Every bit as important as your college-admission essay are the essays you write for scholarship applications. We've all read the to-do and the don't-do lists for your essays, but I wanted to share a list with a different approach.
   The list -- offered by Michelle Showalter of Scholarship America, writing on The Scholarship Coach blog in US News & World Report -- could just as easily have been directed as those trying to get into college, since the pointers are universal. But the points will serve you well, no matter what purpose your essay.
   Topping her essay-tips-to-avoid list is the most obviously and one of the cautions most ignored: Don't rush. "You may work great under pressure," Showalter writes, "but no one is at his or her best when rushed and stressed. Start your application early and give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm ideas."
  Other essay traps to avoid:

• Not knowing your audience: Take some time to get to know the organizations that are sponsoring the scholarships.
• Picking a "vanilla" topic: Google "popular scholarship essay topics" to find the ones to steer clear of.
• Uncreative writing: Use imagery to draw your reader in. Paint a word picture.
• Using "text speak": We'd all roll our eyes to think some high school senior would use "LOL" or "IMHO" in a scholarship essay, but "text speak" has been creeping into essays, according to Showalter.
• Submitting it unpolished or unproofed: Polish it, hone it, perfect it . . . and don't forget to run spell check. Read it aloud. Read it backwards. Ask your parents or a trusted adviser to read it. A sloppy error can be costly.

***
   A recent survey of 48 admissions officers from selective private colleges found they look for three things in the college essays they read: a unique perspective, strong writing and an authentic voice, according to Carol Barash, writing in The Alternative Press.
   "A unique perspective shows how you see the world and what difference you have made through your actions," writes Barash, founder of Story To College. She suggests listing 20 or more moments when you learned a key lesson, changed in a fundamental way or made a difference in the lives of others.
   Think you should write like you do in English class? Think again, Barash advises. "Write with the power of storytelling," she says.
   Finally, your "authentic voice" needs to be your voice, not what you think you should sound like. Begin by telling your stories out loud. Use your phone or your computer. Even better, gather a group of friends and tell your stories to one another.
***
   OK, it's almost summer break. I know you've already got Sun & Fun on your mind. But for high school juniors, there's something even more important: starting (and finishing!) the first draft of your college admissions essays, according to Doodie Meyer, president of Meyer Educational Consultants. There's more than one advantage.
   "Plan ahead and be proactive," Meyer says. "That way, you will be able to do all the other things you love to do in the summer!
   "And, who knows? Perhaps, a summer endeavor will turn into a captivating story that needs to be told to an admissions officer."
 
Arnie Rosenberg is the founder of The Center for Essay Excellence. He writes regularly about college essays and their importance to the college-admission process. Contact him at Arnie.Rosenberg.Editor@gmail.com.

                                                                                                                      
                                                         © 2014  The Center for Essay Excellence

  Rejection from law school is no more crushing than being denied from an undergraduate program or the university where you'd hoped to complete your Ph.D. It's only human nature to want to second-guess yourself, what you did and what you might have done better.  
   One of the main reasons for law-school rejections is a weak admissions essay, according to law-school admissions counselor Shawn P. O'Connor, writing in the Law Admissions Lowdown blog on US News & Word Report Education.
   "Essays are critical to success for those placed in the 'maybe' pool," writes O'Connor, founder and CEO of Status Prep. "There are a lot of fish in that pond, so if your essays lack a compelling story or fail to show your unique attributes, your application may be passed over."
   Your law-school essay is always important, but takes on added weight if your GMAT and LSAT scores fall short of the average for the program you want. But you still can get into Harvard Law School, for example, with an LSAT in the 160s "by composing stellar essays, which speaks volumes about the impact of application materials beyond your GPA and LSAT score," according to O'Connor.
  Other factors, O'Connor writes, that most often contribute to law-school rejections: Your LSAT-GPA index was too low and the program you applied to received a large number of applications from students of similar backgrounds.
***
   Everyone will tell you that to become a better writer you must become a better reader. And they're right.
   There are endless resources to help you write a college essay that sets you apart from the crowd. Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas, has an excellent reading list that will help prepare high school juniors for the daunting task ahead.
   Prepared by Abby Brasell, the school's college- and career-readiness adviser, the list suggests not only step-by-step guides to good, clean, clear narrative writing, but also a couple of gems: 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays and The Berkeley Book of College Essays.
   Both will be invaluable before you sit down to tackle that intimidating first draft.
***
   It's not too soon for high school juniors to begin thinking about attending college fairs in the fall.
   College representatives are "there to spread the word about their college to high school students — and they want to talk to you," reports the "bigfuture" blog on collegeboard.org. "Bigfuture" offers tips on preparing for this coming season's college fairs:

• Before you go: Find out what colleges will be there and make a list of the ones you want to learn about.
• While you're there: Check out some of the colleges not on your list. You may stumble onto a great school you hadn't considered.
• When you get home: Do more research on the colleges you’re thinking about. Explore websites, contact the admission office or plan a campus visit. If you liked what you saw at the fair, it may be time to see the college in person. 
  

   Read "bigfuture" for more tips.
 

Arnie Rosenberg is the founder of The Center for Essay Excellence. He writes regularly about college essays and their importance to the college-admission process. Contact him at Arnie.Rosenberg.Editor@gmail.com.

                                                                                                                      
                                                         © 2014  The Center for Essay Excellence

   I share a strong passion with Rebecca Joseph, an associate professor of education at California State University at Los Angeles.
   You see, we both have strongly held beliefs about college-admissions essays: A student's essay should be his or her own work. College essays -- whether the first draft or the polished, refined and perfected final version -- must be a high school applicant's own work, his or her own words, his or her own efforts.
   Regardless of the help a student gets -- whether it's with the concept, the title, the writing or the editing -- the essay needs to reflect the student himself or herself. No admissions officer wants to read the work of a parent, a tutor or an essay editor like me.
   "What message are we sending our young people if we over-edit their essays so much that their originality and authenticity fade away," Joseph asks, writing in The Huffington Post. "It is time to let the 17-year-old voice take center stage."
   I couldn't agree more. In fact, browse the the website of The Center for Essay Excellence and you'll see phrases such as "Your words, only better," " . . . your work -- your words," "Your work remains your work. Your voice remains your voice . . " and our slogan, "Putting your best words forward."
   It's an approach we've used successfully for years. "Anyone who helps students should be a mentor and a guide -- not a ghostwriter," Joseph writes. I believe in collaborative coaching and mentoring. It's the only way for students' college essays to be the recognition they truly deserve.
***
   Your college essay can do more than just get you into college. The website Medium.com is sponsoring a contest to award $5,000 prizes to high school seniors with the winning essays. Along the way, a panel of professional writers -- including Anna Quindlen, Wally Lamb, Kelly Corrigan and Mary Roach -- will read all of the semi-finalist essays. Originality, creativity, ingenuity and use of language are among the selection criteria.
   The three winners will be announced June 2 and recognized at Medium's San Francisco offices on June 12.
   Submission deadline is May 19. Click here for all the rules.
***
   "Get real" is one of the bullet points in the article "What I wish I'd known about applying to college" on the site  USA Today college. "’Ive always been a gifted writer, and I figured I could throw together a great application essay that would wow admissions officers and make up for my average grades and slightly above-average test scores," writes a student identified at Matt from the University of California-Davis. "I was most definitely wrong.”
  Most definitely, Matt.
  Today, with college admission growing increasingly competitive and, to be honest, with the brightest of high school applicants growing increasingly brighter, universities are looking for something that sets their applicants apart. More and more, it's their essays.
   Essays tell these college who you are and what makes you tick. They show what makes you laugh and what makes you cry. And they have a lot to say about your priorities.
   If there's anyplace you spend your time and effort, emotion and energy, it's on your college essay. The spending will be well worth it.
  

Arnie Rosenberg is the founder of The Center for Essay Excellence. He writes regularly about college essays and their importance to the college-admission process. Contact him at Arnie.Rosenberg.Editor@gmail.com.

                                                                                                                      
                                                         © 2014  The Center for Essay Excellence

   Guns on campus.
   Scary enough just to hear the words. They bring to mind image of a campus in lockdown, SWAT teams sweeping the buildings . . . and worse.
   But I don't bring that up to scare you. I do it to point out that Idaho now is the sixth state to allow concealed weapons in most areas and buildings of public universities, US News & World Report reported. Idaho's eight university presidents opposed the new law. Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter signed it into law.
    As you research colleges, you'll be looking at campus safety along with academics and extracurricular opportunities. Do guns belong on college campuses? The Center for Essay Excellence wants to know your opinion. Take our poll:

***
   Through the frustration of your college application process you're bound to ask yourself, "What do colleges really want?" Don't you wish you could sit down with two or three experts and pick their brains about what they're looking for in incoming freshman and how to find the right fit for you?
   NPR station KALW-FM in San Francisco -- run by the San Francisco Unified School District -- has done that for you.  The station's City Visions program gathered three experts and asked that very question.
   Click here to listen to the conversation with Mike Sexton, vice president for enrollment management at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA; Kristen Jurgens, former associate director of undergraduate admissions at Boston College and senior assistant director of admissions at Tufts University; and Ted de Villafranca, managing partner at the educational consulting firm Edvice Princeton.
***
   Writing a quality college essay is no easy task. But there are bedrock principles of essay writing that you need to understand before you launch into the process, according to The Princeton Review.

• Start early and write several drafts.
  
• Set it aside for a few days and read it again.
  
• Put yourself in the shoes of an admissions officer: Is the essay interesting?  Does it reveal something about the applicant? Is it written in the applicants' own voice?

   Read more about the mechanics of essay writing and telling your story.  

Arnie Rosenberg is the founder of The Center for Essay Excellence. He writes regularly about college essays and their importance to the college-admission process. Contact him at Arnie.Rosenberg.Editor@gmail.com.

                                                                                                                      
                                                                                    © 2014  The Center for Essay Excellence