Five Questions You Should Ask About Your College Essay(s)
Are you deep into college essay writing at this point? YOU SHOULD BE! It’s time to get those essays going, so you don’t have to spend your entire Thanksgiving (and winter?!) break working on your college applications. Just a little time each day will add up to save you a chunk of time later!
Here are five important questions to ask yourself as you proofread and revise your essays:
1. Do I express something new about myself, something that the reader won’t know just from reading my resume or activities list?
Your college essay is your chance to go beyond your resume, explaining the significance of the things you’ve done in your life. Don’t just rehash a list of your accomplishments. They’ve seen that! Give them some of your personality. Tell a story that really shows who you are, and what you might contribute to their campus community.
2. Am I memorable and/or likeable?
This is really important. When college admission co...more
Step-by-Step Guide to Completing the Common App
This is your step-by-step, section-by-section guide to completing the Common App! Below you’ll find instructional videos that will guide you through each section of the third “tab” in the Common Application – which is the heart of the application itself.
We hope these short videos will answer your questions about each section of the Common App! The videos below discuss each individual section. Here’s our YouTube playlist with all of the Common App videos described below!
Completing the Common App – Profile Section
In this 6-minute video, we review how to fill out the Profile section of the Common Application. This section requests basic information about where you live, what languages you speak, your citizenship and a few other details.
Completing the Common App – Family Section
We cover filling out the Family section in under three minutes! You’ll need to enter information about your mom and dad – including where they att...more
Why You Shouldn't Apply to all Eight Ivy League Schools
Many people mistakenly believe that applying to a larger number of “reach” or top-tier schools increases the chances of being admitted to one. There are two big reasons why this belief not only is wrong, but jeopardizes students’ chances of admission to even one of the top schools on their lists.
Reason #1 Why You Shouldn’t Apply to All 8 Ivies
The first reason you shouldn’t apply to all 8 Ivy League schools, or limit your list to the top of the US News list, is that they are different in fundamental ways! If you love and fit at Columbia, then Brown would probably not be a great match for you! If you think Duke or Johns Hopkins would be perfect for you, it’s unlikely you’d fit well at Yale. And if you aren’t a good fit, that’s probably going to come through in your essays – or at least other applicants’ essays are likely to be stronger than yours. Top-tier colleges aren’t interested in students who are only interested in their top ranking, and the bumper...more- 1
