Thank Your Third Grade Teacher: She Was Right About the Thesaurus

Every word counts, when there’s a word count.  A common complaint amongst college essay writers is the the wish for more words.  The tedium of examining, re-examining, thinking through each word chosen when writing a college essay can be a test of patience, as much as a test of intellect.  The Thesaurus, dictionary and books…

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Common Application Essays Part 7: Essay Prompt 5 Explained

The fifth of five new Common Application essay questions asks students to: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. Applicants must choose only one of the five questions to answer as their college essay, which will be shared amongst all…

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Common Application Essays Part 6: Essay Prompt 4 Explained

The next podcast in our Common Application Essay series defines the fourth of five essay prompts.  Applicants must choose only one of the five prompts to help structure their essay.  Yet, considering topics for all five essay questions, before focusing on one, can help applicants write the most meaningful essay possible and remain competitive across…

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“The Three D’s: Death, Disease & Divorce”

When beginning to write college application essays, students often worry about having lived an “ordinary” life, under the assumption that a dramatic event is a compelling topic to persuade college admissions officers.   A few years back, a stressed-out Senior, with tears welling in her eyes, exclaimed to her dad, “Why couldn’t you have died?!?  Then,…

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Editing College Essays Can Test Your Last Nerve

To the Senior (i.e. novice college essay author), the college essay editing process–especially when the editor is a third party–can be expletive provoking, feeling like a nit-picking critique of a final product spawned from a laborious drafting process, which can cause tension (or exacerbate it), and get on Senior’s last nerve.   Seemingly “together” seniors…

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