Use Admissions Essays To Practice Writing Skills

I could tell 8th and 9th graders applying to on-going schools that tackling private and boarding school admissions essays are an educationally enriching way to spend the first half of January. But they wouldn’t believe me even though it’s true.

My students want to know only one bit of information: how long will it take to complete their applications, upload, and submit. And like the clichéd scenario of parents driving and the children asking, “Are ...

Slow and steady wins the race.
Train everyday to win on game day.
Switch-up the routine to avoid burn out.

These adages can be applied to many activities, not just sports. Your students could try repeating them like mantras right about now. The Good News: your student isn’t alone. I just got off the telephone with one parent who was begging me to convince her son to finish his Supplemental Essays by mid-December instead of waiting until the deadline. The student ...

3 Ways to Reduce College Application Season Stress

Applying to college Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) may seem like the cure-all for what ails your senior, but the SUBMIT button shouldn’t be pressed hastily. Sure, there’s often an immediate euphoria from uploading essays and getting the process started, and, for students who have a strong “this is the school for me” feeling, early decision application is an excellent option. But for the majority of students who didn’t “fall in love” ...

Save Energy, Time and Material For Supplemental Prompts.

One of my students crafted a beautiful supplemental response for a school she desperately wanted to gain admission to only to discover she had misread 250 characters for 250 words. She toiled into the wee hours of the morning, paring her exquisite essay into an equally compelling haiku. From my home, I virtually hand-held her while her parents snored. By sunrise, she had met her school’s application deadline and was sleeping herself. But, ...

Learn more about how I work with students through the essay and application process.

Questions about how to get started? email Elizabeth@eecollegecoach.com or call 917-863-2424.

Call me Ishmael. To thine own self be true. Full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

Admissions’ directors with tired eyes remember sentences and scenes that signify a great deal — not nothing. Rising seniors and 8th graders applying to high schools or boarding schools take heed: remove the fluff and excavate. Find the treasures buried in your past and pen them with a combination of pizzazz and passion.

Here are few tricks of the writing trade to help perk up – ...

“I Have Nothing New To Say” … And 3 Other Common Quotes From Uncommon High School Students When It Comes to The College Essay

The students I work with, like all people in the world, are unusual.

They each have a unique point-of-view and they each have their own tone-of-voice which they use to express this point-of-view. It’s this idiosyncratic take ...

Email Elizabeth@eecollegecoach.com or call 917-863-2424 to get started!

Yet.

There will be plenty of time — and items on your Common App — to worry about, so let’s evenly distribute all that worry!

If you look at what’s trending in the “rising seniors” social media world, you’re sure to find the college essay high on the hashtag list. Of course the essay is important and yes, it’s got to get done, and trust me, it will, but not now.

During these last few weeks of school, try to focus on the ...