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college application essay

COVID and College Admissions: Time to Get Genuine!

April 22, 2020 by Sara Nolan Leave a Comment

Last night, I felt heartened listening to the Applerouth college admissions panel on post/COVID college admissions landscape. It reaffirmed a hopeful facet of our current tragedy, which is acute here in New York City: that some things could change for the better-- namely, increased access to higher ed, a more genuine and equitable admissions process. And some really great essays. :) The warm panelists spoke about all aspects of admissions, but at Essay Intensive, we're always thinking about the written portions. And as a writing coach, I was thrilled to hear how excited the panelists were for the essays to come! They were encouraged by what gets stripped away, the pretense in applications, the excess of striving to be The Best and Most. But they are even more pumped about what gets expressed: students having no choice but to be their genuine selves telling colleges who they are--without the Circus of activities and commitments speaking for them. Smaller lives that mean a bigger deal.  The panelists had some concrete advice for high school students of all ages at this time of stay-at-home orders, that aligns fully with what I’m always telling them. This is not about what or how to study, and it’s not about scores and metrics: Do something goofy!Enjoy whatever you can Work on your Time managementRead booksSpend time with your parents or family-- have those deep conversations, have the difficult conversations-- don’t put off meaningful conversations. Be guided by your passion to learn-- and learn something! This is forced self-reflective time like you might *never* have again in the same way! (And hopefully not for the same reason). And (honest) self-reflection is college admissions (essay) gold! What do you do when you suddenly have time? When left to your own devices? What’s inherently interesting to you? These are practically college essay prompts, living in your head and day to day decision making.  The pay-to-play stuff is  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Destiny, Essays, Integrity, Solutions, Uncategorized Tagged With: admissions officers, college admissions, college application, college application essay, college essay writing, tips

7 Common College Application Essay Pitfalls

September 13, 2013 by Sara Nolan

Here are seven common college application essay pitfalls, misconceptions that prevent you from writing a great essay.   Change your view to find your voice and bust through writer's block.  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: State of Mind, Wisdom, Writing Tips Tagged With: attitude, college application essay, misconceptions, voice, writer's block

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