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Getting into a competitive college is certainly about having strong grades, a history of rigorous courses, high test scores, and a long list of extracurriculars. But with thousands upon thousands of applicants for just a few thousand (and in many cases, hundred) spaces, admissions officers want to see that you’re a strong fit for their …
by Marie Todd
When you feel you have taken the draft of your college essay as far as you can on your own, share it with a few carefully chosen friends, mentors, and/or family members that you trust. Ask these individuals to keep the following questions in mind as they read your essay and to offer you their …
by Marie Todd
A common writing problem we see in applicants’ early drafts is that the writer will refer to something important but never fully explain what that thing is. For example, an applicant might claim that a particular fight his parents had affected the way he now views education, but he doesn’t offer any details about the …
by Marie Todd
We understand that getting started actually writing your college essays can be difficult. Even if you’ve gone through all the steps of thinking, brainstorming, and maybe even the “clustering” and “circling” of interconnected ideas, you might still feel intimidated by the writing process. And after all, there’s a lot on the line with your college …
by Steven Tagle
College admissions officers are more and more likely to visit your social media accounts and form opinions about you based on your profile and content. Will what they see help or hurt you? According to a 2023 survey by Kaplan involving admissions officers from 205 top schools around the country, your social media content can …
by Marie Todd
There are many places to find sample college essays, such as here and in the many books written to help students apply to college. When reading sample essays, you want to pay attention to how they are structured and try to understand what makes them effective. Then, you can combine what you’ve learned with the …
by Marie Todd
The central theme of your essay doesn’t have to be something earth-shattering or particularly amazing, but it does need to be something that genuinely matters to you and will therefore convey key aspects of your character. Your theme might be something that engages you, something you’re interested in describing, or something you want to explore …
by Marie Todd
In our post “A Stress-Free Brainstorming Plan for Your College Essays,” we outline the basic process of brainstorming to prepare for writing your college essays. In this post, we offer a more-detailed, “circular” method that can help you uncover additional ideas and stories. This circular method is also called “clustering.” To begin, write the essay …
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