Sample Essays: “Fast Doesn’t Always Win”

Sample Essays Can Inspire Topic Ideas!   In a previous post, I shared a sample essay from my college application essay writing guide, The Writing Survival Kit. Here’s another original sample essay from the same collection. I believe reading sample essays is...

Sample Essays for College Applications

Sample Essays: The Best Way to Learn to Write Your Own     In my writing guide, The Writing Survival Kit, I share some excellent sample essays for college applications. In this post and future ones, I’m sharing some of them with you. Whether you are...

Waving the Red Flag on College Application Essays

  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...
Is Homeschooling a Good Topic for College App Essays?

Is Homeschooling a Good Topic for College App Essays?

   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...

Dig Deep: Show Intellectual Vitality in Your College App Essay

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...

Dig Deep: How to Add Depth to Your College App Essays

  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...

The Ultimate Brainstorm Questionnaire

  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...

A Favorite Essay Tip From a College Application Veteran

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...

How to Find The Best Essay Help: Part Two

Learn to Vet College Application Writing Experts Read PART ONE on How to Find The Best Essay Help on College Application Essays first… Here are other potential sources of help for writing personal statement essays for college admissions: 2. High School College...