I wanted to share a recent exchange with a colleague on LinkedIn, who said one of her biggest college essay challenges is parent involvement. The underlying issue, as I see it, is how to respect and value parents while also keeping them from over-stepping. They are important, after all, and many of us are parents Read More

Every year around this time, I start getting questions like these from counselors, parents, and students… The answer: Yes … if the essay: A college essay topic is not as important as why a student is writing about it. We know students tend to get excited over ideas they think will get them noticed inside the admissions Read More

Everywhere I go, folks ask me about AI and college essays.  As with all things college-essay-related, we’re keeping our eyes open, staying on top of the news, the rumors, and the vaguely true. Today I wanted to share a few resources from schools and organizations that have something to say about this issue. This is Read More

Students are not always sure which “optional” essays are truly optional. Use Wow coachJoe Kane’s insight to guide you and your students. Joe has been with Wow since 2013. Healso runs a youth writing program in Nashville, and is a wonder with any type of student.  At the end of a recent brainstorm session, one Read More

In our weekly staff meetings, we always discuss student wins and challenges. No matter how many years of experience we have with the Wow Method, we’re always learning. Here’s some insight from David Bersell, who has been with us for more than seven years, has worked with hundreds of students, trained countless IECs and school Read More

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