Up until now, the audience for your writing has probably been limited. You’ve had essays and papers due for your humanities classes, where you know the teacher well, and maybe you’ve dabbled in creative writing for yourself or a school assignment. With the exception of a few students, most first time college applicants have never written a cover letter or any other sort of writing that is intended to be read by an unknown audience. This is one of the many struggles with the common app personal statement—the college essay. It is difficult to strike the right tone because most likely, you’ve never written anything quite like it. The first thing we always tell our students is to consider their audience.
The Difference Between Early Decisions 1 & 2, Restrictive Early Action, and Early Action
Early Decision (ED), Early Decision II (ED II), Early Action (EA), Restrictive Early Action (REA). All of these are ways students can apply to a school before Regular Decision. But, it is easy to get lost in a sea of abbreviations, overlapping deadlines, and indecipherable admission statistics. So we’re going to go through and outline the differences between these programs, what they mean, and the various deadlines.
How Important are Extracurricular Activities in the College Application Process?
Think of extracurriculars like a side dish at a restaraunt. They may not be the main event, but they’re chosen deliberately by the chef and without them you’d be disappointed and left with an incomplete meal. The extracurriculars are not the main portion of your application—your grades, scores, and essays will always be more important—but your application, like your meal, would be incomplete without them. You need to decide which activities are going to be the best for you, keeping in mind that they need to elevate you and bring out your best qualities. Colleges don’t want students who spend all their time in the classroom and the library. The more active a member of the community, the better you are as a candidate.
What Should my College Essay be About?
Of the hundreds of essays we’ve read, we’ve found that the most successful essays fall into five categories.
The first is the genuine thought-provoking essay. This is the hardest type of essay to write because it is absolutely impossible to fake, which makes it is a favorite amongst admissions officers. Students who write a genuine thought essay are unusually insightful for their age and tend to make precocious observations. What makes this type of essay so unique is the author’s ability to bring the reader into their world, to articulate in 650 words how they see the world and how their perception has shaped who they are. In , the author tells the reader how he sees and experiences the world by painting a picture rich in metaphors and depth. It showcases prodigious writing skills, an amazing level of intellectual depth, and a tone wise beyond its years. While these essays are not for all students, when done well they can often be the most rewarding.
When Should I Start the College Admissions Process?
The college admissions process is like preparing a five-course meal as a first time chef. It is incredibly daunting. If you prepare your ingredients correctly you’ll be fine, but you absolutely can’t wait until the last minute to figure everything out. The college process is multifaceted and everyone approaches it differently. There is no uniform start or end date. The Common App, the universal application that is accepted by over 400 schools, comes out on August 1 but if you wait until then to start thinking about college you’ll undoubtedly be overwhelmed. It would be like waiting until the day before Thanksgiving to start planning. After helping students who have started at every point possible, from sophomore year of high school to one week before the application is due, here are our key takeaways:
Difference Between Safety, Reach, and Target Schools
How To Write A Great College Supplement
After the enormous undertaking of your personal statement, supplements may not seem so bad to you. After all, they’re short and ask pretty direct, uncreative questions. Alas, they matter: for schools that accept the common app, for instance, they’re the sole writing assignment that each particular college gets to assign you. And so, a simple question like “Why our college?” can make a big difference in your application.
Five Mistakes People Make During The College Admissions Process
The college admissions process is a daunting undertaking. For you students it will require an insane amount of your time, effort, and focus. But you’re probably sick of hearing this. You’ve had this drummed into your heads by college counselors, teachers, and your parents. As consulting professionals (aka people who help get into college for a living) what we want to do is help you identify the five most common mistakes students like you make during the college admissions process. If you learn from these mistakes the whole process will undoubtedly go much smoother and you’ll have a much better chance of ending up at the school of your dreams.
43 Phrases You Should Never Use In A College Admission Essay
When most students are writing their college admission essay, they aren’t thinking about the Essay Readers at colleges whose entire job is to sort students’ essays into NO, MAYBE, and YES piles. As hard as you’ve worked on your essay, you may get exactly two minutes of a Reader’s time if he or she feels your writing is boring or unoriginal. Unfortunately, a huge percentage of essays fall into this category. On the other hand, the few essays that show clear, original thinking get promptly placed into the YES pile. The admission essay is one truly personal section of the college application; if your essay stands out, your chances of getting into your top choice school goes up dramatically. Therefore, take careful note of these 43 phrases. Using them might spell NO for your admission chances.