The Facts, Baby! Essay Intensive will be Doing Maternity for much of the summer-- we 're having a(nother) baby! Sometimes we're metaphorical...but this is literal. We are literally having a baby, sometime around Independence Day (because we appreciate irony). What does the Baby have to do with me? What does this mean for you? It means that for July our response time may be slower. Or we may refer you out to our talented colleagues for urgent writing support needs. Please contact us to inquire if we have room to work with you. Thank you! Meanwhile, we cherish you. Have a beautiful summer, and go write like your life depends on it. We are grateful to have a life filled with children (3, 11, 13 and....newly made). They keep us creative and questioning. They remind us that the future is literally in their growing hands. It can be really hard to be a person, and so we try to raise our own just like we do our business-- with love, integrity, honesty and a good dose of humor. Now, who would we be if we didn't give you a writing prompt? Prompt Write everything you know about your birth story, and any questions you have. What blanks need to be filled in? Do you see threads connecting how you were born to the rest of your life, as it's unfolded? If tangents arise, follow them. Continue Reading …
Successful Parent Teen Communication about the College Essay
Happy Parent-Teen Communication about the College Essay? This could be you! Ever feel like parent-teen communication about the college essay (or, say, everything else?) can go haywire on a dime? I've had the pleasure of guest writing about this over at TeenLife magazine. You can check out my most recent article there on parent-teen communication about the college essay. How can you navigate conversations which can be so thorny? These tips help families ensure a smoother, clearer, respectful communication process about the essay. This works out better for everyone. And with the world a hot mess of poor word choice, what's better than harmony in the midst of anxiety? With our tips, our hope is that you got this! You can say what you mean, and refrain from saying what might make trouble. An excerpt from the post is below. Follow the link to read more. How To Avoid Making the College Essay a Battleground? "The notorious college essay can become a battleground of underlying stress and tension for parents and teens. They both care about the outcome, but (or because of this) communication about it easily goes haywire. Every parent-child relationship is different, and you have your own complex history that this post cannot address fully enough. Certain struggles, however, are common. From my years as a college-essay coach, I offer these suggestions for effective intra-family communication to help you navigate the college essay writing process productively, skillfully and with your relationship intact. Teens and parents have said these made all the difference!" ...Read the rest at TeenLife, here. Wait, I want more! Already know you want more guidance on the essay, or even just how to communicate about it? Let's schedule a consultation! Or send along your draft for our expert "how good is this draft?" junkies to review. We can't wait to help you make this process come alive, and to write something you're really really proud of. Continue Reading …
How to write your best “Why This College?” essay
The "Why This College?" essay may be a supplement, but it's really important! After you finish your main personal statement, having to write the "Why This College?" essay can trigger your impulse to exaggerate, bullshit, or regurgitate-- three common pitfalls. Don't. Instead, aim to do your best writing, thinking and match-making on the "Why This College" essay. Here's how. First, understand the "Why This College?" essay as another golden opportunity to show who you are and why you are a fit for this school. Show some enthusiasm, and build up confidence in your college list. Remember, no question on the application is really a waste of space or time; each should be treated as an opportunity to add to the picture of yourself you are creating for colleges. Each written supplement is a chance to be convincing, make your case, and land a sweet date. Here are three common pitfalls to avoid, and what to do instead for your best "Why This College" essay: "Why This College?" essay Exaggeration: If you eat a meal at my house and then tell me I am the best cook ever, I might grow shy (Who, me?), then a little worried about your judgment (Are you sure you think that?), then move on to disbelief (That's not true!), then dismissal (You don't know anything about good cooking). If you spend time (and precious word count) on superlatives and hyperbole, the admissions team may go through that same thought sequence as well, and it probably won't end in your favor. They KNOW they are not THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT EVERYTHING. But what if you instead say to me, "Wow, I have never had kale with garlic that tastes this good, and I should know, because I am a green vegetable junkie!"? Then I might believe you. You've given me a highly specific and accurate compliment. You've shown me why you are qualified to make this assessment. And you've contextualized it in a bigger picture of your tastes and preferences. We're cool! Can you think of a parallel example for Continue Reading …
Newest Common App Prompt #7
The Newest Common App Prompt #7 is all joy! I have to say, as a fan of freedom, I love number the new Common App prompt #7. And I quote: "Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design." If none of the other Common App prompts are really pulling forth what you want to say, here’s where you, well, go crazy! Be sure the essay you pick and the topic you choose STILL fulfill the purpose of the personal essay. It should show something important and revelatory about you that the rest of the application does not, in story form. News Flash: What we write about sometimes picks us Some applicants love a highly structured prompt. But others need more space and choice. The new addition of prompt #7 is an example of the Common App being really generous. They understand sometimes our best and most exemplary writing just happens to us unbidden. It picks us! This may not happen in response to a prompt. We may be pining for a chance to share that other thing that they didn't exactly ask for in any of the other six prompts. Voila! It's a fact (albeit muffled in certain education environments, boo hiss) that creative choice of topic and form drives your engagement. This can generate a passionate, powerful and, um, personal written product. Why? You had the license to receive and value whatever came to you. All the admissions committee wants in response to Common App prompt #7 (or any other) is for you to show your best writing and unique self. This gives them a perfect window into you. So, no excuses, friends. Prompts are meant to get your best for the admissions committee! Also-- it's worth re-tooting here that the admissions team is not working against you. The Common App revises their prompts year after year to try to offer applicants the best opportunities to produce meaningful, insightful, and representative writing. They want the good Continue Reading …
Free-writing to start your college essay
Benefits of free-writing for your college essay (and creative hygiene!) At this time of year, I start preaching Free-writing as the solution to starting your college essay. Starting, for most students, is the hardest part, and free-writing takes away this obstacle entirely. If you get in the habit of free-writing now you will: Have lots of material by the time you actually need to write an essay. Discover things about yourself-- always a plus. Have a technique to fall back on any time you get stuck in writing. These three things alone are more valuable to you over a life-time than even the most knock-out college essay! What is free-writing, again, and why should you care? Free-writing is what it sounds like, writing freely--or "automatically." Some people call it "stream of conscious" writing. The name is less important than the process. Free-writing to combat writer's block or fear of a crappy essay or thinking you have nothing to say is like jumping off a cliff when you are afraid of cold water below: you jump to address the fear and stalling, not after the fear has magically resolved. When you free-write, you just write, even (and especially) if you sincerely believe you have "NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT" (I'll call this "NTWA" syndrome). ** NTWA Syndrome is the Big Lie your mind is telling you, when it forgets that it was born creative, and that it comes up with stuff all the time, incessantly. In fact, you can't really get your mind to have nothing going on if you deeply want to. But that's a different post. For now, if you feel NTWA syndrome, just tell yourself "BS! Life is my Material! Imma free-write my way outta this delusion!" Free-writing is a technique, not a hot mess or cheap self-help. So here's how to train yourself. I suggest doing so daily, and yes, I mean daily. Pick a time you'll stick to-- maybe a on a commute, maybe first thing when you wake up, when you think your brain is not really functioning (that state is a Continue Reading …
Guest Post: How To Be That One Black Girl At An Interview
To write powerful personal essays, make it a habit to use your voice early and often Immersing yourself in reading personal essays is a great way to develop range. The following sample personal essay was written by my former student Awa D. She is a truth-dropping 8th grader at The TEAK Fellowship, where I teach some of NYC's most dazzling public schoolers who are hellbent on shaping their futures through education. After reading Junot Diaz's short story, "How to Date a Brown Girl, (Black Girl, White Girl or Halfie)," the students were prompted to write their own "How To ______" personal essays about something in which they consider themselves an expert or authority. Awa wrote hers about being "that one black girl" at an interview for an NYC private school. She is observant, tough and tender, gentle in person, rigorous in word. Her personal essays have never shied away from the beauty or difficulty of being a person of color. Her family immigrated here from Mali, and she observes us all with special eyes. If you want to know how to help students write awesome personal essays for college admissions, I say: just start them writing personal essays earlier. Teach the hot skills of observation and reflection, and let them practice til their hands, minds and hearts catch fire. If you're looking to help yourself get stronger at writing personal essays, I'd say: pay attention to your life, and write, write, write what you notice, about whatever feels like a little fire under your skin. From Sample Student Personal Essays How To Be That One Black Girl At An Interview--by Awa D. This interview will make you wish you just had fresh box braids done at the local Fatima’s African Salon on 125th and Park Avenue. The itchy scalp, tightly added extensions that you had to take an Advil for, and chatter of 10 African ladies gossiping about the salon across stealing their customers would have all been worth it. But no, you just happen to have cut your hair to a Continue Reading …