DONE!!!

Yesterday, my son sent in the last of his college applications (just hours before many of the Common App Deadlines, might I add). YEA!!! I’m not sure which of us is more relieved. He is the youngest of my two children (my daughter is a sophomore in college), so...

College Application Topics That Work Best: The Unexpected!

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...

Don’t Go There: College Application Essay Topics to Avoid!

I realized today that I never shared a list of topics that usually result in lame essays. (It feels negative to emphasize this list of no-no’s, but it can save students a lot of time if they know to avoid these early on.) You can make any topic interesting, of...

Ready, get set…

As promised in my last post, I will share how I start the search for essay topic ideas for my son, who is a junior in high school. The idea is to get some general ideas on our college essay radar. Just jot down areas of interests, activities, experiences,...

more tips. pretty basic, but solid advice…

From article in the New York Times: June 23, 2009, 12:22 PM As an inaugural post, Martha C. Merrill, the dean of admission and financial aid of Connecticut College, and a graduate of the class of 1984, encourages incoming high school seniors (with her Top Ten tips):...

Long, but read every word. Read it twice. Pure gold.

How to Write a Killer Essay New York Times Upfront , Dec 13, 1999 by Glenn C. Altschuler An Ivy League dean offers six tips to steer your admission essay in the right direction: 1. Write about your world and your experiences. A 17-year-old inhabits a foreign country,...

Inside the Heads of the College Admissions Committee

College Admissions Essays: How to Connect with Your Reader I’ve talked about this already, but here is more scoop about your college application essay “audience,” and it’s a tough crowd: college admissions officers read zillions of these...

How to Manage “Helpful” Parents

 Parents and College Admissions Essays: In or Out? In theprevious post, I gave “helpful” parents some pointers on how to help students with their college admissions essays. Now, it’s your turn to help your own parents. Here are some tips: First,...