Pronouns serve as replacements for other words and often refer back to information mentioned earlier in a text. However, when composing autobiographical college essays, teenagers who often use pronouns can unintentionally hinder their goal: conveying their experiences clearly to admissions officers. Using pronouns, teenagers assume: Yet, admissions officers are human and, like anyone, their attention…
High schoolers tend to write passive constructions in academic writing, often needing to fulfill assigned word counts requirements in order to earn the highest grade. Students can often dilute their intended meaning with verbosity. Yet, for college essays, students need to write in an active tense, self-assured and self-aware, as they are essentially writing their…
Yes, students can edit/update/revise/rewrite the 650 word Common Application essay after submitting an application to one (or more) colleges, as was discussed last Fall 2020. Yet, once a 650 word Common Application essay is submitted, the copy is final for that college. A revised 650 word Common Application essay will only be reviewed by college…
The 2021-22 Common Application includes a new 650 word personal statement prompt, one of seven choices: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? Bold emphasis added by CMC After analyzing the new prompt, a…
Throughout the Ivy League, possibly emboldened by test-optional admissions policies being one less barrier to entry, Fall 2021 applicants increased by double digits, adding subjectivity to the admission evaluation process and dropping admit rates year over year, some to record lows at Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania. Ivy League admit rates for the Classes…
Updated: November 2020 from the original posted in July 2018 The short answer is yes…with an *. [See Below] But, like any life-impacting decision, the short answer doesn’t account for the complexities of choosing a college. And, the last three words are what’s most important to keep in mind: YOU, the applicant, are the one…
Being our authentic selves often requires courage. And, for college applicants who will write their autobiography many times over in their college essays this fall, knowing themselves can be a tall order, but a challenge that can and must be overcome. In order to qualify for college admissions, students have to satisfy a standard set…
…is that every high school senior and transfer college applicant and their parents temporarily develop multiple hands, whose swift fingers dance with the wind across the keyboard to craft brilliant essays well before the deadline. Deadline approaching. pic.twitter.com/CszGLJyrA1 — Academia ɐɹnɔsqO (@AcademiaObscura) September 4, 2018
For all the college essay writers who believe that crafting their statements will be done in one (maybe two) drafts, take heed of Dr. Seuss’ (AKA Ted Geisel) experience on the painstaking care author’s take while ushering, shaping, crafting and editing their story until just right. From the Publishers’ Notes at the end of “What…
