Caroline Koppelman
Official Common App Essay Guide 2025-2026

We’ve spent the past few weeks breaking down each Common App essay prompt one by one, and now it’s time for the grand finale: our ultimate guide to writing the Common App essay. Sure, there are seven different prompts, but at the end of the day, every school is looking for the same thing: a story.

Caroline Koppelman
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 7: Example ...

We’ve been waiting for this one: it’s finally time to dig into Prompt #7, the crown jewel of the Common App essay prompts.

Caroline Koppelman
Ultimate Guide to Letters of Continued Interest ...

Getting waitlisted or deferred from your dream school is hard. We know it’s hard! You feel rejected, but it’s this weird non-rejection rejection that can leave you feeling lost and confused. And while a lot of things in college admissions are totally out of your control, there is something you can do if you’ve been waitlisted or deferred to give yourself another chance. A letter of continued interest, sometimes known as a waitlist letter or deferral letter, is one of the few, actionable things you can control when admissions decisions seem so out of your control. It’s your only chance to make a good second impression, and we help students write them every single year.

Caroline Koppelman
Ultimate Guide to Getting Waitlisted 2025

Getting waitlisted is the ultimate limbo – it’s not not a rejection, but it’s not a full-on denial, either. And depending on your circumstances, you could be feeling everything from mild disappointment to full-on panic. Don’t get yourself into a tizzy just yet, because there are things you can do to give yourself a shot at getting off the waitlist and make sure that you have a plan in place for the next year.

Caroline Koppelman
Best Early Decision II (ED2) Schools 2024-2025

Hey, look, sometimes ED doesn’t work out the way we want it to, and we have to change strategies. If you just got rejected or deferred from your ED/EA option, we’d like to introduce you to our good friend, Early Decision 2. ED2 is just as binding as ED, and it signals to the school that you are serious about attending that school, and guess what? Schools like when you’re serious about them.

Caroline Koppelman

How to Write the Georgetown Supplement Essays 2020-2021

Georgetown is a small/medium-ish university with a little more than 7,500 undergraduates. It’s located on a picturesque campus in Washington, DC. It’s technically a institution, which means, basically, that spirituality, service, and community engagement are super important on campus. But it’s definitely not pushy about it, and no matter your religious affiliation (or lack thereof), you’ll be able to find a . It’s super academically rigorous and an overall great, and competitive, school.

What Are The Best College Essays About? 

If you came to this blog post of hopes us telling you that the best college essays are about sports, extracurricular activities, or the global pandemic, bear with us as we go in another direction. The best college essays are about you. Yes, you. This might seem like an oversimplification, but it’s true. You are the only person who can write an essay that is uniquely about yourself, so we’re going back to basics by diving into a brainstorming process that’s been successful with some of our TKG clients.

How to Choose a College Major for College Applications

Our regular blog readers probably know by now that it’s important to tell colleges what you plan to major in should you be admitted. Many schools that use the common app have drop-down menus that allow you to select a program and those that don’t often ask via their supplements. We have written about this before, but here’s a refresher: it’s crucial that you tell X school what you plan to major in for a few reasons.

The Best College Essays About Family

If you’re familiar with our blog, you know that we love common app essays that are relatable. We like to bring the reader into our lives, which is why we avoid alienating topics and singular experiences that don’t speak to universal truths. And while your essay should ground the reader, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

How to Write the Lehigh Supplement Essays 2020-2021

Lehigh University is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the state’s beautiful Lehigh Valley region. Study abroad is a popular option at the school and student/teacher ratios are small (9:1). The school offers five colleges and is prominent in the sciences. The total undergraduate population is just over 5,000 and the acceptance rate is 32 percent.

The Best College Essays About Failure

Most students are reluctant to write about failure. This is probably because you’ve spent the majority of your high school years trying to mold yourself into the perfect student, and any mention of a misstep will shine a negative light on your candidacy. Why highlight a mistake when you’ve accomplished so much?

How to Write the Bucknell Supplement Essays 2020-2021

Bucknell is a private liberal arts school located in rural Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Its undergraduate population is just over 3,600, making this a small school on a big, beautiful campus. Popular majors include Accounting and Finance, Econ, Psychology, and Biology. More than half of students study abroad. The acceptance rate is 34%.

How to Title a College Essay

Let’s set the scene. The crisp fall air has reminded you that winter is coming, so you’ve been toiling away at your common app essay is preparation for the submission of your early decision application. We hope you’re also working on your supplements! In any event, you keep coming back to your common app essay. It’s **almost** done, and the content looks good, but you need a title. The thought of choosing a title is scary, so you’ve put it off.

How to Write the Colorado College Supplement Essays 2020-2021

Colorado College is a small, private liberal arts college located in Colorado Springs. The undergraduate population is about 2,000. If you love the outdoors, this is a great option for you. Colorado College is known for its “Block Plan” with classes occurring in three-and-a-half week intervals (four intervals a semester). The acceptance rate is about 13% and the school is known for its science and economics programs.

How to Write the William and Mary Supplement 2020-2021

A public research university located in suburban Williamsburg, William and Mary is old—like Colonial Williamsburg old. In fact, founded in the 1600s, W&M is the second-oldest university in the country. In spite of being a public school, William & Mary is small, with just over 6,000 undergrads, but the beautiful campus extends to more than 1,000 acres. The school is academically competitive with over 40 undergraduate programs and a 2019 acceptance rate of 36.9%