Working on your college applications? What to know before you write your essay!

You're more than a number (SAT/ACT score/GPA), and you're more than the list of your extracurricular activities. But how do you show college admission officers the real you that goes beyond those numbers and that list? There's only one real way, and that's through the essays you write for applications.

Well-crafted, authentic answers to the University of California personal insight questions or a standout essay for the Common Application can make the difference between getting an acceptance or rejection during the increasingly-competitive college application process. Last year, for instance, UCLA received the most number of freshman applications to any college in history--102,000 for approximately 6,500 slots. With college admission decisions increasingly becoming more "holistic" in their review of students, the essay has grown in importance.

So do you need to spend $1,000 for an group essay writing "boot camp," as some private college counselors charge locally? Absolutely not. Start with a free workshop from The Write Direction, which will help give you the writing tools you need to tackle your personal statements. The workshop is being offered Monday, July 10 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Community Presbyterian Church, 32202 Del Obispo Street, San Juan Capistrano.

In this one-hour interactive workshop, students will:

• Discover what colleges are looking for and why application essays are so important
• Learn about this year's Common Application essay prompts and University of California personal insight questions
• Brainstorm topics
• Find out how to tell their own stories, in their own voices

The workshop is limited to 20 students, so please register in advance at www.thewritedirection.org. Workshops are offered throughout Orange County, so please check our events calendar to find a date and location that works for you.

The Write Direction is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Tax ID #81-4316251, that guides high school students as they prepare essays for college admissions and scholarships. We work to level the playing field for students who can't afford private college counseling services.