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Strategies for College Supplements

October 24, 2020 by Sara Nolan Leave a Comment

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 …

Filed Under: Essays, Prompts, Solutions, State of Mind, Uncategorized Tagged With: college essays, deadlines, organization, Supplements

When Should You Start Your College Essay?

February 25, 2019 by Sara Nolan Leave a Comment

As a college essay writing coach, I get this question all the time from parents (less so from students, hmmm): when is THE BEST time to start writing the college essay? Writing process is highly individual And my honest answer is: I don't know. That's because I believe and have seen that the process is highly individual. February? April? The Summer? Fall? The minute the Common App releases their questions? To the chagrin of some parents, I really can't tell you. Exactly how long does it take a tide to pull back? Bread to rise?  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Parents, State of Mind, Uncategorized, Wisdom Tagged With: college essay, creative process, deadlines, feedback, junior year, senior year, starting the essay

What to do if you hate your college essay

October 11, 2018 by Sara Nolan 2 Comments

If you hate your essay, that might not be a problem...you can't solve. I wrote about this topic for TeenLife Mag: "The realization might start to gnaw at you while you rewrite a draft, or slam into you while you are walking to class: I HATE my college essay! Now what? As your elementary school teacher might have cautioned, hate is a strong emotion. It is no fun to feel like you hate your college essay at any point, especially as nerve-wracking deadlines loom. And, the point of the essay is to make the college admissions committee fall in love with you and your incredible personality and distinctive writing style. Your stomach drops and you lose all hope of a bright future…. Despair not. Although it is not advisable to make any final decisions about your writing based on this feeling, you can look into your hatred to show you something true. Most often my students “hate” their essay drafts because they are posturing. The hate is actually BS-detection: They are not really saying what they wanted to, but what they thought they should. They are not using natural language, but stuffy vocabulary and contorted syntax. When they revise with honesty, the hate dissolves immediately." Read More here.    Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Solutions, State of Mind, Uncategorized, Writing Tips Tagged With: college essay, college essay writing, deadlines, revision, rewriting

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