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Brittany Stinson
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The Essay Hell Blog
More than 3 million viewers and counting!Do Parents Help or Hurt College Application Essays?
Helicopter Parents Aren't All Bad (They Just Need to Know When to Drop In) I received an email from a mom recently inquiring about my tutoring services for her college-bound daughter. In her email, she included a story about their family history that she thought might...
New Essay Requirements for ApplyTexas and University of Texas for Fall 2018
UT Austin Essays Just Got Easier! If you are applying to be an incoming freshmen to the University of Texas at Austin for Fall 2018, I believe this is a piece of good news for you. The application essays you need to write have changed from writing three longer essays...
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 out...
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 topics for...
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 feedback...
My Best Writing Tip for Improving College Application Essays
In One Word: Focus! I've been reading college application essays for the last decade. I'm probably into the thousands by now. Looking back, I have identified the most common flaw in many of them. They are too general. Which make them borrrrrrringggggg. Many...
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 my students...
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...
College Application Essay Workshops in Laguna Beach this Summer!
Weekend Essay Writing Boot Camps in Laguna Beach I will be offering three, two-part essay workshops this summer in my hometown of Laguna Beach on how to write awesome college application essays. The workshops, which will be 90 minutes each on Saturday morning and...