by j9robinson | Nov 20, 2014
My friend, Lynn O’Shaughnessy, who is a national expert on helping families afford higher education, interviewed me recently about how to write standout college application essays. If you are struggling to figure out how to pay for your college or university,...
by j9robinson | Aug 22, 2013
College Application Essays Underprivileged or Underrepresented Students: This Means You! Why You Must Share Stories That Show Your Grit As a writing coach, I work mainly with students I consider “privileged.” This means they can find support writing...
by j9robinson | May 31, 2013
College Application Essays: Search For the Perfect Topic It’s Closer Than You Think I’ve learned a lot about what makes a great essay topic over the last six years I’ve helped students with their college application essays. If you’re...
by j9robinson | May 15, 2013
How to Answer Prompt 4 for the Common App for your College Application Essay Prompt 4: Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma—anything that is of personal...
by j9robinson | Nov 5, 2012
College Admissions Essays: How to make sure you come across as likable “Think of something you might boast about and turn it into an entertaining flaw.” College expert and blogger Jay Matthews on self-deprecation In the typical list of hot tips from...
by j9robinson | Jun 7, 2012
College Admissions Essays How to Find “The Unexpected” in Your College Application Essay or Personal Narrative One way to add snap, crackle and pop to your college application essay is to give it a little twist. What’s a twist? It can be many things,...
by j9robinson | Dec 28, 2011
So you have a rough draft for one of your college essays. You answered the prompt, read it many times and believe it’s a solid piece of writing. And you may be right. But even a solid essay can have one fatal flaw–-it’s boring. The last thing you want is for the...
by j9robinson | Jun 10, 2010
College Application Essays Write Like You Talk The voice and tone of narrative essays usually is “looser” or more “casual” than the typical academic essay. To do that, however, you often have to break the rules. Bend them gently and stay consistent. But if it sounds...
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 | May 19, 2010
I just went back over college essays my clients wrote over the last several years. Despite the classic list of what not to write about (see previous post), I would say many wrote about mission trips, volunteering activities and sporting experiences anyway. Some pulled...
