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Resources & Tips

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CEA Blog

Brainstorming Quick Tip: Get By With A Little Help From Your Friends

Your parents have raised you since you were a wee pup, but do they know every single thing there is to know about you?  (Of course you do, mom and dad — we’re just kidding.)  Still, so much of your adolescence has been spent in the presence of your peers, that it would be negligent […]

New Additions to The Supplemental Essay Guide: TU and JHU!

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Supplemental Essays  |  Posted on October 11th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

Fear not, young students, for we have heard your pleas! We have added supplemental essay guides for both the University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore!! Yay!!!           While the University of Texas requires one long essay and three short essays from most applicants, JHU only requires […]

The Amherst College 2017-18 Supplement is Next Level

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Essay Resources, Supplemental Essays, Uncategorized  |  Posted on September 15th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

Amherst College does not take supplemental essays lightly. The private liberal arts college in Massachusetts asks students to go the extra mile and write an essay inspired by one of the quotes they provide. Students also have the option to submit an essay presenting a persuasive argument. Since we believe the college essay works best […]

How to Ask Your Parents for Help with Your College Essay

Topic: Admissions, advice, College Admissions, Essay Resources, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Tips, Uncategorized  |  Posted on September 13th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

How do you tap into your parents’ brains? It’s simple! Ask for questions. Tell a close friend or family member you trust about your topic and ask him or her to assign you a set of interview questions. If this person read an essay about this topic, written by you, what would they want to […]

Time Management Tips for College Applicants

Topic: Admissions, advice, College Admissions, Essay Tips, Productivity, Quick Tips, Tips, Uncategorized  |  Posted on August 10th, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

You wake up, get ready, go to school, go to practice, go to work, spend some much needed time with your friends, and then you’re supposed to write a college essay?!?! We know, we get it. It can be difficult to not only find time to write your college essay, but use that time efficiently. […]

10 Critical College Essay Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Topic: Admissions, advice, College Admissions, Common Application, Essay Resources, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Quick Tips, Tips  |  Posted on August 10th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

Why College Essays Matter Since many other students have similar GPAs and test scores as you (if not better, eek!), one powerful way to stand out from the crowd is to draft compelling and insightful essays. The personal statement and other supplemental essays are your chance to “be in the room” with admissions and introduce […]

How to Combat Writer’s Block and Finish Your College Essay

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Common Application, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Productivity, Quick Tips, Tips, Uncategorized  |  Posted on August 10th, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

So you’re two hours deep into your college essay and you just can’t seem to get anything good down on paper! We know what that feels like, we’ve all been there! Here are 4 tips on how to overcome the beast that is writer’s block.   Flip your topic on its head Maybe the way […]

Structure: How to Build a Boss Essay

Topic: Admissions, advice, College Admissions, Common Application, Essay Resources, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Quick Tips, Tips, Uncategorized  |  Posted on July 31st, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

Your college admissions essay is a required writing assignment, yes, but try not to think of it as more work that will stress you out. YOU OWN THIS ESSAY. How can you be the boss of this assignment instead of letting it be the boss of you?  It’s easier than it seems. Just do these […]

The Number One Mistake International Students Make  

Topic: Admissions, advice, College Admissions, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, International Applicants, International Students, Tips  |  Posted on July 21st, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

It goes without saying that, as an international student, your application will be distinct from that of many of the other students applying to American colleges and universities. If you did not go to school in the States, your schooling experience, the activities you participated in, and many of the details of your life and […]

Ask Yourself These 4 Questions Before Volunteering Abroad

Topic: advice, Tips, Uncategorized  |  Posted on July 11th, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

Many high school students engage in community service abroad, whether it be on mission trips with churches, schools, clubs, or family. Not all students, however, sit down to seriously ponder what the experience means to them and what they hope to both give to and get out of it. Volunteering in a foreign country can […]

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