Do you ever catch yourself saying these things after reading a student’s essay? At Wow, we find ourselves there too, but we quickly recover. Do what we do: Here’s what Shannon, one of our writing coaches, said during a recent discussion about when to let go of imperfect essays: “I remind myself that I am Read More

How many times has a parent called you, worried or angry, after reading their child’s college essay? The essay you worked hard on together. The essay the student is proud of. The essay that reflects that student’s voice and demonstrates appropriate 17-year-old student reflection. The concerns go something like this… How could you let her Read More

I love listening and learning new things. I am endlessly curious. Lately, I’ve had lots ofconversations with colleagues on the same topic: How will the current political environmentaffect students as they apply to college? Can students write about race, gender, politics,and other hot-button topics? For better or worse, we won’t know how changes on campuses will affect Read More

Here’s a topic that comes up every year. A pro wrote a question in one of our paid forums that is such a familiar situation for all of us, we wanted to share it with you. Is there a Wow resource for how to review and assess an English class essay? I have a student Read More

After a recent College Essay Pro Chat, I received this email from a colleague: What do you think about a student athlete/performer choosing to write about their sport/performing in their main essay, if they are pursuing this in their college experience (e.g. recruited/varsity athletics, a talent-based major), since it is already strongly represented in their Read More

Here are the 10 most common College Essay Topics (over 90% of all Scholarship Essay Prompts are related to one of these topics): 1: How will this scholarship help you? 2: Have you contributed to your community? (or other community service question) 3: Tell us about yourself (or generic personal statement request) 4: Tell us Read More

I received this email from a parent last month, shortly after her son submitted his early applications. She was concerned about his supplements for the University of Pennsylvania, where he is applying Regular Decision. For his second essay, I don’t think that his second and third paragraphs answer the questions how Penn will shape his perspective Read More

During a Zoom meeting earlier this year, I heard a familiar lament from a bright, successful counseling colleague who was running on fumes, exhausted because her students just weren’t coming through with the essays, she thought they were capable of. I love brainstorming, she said. I love getting to know my students, but the essays Read More

While there is still time, it’s important for rising high school seniors and their parents to understand why the rest of summer – besides being a great time to hang out at the pool! — is a great opportunity to start writing that all-important college application essay. In this article, we’ll explore why tackling this Read More