by j9robinson | Sep 12, 2015
Go Deep to Reveal Your Intellectual Vitality! When writing narrative-style college application essays, I advise students to start by sharing a real-life story that illustrates one of their defining qualities or characteristics. Once a student shares a real-life...
by j9robinson | Jun 2, 2015
or Why Bad Writers Write the Best College Application Essays If you think you can’t write, and you need to write a college application essay, this is your lucky day. There’s a higher-than-average chance you will write an awesome essay. (If you think you...
by j9robinson | May 31, 2015
Short Answer: ONE College Application Essay for The Common App The Common Application comes out officially August 1. But they already announced the changes for this coming 2015-16 season. The most important were changes to the five essay prompts. (You can write...
by j9robinson | May 30, 2015
The folks at The Common Application added a new prompt this year and I love it. It asks you to write about a problem. What’s so great about a problem? Problems = Stories = Great Essays! This may be the only time having a juicy problem is a good thing. So take...
by j9robinson | Apr 30, 2015
Get My Latest College Application Essay Writing Guide FREE on Mother’s Day on Amazon! Yup, it’s that simple. I’m celebrating the recent publication of the paperback version of my latest writing guide on Amazon by offering the Kindle...
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 | Nov 18, 2014
This hilarious video is making the rounds on the Internet (my niece’s husband shared it with me on Facebook) just in time for many college application essay deadlines. It’s funny because the outrageous statements made by students are painfully true. A...
by j9robinson | Mar 10, 2014
Big changes in the new SAT test announced recently caused quite a stir, especially that they were dropping the essay component. I was most excited, however, that they also were going to stop emphasizing “obscure” vocabulary words. Not only do I...
by j9robinson | Aug 7, 2013
College Application Essays Humility Goes a Long Way Many of the students I work with are from privileged backgrounds. (Hey, it’s expensive to hire a tutor!) They live in affluent communities, go on extravagant vacations and enjoy pricey hobbies and...
by j9robinson | Jul 27, 2013
Everyone is looking for that magic topic for their college application essay that will help them jump out from the essay pile, and shout, “Yes, that’s me!” I’ve written a lot about how you can go about landing on that unique topic. Here’s...
