We talk on this blog a lot about the common app essay. What makes a good one, how to start brainstorming, and even examples of ones we loved. You can look through all of this and still be wondering, well how do you actually start to write it? You just have to follow a few steps to make your brainstorming ideas into an awesome essay.
What Is Restricted Early Action?
If you’re planning to apply to college early, you might be familiar with the following terms: Early Decision, Early Decision 2, Early Action, and Restricted Early Action. Trying to navigate your way through these terms (and their abbreviations) is the worst. That’s a bit dramatic, but we do think it’s fair to say that it can be stressful trying to figure where you can apply, where you can’t apply, and when everything needs to be submitted. We’re keeping it as simple as possible and breaking it down below:
Qualifications for Ivy League Schools
Now that we have you, aside from very strong standardized test scores and excellent grades, there are no true qualifications for Ivy League schools. But here’s where it gets tricky: there are a lot of students out there who got a 1580 on their SAT and have a 4.0 GPA, and still didn’t get into Princeton. And people always want to know why. We thought it might be helpful to list out some trends and qualities that we’ve seen internally over the years from our clients who have gotten into Ivy League schools. Keep reading for our list:
Seniors: How to Build your College List
When to Use the Additional Information Section of the Common App
If you are already looking through the common app, first off--we love that for you, you probably have seen the section called “Additional information.” It’s the final section and honestly, many students don’t even need to open it. While you might not use it, it’s helpful to know what it is and what it’s all about. That’s where this blog comes in.
How to Write the Best Activities Section of the Common App in 2021-2022
On our blog, we talk a lot about essays, but they aren’t the only section on the common app. If you are looking through the common app, you will see another big section: the activities section. This section is made for you to show off your extracurriculars and more. Everyone (hopefully!) does something outside of school and this is your time to show it off.
Covid Essay Section of the Common App
The Best Guide to College Application Supplements 2021-2022
No two college supplements are the same, but there is one question that shows up again and again. Why our school? If you are applying to multiple schools with supplements you will probably have to write multiple essays on this exact topic (no, you can’t just reuse the same one). While word counts and specifics can vary, these essays always follow a similar structure and goal. After reading this blog post you’ll be set to answer all of them.
What’s The Difference Between A Reach, Target, and Safety School?
There is very little randomness in the college application process. And while everyone seems to believe that they just might be the single outlier, there comes a time when you need to make decisions about how to best spend your time. This week, we’ve been focusing on creating and refining your college list. This blog post will help you categorize your list into reach, target, and safety schools.
How to Research Colleges and Universities
If you just read this blog post, you might be ready to address the question of where you should go to college. But before you can do that, you need to do a hefty amount of research to learn more about what’s out there. When working with TKG clients, most of them don’t know exactly how to research schools. And even when they love certain schools, they’re unfamiliar with key details that will hugely impact their time there. Doing computer research is one of the best ways to decide if you should tour a school and apply to a school. It will also help you categorize it as either a safety, target, or reach school. Keep reading for our steps on how to research colleges:
Where Should I Go to College?
The question of where to attend college is one that comes up at various times throughout your life. It usually starts long before high school, perhaps over dinner with your parents or when you settled on Harvard after watching Legally Blonde. We’re all influenced in one way or another, either by a school list sent over by your high school or a late-night Google search. But when it actually becomes time to put together a school list, a lot of our clients have no idea where to start. If you’re currently in the “not sure where to even start” boat, keep reading for three tips that might help streamline the process.
How to Make a College Essay Stand Out: Break Form
Imagine you are an application reviewer. You are tired. The room is either too hot or too cold. You have already read 8,000 essays and need to read 400 more today and every single one feels like it starts with something like “3 summers ago, I….” or “My grandfather was the strongest person I knew.” How would you feel? If it were us, we would be some combination of bored, tired, and antsy. You turn over the next essay and it’s written as a screenplay and is titled Act 2 Scene 3. You are immediately thrown out of your routine and, more importantly, you’re grateful to this student for livening up your day.
College Admission Essay Format Template
“Hey, can you write a new post for the blog?”
“Sure any idea of what we should write about?”
“I think we need to do one on form and the common app essay.”
“On form?”
“Yeah about how good common app essays break form.”
“Of course! I will work on one about how breaking form can make a really memorable reading experience.”
Summer Ideas for High School Students Interested in Climate Change
When we were asked about time management tips for juniors, the writer of the email was also hoping to find opportunities for this upcoming summer that align with their interest in climate change. You’ll find our ideas below:
What Sports Look Good on a College Application
Back in your grandparent's day, it was acceptable to play a sport for fun for four years, get solid grades, take the SAT without practicing much and expect to get into a great school. With Ivy League schools now boasting acceptance rate in the single digits, those days are long gone. But kids often ask us what resume items look good on college applications and particularly, which sports look best. In this post, we talk about how you should structure your extracurriculars.
How to Brainstorm a Common App Essay Topic
Even the most prepared students are usually surprised by some part of the college application process. Maybe it’s a supplement that really makes them think or how short some essays have to be, but there’s one thing that everyone knows about before starting the process: they are going to have to write a killer common app essay.
How to Write the Common App Essay Prompt #7, 2021-2022
How to Write the Common App Essay Prompt #6, 2021-2022
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt #5, 2021-2022
In continuation of our common app essay series, we’re diving into the fifth prompt. Most prompts fall firmly into one of two camps: absolutely not or maybe. This prompt started as a hard maybe for us, and then ended in the “Thank U, Next” camp after we did some internal brainstorming. Keep reading for our thoughts: