by j9robinson | Sep 17, 2013
A student who I will call Ryan arrived for his tutoring session yesterday, and showed me what he had written for his English class. His essay started with how he worked with Habit for Humanity and a trip he took to work with Native Americans. Oh no. Not the old...
by j9robinson | Sep 16, 2013
How to Conclude Your College Admissions Essays Here’s an excerpt from my ebook guide on how to write a college application essay using a narrative, storytelling style. I pulled this from my chapter on writing conclusions. Some students find ending their essays...
by j9robinson | Aug 17, 2013
College Application Essays Yes, You Can Go Too Far Colleges are encouraging students to get creative with their essays. This is great. However, I think students should be careful of trying too hard to showcase their creative writing skills. Rather, I believe...
by j9robinson | Jul 27, 2013
Everyone is looking for that magic topic for their college application essay that will help them jump out from the essay pile, and shout, “Yes, that’s me!” I’ve written a lot about how you can go about landing on that unique topic. Here’s...
by j9robinson | Jul 13, 2013
Students must write one core college admissions essay if they are applying to a college or colleges that use The Common Application. But most schools also require additional essays, called supplements. The supp prompts for this year are starting to trickle out, and...
by j9robinson | Jun 26, 2013
One of the best ways to connect with your reader in your college application essay is through emotion. In my new book, Escape Essay Hell!, I share writing techniques and devices you can use to bring pathos to your essay, and forge a bond with your reader. (With my...
by j9robinson | Jun 21, 2013
College Application Essays A Mini-Lesson from a Storytelling Pro I found this brilliant little example of how to understand what makes up a good story today in a column written by the talented sportswriter and journalist named Tommy Tomlinson. If you are...
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 13, 2013
College Application Essays: How to Answer Prompt 3 of the Common App. Who or What Have You Confronted Lately? When you read the five options for your Common Application essay, one prompt probably will appeal to you first off. Others you will skim and...
by j9robinson | Jun 9, 2013
College Application Essays Fun Reads to Inspire your Storytelling Skills Nothing helps you channel the style and voice of narrative writing than reading it. Writers, like Cupcake Brown, are masters of telling true stories in a fictionalized style. This is what...
