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.

I will be presenting a FREE workshop on the Top Five Mistakes Students Make on their College Application Essays at each of the following libraries. (Pre-registration is strongly advised. Please call the library if you wish to attend) I am also available to speak at PTA meetings, JCC, etc....
Sept 9 – Shelter Rock Library
Sept 16 -  Syosset Library 
Sept 17 - Mount Pleasant Library
Sept 18 – Manhasset Library  
Sept 23 – Bellmore Library
Sept 24 – Jericho Library 
Sept 30 – Smithtown Library 
Oct 3 –   Oceanside Library  
Oct 6 –  National College Fair (Nassau Coliseum) 
Oct 9 –   My 55th BD….I’ll be under the bed, curled in the fetal position, crying.

Randy Levin is the ONLY college application essay expert asked to speak at the National College Fair- Nassau Coliseum – Oct 6th 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