by j9robinson | Aug 8, 2016
Most of you landed here in Essay Hell looking for advice on how to write your college application essays. And you are definitely at the right place! This post, however, I’m skipping the essay talk and offering something equally valuable: The Best Insider...
by j9robinson | Jul 18, 2016
Some of my tutoring students skim through a college application essay prompt (such as the five options for The Common Application essay requirement), and in a flash, find one that speaks to them. Others come armed with a long list of topic ideas they have been toying...
by j9robinson | Jul 15, 2016
Got a Burning Question About Your College Application Essay? (Leave it in the Comments!) After working with students like you for nearly a decade now, I’ve heard a lot of questions about these cursed essays. And you are so smart to ask them. How else can you...
by j9robinson | Jun 28, 2016
It’s been a big year for changes in the college admissions scene. I wrote this guest column about many of them in my local newspaper, The Laguna Beach Independent, this week. About the same time this was published, yet another college application system entered...
by j9robinson | Jun 9, 2016
Students Must Write Four, All-New Short Transfer Essays to Apply to University of California If you want to transfer to any of the University of California schools, you need to write four short essays. The UC changed the required essays this year (2016-17), and...
by j9robinson | May 31, 2016
Learn How to Avoid Black-and-White Thinking to Add Depth to Your Essays It’s exciting to see that word is getting out to collegebound students, and those who support their admissions quests, that real-life stories power the most effective college...
by j9robinson | May 11, 2016
Coalition Prompt 4: What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)? When I first read through the five prompts students have to choose from to...
by j9robinson | May 10, 2016
You Believe That? Coalition for Access Essay Prompt 3: Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs? So you need to write your core essay for the new Coalition for...
by j9robinson | May 9, 2016
If you’re using the new Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success to apply to one or more colleges for 2016-17, you need to write a core essay that responds to one of their five prompts. First, I encourage you to read through the five prompts and see if...
by j9robinson | May 3, 2016
Tips and Ideas for Coalition for Access Essay Prompts: The First and Last If you are using the new Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success to apply to college for 2016-17, you first need to check if the college or university you want to attend...
