyperbole on my part. All students have plenty to write about for their college application essays. However, from what I’ve seen working with college-bound students for the last decade, many of our most talented, driven and intelligent...
by j9robinson | Apr 23, 2018
What You Can Learn From Michael Brown’s College Application Essay I must have watched the viral video of Michael Brown learning he got into Stanford at least three times in a row. Such a feat and well-deserved accomplishment for what seems like an...
by j9robinson | Mar 25, 2018
Let Lynda Barry Help You Find and Tell Your Best Stories! Try One of Her Awesome Brainstorming Exercises If you’re starting to brainstorm that perfect topic to craft your dreaded college application essay, I have a new writing technique you might find helpful....
by j9robinson | Jan 28, 2018
Don’t Despair over College Rejection Sometimes You Discover a Better Path It’s the time of year when high school seniors are learning where they got accepted to colleges or universities. Yay! Good for you! Time to celebrate! Many are also opening...
by j9robinson | Nov 5, 2017
If you are just starting to write your four short UC essays (called Personal Insight Questions), here are ten simple tips that can help you crank them out. I’ve written longer posts on how to brainstorm and map out answers for each of these questions for the...
by j9robinson | Sep 15, 2017
Don’t Even Think About Writing About the Eclipse And What to Write About Instead When I was invited to give one of my college application essay writing workshops to students at Colorado Academy in Denver, Colorado, I had no idea it would be on the day of...
by j9robinson | Jul 25, 2017
Who Writes Better College Application Essays: Boys or Girls? When I gave one of my summer college application essay writing boot camps this last weekend in my hometown of Laguna Beach, I had 11 boys and one girl. As the students showed up, I casually mentioned this...
by j9robinson | Jul 20, 2017
Helicopter Parents Aren’t All Bad (They Just Need to Know When to Drop In) I received an email from a mom recently inquiring about my tutoring services for her college-bound daughter. In her email, she included a story about their family history that she thought...
by j9robinson | Feb 18, 2017
Big Red Flag on this New Common Application Prompt 6! The Common Application added two new prompts for 2017-18. Now students can choose from seven prompts (instead of five) to inspire their personal statement “Common App” essay. The seventh new...
by j9robinson | Feb 7, 2017
New Common Application Prompts for 2017-18: TOPIC OF CHOICE IS BACK!! Great news for you college-bound juniors who are just starting to think about your college application essays. If you need to write your personal statement essay for The Common Application,...
