by j9robinson | Feb 18, 2017
Big Red Flag on this New Common Application Prompt 6! The Common Application added two new prompts for 2017-18. Now students can choose from seven prompts (instead of five) to inspire their personal statement “Common App” essay. The seventh new...
by j9robinson | Feb 12, 2017
GET IT FOR FREE FOR LIMITED TIME! I’m introducing my hot-off-the-press writing guide, “Essay Hell’s 50 Most Commonly Asked Questions about College Application Essays” by giving it away for the next 5 days on Amazon. Starting tomorrow, February...
by j9robinson | Feb 7, 2017
New Common Application Prompts for 2017-18: TOPIC OF CHOICE IS BACK!! Great news for you college-bound juniors who are just starting to think about your college application essays. If you need to write your personal statement essay for The Common Application,...
by j9robinson | Dec 12, 2016
A friendly reporter from the popular daily tabloid newspaper, Metro, contacted me a couple weeks ago. She was writing a piece for the New York edition on college admissions, and wanted to feature some of my college application essay writing tips. (It’s actually...
by j9robinson | Oct 26, 2016
24 More Commonly Asked Questions about College Admissions Essays How far back should I go in tracing my background? When writing about experiences from your past, it’s best to stick to your high school years in general (for Common Application and incoming...
by j9robinson | Oct 25, 2016
FAQ | College Application Essays I’m sharing below 20 of the most common questions about college application essays that I have been asked over the years, along with links to longer explanations and related helpful information. This spring I published a book...
by j9robinson | Sep 12, 2016
As you probably know, the University of California changed its required essay prompts for 2016-17. Instead of writing two longer personal statement essays, you now chose from eight prompts (which they call Personal Insight Questions) and write four short...
by j9robinson | Aug 10, 2016
I’m always trying to find ways to help students quickly come up with topic ideas and a path to cranking out their college application essays. Typically, I advise them to start with their defining qualities or characteristics, and then find real-life stories or...
by j9robinson | Aug 8, 2016
Most of you landed here in Essay Hell looking for advice on how to write your college application essays. And you are definitely at the right place! This post, however, I’m skipping the essay talk and offering something equally valuable: The Best Insider...
by j9robinson | Jul 29, 2016
As I’ve been watching the Democratic national convention this past week, I realized how much election speeches are like college application essays. Both are sales pitches. Both candidates and college applicants want something—badly! Candidates want votes....
