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This popular guide helps students write essays that win admission Winning college application essays take admission officers beyond the numbers and shows them what the students really care about, how they think, and who they really are. But even the best of students can be daunted by the task. This easy-to-follow guide provides the tools to tell a memorable story. Updated to reflect recent changes to the all-important Common Application, which nearly all applicants to competitive colleges use, this book provides a clear path to an essay that says, "Pick me!" Features: -Best approaches to the new Common Application questions -Clues to how colleges read essays -Simple steps for successful drafts -Revision strategies -Quick fixes for procrastinators -The right role of parents in the process Critiques of actual sample essays guide students toward the best practices and away from common mistakes. No other book on this topic has this breadth and depth of expertise.
A winning college application essay takes admission officers beyond the numbers and shows them what a student really cares about, how he/she thinks and who he/she really is. The College Application Essay by Sarah Myers McGinty is an easy-to-follow guide shows students how to maximize the opportunity to "tell us about yourself" by using the tools and skills they already have. Includes: Ways to choose a topic Strategies for distinctive answers Remedies for procrastinators Jumpstarts for writer's block Tips on editing Over 50 real application questions Sample essays by real students Critiques of the sample essays guide students toward the best practices and away from common mistakes.
Writing an amazing college admission essay is easier than you think! So you're a high school senior given the task of writing a 650-word personal statement for your college application. Do you tell the story of your life, or a story from your life? Do you choose a single moment? If so, which one? The options seem endless. Lucky for you, they're not. College counselor Ethan Sawyer (aka The College Essay Guy) will show you that there are only four (really, four!) types of college admission essays. And all you have to do to figure out which type is best for you is answer two simple questions: 1. Have you experienced significant challenges in your life? 2. Do you know what you want to be or do in the future? With these questions providing the building blocks for your essay, Sawyer guides you through the rest of the process, from choosing a structure to revising your essay, and answers the big questions that have probably been keeping you up at night: How do I brag in a way that doesn't sound like bragging? and How do I make my essay, like, deep? Packed with tips, tricks, exercises, and sample essays from real students who got into their dream schools, College Essay Essentials is the only college essay guide to make this complicated process logical, simple, and (dare we say it?) a little bit fun.
In McGraw-Hill's Writing an Outstanding College Application Essay, two writing coaches show you how to craft an essay that will get you into the top college of your choice.
“Toor’s style is friendly, funny, and genuinely compelling, exhorting students to go deeper with their writing even (and especially) when the stakes are high.” —School Library Journal Writing, for most of us, is bound up with anxiety. It’s even worse when it feels like your whole future—or at least where you’ll spend the next four years in college—is on the line. It’s easy to understand why so many high school seniors put off working on their applications until the last minute or end up with a generic and clichéd essay. The good news? You already have the “secret sauce” for crafting a compelling personal essay: your own experiences and your unique voice. The best essays rarely catalog how students have succeeded or achieved. Good writing shows the reader how you’ve struggled and describes mistakes you’ve made. Excellent essays express what you’re fired up about, illustrate how you think, and illuminate the ways you’ve grown. More than twenty million students apply to college every year; many of them look similar in terms of test scores, grades, courses taken, extracurricular activities. Admissions officers wade through piles of files. As an applicant, you need to think about what will interest an exhausted reader. What can you write that will make her argue to admit you instead of the thousands of other applicants? A good essay will be conversational and rich in vivid details, and it could only be written by one person—you. This book will help you figure out how to find and present the best in yourself. You’ll acquire some useful tools for writing well—and may even have fun—in the process.
Strategies from a noted educational consultant on how to ease the pressure, ace the essay, and gain admission into your top-choice school Getting into college has become fiercely competitive, which makes the personal-essay part of the application process even more important–and stressful. But stop worrying! In Write Your College Essay in Less Than a Day, Elizabeth Wissner-Gross–a top educational strategist in this area who counsels students at schools across the country–breaks down the harrowing ordeal of essay writing into manageable steps, leaving you with a fresh, polished, stand-out piece that admissions officers will love to read. Inside you’ll find • exercises to help you select an essay topic inspired by your most notable achievements–and winning a Nobel Prize needn’t be one of them • timed chapters (including snack breaks) to help you brainstorm, create, and critique your essay in only five hours • sample essays and grading criteria so that you can play the admissions officer–and know what you’re up against • advice on which writing techniques will score you points–and which could potentially sink your chances Accessible, savvy, and written with a student’s needs and concerns in mind, Write Your College Essay in Less Than a Day gives you all the tools you need to compose an original, professional essay that will help you turn your dream school into a well-deserved reality.
You can get into the perfect school! You may think that getting an acceptance letter from selective colleges and universities is a mad dash to the top that only the very best students survive, and those who make it are just the lucky ones. Stress levels soar as it feels like the bar is rising higher and everything is out of your control. But that's not true! You can take control, and you can do it in a way that's as effective as it is empowering. From describing your extracurriculars to interviews with admission officers, it comes down to two questions: What matters most to you? How does it manifest in your life? The answers will give direction to every part of the admission process. Ethan Sawyer (the College Essay Guy), along with dozens of top admission experts, will help you stand out by showing colleges and universities how your values and your drive will change you, your alma mater, and the world. Inside you'll find... Advice and insight from a team of counselors, advisors, and deans of admission Interactive exercises that quickly and easily provide the best content for your application Access to a massive database of online resources, including organizational tools and in-depth guides Guidance for veterans, students with learning differences, LGBTQ+ students, students interested in women's colleges or HBCUs, and more www.collegeessayguy.com
One of the most stressful aspects of the college application process is the essay. Most students worry about what an admissions officer looks for in a writing sample. But that’s the wrong way to approach this vital component, says former Ivy League college admissions officer Harry Bauld. At Brown and Columbia, he saw what prospective students often did wrong—and now tells you how to do it right. In this fully revised and updated edition of the classic guide to writing the best essay of your life, Bauld has written an insider's guide to writing an essay that will stand out from the pack. He advises you on how to find your authentic voice, gives you tools and ideas that will spark your imagination, and shows you how to approach themes with originality and panache to make even the most tired topics fresh. He’ll tell you straight out what admissions officers aren't looking for: another platitudinous variation on one of the following themes (if you see your initial idea reflected in this list, think again): The trip (“I had to adjust to a whole new way of life.”) My favorite things (puppy dogs, freedom, and chocolate chip cookies) The pageant contestant (“I think World Peace is the most important issue facing us today.”) The jock (“Through wrestling I have learned to set goals and to work with people.”) The autobiography (“Hello, my name is . . . ”) Tales of my success (“But, finally, when I crossed the finish line . . . ”) Pet death (“As I watched Buttons’s life ebb away, I came to value . . . ”) Getting into the college of your dreams is tough. The competition is fierce. For more than twenty-five years, On Writing the College Application Essay has helped thousands of students improve their chances. Now, let it work for you.
