24 Top FAQs About College Application Essays

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...

Essay Writing Cheat Sheet for Stuck Students

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...

Coalition for Access Essay 4: Teenager Advice

  Coalition Prompt 4: What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)? When I first read through the five prompts students have to choose from to...

UC Essay Prompt 5: Take the Challenge

University of California Personal Insight Question 5: Your Chance to Get Real and Personal If You Have Faced Hardships, Share Them!   Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this...

Do You Have The Write Stuff for College and Beyond?

  I’m always on the lookout for new voices in the college admissions industry who try to help students and parents and all of us keep a balanced and sane perspective on the frenzied quest for the perfect college. Kristin White, an educational consultant who...

Do You Undermine Yourself with Words?

  This might seem random, but I found some powerful writing advice on the blog of Gwyneth Paltrow that I believe is relevant to students writing their college application essays, and others, especially women. The woman Paltrow recently featured in her blog, Goop,...

Listen to Me Talk About Writing Great College App Essays!

My friend, Lynn O’Shaughnessy, who is a national expert on helping families afford higher education, interviewed me recently about how to write standout college application essays. If you are struggling to figure out how to pay for your college or university,...

Why I Do This: The Essay Hell Manifesto

I thought it might be helpful to type up an explanation of why I write my blog, the source of my intentions, and what I think about the dreaded college application essay. You might find it boring, but I wanted to get it out and all in one place. Here’s what I...