by j9robinson | Oct 16, 2015
First-Gen Students Learn to Write College Application Essays Last month, I had the privilege to work with a group of teachers and students on their writing and college application essays from the Rio Grande Valley in the southernmost tip of Texas. Almost all...
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 22, 2015
You Don’t Need Tragedy to Write a Standout College Admissions Essay! This is the time of year that the frenzy surrounding college admissions starts to grow. Early decision deadlines are just weeks away. Students who put off writing their college...
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 | Sep 12, 2015
Go Deep to Reveal Your Intellectual Vitality! When writing narrative-style college application essays, I advise students to start by sharing a real-life story that illustrates one of their defining qualities or characteristics. Once a student shares a real-life...
by j9robinson | Sep 11, 2015
Go Deep in Your College Application Essay! When writing narrative-style college application essays, I advise students to start by sharing a real-life story that illustrates one of their defining qualities or characteristics. All stories contain some type...
by j9robinson | Aug 4, 2015
The 2015-16 Common Application is officially out. If you’re applying to college, you will be making a lot of decisions in upcoming months. Important ones. What schools should you apply to? What should you write your college application essay about so you...
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...
by j9robinson | Jul 6, 2015
I loved a recent post by my friend, Lynn O’Shaughessy, who is a fellow journalist and now the international guru for creative ways to pay for college. (If you’re losing sleep over the insane cost of college, make sure to check out The College Blog.) Lynn...
