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Guide to The NY Times’ Five Best College Essays on Work, Money and Class

Topic: advice, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, New York Times, Uncategorized  |  Posted on May 22nd, 2017  |  Written by Nina Bailey

Every year, The New York Times issues an open call for college application essays on the subject of money, work, and class. Money becomes a lens through which identity, family, and dreams, can be glimpsed. Out of the many submissions they received this year, The Times published the five best essays (four were published in […]

How to Write an Oddball Essay | College Application Guide

Topic: College Admissions, Common App Prompts/Topics, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Supplemental Essays  |  Posted on December 10th, 2016  |  Written by CEA HQ

The Oddball Essay is a supplemental essay type that mines for information about not only who you are, but also how you think. Colleges are interested in the way your mind works so they can determine if you’d be a good fit for their campus community. Are you easily led down a rabbit hole of […]

How to Write a Compelling Community Essay | College Application Guide

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Supplemental Essays  |  Posted on December 10th, 2016  |  Written by CEA HQ

The Community Essay is a standard supplemental essay type that mines for information about your social habits and favorite causes. Since you will become a member of whichever college community you choose to attend, it’s not surprising that admissions is curious to learn more about the communities you are already a part of and the […]

The Activity Essay

Topic: Admissions, advice, College Admissions, Common Application, Essay Resources, Essay Writing, Uncategorized  |  Posted on December 10th, 2016  |  Written by CEA HQ

At one time, not so long ago, the Common App asked all applicants for a brief description of their most important extracurricular experiences. When that requirement became optional in 2013, many individual colleges took it upon themselves to issue a similar prompt as a replacement. The activity essay is an excellent opportunity to expand beyond […]

How to Write a Compelling “Why This College” Essay

Topic: Admissions, Essay Resources, Essay Writing, Uncategorized  |  Posted on December 10th, 2016  |  Written by CEA HQ

The famous Why Essay is one of the most common supplemental essay types, and it’s not difficult to ascertain why that is.  When competitive colleges and universities are trying to carefully select applicants to admit to their institution, they want to find the ones who really want to be there.  The “Why This College” Essay […]

Bragging Writes College Essay Contest 2016

Topic: College Admissions, Essay Tips, International Students  |  Posted on March 28th, 2016  |  Written by Thea Hogarth

Congratulations to the future class of 2020! Acceptances are starting to roll in and we couldn’t be more excited for you, or prouder to have been a part of your journey. As one final hurrah, we’re holding a college essay contest to honor this year’s best essays. So, submit your winning application essay to the […]

The Danger of Reading Real College Essay Examples

Topic: Essay Tips  |  Posted on September 3rd, 2015  |  Written by Thea Hogarth

“Real college essay examples” is one of the most commonly searched phrases in the college application Googleverse. Cloaked in mystery, the personal statement is an assignment that students rarely encounter before senior year. And yet the college-applying hordes are required to tackle this beast every year. “Surely the successful essays of my predecessors will hold […]

Presenting College Essay Academy, Your Complete Video Guide to the Admissions Essay

Topic: College Admissions, Common App Prompts/Topics, Essay Tips, International Students, Most Popular  |  Posted on July 21st, 2015  |  Written by Thea Hogarth

If you’ve ever spent any time wondering what we get up to over the summer before the Common App comes out, wonder no more! We are very excited to announce the release of our first ever complete video guide to the college admissions essay: College Essay Academy is a process-driven, advice-filled, fully animated webseries that […]

Writing the College Admissions Essay: How Early is Too Early To Start?

Topic: College Admissions, Essay Tips  |  Posted on April 30th, 2014  |  Written by CEA HQ

The time has come. Flowers are blooming. The frost has permanently (we hope!) melted from the trees. Students everywhere have taken the incessant checking of their Instagram feeds to the fresh air of the outdoors. Spring has finally arrived, and with it comes a daunting task – beginning the college admissions essay. We are often […]

Back to School with College Essay Advisors

Topic: College Admissions, Essay Tips  |  Posted on August 20th, 2013  |  Written by CEA HQ

First, the bad news. The school year is almost upon us. Summer reading is almost due, homework is on the horizon, and the amount of time you spend floating in swimming pools and eating hamburgers on the beach is about to decrease significantly. The good news? Back to school shopping is here! Fall TV Previews are about […]

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