I can tell you with 100% certainty that some essays are good while others are not. Some provide facts about the students that can’t be found elsewhere in their application, while others regurgitate the same old facts. Some essays provide admissions counselors with a compelling reason to welcome a specific applicant to their school, and others get put into the “denied” pile. The key to getting an essay to fit into the former categories is to work with an experienced editor who can help your child create a dynamic piece of writing that truly shows who they are. 

Your child may simply need a final proofread of their essays to ensure that there are no grammatical errors. Or, they may require additional help, starting with brainstorming and ending with multiple rounds of editing. Regardless, at the end of the process, your child will have an essay (or two or three) in their own voice that they wrote. We will work together to take their thoughts and their ideas and craft them into a coherent 650 words.

In business, an elevator pitch is a brief description of an idea, product, or company. In about 30 seconds (the time it would take to ride up the elevator), you should be able to sum up one or two key points and make a connection with a colleague or potential client. In the world of college applications, the admissions essay serves the same purpose.

While the Common App prompts provide a starting point, it is often difficult for high school students to condense their life story to 650 words. This is not the time to provide a laundry list of your academic and/or athletic accomplishments; much of that is covered in the application already. The admissions staff really wants to know what sets you apart and what you can add to their school. 

From brainstorming to in-depth editing, I can help you define your uniqueness and craft an essay/elevator pitch that is all yours.

In the last few posts on a friend’s blog, she discussed specific writing rules (the serial comma, compound adjectives, etc.). The author is a former colleague of mine and was my go-to answer person when I started in publishing. I’ll admit I’m a word-nerd, but I found her recent columns fascinating.

As a professional editor with 35 years’ experience, I definitely I know more than most when it comes to the nuts and bolts of writing. On the flip side, high school students who are attempting to write their college application essays don’t have that same level of knowledge. That is where I can help.

I can help them showcase their ideas, their style, and their voice. I can help them capture what’s already inside, while offering suggestions that can enhance their essays. And, along the way, I’ll use my expertise in  grammar, style, and punctuation rules.

One of the most important parts of any college essay is the hook. You want to grab the admissions staff from the get-go. Which of the following do you think is more dynamic?

1. When I was 8 years old, a drunk driver hit my dad’s car when we were less than one mile from our house. I had to endure two months in a full body cast, multiple surgeries, crunches, a walker, and many physical therapy visits. Overcoming this obstacle made me who I am today.

2. When I was 8 years old, I had a superpower — I could predict the weather. Sunny days weren’t really my forte, but rainstorms … that’s where I really shined. My powers were short lived though, and by the time I was 10 years old, they were gone. Looking back, I guess you could pinpoint the source of my powers as the three screws that were surgically placed in my hip after I was in a car accident.

Regardless of which prompt you are tackling, I can help you take your story and develop it into an interesting and informative college application essay that shows the admissions staff what you are really all about.

This year, the Common App offers a new prompt: “Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?”

During the initial pandemic quarantine, and the uncertainty that followed as society started to open up, actor John Krasinki noted that to counter all the negative broadcasts, he would instead put out “Some Good News” episodes on YouTube to counter that. The same sentiment is true for this new prompt. According to the Common App, “An essay prompt can’t erase the loss and anxiety of the last 12 months, but it can validate the importance of gratitude and kindness. We hope students see the new prompt for what it is intended to be: an invitation to bring some joy into their application experience.”

What are you thankful for? Perhaps it’s the extra help that a teacher provided while your school was holding classes virtually or the puppy that joined your family and gave you emotional support or the medical staff that made sure your grandma stayed safe in her nursing home. Regardless of how big or small that thing is, you can bet that the college admissions staff want to know about it. Why? Because your essay tells them about you and what your values are. 

Don’t worry if you don’t know how to begin…that’s where I come in. I can help you take your thoughts and ideas and transform them into an essay that shows your style and your voice in a coherent 650 words. 

At first glance, this expression seems to be a blessing. In reality it is an old curse (i.e., uninteresting = peace and tranquility). I think we can all agree that the times in which we are currently living can definitely be considered “interesting.”

In fact, these times are also tailored to question #2 of the 2020-2021 Common Application Essay prompts—”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?”

Everyone has to overcome obstacles. They could be something as significant as a cancer diagnosis, growing up in a poor neighborhood, or the death of a favorite relative. Or, they could be what some people would term first-world problems — being cut from the travel sports team or not being able to buy that super trendy sneaker. This reminds me of an old Zen proverb: “Obstacles do not block the path, they are the path.” It’s not important which obstacle you overcome, it’s how you do it and what you learn that sets you apart — and that is what a college admissions staff wants to know. 

That’s where I can help. I can help your children craft their ideas into a relatable story that can set them apart.

Every person has a story. A tale that truly defines who they are what they stand for. While most high school seniors would probably claim that this isn’t true for them … they would be wrong.

At its simplest, the goal of any well-crafted college application essay is to set applicants apart from their peers. Is coming up with a perfect narrative intimidating? Sure. Is it an insurmountable task? Absolutely not. The trick is to pick something about which they are passionate (an event, a person, a class, a personality trait, a hobby) and to tell about their experience with it. Offering up an honest and relatable story is sure to resonate with the college admissions staff.

That’s where I come in. We will work together to take their thoughts and ideas and craft them into a coherent 650 words. I simply help them finesse their ideas and their words to reflect their voice.

Historically, red is a very impactful color. In Western cultures, red symbolizes excitement, energy, passion, action, love, and danger. In Asian cultures, it symbolizes good luck, joy, prosperity, celebration, happiness, and a long life. On the other hand, some countries in Africa associate red with death, and in Nigeria it represents aggression and vitality. So, which meaning of red depicts the true you? Are you passionate? Lucky? Spiritual? Energetic? Dangerous?

With the rise in the use of technology, there has been a steady shift to digital editing and editors now use track changes and comments. The red pencil of yesteryear forced one to pause and consider the change and, while more environmentally friendly and efficient, digital editing doesn’t illicit the same reaction.

Students often find it hard to revise their writing. What they need are suggestions to guide them along the process to creating an essay that highlights their voice and personality. It doesn’t matter whether they are telling the admissions counselor about the first time they won in a track meet, the club they started, or the time they failed miserably with a school project. In the end, when it comes to their college essay, it’s not about being “red” but rather about being “read” And that’s where I can help.

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?

The above question is one of the new prompts this year for the Common Application. Would you know how to respond to that question? Would your child be able to respond to it? Most people could probably provide a short two- or three-word answer but would have trouble writing a whole essay about the topic.

Whether it’s politics, art history, rap music, or Pokemon, I can help you take your short answer and develop it into an interesting and informative college application essay that shows the admissions staff what you are really all about.

Every year, a new group of incoming high school seniors faces the daunting task that is College Essay Writing. While the applicants and some of the questions change from year to year, the writing process doesn’t. Colleges and universities still don’t want to see trite analogies or generic tales of success. Rather, they want to see original essays that tell them something about the applicants’ lives.

“My son struggles with writing and I just want him to submit something that’s good.”

“My daughter doesn’t have the time to write all these essays!”

Some parents may take the “easy” route and have others do the writing for their children, but is that really the lesson you want to teach your kids? Wouldn’t it better just to give your children the tools and assistance that they need?

That’s what I offer. Your children may just need help with a final proofread of their essays to ensure there are no grammatical errors. Or, they may require additional help, starting with brainstorming and ending with multiple rounds of editing. Regardless, at the end of the process, your child will have an essay (or two or three) in their own voice that they wrote.