This expert offers many excellent tips for writing essays as part of college applications. Remember, the time is approaching for college applications! If you need help, please contact me at linda@thewritecoach.net.
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The Ivy Coach founder makes a strong case for the essay's role in Ivy acceptance. She also suggests some topics to avoid. "It's a rare occasion when Ivy League admissions officers are completely divided about whether or not an essay is powerful enough to make a case for an applicant to be admitted," she says. "Of the tens of thousands of college essays that are received each year, powerful essays are few and far between."
Here are some good tips about what role parents should play in the admission process. You can't do it all -- and that goes for the essays, too. Parents who try to tell their students what to write are not doing them any favors. The best essays come from their own heads -- and hearts.
One of the takeaways in this Huff Post piece is that if you are interested in a particular college, you should make an effort to meet that admissions representative assigned to your high school. And then find a way to follow up and make a second positive impression with a well-written thank-you note.
This piece is a bit Michigan-centric, but it focuses on what I tell students repeatedly: the right essay can make a difference in your college application. So find a great story about yourself and sell it!
I recently coached a young lady who was working on her Stanford application. Stanford uses the Common App, but also requires applicants to answer some other questions designed to show the students' intellect and depth. Here, a college counselor discusses what admissions officials are seeking in terms of intellectual curiosity. (And he's telling the truth about Stanford's "intellectual vitality" question. She really had to address that!)
I've already suggested that rising seniors start working on their college essays this summer. But creating a list of potential colleges likely would come first. Here are some tips.
This blogger shares many of the same tips that I do when I talk to parents and students about college essays: Start early. Pick an appropriate topic. The essay should not mimic the student's resume. Get a good editor. All good ideas.
The Washington Post reports that although many schools, including the Ivy League campuses, are reporting new low admission rates, some of those results do not reflect accurate reporting. "At most schools in America, most kids who apply get in, and many of these schools are terrific," the paper notes.
My college consultant friend Tam Warner Minton has posted on her blog about a variety of apps that make getting your kids ready for college easier. My favorite among her suggestions is one that lets your child attempt to answer a series of timed, abbreviated SAT questions.
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AuthorLinda Leavell is The Write Coach, based in Plano, Texas. She reads a lot about college admissions and writing essays. And she shares the best stuff. Or you can follow her on Facebook. Archives
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