My College Options

My College Options Students can receive Writopia Lab college essay writing instruction at our labs through a College Essay Workshop or Private Sessions. Workshops at our labs have a maximum of seven participants. College Essay Workshop programs are only available to students who are high school juniors or seniors. Personal Essay/Pre-College Essay Workshops are available for freshmen and sophomores. 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. Word limits vary widely on supplemental essays, so Rachel may have to expand or contract an essay when tweaking it for different colleges. While students should never go over a word limit, they can be well under it if the essay is cogent and well written. In fact, most admissions officers prefer a shorter, tightly constructed essay over one that’s longer but rambling. 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. In some instances, you can actually see this cultural identity reflected in an essay prompt. The Common Application, which is accepted by nearly 800 colleges and universities, is a single-serving college application that allows you to create one admissions package for submission to multiple schools. Of course, your college application essay is just one part of your admissions package, along with your GPA, your class rank, and your extracurriculars. 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. 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. The essay excerpted below, with the permission of Hamilton College, shows the student’s personality through a love of fly-fishing. Most students choose to write their college essay about a singular experience, which is what I ended up doing as well. 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. College essays are an uncommon genre that must catch the attention of admissions officers and illuminate students’ intellect, personality, and potential. 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. 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. School-based counselors have a lot of students to advise and are very busy, so seek guidance early and often. If you’re applying to 10 colleges and wait until two weeks before applications are due, you’re going to have a lot of writing to complete in a very short amount of time. Waiting until the last minute leads to stress and rushed essays that don’t accurately convey your message. Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, draft, revise, and get feedback on your essays. They were composed of billowing clouds of “my global perspective” and “future potential as a leader” and “desire to leverage my education” to bllllllaurhfhasklafsafdghfalkasf. 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. 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. Be warned that some college essays demand more creativity than others. Consider the cultural identity of your prospective school as you formulate your topic. Some may embrace a tradition of creative thinking. 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.