This year, many college applications, including the Common Application and the Coalition Application, have added a new, optional essay prompt about Covid-19. The essay allows students the opportunity to explain how their lives were impacted by the pandemic. There’s a big question in the world of college admissions about how and if students should respond to this optional essay prompt. But, at the end of the day, as with much of the college application process, it comes down to students trusting their intuition.
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We all know that most colleges require an essay as part of the college application process. It helps the college get to know an applicant on a more personal level, and provides an opportunity for the applicant to demonstrate their writing skills to colleges. It’s a win-win.
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Summer is a great time to kick back, relax, have fun…and write your college essay. Just think about all the schoolwork and applications you will have in the fall. The summer is the perfect time to get one big thing out of the way.
From time to time I like to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience of the Campus Bound staff, many of whom are former college admission counselors, and ask them questions that could provide some inside information that could potentially help you. This month I asked, “What was the best college essay you ever read, and what made it stand out to you?” Here are their responses:
Many colleges ask students to write a supplemental essay with the prompt, “Why are you applying to Amazing University?” Chances are you will have to write one or more of these during the application rush. Easy, right? Not so fast! This essay can be one of the more challenging essays to do correctly. It requires careful reflection and should not be put off until the last minute.
One of the reasons so many families hire Campus Bound over the summer is so that students can complete their college essay BEFORE senior year. Our counselors and essay specialists are available all summer long and we love helping students write amazing essays and taking this big task off their fall to-do lists.
In this blog, we wanted to provide our top tips for writing the college essay. Print this out, and share it with friends, because this information is essential to know before you start writing.
Most students know that they will need to write one big college essay for their applications. But, sometimes the additional essays can come as a surprise. One option on the Common Application and Coalition Application is for students to write an “Additional Information Essay.” It’s worded as such on the Common Application: “Do you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application?”
So, does everyone need to write this essay? And what should it be about?
It’s true that, as colleges are focusing less on standardized tests (ACT and SAT) to influence admission decisions, they are focusing more on subjective things like the activity resume, recommendations and essays. You can find more information about the resume here, and more information about recommendations here.
However, the importance of the college essay can lead some students to become nearly paralyzed when trying to write it. They often feel like they have to get in front of a computer and, in one sitting, write the best essay they have ever written. Talk about pressure! That would be nearly impossible for anyone to do.
You’re told time and time again that the college essay needs to be personal. It needs to give the reader a clear sense of who you are as a person; it’s a way to let the college that you are applying to know all about you. But, occasionally College Counselors and Essay Specialists read personal essays that are a little too personal. We then need to clarify this for students and parents, so allow us to do that here.
If it seems as though college applicants are having more and more essays to write as part of the college process, you would be right. It’s not uncommon for students to have four, six, or maybe even ten additional essays to write. The all-time high for a student I have personally worked with was 18! While some are shorter and some are longer, it’s still 18 different pieces of writing, and, sometimes the shorter essays are actually more difficult to write.
With that being said, in this blog we give some practical advice about how to manage all the possible essays you will have to write, and explain why getting an early start is essential.
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