The Admissions Essay Opportunity You’re Missing in the Additional Info Section of the Common App

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The Admissions Essay Opportunity You’re Missing in the Additional Info Section of the Common App

The additional information section of the common app is an extra opportunity to help stand out to the college admissions officers. This section is great for explaining any discrepancies between your grades & disciplinary behavior that don’t align with your character but still might be on your record, and that hasn’t been mentioned elsewhere in your application. Even if you feel like you have nothing else to say, do not submit your application without utilizing this extra space.

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3 Reasons You Might Get Rejected — And How To Avoid Them

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3 Reasons You Might Get Rejected — And How To Avoid Them

While rejection is inevitable during the college application process, it never feels good. Here are 3 of the most common mistakes that could cost you that acceptance letter to the college of your dreams and ways around them.

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Should You Write About Coronavirus in Your Personal Statement?

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Should You Write About Coronavirus in Your Personal Statement?

My general answer to this is no for multiple reasons. First, the essay should reflect who you are separate from this short period of time in your life (unless it greatly impacted your life in an indelible way). We should get a snapshot of your personality and character separate from the past 6 months. Second, there is a risk of trend saturation as many students will feel tempted to write about this.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. To find out if you should write about Coronavirus in your personal essay, see how you’d answer the questions below.

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Yale University

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Yale University

After a month and four revisions, SR let me know that her admissions essay granted her acceptance to Yale Class of 2024. I'm so excited to share her Ivy League worthy process and testimonial!

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Woah, Now Harvard’s Ditched the SAT/ACT

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Woah, Now Harvard’s Ditched the SAT/ACT

For the first time ever, most Ivies are waiving their standardized testing admissions requirement. Ivy leagues set an example for other colleges in America, and right now Princeton is the only one still asking for standardized test scores according to CNN. In fact, according to The New York Times, all schools in the University of California system are planning on being entirely test-free in the next four years. Even super-selective schools like Amherst and Tufts are foregoing standardized testing.

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6 Ways Coronavirus is Impacting College Admissions

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6 Ways Coronavirus is Impacting College Admissions

Your Admissions Chances Just Went Up

Students considering offers or awaiting decisions later this week from colleges across the selectivity spectrum can expect higher acceptance rates, as colleges take measures to ensure they will still have enough students enrolled come fall.

Reed College, a liberal arts school in Oregon, moved about 60 more students from the wait list to the acceptance pile last week, boosting its admit rate by 3 percentage points, to 40%. That should help insulate the school from a slide in yield, or the share of admitted students who accept their offers, said admissions dean Milyon Truelove.

[WSJ]

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How to Revise Your Admissions Essay

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How to Revise Your Admissions Essay

Aha, you’ve written your first draft. Congratulations! This is the hard part. Now, give it a breather and put it away for a few days at least so your words will seem fresh for the revision process.

First, look for repetitions.

Are you using the same word over and over? (Everyone has their own personal crutch). If you're a vocab savant, check for other repetitions like, are your sentences all periodic and using the same construction? Like life, good writing needs variety.

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10 Questions to Ask Yourself to Master the "Why This College" Essay

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10 Questions to Ask Yourself to Master the "Why This College" Essay

The “Why this college?” supplement is actually one of the hardest essays to answer.

If you’ve already tried my 5 “why this college” essay tips and are still feeling stuck, here are a few journaling and research questions I give my students to discover the deeper reasons for wanting to attend each school without descending into generic cliches.

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3 Ways to Create a Compelling Ending in Your Personal Statement

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3 Ways to Create a Compelling Ending in Your Personal Statement

1) Go back to your opening anecdote
If you used the creative writing technique of an opening anecdote, one fun way to close your essay can be returning to that same story in your concluding paragraph. For example, if your opening narrative was about the first economics class you took and how it was love at first equation, you can try describing the thrill of the class in the same creative ways that you did the opening. Try writing vivid examples and really get us to feel like we are in your place. What was it like on the first day of class? What did it feel like doing your homework? Interacting with other Econ students? Was it like an aha moment where you finally felt something click, like this is what I was meant to do? Try revisiting that opening anecdote with a new perspective at the end.

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Exclusive: 5 College Interview Mistakes to Avoid, According to an Ivy League Interviewer

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Exclusive: 5 College Interview Mistakes to Avoid, According to an Ivy League Interviewer

Mistake #1: Not Knowing Where The School is Located

“One of my interview students asked me how often I went into the city, which to be fair is a question you would get a lot, even on tours on campus. Unfortunately, the college *was* in the city. This is a problem. If you are interviewing and you don't even know where the school is located, then you have a much bigger problem than telling me why the curriculum interests you. It's like you don't really know about the school at all.”

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Purdue Engineering, Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley & more

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Purdue Engineering, Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley & more

“The Common App and Supplemental essays I crafted with Yelena's help helped me achieve my dream of getting into UC Berkeley! When I contacted her last summer, my essay had several bumps. Yelena suggested starting from scratch with a completely different prompt, and while the task seemed daunting to me, I'm thankful that she was with me every step of the way. We had many phone calls and brainstorming sessions, and her advice was incredibly thoughtful, detailed, and personalized for my needs. One thing I loved, in particular, was the Thought Starters activity she gave me to brainstorm which I continue to use today.

During the essay-writing process, I found it impressive how, after I literally dumped my disorganized thoughts onto paper, she was able to connect them into a cohesive and compelling essay. My final products were a lot more polished than I could have ever accomplished on my own. I was forced to think and reflect every step of the way, and I admire how she pushed me to write everything in my own words. Whenever I go back and read my essays, I find myself consistently proud of them, and that's all thanks to Yelena's help.”
-Saumya, accepted to Georgia Tech, UCLA, and Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, and Purdue Engineering

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Busting Admissions Myths: 4 Essay Questions Everyone Asks

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Busting Admissions Myths: 4 Essay Questions Everyone Asks

What makes a great (admissions) essay?

Something totally real and unpretentious. Admissions officers want to get know the real you apart from a dizzying algorithm of numbers, extracurricular hours, and GPAs. Give them a slice of life that reveals who you are instead of something fake that you think sounds good. I wrote about cooking with my grandma—so simple it's almost cliche. But I used that anecdote to explore my immigrant identity and show what I’ve overcome.

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How Professional Authors Edit for Word Count

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How Professional Authors Edit for Word Count

Andrew’s editing process happened after he finished writing for a reason. Editing for word count should come in the final stages when you feel like you’ve told your whole story. Take as many words as you need to tell your truth. Then, refine and edit with each draft. (Yes, plan on writing multiple drafts and revisions - that’s how good writing happens!). By your fourth draft, you can start to think about editing for word count.

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to the University of Vanderbilt

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to the University of Vanderbilt

"Just a little over a month before my 20+ college applications were due, I had made little progress on my personal statement and decided to contact Yelena. Her understanding and flexibility subdued my anxieties but also allowed me to stay on track towards completing my essay in time for submission. In that short of a time frame, I grew from being relatively insecure about my essay to being extremely proud of it. Yelena gave the narrative I had placed on paper an unrivaled sense of vitality and power. She narrowed in on the formative experiences that made me more than a score or a GPA. Yelena not only transformed my paper, while still preserving my voice and message, but gave me an unparalleled confidence going into the final steps of the admissions process. She made my dreams of going to an elite school tangible. I cannot emphasize enough how helpful and encouraging Yelena has been throughout the process, and I wholeheartedly recommend her services to others wishing to give themselves an edge in writing." -Laura, accepted to the University of Vanderbilt

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How to Get a Head Start on Your Admissions Essay

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How to Get a Head Start on Your Admissions Essay

2) Start exploring your passions

Freshman year is all about figuring out what you love to do. Ideally, you'd spend the next four years honing that passion, developing your talents, and growing into a leadership position that you can write about for a supplemental college essay. Use your freshman year to explore all of your interests so that by junior year, you're signing up for less clubs and really building your leadership in those. Don't wait until later in high school to figure out what you love: admissions officers want to see commitment and leadership in a few clubs, not just a list of extracurriculars you're somewhat involved in.

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Testimonial Tuesday: Admissions Essay High School Workshop at La Guardia

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Testimonial Tuesday: Admissions Essay High School Workshop at La Guardia

If you'd like to me to lead an admissions essay workshop at your school, please get in touch! I’m an official registered vendor with the Department of Education in NYC and work with both private and public schools in addition to community centers. Not in New York? I can Skype in and now offer online workshops. (Yay for technology!)

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5 Things Admissions Officers Look For In Your Personal Statement

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5 Things Admissions Officers Look For In Your Personal Statement

Your Real Personality

According to Wolfe, a lot of students think they need to have a life-changing event to write about in their essays, but counselors are just trying to see the personality of a student in a way that can’t be conveyed through test scores and transcripts. One essay Wolfe remembers was about a family reunion. “They weren’t just regurgitating what we already knew,” Wolfe said. “But instead we could see how this student, living on a freshman hall, would fit in.” [Williamsburg Yorktown Daily]

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Princeton University

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Princeton University

”Yelena was so insightful and an absolute delight to work with–– not only did she help with the mechanics of my essay, she took the type to get to know me personally in order to add a special touch. I credit her with bringing my writing to life in addition to reading well on paper! Thank you for your editing magic - I'm oh so grateful for you, Ms. Shuster! " -M.M., Accepted to Princeton, Duke, UNC & USC

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Introducing New Live Admissions Essay Online Workshops!

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Introducing New Live Admissions Essay Online Workshops!

I try to help every student who reaches out to me, but I’m a one-woman business and have to limit who I work with to make sure everyone gets the most personalized attention. But all that changes next month because...

[Drumroll please…]

I’m introducing two affordable live classes this summer! Best part? I will cater to your schedules, so please let me know your timing preferences in the Google Form below.

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How to Journal Your Way to a Creative Personal Statement

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How to Journal Your Way to a Creative Personal Statement

 Use Old-School Pen & Paper

I recommend the old-school writing technique of journaling: pen and paper, when you are relaxed (like before going to bed). At this point, you need to write more than you think and this is a great way of silencing your inner critic. Journaling also has proven therapeutic benefits, so it will help you write your way through whatever you’re going through.

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