6 College Essay Mistakes We See Every Year
After years of working with students on their college essays, certain patterns emerge. Not the good kind — the kind that makes us wince a little on the inside while remaining mostly calm and encouraging on the outside. In the spirit of helping your student avoid the most common pitfalls, here’s an honest rundown of what we see again and again, and what to do instead. Mistake #1: Starting with the Prompt We know. The Common Application has prompts. They’re right there, staring at your student. It seems logical to begin there. It isn’t. Students who dive straight into a [...]
Why Teens Procrastinate on College Essays
There is a particular tension that settles into a house where the college essay is sitting unwritten. You can feel it in the way the topic comes up casually at dinner, “So… any thoughts about your essay?” and then disappears just as quickly. You can feel it in the open laptop that somehow never quite gets past the blinking cursor. You can feel it in your own rising internal monologue: We had all summer. Why are we still at zero? Parents often interpret this delay as avoidance or lack of motivation. Teens insist they “work better under pressure.” Both sides feel [...]
How to Pick the Perfect Common App Essay Topic
Choosing a Common App essay topic can feel overwhelming. After all, this is one of the few chances in your college application where you get to be completely yourself—no transcripts, no test scores, just you in 650 words. But here’s the thing: the Common App essay is not like most other writing you’ve done. It’s not an academic paper. It’s not a persuasive essay. And it’s definitely not a cover letter where you list your accomplishments to prove you’re a perfect fit for a school. Instead, your personal statement is a story—one that showcases your unique strengths, perspective, and personality [...]