Should I Complete Optional College Essays?
Many battle-worn applicants, weary from the slog of completing a dozen or so applications, encounter optional essays and requests for other non-compulsory application components such as a resume, interview, or writing sample(s) and simply wave the white flag. On one level, this response is understandable….
The Worst College Essay Topics
We would never unequivocally tell an applicant that any proposed college essay topic is off limits. Great writers can take the most mundane, banal, and generic topic and transform it into a captivating composition. However, in our experience reading thousands of college essays, we are…
How to Complete the College Application Activities List
For all of the first-class treatment applicants give to their Common App essay, the activities list is all too often relegated to steerage. If antiquated steamship analogies do little for you, a more apropos comparison might present the essay as the mean, attention-hogging prom queen…
Common App Essay Prompts for 2018-19
It is an occurrence almost as rare as a total solar eclipse, a silent day on the President’s twitter account, and a Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl appearance all rolled into one—this year, the Common App essay prompts will not be undergoing a single change. Common…
Mastering the “Why this College?” Essay
After pouring their heart and soul into the Common App essay, students often run out of gas by the time they encounter any remaining supplemental essays. While supplemental essays may ask you anything from “What makes you happy?” (Tufts) to analyzing a Kermit the Frog…
Changes to Common App Essay Prompts for 2017-18
This week, The Common Application essay prompts underwent their most substantive changes since 2013. While two prompts remained unchanged, three were revised, one was introduced, and one oldie-but-goodie was resurrected. The team at College Transitions will walk you through the changes and tell you what…
The Common App: Get Those Words on That Page, Part II
In our last post, we covered how to brainstorm and prepare to write. Our advice was to: Tell a compelling story. Write something! Write anything! Don’t beat yourself up! These things take time. Write down or record random thoughts. Now let’s consider some suggestions for…
The Common App: Get Those Words on That Page, Part I
In recent posts, we provided a few strategies for brainstorming and mapping your admissions essay. In this post, we’ll cover some strategies for turning an idea into an essay. Tell a compelling story. Rather than writing an analytical essay like you would for a class…
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Downloadable Resources for your College Transition
