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Category: Essays

What Should I Write for Optional Essays?

Picture this: college app deadlines are looming and you're hard at work on your applications. You've compiled and narrowed down a college list, made a strategy for presenting your extracurriculars, and started brainstorming and drafting your essays. Good for you! On top of all this work, you notice that a few of your applications allow for that perplexing, dark horse component: the optional essay.Â

Stanford’s Dean of Admissions on What Applicants Miss

At Stanford, Columbia, and Boston University - according to the Director of Admission at Stanford, is one of the "greatest missed opportunities of the application."

Essay Scoop: Washington University St. Louis Essays

Washington University in St. Louis is an incredible school. Make sure your Washington University essays are stellar, and you're on the right track.

Essay Scoop: How to Answer Vanderbilt University’s Essays

If you're applying to Vanderbilt University, you'll want to do a stellar job on the one additional prompt they ask you to answer. Here are our thoughts on the best approach to the Vanderbilt essay.

Essay Scoop: How to Answer University of Washington Essays

The University of Washington application evaluates student candidates holistically, emphasizing more than grades and scores. That means that the essays you submit are absolutely critical! Your writing needs to effectively tell your story to reviewers and convince them that you should be at their school. Let's take a look at the prompts you're working with to make sure your essays hit the right note.

10 Most Common College Essay Editing Mistakes

We know - the editing process proves difficult for lots of people. Let's get started with some common college essay editing mistakes.

How Do I Handle Difficult College Essay Topics?

Wondering how to handle delicate or difficult college essay topics? You're not alone. Deciding how to approach college essay topics like politics and mental health can be a challenge.

College Admissions: Let’s Go Dragon Slaying

Good grades aren't enough to drive admission to a top tier college. What sets you apart is demonstrable weirdness. We'll explain.

When to Start on Your College Essays? Now!

The beginning of your summer, your rising senior year, is the perfect time to start planning your first college essay. Your mind is no longer full of the memorized facts, equations, and extracurricular scheduling of the school year. You also are likely to have more time to dedicate the process of brainstorming, writing, and editing that are necessary to write a thoughtfully organized and meaningful essay.Â Do not sell yourself short in waiting to write this all-important piece that will be a deciding factor as to whether or not you are accepted to the school of your dream; start now!