College Application Essay Coaching

College Application Essay Coaching However, I felt like I spent too much on background information, and my essay lacked an overarching concrete experience for readers to grasp onto. Most students choose to write their college essay about a singular experience, which is what I ended up doing as well. The essay excerpted below, with the permission of Hamilton College, shows the student’s personality through a love of fly-fishing. But finding their voice can be a challenge for many students, Inzer notes, because they may have limited life experience. While it’s important to put considerable effort into all college application components, essays are often the finishing touch and should be treated with great care and consideration. Students can receive Writopia Lab college essay writing instruction at our labs through a College Essay Workshop or Private Sessions. In addition, free lesson plans are available at 826 Digital for teachers or school counselors nationwide who want to demystify the college essay process and support their students. It can take some convincing for many kids and parents to believe that when it comes to writing the essays, in particular, college admissions officers care about who students are. They were composed of billowing clouds of “my global perspective” and “future potential as a leader” and “desire to leverage my education” to bllllllaurhfhasklafsafdghfalkasf. Like everyone else impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, high school juniors are quarantined with a lot of time on their hands. Many have decided to use the extra time to get a head start on college essays â€" after all, applications are due this fall, when they're hoping to be back in high school. Students can work one-on-one with a volunteer on the essay topics of their choice, or get help on the seven Common App prompts. Whether they’re starting with a blank page or a close-to-final draft, the project provides free volunteer support at any phase of the writing process. The essays should reveal their personalities, passions, dreams, weird talents, favorite foods, sickest playlists, inexplicable loves and undeniable quirks. When writing your college essay, avoid creating a list of your activities and accomplishments. Tell the reader something about yourself that isn’t evident in the rest of your application. Think about your best personal trait, your interests, values and goals. Focus on one of these qualities and make it the theme of your essay. Also, she adds, they have been writing to the instructions of high school teachers up until this point, rather than for themselves. Finding their voice means students must get to know themselves and write authoritatively, sharing a sense of their lives with admissions officers. Last year I was traveling with a colleague from Yale. As he told me, the essays his students â€" who had lived vastly different lives than most mainstream applicants â€" were writing were indistinguishable from those written by applicants in southeastern Connecticut. Of course, this is not to say that this is the only way to write your essay, but it’s what I felt best grounded mine. For this post, we asked Shania the most frequently asked questions we see from students about how to write college essays. Shania graciously shared her experiences and insights as well as her drafts and the final version of her Common App college essay. On its admissions page, Hamilton lists multiple college essay examples written by students admitted to the school. Though Inzer declined to single out one essay, she says that the examples offer a diverse mix of student voices and backgrounds. Our Senior Counselors have years of experience guiding students in writing essays that make admissions officers take notice. Our veteran admissions counselors are frequently asked to share expert advice about writing compelling college essays. We asked our admissions counselors to share their perspectives on why the college essay matters and what matters most. We trust you’ll find this information useful as you prepare your college applications. Feel free to contact our admissions staff with additional questions. For example, your best trait might be determination, creativity, or compassion. Tell a story that makes that trait clear to the reader. Provide evidence by citing specific instances from your life. The essays that make up The Common Application & supplements are not just typical pieces of writing, nor are they just another step in the application process. College essays are an uncommon genre that must catch the attention of admissions officers and illuminate students’ intellect, personality, and potential. For more insights into how we work with students on college essays and applications, check out this TEDx Talk from our co-founder, Eric Karlan. Your college counselors are there to help, but they can’t if you don’t ask or wait until the last minute to seek guidance and feedback. Make a plan to meet with your college counselor and go over your college list and essays, and ask for feedback on your writing. Your college counselor can provide valuable insight into how to improve your college application essays, so seek feedback on your drafts as soon as possible. School-based counselors have a lot of students to advise and are very busy, so seek guidance early and often.