7 Questions to Ensure You Write a Great College Application Essay

7 Questions to Ensure You Write a Great College Application Essay

7 Questions to Ensure You Write a Great College Application Essay There’s big news in the college admissions world: Many colleges are no longer requiring the SAT or ACT essay as a component of the college application! This month, Princeton and Stanford joined a growing list of schools (including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and the University…

In 650 Words or Less – Guest Post by Sarah Vander Schaaff

Last August, Sarah Vander Schaaff interviewed me about working with college students on their application essays. Here is her article, edited for The Essay Expert and updated for 2015-16! In 650 words or less, describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there and why is it…

College Summit: The Joys of Surprise and Making a Difference (and Even the Travails of a Norovirus)

I recently heard Anthony Robbins say that as long as you have your attention on other people, and as long as you are making a difference for others, there is no way you can possibly be depressed. He is so right. This past week, despite contracting a norovirus that gave me serious gastrointestinal distress as…

Common Application to Enforce 650-word Limit and Eliminate Topic of Choice

In April 2011 I reported on a new 500-word limit for college personal statement, enacted by the Common Application (see Common Application Institutes Word Limit for College Application Essays). In that article I wrote, “Students are now requested to write 250-500 words on their chosen topic.” I now realize how loaded two words in that sentence were: requested and chosen.