by j9robinson | May 19, 2009
Here’s an interesting article by the Wall Street Journal about college presidents from 10 prominent colleges and universities (Reed, Carleton, Wesleyan, U of P, Barnard, etc.) who were asked by the newspaper to answer their own college admissions essay prompts....
by j9robinson | May 8, 2009
Roy Peter Clark was a famous writing coach when newspapers started directing their reporters to tell the news through a story-telling format in the late 70s and 80s, a genre called New Journalism and made famous by Tom Wolfe. (The main difference between New...
by j9robinson | Apr 25, 2009
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,...
by j9robinson | Mar 30, 2009
In a recent profile in O magazine, novelist Wally Lamb talked about teaching autobiographical writing to female prison inmates. Although many of these women have juicy stories to tell, Lamb asks all of us, “Which of us is so self-aware that we could not...
by j9robinson | Mar 12, 2009
Mark Twain, one of the best prose stylists ever ever ever, wrote, “As to the Adjective: when in doubt, strike it out.” When we are writing narratives and striving for “descriptive” prose, many of us reach for those juicy adjectives....
by j9robinson | Mar 12, 2009
Writing experts always tell us, “Be specific!” But what does that mean? How do we do that? Other gurus say, “use concrete details.” Huh? What the heck are those? After many years of ignoring this advice, I think I get it. Instead of saying,...
by j9robinson | Feb 13, 2009
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...
by j9robinson | Oct 28, 2008
You probably know this already, but YouTube is a great source of information on how to write college application essays, especially if you are more of a visual learner. Check out the EssayHell Youtube Channel, which has several super helpful videos on how to write...
by j9robinson | Oct 21, 2008
The person reading your fabulous college admissions essay most likely has already read about a dozen or more, and still has an equal number or more to go. By the 20th essay, they are having trouble focusing. Their heads are nodding off. They need more coffee. So how...
by j9robinson | Oct 20, 2008
This is a super helpful link to specific ideas and tips on each of the six prompts (questions/options) on The Common Application. It also includes sample essays under each prompt. My favorite is Felicity’s essay answering Prompt #4 on how she used Lisa Simpson...
