College & Career Counseling Office

College & Career Counseling Office For some students, the essay itself will be cause for rejection. One common essay mistake is telling a particular story without answering the prompt. Since many colleges allow students to choose from a few different prompts, addressing the topic of your choice is an easy way to tell your story within the constraints of an essay. When writing, consider the admissions officer who will read your essay. Take this opportunity to expand on your application -- but remember to re-read your essay with the prompt in mind. These types of pieces can come off negatively, and sometimes a teenager’s perception of a life changing event is much different than that of a college admissions reader. I once had a student who wrote about how he observed a water droplet while on vacation. This seemingly insignificant event caused him to think about why he loved art and philosophy over science and math. I worked with a student last year who had played in the marching band all of high school, which is something thousands of students can claim. Even if I happened to read another essay about being a drummer in the marching band, there’s no way I could confuse it with this one. These details belong only to this student, and they show us her leadership qualities rather than just telling us. With a January 1 application deadline racing toward us, now is a great time to be brainstorming, creating, polishing and revising those essays. In September we published a blog post that provided a basic framework for how to write a killer college essay â€" and offered tips on how to incorporate the Outward Bound experience into the application. Shared by admissions staff, these essays stand out, they say, because the student voices shine, helping the school get to know them. U.S. News has compiled several college essay examples that helped students get into school. I’m surprised when students have trouble writing their college essays. If you’re just getting started with your college essay, here is some advice on getting into the college essay mindset. But a few simple tips, some introspection and insight into what admissions officers are looking for can help ease the pressure. News has compiled several college essay examples that helped students get into school. Students have keen powers of energetic observation about themselves and the world around them, but ask them to share any of those ideas in a college essay, and the silence speaks volumes. Writing an essay is something students learn to do in school from a fairly young age, but it is a skill that must be perfected over a number of years. The college application essay is the true test of those skills and of your ability to present an accurate picture of who you are. According to an article published on Time.com, college application essays aren’t as important as they are cracked up to be. Deciding which colleges to apply to is difficult enough, but you add to that the stress of writing a personal essay for each of your applications. We’re experts at helping students craft stellar college admission essays. From coming up with ideas to organizing your thoughts to drafting and revising, our writing tutors know how to help you create top college essays to boost your chance of admission at your dream school. Contact us to learn more about our college essay service. The problem is when a student seeks so many opinions from trusted adults. It's highly unlikely that any of these people have actually read college essays before â€" and certainly not as a member of a college admissions committee. Quite simply, the best college essays make a personal statement and give admissions officers a window into your soul. Many students write essays that are too clichéd or shallow, or too impersonal and uninformative. For most students, it takes about 10 hours to write a good college essay. If you’re applying to schools that request supplemental essays or do not accept the Common Application, you may have several different essays to write. Evaluating a college essay, much like any piece of writing, is highly subjective. Two people might both like the same movie or song, but for totally different reasons. This month, we’re giving you another nudge â€" and a slightly different perspective from yet another expert. As college application deadlines near, students across the country are hoping that their essays will earn them a spot at their dream school. Contrary to popular belief, students should not write about a horrible life event that changed their life forever. The fact is that most of us have not had such a life changing situation before the age of 18 (so don’t make one up either!). Even if you have had such an experience, don’t write about it.