Want to Go To University of Texas? Get This Book!

The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to UT Admissions Get it FREE Now on Amazon! My friend, Kevin Martin, just published this guide, Your Ticket to the Forty Acres: The Unofficial Guide for UT Undergraduate Admissions, on Amazon (Kindle) to help students quickly figure...

Cultural Backgrounds Fuel Standout College App Essays

  Everyone Has a Cultural Background Yours Could Make an Awesome College App Essay Topic! I love working with students from all over the world. I’m always surprised, however, how many of these students overlook their rich backgrounds when brainstorming...

How To Give College Admissions Officials Essays They Want

Colleges Love Your Stories Especially Those That Seem Almost Ordinary!   I’ve read several news articles in recent weeks featuring college admissions officials sharing what they liked about college application essays they read over the last year. This...

3 Fixes for Cliche College Application Essay Topics

Should You Write About a Cliche Topic for Your College Application Essay? If you are just starting brainstorming ideas for your college application essays, one of the first pieces of advice you might stumble upon is to avoid “cliche” topics. I always warn...

Should You Gamble on Your College Application Essay?

Can a Risky College Application Essay Get You Into the Ivies? Maybe…   This time of year, a flurry of stories hit the national media about students who get into all the Ivy League schools (plus Stanford). The stories always include scrutiny and speculation...

Start Your Personal Statement the Right Way

  Ready to write your personal statement essay? It can be for your Common Application essay, or other university or college prompts, or transfers, or medical or law school, or even scholarship applications. To start, always read the prompt. If it asks you to...

Hot Tips for new Common Application Prompt 6

3 HOT TIPS for Common App Prompt 6   In a previous post, I warned about the possible pitfalls of writing about the new Common Application prompt 6. My main concern was that in writing about one of your passions — a “topic, idea or concept — you...