As Emily Dickinson once wrote in her college essay, "Tell all the truth but tell it slant..." In this post, we'll help you figure out what that means for your college essay. And give you a basic primer in being friendly to yourself, which really helps. Shall the truth set you free? Should you tell the truth about yourself in your college essay? What should you do if you suspect the truth isn't that purdy? Continue Reading …
Questions
To read sample college essays, or not to read?
Models of college essay successes? When you're writing your college essay, you're often advised to read the sample college essays of previous applicants-- the ones that got the students admitted, the ones that didn't. From the successful ones, you get some ideas of what to do. From the flops, you learn what not to do. Sounds easy enough. After all, you want to get into your top college choice, and these writers did-- or didn't. But the reality is a little trickier and more nuanced-- and as awake people, it's our job to pay attention to nuance. Continue Reading …
Say what you mean & mean what you say
Ever read something so convoluted that you can't even get the gist of what the writer is trying to say-- never mind the point of their words? The destination for a personal essay like that in the hands of an admissions team is... the recycle bin or garbage-- whichever is closer. I see this a lot in college essays, where students are so convinced their admissions audience needs them to sound a certain way-- over-educated, with a bloated vocabulary and complex syntax-- that they don't think about how their audience actually prefers them to be: natural, relaxed, and forthright. A telltale (but not the only) sign that you are reading or writing a convoluted, pretentious (yep!) essay is when a deluge of SAT words adroitly manifests in the plethora of language the text pitches aberrantly at the reader's perusal. If you know what I mean. No, forget that. We all know that writing is always "prepared" speech. It is not simply spontaneous expression, as the squeals of someone opening the front door to win a Publishers Clearing House check the size of Clifford the Dog (does that actually happen to anyone?). But still, there is a range worth respecting: I can write more or less like I speak, when I am actually paying attention to my words and thoughts. OR I can write like a rambling drunk person (that's not the kind of natural we mean, either). OR I can write so that even I find the text indecipherable. That last option does not make me sound smarter, nor like the kind of person you'd want to hang out with. There is a simple solution to overwriting your college essay that works wonders. Ask yourself (or your student), "What are you really saying?" If you don't know, then neither does your reader, nor will the reader ever. It is not the reader's job to untangle the writer's messes meant to impress. But if you know, and can say earnestly, "I'm trying to talk about how bad it felt to fail the declamation contest when I was assumed to be champion," the just Continue Reading …
FAQs on writing with us
FAQs you wanted to ask (but didn't) on writing with us at Essay Intensive's Summer Intensive Q: I see you guys meditate in your writing intensives. That's a little weird. Do you have to be enlightened to take an Essay Intensive workshop? A: No. But wouldn't enlightenment be a great side-effect of writing a successful college essay? And relax-- it's just for about 10 minutes of each day. Treat it as an experiment. To us "meditation" is a method of accessing what is best and most natural in ourselves, and of putting our stories in the broadest possible perspective. You don't even have to be able to cross your legs. But you could also choose to continue writing your college essays feeling stressed and edgy-- your call. That's just not what we're about! Q: And yoga? And self-defense? Again, these are support tools for your Big Goal: Write the Essay (while feeling good). Yoga is a system of cutting through self-limiting patterns and the ways we keep ourselves small and constricted without knowing it. In short, it helps us to open up, be more ourselves, with less tension. And self-defense is unbelievably fun, which you are definitely not having enough of as part of this Serious Process--- teaches us to deliver with impact, to assess our environments, to use only what we need. How perfect for producing great writing! And as an added benefit you can kick the *** of anyone who challenges you on your essay. Q: You guys seem smart. Will you puh-lease write my essay for me? A: No. No! Well, wait-- will you come change our baby's poopy diapers at 3AM? Then we should talk. But barring that-- no. It's unethical and pointless (admissions officers have a special ear for crafty and overdone adult-ese). And you should run the other way from anyone who offers to do so...right to our baby's diaper station. Q: What if I'm not a writer, and I'm not really into getting better at being a writer? I just need to get this college essay done! A: Continue Reading …
Drumroll for Common Application College Essay Prompts 2016-2017
The Common Application Essay Prompts were revised in 2015 to reflect a universal truth of meaningful conversation: ask a better question, get a better answer. If you're ready to start writing, and know you want our guidance, holler over here! We'll get right back to you with heart, humor, and hard questions--and we really want to know your real answers. Otherwise, read on to get oriented to the requirements of your college personal essay. By the way: the Common App changes of 2015 reflect feedback they received from their "constituents" who bothered to ask for better essay questions-- which means if you have feedback, there's a willing ear. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. My colleagues and I are all over these new Common Application essay prompts-- yeah, we're that delightedly nerdy-- because, simply put, they will generate better stories from applicants. The phrasing will not force applicants to bend their stories to the prompt (which sometimes is awkward and belabored, or just a weak fit). Instead the improvements Continue Reading …
Meet Tim, Our Creative Web Designer
Meet Timothy, our web designer and collaborator, student and (yes) teacher. Meet Timothy: our savvy website designer, Creative Lead at Iron Bound Designs, and participant in Essay Intensive Summer 2013 Workshop. Freshly accepted into RIT, his first choice school, Timothy can also be found levitating (with his laptop). Today, Tim is our featured student (on the blog screen)--not only the awesome invisible force who makes our online presence possible, presentable, professional and...teen-tastic. We love Tim. E.I: What’s your favorite word? Tim: Schadenfreude [He spells it out.] E.I.: When did you learn the word—and how to spell it correctly? Tim: My music teacher—formerly an airline steward! One of his things was vocab in music class. How that makes sense is unknown. E.I.: Why do you love the word? What does it mean? Tim: It sounds nice. Unbastardized German: Taking pleasure in someone else’s pain. Continue Reading …