5 Reasons to Write Your Own College App Essay

  With all the hype and pressure surrounding college admissions, I don’t blame students and parents for looking for shortcuts or anything that can give them an edge in the selection process. While I believe students should take the helm of figuring out...

Essay Hell’s 2015 Spring Webinar Series

  Not many images are more daunting than a blank page. The horror! But starting next month (March), I’m launching a weekly Webinar series to assist more students and families with starting their college application essays. I write this blog, peddle my three...

Listen to Me Talk About Writing Great College App Essays!

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,...

Comic Relief for College App Essay Writing

  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...

UC College Application Essay Instant Boot Camp

UPDATE: as of March 23, 2016 The University of California announced NEW essay prompts for 2016-17. Read about how to answer them HERE.   This post is now outdated. The information is no longer relevant!! If you are working on your two college application essays...

Think Your Topic is Too Broad? It Probably Is…

 How to Focus Your College Application Essay! I love all the comments students make about my posts. The most common ones ask about topics for the Common App or other core college application essays, including the University of California prompts. Students want to know...

Essay Hell’s Top 10 Tips

  Feeling a Bit Underwater About Your College Application Essay? It’s that time of year. Most “early decision” deadlines are counting down by the day, and other major deadlines aren’t far behind. Stay calm. Read my blog. Target your essay...

Great Student; Not a Great Essay

I’ve been meaning to write about the hubbub around the high school student who got accepted into all eight Ivy League schools last April. It was an amazing and well-deserved accomplishment for Kwasi Enin, a 17-year-old from Long Island, New York. Because of his...
5 Reasons College App Essays Don’t Suck

5 Reasons College App Essays Don’t Suck

If you are struggling with your college application essay right about now, you might be cursing the entire process. And I don’t blame you. You’re supposed to think up some fascinating topic that will grab the attention of those bored-to-tears admissions...

The Prospect Cooks Up Delicious Essay Recipes!

If you’ve been looking for help with your college application essay, I assume you have discovered the mountains of information (some helpful; a lot no so much) out there on the Web. One of my favorite resources for students is The Prospect, which is an...