College Application Essays - Avoid the Stress

2013 Changes to the Common Application Essay confirm what I’ve been saying for YEARS!!! 

No longer an option: “Topic of your choice”
My advice for years: Problematic: Comparing your life to the phases of the moon is pretentious and doesn’t tell me anything about you as a person.
 

No longer an option: “A person who has had a significant influence on you”
My advice for years: Problematic: Your grandfather isn’t applying to the college…you are. Writing about his amazing life as a secret agent working undercover as a circus clown and earning his PhD in his spare time all while fighting a debilitating disease might get him on an Oprah Special but it isn’t getting YOU into college.

No longer an option: “An issue of personal, local, national or international concern to you”
My advice for years: Problematic: Describing the “hardships” you experienced while cleaning up the polluted beaches in Costa Rica tells me that your family can afford an exotic vacation and you have a great tan.

New Options:

• Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
• Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
• Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
• Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

My advice for years: They want to know who you are as a person: Not as a student, an athlete, a scientist or a philanthropist. These questions will get to the heart of YOU as a human being…not as a reflection of your transcripts.

In the weeks and months ahead I will help you understand in more detail what is expected and how to set yourself apart from the other candidates.

Randy Levin is the ONLY college application essay expert asked to speak at the National College Fair- Nassau Coliseum – Oct 6^th 2013. The vast majority of Randy’s clients are accepted to the Ivy League or other prestigious colleges. He has a MA in English and a MFA in Creative Writing. He is a published writer and was a high school English teacher in high achieving north shore Long Island school districts for close to ten years.  For FREE information, go to his website: WriteToCollege.com