This pep talk is for anyone preparing to write their college essay, at any point in their future: don't keep the bar low. Your college essay should be a work of art because works of art are unforgettable. The work of art comes somewhere deep from within the artist. It is influenced by the matrix in which that artist exists. No two people create the *same* work of art, though themes may be shared. Even professional copyists have revelatory imperfections. Your college essay --humble, precise, maybe even funny-- will be a work of art, too. Fresh, honest, imagistic. With ingredients that do not appear in the same way elsewhere. With a turning point from which there is no turning away, or back. So don't go bullshitting yourself. Start priming your materials, now. Art is not lofty, yo! It's not a lofty goal. Art is for everyone, in every culture, and every life situation. For many of us, art is what gets us through the day. It defamiliarises reality, and offers new light. Through making art, we gain space from ourselves, and closeness to ourselves. We love helping you find the art in your college essay, and making it a work of art. Seed Your Draft We don't recommend beginning to work on your actual formal essay draft too early. What results might be belaboured, and aspects of ourselves still need to mature. But we do recommend seeding your field. Take notes in the field (yourself)-- journal, voice memo, sketching. Notice things about yourself and the environments you spend time in. What makes your body-or mind-- feel most alive, or most not alive? What catches and keeps your attention? When do you feel most you, or most in touch with life at large? What stories do you schlepp around with you, what themes? What is the thing you think you're not supposed to say...but that you secretly know has weight, meaning? Notice, jot, notice, jot. Whisper. Scream. I'm not an artist. Sorry, that's bullshit! We'll see you in the Continue Reading …
Essays
“I hate my college essay supplements!” It’s OK, we got you.
Are you stressed as all hell about supplements? Are you starting to get stiff in your language or overwhelmed by the sheer number of prompts, that all feel vaguely similar? I'm here to give you a pep talk about the “Why This School?” essays that are most challenging for students to write well. Are you starting to write supplemental essays that sound like: “The majestic campus enthralled me and I imagined myself walking down the path to the dining hall….” GAH. Take a big step back. 3 things to remember that will help you avoid common pitfalls: 1) supplements are a dating game 2) go beyond 1-click research to authentic interest 3) don’t tell them what they already know (OK, and four-- it’s OK to sound like you.) These Tips Will IMMEDIATELY Make Your College Supplements Suck Less The supplements are a dating game and you don’t have to treat them any differently. You might be amazing, and the school might be amazing, but how does that help you be amazing together? It doesn’t. I’ve read so many “vanilla” supplements, with a lot of “right” words but no distinctive flavor about the individual applicant. If you and this school are really committing to each other (which you are), then use the supplement as a chance to weave in your particular interests. Tell them a little something you didn’t focus on elsewhere-- that you’ve been deconstructing family toasters since you were 3 and are interested in their engineering track. Or maybe you spent all of middle school browsing the library and you’re interested in literacy classes. Or maybe you grew up in a very small town and you’re so excited about their campus cultural initiatives. Make yourself an attractive person to date and commit to. 2. If you try to stack your supplements with “1-click” research, you look lazy. Dig into their website! Take a virtual tour and come up with a list of questions. Notice specifics. What research are their professors doing? What is student life like? Go at least Continue Reading …
Your story matters more than ever
Does anything matter now? Yes! It's hard to think straight some days about what matters, when we've lost so much in the past year of the pandemic. We're at the 500,000 mark, in February; where is the sun, again? But in this context, your story matters more than ever. It can be hard to think well about future, about goals, when getting through the day sometimes takes all we have-- or as my friend and mentor Margaret Klawunn put it, while we're "fluctuating between boredom and terror." Colleges are trying to keep up with the new landscape, adjusting their admission requirements to accommodate student realities, the boring, the terrible and the indelibly altered. Your story, when you find it, is neither boring, or terrifying. It's perfect, and your job is to unearth it. Continue Reading …
Strategies for College Supplements
My 5 year old asked me, "Isn't it funny, that 1 + 2 = 3, and when we count we go 1, 2, 3?" It was a statement framed as a question. I'm only supposed to agree: it's funny. And when I thought about it: maybe. He's at an age when saying ordinary things that are true is still remarkable to him. I wish we never grew out of that age, but here we are, grown up, and faced with what feel like harder supplemental essay questions. But I'd like to help you make your supplemental essays feel easier and maybe, if you hit your stride, compelling. Writing all the college supplements requires strategy. Continue Reading …
Apologies Accepted
This week I had the privilege to write for Romper about my 5 year old son apologizing to me for 2+ years of his mom-direct anger. His words stopped me in my tracks. Reflecting on his gesture made me ask lots of questions. At what age can kids apologize, and mean it? When do we (adults, grown ups) owe them an apology? What does rupture and repair look like in families? I turn these questions over to you with a bunch of other questions attached like barnacles. Continue Reading …
I promise you don’t have “Nothing To Write About”
A common complaint: "I Have Nothing to Write About!" One of the most common things I hear from students at the beginning of the school application process is “I have nothing to write about!” Parents and professionals tell me all the time they get this response when students must answer personal questions about themselves. And as a parent or professional, you know your kid or student is brimming with great ideas, yet when they sit down to write, they produce-- nothing. You remind them what's special about them, but “I have nothing to write about!” they complain. And they probably (think they) mean it. I've been there too. Good news for students: it's really unlikely! You made it this far in life, you definitely have something to write about, you’re just not convinced you do. That usually means it’s just too hard to get started, you feel insecure, you’ve convinced yourself your ideas are poor in advance, or you aren’t thinking specifically enough. The best way to cut through the obstacle, whatever the reason, is just to start! Below I share my favorite tips for doing so. Try them all until something works, because something will. Continue Reading …