College & Common Application Essays: A Coach Looks Forward & Back

As always, you can read my latest blog post here: 

As I mentioned earlier here, the Common Application essay prompts will be the same this coming year (2016-17) as they were this past year. I think it's great news, as the prompts have the power to elicit terrific essays. I spent some time exploring each of the prompts in my latest Huffington Post blog, College and Common Application Essays: A Coach Looks Forward and Back. Here's the opening, or you can click here to read the whole thing. 

"One frenzied application season is just over and another - take a deep breath - is about to begin.

"By March 31st, college applicants around the world had heard from the colleges of their dreams, their so-so’s and their safeties, including First Daughter, Malia Obama, who is said to be choosing from between Barnard (yay, my alma mater!) and NYU (another great NYC school). Most students have until May 1st to make up their minds, and then there’s the Slow Dance of the Waiting List that goes on through the summer.

"For high school juniors, the process is just beginning.

"In this sea of uncertainty, there’s one thing we know for sure now: the Common Application essay prompts from last year were so successful, they will be used this coming year. I couldn’t be happier, as I’ve seen these prompts elicit fascinating personal reflections that enable admissions officers to learn a great deal about the applicants and give students a chance to “explain” themselves the way they might in a leisurely interview.

"I was also delighted to see how popular the individual prompts are compared to one another. For the most part, the Common Application’s numbers jive with my experience. And please keep in mind: you choose only one of these prompts, with a word limit of 650." READ MORE

To read more about my services, visit my website: Don't Sweat the Essay. Shoot me an email. Give me a call. Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com. 1-855-99-ESSAY.

College App Essays & Acceptances, Wait Lists & Malia Obama

You can always find my latest blog by clicking here: 

The drama is over: this past week marked the end of the Season of Applying, Worrying and Waiting for those eager to become class of 2020. For some, it's the Season of Waiting Lists. If you are on one and need advice for how to move up the list, shoot me an email: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com. 

Major media report that First Daughter Malia Obama is busy choosing between NYU and Barnard. Who knows whether that's right, but she has two terrific choices. The rest of the applicants' choices will not, likely, end up on the nightly news, but they are just as important. 

I'm lucky enough to have a ringside seat to this complicated, nerve-wracking process, and to work with students around the world (thank you Skype, Facetime, and Google Docs for making it possible) on their essays and applications. It's an immense privilege to meet so many bright, ambitious students, with such clear ideas of what they want to do in this world - and what they've already done. It's just as interesting to work with those who don't know what direction they want to go in - but who are full of curiosity and wonder about the world. 

As a university creative writing professor for many decades, I've had the experience of getting to know wonderful students over the years. Working with college applicants is similar to this - and also different. The work we do is concentrated, practical, and highly goal-oriented. One of my goals is to help give students as many choices as possible. Yes, there are "dream schools," but there are plenty more colleges and universities than many of us know about, or can imagine, and it's always great to help students find these too.

Congratulations to all. This year, my clients have gotten acceptances to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Wellesley, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Harvey Mudd, NYU, Northwestern, Tufts, BU, USC, UCBerkeley, UCSB, University of Illinois, CUNY, St. John's (both Queens & Santa Fe), London School of Economics, University of Edinburgh, and many other fine schools. 

For more about what I do, please visit: Don't Sweat The Essay. Shoot me an email or call. Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com 1-855-99-ESSAY.