#common application

[liahaslosthermind]

Common applications are killing me rn🤧

I just want to enjoy my last day of summer

[studynwrite]

If any of y’all have any questions about college apps & such feel free to hit up my asks and i’ll answer the best i can!!

for context i have experience with:

- common app

- accepted competitive college applications, including Harvard

- applying first gen

- applying from a lower-income background

so if i can help any current seniors (or any high schoolers who are curious!) let me know!

much love,

colby <3

[kato1313]

What do your admissions readers REALLY want to know? Let's go through step-by-step how to put any story into the COMMON APP ESSAY FORMULA to create a gripping read that makes you MEMORABLE. 

 Questions?? Drop them in the comments, and I'll do my best to help you out! Essays are rough, but YOU'VE GOT THIS! 

 TIMES for abbreviated viewing: 

- warnings on "service trip" essays: 2:30

- plotting your essay piece by piece: 3:00 

- what NOT to do: 12:15 

- injury/sports essays: 15:45

[scmvl]

Welcome! (An Introduction)

Hey there!

The basics: I’m a rising undergraduate college freshman, and at the end of my senior year of high school, I was accepted to: Stanford, Berkeley (Cal), USC, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and University of Utah’s Honors College.

I’ve decided to create this blog as a place to provide help and advice about applications for my junior friends who requested it. However, I want this to be a wholesome and kind place for your mental health and self confidence during this stressful time! So I’ve decided that some ground rules are important...

After the college application decision period ended, I got a lot of messages from juniors asking for help. I’m genuinely flattered by it, thank you so much for deeming me worthy of asking advice from! 

Although I am making this blog to provide help to my junior friends (and anyone else who finds it), I think it’s important for me to make a disclaimer about what this blog is, what it isn’t, and the college application process in general:

I will not be providing definitive ways to get into each college, because there isn’t one. Although there are basics, and some colleges may be formulaic with there process, I cannot reiterate enough how non-linear the admissions decisions process is.

I will be sharing what I’ve learned and what I know from and about the college application and college decision process. This is the best way for me to get my point across without saying there is one “set way” of receiving an acceptance letter.

I will not be showing or sharing my exact application for each school. It’s not because I am afraid of someone plagiarizing my application (which you can’t get away with), but because I really don’t want what I wrote to influence what you write.

I will not be sharing my specific test scores and stats. Those automatically make you compare. Comparison is the thief of joy. 

I will be explaining the role that test scores and stats play in the college application process, for each school, by each school.

I will be sharing what I’ve learned about the application process and admissions processes for each school, by each school (in other words, I won’t lump all the schools together and pretend they all do it the same).

I will always be open to asks about the college app process!

I will be continuing to update this blog as I head into my undergraduate years and attend classes / live daily life at the school I will commit to (which is likely going to be Stanford).

I will be providing help with general advice for getting through senior year.

I will be providing help with general advice for getting through IB Program in your senior year.

And last but definitely not least:

Everybody has a different journey on the college admissions process. Nothing about this process is easy, nor is it linear. It’s challenging enough as it is to juggle the work of senior year alongside college apps. It’s a stressful time, I get it! I was extremely stressed too, but I promise you that the fruits of your labor will be worth the while!

I hope this is a good, general run-down for what I plan to do here! I really just want a wholesome, healthy place for kids who are as scared and anxious as I was for college applications, because I didn’t have that when I was doing it!  I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities given to me by these top colleges, and honestly, I think I will forever suffer from impostor syndrome. 

 I want to be of as much help as possible, so please feel free to text me or DM me (if you know my number or have my socials), or if you managed to stumble upon this blog, feel free to send me an ask (non-anon or anon)!

Happy days ahead!

x

[virgo-diaries]

college application essay reviews

are you applying to college and need a fast and thorough review your essays?

i’m giving feedback on common application essays for $10 and common app + a supplement for $15

if you want an in-depth assessment of your entire application with personalized suggestions for your application strategy, i offer that for $25

i can also assist with graduate school personal statements and non-american applications (although my familiarity is with the american system)

if you’re interested, check out my gig on fiverr for more information or to purchase an essay review: https://www.fiverr.com/share/o7Drb (if the link doesn’t redirect to the gig, copy and paste the link into a new tab and it should get you there!)

[collegeessayadvisors]

Finding Common Joy In College Admission

Applying to college does not have to be a painful, stressful or complicated experience. It can be one of joy and opportunity, and the Common App wants students to celebrate admission to college.

We are so here for the confetti.

[eliteprepsat]

For the most part, college essay prompts are open-ended. Take a look at the prompts for the Common Application, UC Application or Coalition Application. The final prompt for each one is a version of “Topic of your choice.” You can literally write about anything you want.

Many students shy away from the freedom allowed in college essays, preferring specific instruction on what to write. This reaction is somewhat expected since most students are probably accustomed to specific directions on essay assignments. However, the freedom with application essays is intentional. Colleges and universities want to see you take control of the assignment and share stories that you want to tell, that you have to tell. Common refrains I’ve heard more times than I can count include, “I don’t have any stories to tell,” or, “Nothing special has happened to me.” This defeatist line of thinking is of no service and dampens not only your desire to tackle the essays but also your chances of admission. Your best bet is to embrace new logic. Consider that your lived experiences are yours alone, and within those experiences are stories that only you can tell. Once you acknowledge these facts, you can begin to work and write in a way that prevents your essay from being generic.

A college essay can be generic for any number of reasons, including topic, style, and diction. But the primary reason an essay falls into the generic category is simply that it is not personal enough. Reflecting on one’s life isn’t always at the top of a teenager’s to-do list, so it’s understandable that college essays can pose a challenge. At the same time, reflecting on one’s life can be an incredibly rewarding experience, one that opens hidden doors and unlocks great potential. Armed with this knowledge, let’s look at some concrete ways to avoid being generic in your college essays.

Topic

The topic you choose to write your college essay on should illuminate you beyond the statistics, scores and activities already mentioned elsewhere in your application. While you certainly can write your college essay on any topic you like, there are some topics that tend to be clichéd. Community service essays, sports essays, and mission trip essays tend to particularly fall into this category. Thousands of students applying to college have one of these stories to tell; accordingly, these essays are fairly predictable. Unless you have an extraordinarily insightful experience on one of these topics that you absolutely must share, I suggest finding another topic for your primary college essay. Remember, almost anything is fair game as long as your topic is not too controversial.

I recommend creating a list of qualities you absolutely want colleges to know about you and then brainstorming anecdotes in which you have demonstrated those qualities. The most revealing anecdotes that allow you to write most deeply are probably the ones you should use in your essay. Once you have your anecdotes/examples, begin to shape your essay around them. Think of it as writing from the inside out. You can figure out your introduction and conclusion later in the process, but as long as you have the heart of your essay intact, you’re on the “write” track.

Style

Your college essays are not only an opportunity to showcase who you are as an individual, but also an opportunity to showcase who you are as a writer. One of the biggest misconceptions students have about the college essay is that it’s simply another academic essay. They use the same structure and style they’ve been taught in an English or History class, and their essay ends up dry and stilted. Your essay must reflect your personality! Utilize a style of writing that effectively communicates your character and your passions. Ideally, if you’ve found a topic that you truly want to write about, your personality will shine through.

Structure your essay in a way that feels right for you using language that comes naturally to you. As long as your writing is clear, sophisticated, and intelligent, you have the freedom to approach the essay however you prefer.

Personalization

Checking whether or not your essay is personal enough to you can involve many elements, but ultimately you can ask yourself two questions: “Could someone else have written this?” and “Do the details put the reader in my shoes?” The two questions are intertwined, but you can answer both simply by following a couple of guidelines. Once you’ve completed a rough draft, revisit every sentence of your essay. If you detect a hint of generalization, that’s a sign that you should make that sentence your own. Think about what additions or modifications will allow you to say what almost no one else can say. The answers will lie in the details. As you work through your essay, try to recall as many sensory details as possible. What do you remember seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling? This final sense is often the most important because you can feel something both externally and internally. The more of those specific details you incorporate, the more dynamic your essay will be, so take the time to genuinely reflect and remember.

Following these recommendations will add depth, texture and nuance to your essays. These are the qualities that can make any essay stand out among the thousands that admissions officers read throughout the application season. No matter how ordinary you may consider your life up to this point, I guarantee there is a story (or stories) within you that will connect with readers. It’s up to you to identify that story and then share it as authentically and vibrantly as you can.

Need a hand with college apps? With Elite Prep’s College Application Services, you’ll work with an experienced counselor and mentor to craft a winning college-application package that shines a light on exactly who you are and what you’ve achieved. Schedule a free consultation today!

[collegeessayguy]

Get the most out of the limited word count of the Activities List by following my guide for translating the hundreds of hours you’ve spent on projects and activities into your Common App.

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