by j9robinson | Jun 19, 2013
I don’t know how I missed this. In April, a batch of nearly 70 college application essays written by the incoming class of 2017 at Columbia University were made public. It was quite the scandal. Many of the students who shared their essays among their...
by j9robinson | Jun 13, 2013
College Application Essays Which Prompt Will You Pick? UPDATE: Most of this information is still helpful and relevant. However, please see the changes in the NEW Common Application Prompts for 2015-16! If you are ready to brainstorm ideas for your Common...
by j9robinson | Jun 6, 2013
PLEASE NOTE! This prompt has changed for 2017-18. This post is now obsolete, although you can still find helpful general information on how to think about prompts and write your essays. The revised prompt 5 is: Discuss an accomplishment, event,...
by j9robinson | Jun 5, 2013
Yesterday, I wrote about how you can answer Prompt #2 of The Common Application and write about recovering from a failure. Coincidentally, our favorite motivator Oprah Winfrey stood up in front of the graduating class at Harvard University just last weekend and...
by j9robinson | Jun 4, 2013
College Application Essays: Tell a Story to Answer Prompt 2 When Messing Up is a Good Thing I almost like Prompt #2 as much as Prompt #1 of the new essay questions for The Common Application: The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success....
by j9robinson | Jun 3, 2013
College Application Essays: Best Writing Advice Five Hot Tips to Use on Your Essay It’s hard to find good advice on writing. Here are five of my favorite tips from the best of the best: 1. If you are just starting to write your college application...
by j9robinson | Apr 17, 2013
Mentor Essays for The Common App And Other College Application Essays If you are one of those students who understands how important these college admissions essays can be to landing in the school of your dreams, the New York Times just published a dream...
by j9robinson | Feb 20, 2013
College Application Essays How To Answer the New Common App Questions The best news about his year’s Common Application (2015-16) is that you can still write about almost any topic you want—these prompts are very open-ended. And they also added a...
by j9robinson | Jan 21, 2013
No matter what the prompt asks for, almost any effective college essay should showcase one or several of what I call your “defining qualities.” If the prompt asks you to write a personal statement (for The Common App), tell about yourself or wants to know...
by j9robinson | Dec 20, 2012
College Admissions Essays It’s Official: Get Creative! Colleges tell students that they want their essays to show them what sets them apart from the pack and what makes them unique. Yet most of the college application essay prompts do a poor job of...
