by j9robinson | Mar 14, 2016
This is the time of year when my former students drop me emails letting me know where they have been accepted for the fall. I love hearing from them, and am emboldened by how many land in their dream schools. And I usually ask if I can share their essays with...
by j9robinson | Feb 19, 2016
After working with thousands of students from all over the world on writing the dreaded college application essay for the last eight years, I’ve finally been able to boil down the process to three simple steps. Yes, just three steps. If you follow these...
by j9robinson | Feb 16, 2016
How to Avoid College Application Essay Booby Traps No matter where you are with writing your college application essay, you should double check that you are on the right track. It’s way too easy to inadvertently torpedo your chances of writing an essay...
by j9robinson | Feb 13, 2016
Stand Out in Your Common Application Essay So you are ready to start writing your Common Application Essay? Congratulations! You have found the best source of specific tips and strategies on exactly how to brainstorm topics for each of the 5 prompts–and...
by j9robinson | Nov 24, 2015
UPDATE: as of March 23, 2016 The University of California announced NEW essay prompts for 2016-17. Read about how to answer them HERE. It’s Not Too Late to Write Your College App Essays Before the Nov. 30 Deadline Yes, you have waited until...
by j9robinson | Nov 9, 2015
Students looking for ideas and inspiration on their college application essays should check out the “This I Believe” web site. It’s an international organization set up in 2004 to help students and adults identify and express through writing...
by j9robinson | Oct 12, 2015
Last week, a new student came to my home for help on his college application essays. I asked this eager senior about his target schools. He told me Stanford was his top pick, but he was applying to most of the ivies, along with a couple UCs (Cal and UCLA). Then...
by j9robinson | Sep 20, 2015
How to Find the Homeschooling Advantage in College Application Essays I received an email from a student named Hannah who told me she was homeschooled, and that she had been advised to write about that for her college application essay. Hannah said she was...
by j9robinson | Jul 25, 2015
The Best (and Worst) College Application Essay Topics Are Not What You Think! When I first started working with students on how to write college applications essays about eight years ago now, I put together a list of Do’s and Don’ts about picking...
by j9robinson | Jul 10, 2015
For more than 20 years, the magazine Vanity Fair has collected provocative and memorable details from the most famous people on the planet using their version of what is called the Proust Questionnaire. The famous French writer didn’t actually pen these...
