How to Write A Standout Extracurricular Supplemental Essay
This just in from our friends at International College Counselors: One of the more common supplemental essay questions revolves around a student’s activities. Vanderbilt and Georgetown are just two schools that ask students to elaborate on an activity or experience … Continue reading →
Interesting Essay Structures
1. A list of quirky explorations that add up to a clear picture of the narrator Admissions Reader Comments: This essay worked because it managed to show different facets of the student’s personality through a single, unifying theme (the JTOP … Continue reading →
How do I Write a Deferral Letter?
Your #1 choice deferred your application to regular decision… What to do? 1. Try not to despair. No, this isn’t what you were hoping for, but you weren’t denied. The school wants to take a second look and/or needs more … Continue reading →
Writing Dialogue
I generally love reading dialogue, and I also love writing dialogue. The trick to making it sound real and not contrived, I’ve found, is to mess it up. People don’t come to the end of a perfectly composed sentence with … Continue reading →
“Why this school?” – Beyond copy-paste . . .
So, you’ve polished your main essays and right about now you’re buried in the supplemental essays. Prompts for different schools are starting to look uncannily similar, aren’t they? Suddenly you realize that nearly all your applications request an identical essay: … Continue reading →
The Hook: That All-Important First Sentence of Your Application Essay
What is a ‘hook’? More than just a first sentence, a hook is a grabby opener meant to pull your reader directly into the world of your story. An audience immediately engaged will race forward to find out what happens … Continue reading →
College Application Essays – Dos and Don’ts
1. Do… start early enough to allow for: Inspiration and introspection Revision (Most essays of 500-650 words require about four drafts) Feedback and valuable suggestions from family, teachers, mentors, coach Polishing and fine-tuning 2. Do… try to relax. Writing personal … Continue reading →