Help with Your College Application Essays & Personal Statement

The fastest way to find me is to shoot me an email: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com or visit my website: Don't Sweat The Essay I look forward to hearing from you.

Rejected or Deferred? Can You Write College Application Essays Quickly?

This is my latest piece on Huffington Post. You've heard some of this before, but perhaps in a different frame of mind....

Here's the opening:

"December is a tough month for college applicants.

"When you apply early decision to a college you have your heart set on, it can be crushing if you’re rejected or deferred.

"If you’re rejected, you just have to pick yourself up and move on to the other wonderful colleges on your list. This might mean finding another college or two, writing a half dozen essays you hadn’t planned to write, and/or taking a look at your Common Application essay and revising it - yes, you’re allowed to revise it. If you’re still searching for appropriate colleges, the ultimate reference book is The Best 382 Colleges, 2018 Edition, updated every year by Princeton Review.

"If you’re faced with having to write a slew of unanticipated essays, get to work. There’s no sweetener for this project, and you’ve been there before. Make the essays personal to you and your academic desires, specific to the colleges you’re applying to (mention specific majors, courses, professors, and other opportunities unique to that college), and get another pair of eyes to review them for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and good sense.  READ THE REST 

And shoot me an email if you think you need help with this project: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com 

Need help with your college app essays?

Send me an email or pick up the phone (I'm on the East Coast)

Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com

1-855-99-ESSAY.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Students of Science & the Arts: Enjoy these Remarkable Photos

Please be sure to visit my new website for the latest in college application essay news by clicking right here: Don't Sweat the Essay.

In our focus on getting into college and getting into "the right college" or "the best college," we sometimes forget that education is a tool, a lifelong endeavor, one of many destinations on the map of our lives and our goals.  When I come across articles or events that might be of interest to the students I work with, I like to call attention to them - which brings me to these amazing pictures from a British organization that finds photographs that celebrate scientific achievements. From their website:

"The Wellcome Image Awards are Wellcome’s most eye-catching celebration of science, medicine and life. Now in their 20th year, the Awards recognise the creators of informative, striking and technically excellent images that communicate significant aspects of healthcare and biomedical science. Those featured are selected from all of the new images acquired by Wellcome Images during the preceding year. The judges are experts from medical science and science communication.

"This year's Wellcome Image Awards were presented on 15 March 2017, celebrating the scientists, clinicians, photographers and artists who bring science to life through remarkable imaging.

CLICK HERE to: Watch our judges talk about the power of visual imagery and this year’s selection of images."

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE AWARD-WINNING PHOTOS.  You can even vote for your favorites!

Please email me for information on my college consulting services: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com  1-855-99-ESSAY 

Should I Start Writing Now? (No.) But Look at New Common Application College Essay Prompts!!

Please visit my new Don't Sweat the Essay website for more information: 

Students don’t need to submit their college applications until fall, but they will have plenty of time to look over the new prompts for the Common Application, which were recently released by the organization.  The prompts are very similar to those of recent years, with a few notable exceptions. There are 2 more choices, and several of the “old” prompts have been refined. I think they are terrific questions and they will elicit revealing answers from students. The word limit is still 650.

If your next question is: “Should I start writing my essay now?” the answer is NO. But isn’t it good to get a head start? In general, yes, but in this area, I’d suggest waiting at least until June. Why? My experience is that if you write your essay too early, by the time you actually work on your applications in earnest, you’ll have moved beyond the topic you chose and want to write something else. After all, you have five to eight months of life experience between now and the time you press SEND. And don’t worry: you’ll get it done with plenty of time left over even if you start in June or July or August. But don’t wait until the last minute.

My advice for now: Look at the questions. See if any of them leap out at you. File them away for the time being. In the meantime, do some reading and writing on your own. What to read? Students don’t need to submit their college applications until fall, but they will have plenty of time to look over the new prompts for the Common Application, which were recently released by the organization.  The prompts are very similar to those of recent years, with a few notable exceptions. There are 2 more choices, and several of the “old” prompts have been refined. I think they are terrific questions and they will elicit revealing answers from students. The word limit is still 650.

If your next question is: “Should I start writing my essay now?” the answer is NO. But isn’t it good to get a head start? In general, yes, but in this area, I’d suggest waiting at least until June. Why? My experience is that if you write your essay too early, by the time you actually work on your applications in earnest, you’ll have moved beyond the topic you chose and want to write something else. After all, you have five to eight months of life experience between now and the time you press SEND. And don’t worry: you’ll get it done with plenty of time left over even if you start in June or July or August. But don’t wait until the last minute.

My advice for now: Look at the questions. See if any of them leap out at you. File them away for the time being. In the meantime, do some reading and writing on your own. What to read? The New York Times. will give you spot-on lessons in clarity and precise writing. The New Yorker will entertain and enlighten you with excellent writing, wit, fascinating subjects, including science and technology, CARTOONS, poetry, fiction, and profiles of the most interesting people around.  

If you want to talk about the essay process – whether it’s the Common App essay or the supplements, the University of California essays or those for MIT – please shoot me an email or give me a call. Liz@dontsweattheessay.com  1-855-99-ESSAY. I’m on the East Coast and work with students around the world on Skype and Google Docs.

2017-2018 Common Application Essay Prompts

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. [No change]

2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? [Revised]

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? [Revised]

4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. [No change]

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. [Revised]

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? [New]

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. [New]

1-855-99-ESSAY  Liz@dontsweattheessay.com

Hungry for College App Essay Advice and Info? Please Visit My New Website!

By all means, click on the posts here that are helpful, and be sure to visit Don't Sweat the Essay's new website - at the same old url: Don't Sweat the Essay - for new posts. Take the plunge this summer. What have you got to lose?

College Consultant Application Essays & STEM Panel - Martha's Vineyard Augus 2016

My Vineyard plans summer of 2017 are here: Don't Sweat The Essay.

If you’re on Martha’s Vineyard this week – Aug. 1 to Aug. 7th – there are two events that might interest you.

Wednesday August 3, I’m giving a talk with Q/A at the Edgartown Library – the new building – at 6.30pm. Here’s the library’s write up from their website. Please join us! 26 West Tisbury Road, Edgartown, MA 02539.

College Admissions Tips:  Free Program on Wednesday, August 3

“Author and former Princeton professor Elizabeth Benedict started her company, Don’t Sweat the Essay, to help high school students with their college application essays. Now she advises families on the entire process.

“She’ll answer your questions — and calm some of your fears — in her free lecture/Q&A, 10 Tips for Staying Sane While Applying to College, here at the library at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 3.”

Thursday August 4th is a very different sort of event at the Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs – a panel discussion, “Impact of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) in the 21st Century.” With Dr. John Wilson, Morehouse College; Freada Klein, Kabor Center for Social Impact; Winston Henderson of Nano Terra, Inc.; and Rick Fredkin, Eduporium. 55 Narragansett Ave. Oak Bluffs.

Contact me for information about college applications and application essays. Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com or 1-855-99-ESSAY.

45 Ways to Avoid Saying "Very" in Your College Application Essay or Personal Statement (Robin Williams Helps)

What's wrong with the word "very"?

Such an emphatic little word.

It makes what comes next much more than it is on its own. Right? No. Not really.

This is a short blog post. Or: This is a very short blog post?

I walk fast to the bank. I walk very fast to the bank?  What's so wrong with that?

I run to the bank. I sprint to the bank. I gallop to the bank. I race to the bank.

Which is more vivid, more descriptive, more memorable? Which suggests that there might be a serious reason for why you're sprinting to the bank?

Once you click on this website and read the full list, you'll know more. And Robin Williams - in the Dead Poets Society - is there to help. Funny. Very funny. Sometimes it's OK to say very. But rarely. You might even say, very rarely, but it would be wrong. (And sorry about the ads and junk on the link; it's hard to get a clear list of the words in readable form, which is why I don't have one on this page.)

Which is better: Please visit my new website. Or: Please visit my very new website? You decide. Click here for more information about college application essays. Or send me an email: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com  ~~  And thanks. Thanks very much.

Admissions News from Yale College from College Application Essay Tutor

Please visit the new improved Don't Sweat the Essay website.

In the meantime, in this season of college application essay frenzy, some news out of Yale puts a more hopeful spin on this coming year's admissions prospects. it's rare - all right, unheard of - for Ivy League universities to increase the incoming class size, but that's exactly what's going to happen this coming year at Yale College. 


College Application
Consultant Liz Benedict 

While you absorb that news, spend some time studying what Yale is looking for essay-wise, by starting at the University's own website. Here's my latest post on Huffington Post, "Apply Wisely: Not All About The Application Essays~Yale College to Admit More Students In Class Of 2021," with all the news that's fit to print, and more:

"Applying to college isn’t all about the application essays, even though it can sometimes feel that it is. The essays are one of your chances to stand out from the pile, but without the grades, scores, rigorous high school record, and teacher recommendations, admission to the uppermost most selective colleges is generally out-of-reach.

"Part of being a successful applicant is choosing wisely where you’ll apply. With our mania for applying to a dozen or even two dozen colleges, the idea of targeting your choices has lost out to strafing the landscape with applications.

"How will you know where to apply? Here’s the homework. Study the college’s website and its writing supplements for clues about the kind of students they’re looking for. Read the entries in The Best 380 Colleges and in The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges - and look honestly at your own record. Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and the other top universities don’t make decisions based exclusively on top grades and top SAT/ACT scores. Keep in mind these words from the Yale admissions website:

'“We estimate that over three quarters of the students who apply for admission to Yale are qualified to do the work here. Between two and three hundred students in any year are so strong academically that their admission is scarcely ever in doubt. But here is the thing to know: the great majority of students who are admitted stand out from the rest because a lot of little things, when added up, tip the scale in their favor. So what matters most in your application? Ultimately, everything matters. The good news in that is that when so many little things figure into an admissions decision, it is fruitless to worry too much about any one of them." READ IT ALL. 

Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com  1-855-99-ESSAY  Don't Sweat The Essay 

Common Application College Essay Coach Tutor Martha's Vineyard August 2016

This August on Martha’s Vineyard … Work with me privately on college application essays and/or attend my public Q&A at the Edgartown Library Aug. 3.

I will be giving a free information session with a Q&A period about college admissions at the Edgartown Public Library. Or call or email me to discuss your son’s or daughter’s needs.

10 TIPS FOR STAYING SANE WHILE APPLYING TO COLLEGE
with Elizabeth Benedict at Don’t Sweat The Essay

Brings your kids, your questions, and your concerns.

• Wednesday August 3, 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
  Edgartown Public Library, 26 West Tisbury Road, Edgartown.

My clients regularly get into their first choice schools early and regular decision, including Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, MIT, NYU, Cornell, Vassar, UMass, UMich, UPenn, Washington University, Skidmore, medical and laws schools, and dozens of other colleges and universities.

Recommendations from Vineyard families, including this Edgartown parent: “I cannot imagine having lived through the essay writing aspect of college applications without Elizabeth Benedict. Liz worked with my daughter during the summer between her junior and senior years. By getting a head start, Liz was able to encourage my daughter to revisit her essays multiple times. The end product was outstanding and really conveyed a sense of her individuality and strengths." For more information, visits my TESTIMONIALS from students admitted to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UVa, Barnard, Smith, and other first choice colleges and universities. 

See my website for additional recommendations from students and parents.

Private sessions at your Vineyard home or mine – from July 31st to August 12th. Skype sessions available too. If you’re on the Cape, we can meet in Wood’s Hole or Falmouth.

My cottage is in West Tisbury, centrally located.
Email or call me:
Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com
1-855-99-ESSAY

Yale Admissions Video: The Application Essay

If you're interested in applying to Yale, take a look at this useful video by an admissions officer about what they're interested in. It might surprise you!

For more on applying to Yale, visit my Don't Sweat The Essay website.

To email me: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com

Phone: 1-855-99-ESSAY.

Please Visit the New Improved College Common Application Essay Tutor Coach Consultant Website

If you're here, you're probably looking for advice, guidance, inspiration and/or HELP with your own or your child's college or grad school application essays. You might even want help on where to apply to college. I know a few things about that too.

Please click here for my new website - under the same company name, Don't Sweat the Essay - where I'll be posting frequently on these topics, and offering as much information as I can.

And if you want to contact me directly, email or phone. Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com  1-855-99-ESSAY.

Thanks for stopping by.

College Consultant Liz Benedict

Help! Myths & Mysteries: Q & A with College Application Essay Tutor

From my latest Huff Po piece, just published on the College Page.

“I recently had the pleasure of talking to a group of high school students in a summer writing program about college application essays.

“Instead of asking me to give a talk, the director of the program invited the students to ask me whatever was on their minds. We had a lively conversation, covered the most pressing issues around the Common App essay, the personal statement, and the supplements, and I was reminded of how many myths and mysteries there are for applicants every year. Here’s a handful of their questions.

1. What essay topics will hurt my application?
“The key to a terrific essay is finding a topic that makes you feel energized and ready to write – the one that feels natural, and will therefore make the essay fun to tackle, and something of a personal exploration. But if the topic you hit on is on this taboo list, well, time to do some more soul-searching and brainstorming. You’ve probably heard some of these prohibitions, but there may be a few here you haven’t heard:

“Avoid mentioning sex and drugs. (Oldest advice there is.)

“Avoid writing about the books that every high school student has to read or probably has read, includingHarry Potter in all his incarnations, Twilight, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Game of Thrones, or whatever new sensation has gripped the imagination of millions. It’s not at all that colleges frown on these books or frown on your enthusiasm for them. Don’t stop reading! It’s that calling attention to these blockbuster books – or books on every high school syllabus – won’t make your essay stand out. You’re looking for material that’s uniquely yours.

“Skip speeches and academic papers. The essays are personal statements about what matters to you. If you’re crazy about ancient history or mitochondria, it can be great to write about your enthusiasm for the topic and why it makes you feel like dancing – but that’s quite different from a piece called “Babylonian Religious Artifacts” or “The First Amendment and the Origins of Democracy.” Remember, make in personal.  READ THE RESThttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-benedict/help-myths-and-mysteries-_b_10936356.html

Shoot me an email if you have questions: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com.

Drop in, Pop Up College Common App Essay Help Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, MA

I work with students all over the country and the world on Skype. So far this summer, I’ve got clients in the Midwest, Hong Kong, New York City, Saratoga Springs, and Martha’s Vineyard. You can usually find me in New York City, but when summer comes, I roam and rove, usually around New England.

From now until the end of July, I’m on the border of Cambridge and Somerville, MA. If you’re in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville – or anywhere in the vicinity – I’m holding a drop-in essay clinic five days this July. Just call or email me the day before, come for a minimum of an hour, and bring your questions and essay drafts. I’m also available other days and nights for private sessions. We'll schedule a time the day before.

If you’re interested, these dates are open: July 15, 18, 20, 25, 27. I’ll meet you at Porter Square Books, in the Porter Square Shopping Center, and we’ll find a quiet place to work nearby. You'll have 110% of my attention.

If you’re interested, please email me or call for prices. I have flexible fees and a sliding scale. Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com. 1-855-99-ESSAY. Please check out my TESTIMONIALS on Don't Sweat the Essay to find out more about how I work. And thanks for stopping by.

Backstage at the Amherst College Admissions Committee-How Much Do the Essays Matter & Other Mysteries

Please visit my new website for the latest in college application essay news by clicking right here:
Don't Sweat the Essay.

You can always read my latest blog by clicking here.

Calling all Amherst College applicants and seekers.

How important is your Common Application essay in the context of your entire application?

It matters, for sure, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle that admissions officers judge. This fascinating video – a behind-the- scenes peek at how Amherst College makes decisions about whom to admit and whom to put on the waiting list – has been online for a while, but every time I look at it, I learn something new.

Keep in mind as you watch that the students being considered in this room are those who have made the penultimate cut: they’re the top candidates left standing near the end of the process, so their academic credentials have already been noticed.

The message here is not that hardship = admissions to Amherst but that the committee values success despite impediments. A top student who has faced considerable hardship is one who impresses. But many others students do too.

Keep in mind that the video does not report every moment of these intense meetings.

What did you learn from watching the video?

Please visit my new website and shoot me an email if you're sweating the essay. Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com.

Road2College ~ Tutor 's 10 Tips for Staying Sane While Writing College Application Essays

The terrific website, Road2College, invited me to share some tips about writing - and getting ready to write - the college application essays, including taking on the Common App prompts. Here are the first four. Click here to read the rest and get acquainted with this very helpful site, especially as it relates to financial aid. 

1. Note the Bad News and the Good News

Sorry to tell you this: The essays are a slog, and if you’re applying to schools with many supplements or several schools not on the Common Application, they can add up to a lot of work. The good news is that doing the work can be a terrific way to focus your experience, your perceptions, your goals, and your sense of yourself as a soon-to-be college student. Finding your voice and your story will help you make that transition. Writing the essays can help you learn how to present yourself, talk about your interests, talents and accomplishments – without sounding as though you’re bragging.

 2. Get Personal

I advise students applying to Common Application colleges and universities or to a majority of them to do the Common App essay first. And when you do, find a topic that makes your heart beat a little faster than usual – a topic with some energy and even tension: A piece of your personal story that’s essential to who you are and not reflected in your activities list, a talent, a hardship, a moment you took a risk and spoke out to defend a position, or a problem you solved, even if it was putting together a trampoline in your backyard. Students have not been encouraged to write from a personal perspective for much of high school, and having to do that suddenly for the Common App essay and for many of the supplements can be a real challenge. These are personal essays, not academic papers or speeches.

 3. There are no right answers

Students often ask me: What does the school want me to write? It is often a surprise for them to hear that the school wants to know what you think and what your experience is. The essay is a kind of interview. Reveal yourself. Make sure your essays tell what it is you want colleges to know about you: Your passions, your talents, your ambitions, the qualities that make you who you are. No right answers – but do remember to answer the questions/prompts you are asked, whether it’s the Common App prompts or the other possibilities.

 4. Make a Master List

Once you are done with your Common App essay, make a master list of what supplementary essays are required for each college: 1. The topic. 2. The length. 3. The due dates. See where you can recycle material. Have a sense in advance how many essays you might have to do – whether it’s 3 or 15 or even 20. Some colleges have 2, 3, 4, or even more essays. Though the essays may only be 100, 250 or 500 words, they must be written with well-considered words. Some of the essays are creative (“What makes you happy?” “What’s the sweetest sound you’ve ever heard?”), others are more straightforward (why this college/why your major). READ THE REST

Please visit my website, Don't Sweat the Essay, send me an email or call me for more information about my services. Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com  1-855-99-ESSAY.

Top Tutor 's Help with College Application Common App Essays: Martha's Vineyard Summer 2016

Vineyard Bound this summer?
Please join me on Aug. 3, 2016 at the Edgartown Library on Martha's Vineyard for free talk, 10 TIPS FOR STAYING SANE WHILE APPLYING TO COLLEGE.

Brings your kids, your questions, and your concerns.

• Wednesday August 3, 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
• Edgartown Public Library, 26 West Tisbury Road, Edgartown.

My clients regularly get into their top choice schools early and regular decision, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, MIT, NYU, Cornell, Dartmouth, Vassar, UMass, UMich, UPenn, Washington University, Skidmore, medical and laws schools, and dozens of other colleges and universities.

Recommendations from Vineyard families, including this Edgartown parent: "I cannot imagine having lived through the essay writing aspect of college applications without Elizabeth Benedict. Liz worked with my daughter during the summer between her junior and senior years. By getting a head start, Liz was able to encourage my daughter to revisit her essays multiple times. The end product was outstanding and really conveyed a sense of her individuality and strengths. She was admitted to two of her three early application schools, and I have no doubt that Liz's coaching contributed to this success."

See my website Don't Sweat the Essay for additional recommendations from students and parents.

Private sessions at your Vineyard home or mine - from July 31st to August 12th. Skype sessions available too. If you're on the Cape, we can meet in Wood's Hole or Falmouth. Boston and Cambridge home visits throughout July. 

My cottage is in West Tisbury, centrally located.
Email or call me:
Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com
1-855-99-ESSAY

Military Service Men & Women Applying with GI Bill - Help with College Application Essays

You can always read my latest blog here.

When I taught creative writing at Columbia University several years ago, I met a fascinating group of students who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and were attending Columbia on the GI Bill. 

I recently found this Veterans Administration website urging service members to write about their wartime experiences in their university application essays.

From the website:

"Here are a couple of tips for how best to use your military experience in your application essay—and (perhaps more importantly) some thoughts on what not to do.

"DO mention your leadership ability

"Leadership potential might be the number one character trait that schools are looking for in applicants. Proof that you've taken on serious responsibility and have a high level of maturity is a good indication for those in admissions that you will take your education seriously and will go on to do great work post-graduation (and then make millions and donate back to the school, of course). As a Veteran, it is likely you have led a command of some kind—make sure this is touched on in your essay piece.

"DO NOT tell this boring story: I went to teach them… but it turned out to be they who taught ME

"There's a particular essay that all adjudicators and admissions committees dread. It goes like this… I was employed to teach people/children in a remote village/urban center/small rural area. I went into it thinking I would be educating them, but in the end it was I who learned from them.

"Admissions officers hate this essay. Why? Because it doesn't really say anything about you as a person, and the story is not as original as you might think. Careful of this theme… it's deadly.

"DO talk about challenges you faced

It's very likely you have dealt with questions and situations that most people have not. Illustrate how you used quick thinking and skills to overcome problems, and how you became more mature because of these decisions.

"DO NOT get too dark. Leave out deep personal tragedy

"Of course it's good to talk meaningfully about your experience, but this can go too far. Abuse, depression and death are striking subjects and therefore you might think they are good fodder for an essay. After all, the idea is to provoke a response, to make sure you are memorable. Unfortunately, an essay that focuses on these topics does not serve you well. Similarly, psychological trauma that may have been suffered during military service is not great for your essay, not because it's not important to your character, but because it tends to take the reader out of the narrative and usually doesn't connect very effectively to why you'll be a good candidate for college. So often essays that focus on dark subjects go down a trajectory that leads away from your achievements, which is what these pieces should highlight. Never stray from a path that keeps you talking about why you are an IDEAL candidate.

"DO tell your specific story

It's important to tell your story—not just one of general military life. Your narrative may seem relatively commonplace to you because it was spent in the company of people who were participating in similar activities, but the details of your service are unique and interesting to admissions officers."  READ THE REST

If you're applying U.S. colleges or universities on the GI Bill and you would like help with your application essays, I would be happy to give you a special discount on doing the Common App essay and the supplements. Please shoot me an email and visit my website: Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com   Don't Sweat The Essay

   

Tutor 's Take on New University of California Application Essay Prompts -

Colleges and universities rarely do radical changes to their application essay prompts, but this year, the entire University of California did exactly that. The system went from requiring two long essays to four shorter essays, asking students to choose from a list of eight prompts. Each of the four pieces has a maximum length of 350 words. 

This recent radio segment on Southern California's Public Station KPCC 89.3 focuses on the stress the new prompts are causing. I prefer to take this news story with a grain of salt. Cranking out high-stakes essays - old or new - causes stress. And the students doing the essays this year didn't do them last year; they have no basis for comparison. They're stressed, period. And I sympathize. 

It's useful to keep many things in mind as you do the essays - here's a list of ten to get you going - but most important is this: The essays themselves will not earn you admission to the UC university of your dreams/choice. You need the grades and scores to make the first cut, and those numbers vary from institution to institution.

For the top ranking students applying to the most competitive universities - Berkeley and UCLA - the essays needs to confirm your grades and scores; they need to show that you're as thoughtful and insightful as your grades suggest you are. Ideally, they'll show that even in this very competitive pool, you stand out by virtue of your accomplishments, leadership skills, way of seeing the world and expressing yourself. At each level, the essays must either confirm your record or add something to a record that might have some weakness in it. If your grades have fluctuated, your essays can show your other attributes and your understanding of what you need to do to perform better. 

For a list of the prompts, check out my May blog post right here. 

Here are some more nuts and bolt advice to students confronting these four short pieces:

1.  Put aside a good bit of time every few days for a good many weeks to work on the essays. 

2.  Don't feel you need to do them all at once. You can't, and you shouldn't.

3.  It might be easier to print out the prompts on paper and look at them that way, so you don't feel the pressure to be writing on the computer while brainstorming. 

4.  In your first few read-throughs, pick out only one prompt that you like more than the others and take some notes about what you might write. Do not attempt to write the entire essay. Take as many notes as you can. Think of stories and anecdotes that illustrate your choices. 

5.  Then pick out another prompt, and take more notes. Again, do not attempt to write the essays. Free associate with a pen in your hand and see what thoughts come out.

6. Guess what? Do the same for the other two pieces you like most. In the early stages, just take notes. They don't have to be complete sentences. This is an effort to get in touch with your material. That's all you're trying to do. If you end up with five or six lines of notes for each essay, you're in great shape.

7. Don't repeat yourself from prompt to prompt. Pick prompts that focus on different parts of your life and your perspective. 

8: When you start writing, keep the tone conversational. Use lines of dialogue that are memorable. Pick specific details that locate you in time and space. 

9. It's hard to make the switch from writing academically, as you've been expected to do for ten years, and this kind of more personal, informal writing. You're not writing an academic paper or an encyclopedia listing. This is personal. Use the voice you would use to talk about yourself. That's where you're headed. 

10. There aren't many times or places where you're asked to reflect on your own life - and to know that people are really interested in what you have to say. My point: enjoy the opportunity. Don't be afraid to sparkle. Don't be afraid to be yourself.  

From the KPCC segment:

"“We’ve had a lot of people say that [the old prompt was] too general, it doesn’t allow students to have a more focused platform, it doesn’t allow them to express themselves," [UC spokesperson] Doan said. "In certain ways, it felt like it was more of a struggle."

"Students will now choose among eight prompts designed to allow the students to portray the aspects of their life they feel are most relevant: they can write about how they've showed creativity or leadership skills, a favorite class or academic subject, or a challenge in life or educational barrier they've overcome. 

"“It’s less quantitative and [gets at] more of who they are, and it provides context for the entire application so you can explain what you’ve been through, what you’ve accomplished, why your grades were a certain way, or what you’re amazing at that isn’t reflected in other parts of the application,” Doan said.

"The changes come at a time when admission to California's public colleges and universities is more competitive than ever. The UC system received over 206,000 applications for undergraduate admission in the most recent cycle – a record." READ THE REST 

Writing college application essays IS stressful - but so are nearly all of the interesting, important aspects of our lives. 

Please visit my website for more information or shoot me an email: Don't Sweat the Essay  Liz@DontSweatTheEssay.com