I’ve been hosting free college essay classes for students for about 5 years, and generally, the questions are predictable: What’s the best/worst topic? What do colleges want to read? What can I do to stand out? This year, I’ve noticed a new type of question, and it’s troubling to me. It’s a variation on this, Read More

Before we begin guiding professionals through our ten-step process in the College Essay Experience program, we ask them to name three challenges their students face when they write essays. Many participants mention structure: After years of writing in five-paragraph essay format, writing in a more freeform narrative style can be daunting. How do I communicate Read More

Just as we were about to start brainstorming ideas for her essay, an independent counselor enrolled in our College Essay Experience professional training program made a confession: “I am really nervous,” she said. “Why?” I asked. “I don’t think my ideas are good enough.” We ask our students, professional and college applicants, to make a list of ideas to respond Read More

We get lots of questions from counselors, teachers, and consultants. In emails. During monthly pro chats. At professional conferences. In Facebook messenger. LinkedIn. And from readers of Link for Counselors.  Questions range from how to know if a topic is good enough to handling sensitive essay topics and best practices for last-minute essay reviews. We love Read More

A couple of years ago, a friend took his son, a talented member of his school’s rowing team, on a tour of elite East Coast colleges and universities. When he returned home, he was excited to tell me what he heard from MIT’s admissions team about college essays. TheMIT rep said that beyond grades and Read More

Congratulations! We all made it through another college application essay season. As you begin to prepare the Class of 2023 for the application process, it’s natural to reflect back on the college essay season we’ve just finished. Last year was filled with big challenges. Students faced uncertainty over school schedules and the continuous threat of Read More

In one of her Friday Forums for educational professionals, Cyndy McDonald, a CEP who is well known as the founder of GuidedPath and one of the founders of HECA, interviewed Wow’s CEO Susan Knoppow. With more than 30 years of experience in college admissions  under her belt, Cyndy recently launched a new venture as a Read More

Recently, I had a conversation with a counselor who wondered how he might help students select the right structure for their college essays. The counselor asked me which of these approaches I prefer for college essay coaching: Selecting multiple scenes to illustrate your most important values. Starting the essay with a hook. Outlining the beginning, Read More

You might already know that college essay schedules are one of my favorite topics.  Boring, right?  Nope. Not at all.  I’m not just talking about deadlines and due dates. I’m talking strategy. And if you know anything about me, you know I love strategy. When’s the last time you mapped out your college essay process and determined Read More

Have you ever had a student turn in an essay draft with a few words that seem way too big? Are the words different from the words they’ve used in meetings, in writing exercises, or on a quick chat on the phone? I think we all know the culprit: the thesaurus! Time and again, we Read More