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The Excellent Essay Blog

There's so much going on in the world of college admissions that it's tough to stay informed. College essays are playing an increasingly critical role, and The Excellent Essay Blog keeps you up-to-date on the latest news.

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College Fair 101: Get the most out of your visits

10/11/2014

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   It's football season, it's college-application season but it's also college-fair season. No. 2 and 3 go hand-in-hand, of course, and -- when it comes to choosing schools where you'll apply -- give you opportunities you won't get anywhere else.
   "You get a chance to talk to representatives from all over the country and sometimes they'll even have them from other places," explains Alicia Englestad, career/post-secondary counselor at Palo Verde High Magnet School in Tucson. "It's great to go to those to get a little bit of information."
   "And have your list of questions ready to go," Engelstad says on the bigfuture blog, sponsored by The College Board. "Things like the size of the school. Things like the size of the classes. Maybe what kind of


programs do you have? Have set up the ideas of things that are important to you."
   College fairs also bring together companies that provide important services for college-bound students. You'll find folks to discuss financial aid, test preparation, setting up your dorm room and that all-important college essay.
   For me, it's important to talk with as many high school seniors as possible about their college essays. Whether or not they choose to have me work with them on their essays, even a five-minute conversation at a college fair can make a big difference for you and your essay.
   Just a couple of minutes chatting with me can make a world of difference for the student who's been struggling with his or her essay. We'll talk about the basics -- choosing a topic, writing a compelling intro, keeping the reader engaged. If I can get you on the right track (or back on the right track if you've gotten distracted), that five minutes is a monumental investment . . . . for both of us.
   If you're in South Florida, I'd love to talk with you over the next two weeks. Look for me at The Center for Essay Excellence booth at the Boca Raton High School College Fair this Tuesday (Oct. 14), the Suncoast High School College Fair this Thursday (Oct. 16) and the countywide college fair on Wednesday, Oct. 22, sponsored by the Palm Beach County School District.
   The countywide event expects more than 175 universities and career programs
to be represented. Boca Raton and Suncoast expect 75 and 90 representatives, respectively, to be there to talk with you.
   But don't plan on just walking into these college fairs, or any college fairs around the country, and just wandering around. Make a plan and stick with it. Prepare your questions in advance and make sure you ask them.
   "College fairs are unique opportunities for you to meet college admissions people face-to-face and begin the process of showing colleges your 'demonstrated interest,'" Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz writes in The Huffington Post. "They are especially useful if you don't have the time or resources to personally visit colleges.
   "Not all colleges in the U.S. are represented at these fairs, but you will usually find at least some that are of interest to you. You never know, you might even find a few schools that you have never heard of that eventually end up at the top of your college list."
   In the blog, Shaevitz -- founder of AdmissionPossible.com -- provides invaluable advice on how to prepare for a college fair: what to do beforehand, how to dress, what to do when you arrive, how to introduce yourself to college representatives and an all-important list of questions you should ask of the colleges where you're interested in attending.
   Check it out . . . and come by and meet me at The Center for Essay Excellence booth at the three South Florida college fairs this week and next.

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.
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Three experts agree: Your essay needs to show 'you'

10/6/2014

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   "What we really want to know from your essay is something we really can't get from your grade-point average, from your test scores, from your list of activities," says Leslie Braat, associate director of admissions at Oberlin College in Ohio. "Your story, in other words."
   She does a good job of summing up the importance of your college essay. It gives you the opportunity to show your real self, the "self" that admissions officers can't get from the factual responses that make up so much of your college application.
   Braat recently took part in a Google+ Hangout conducted by U.S. News & World Report. Also taking part were
Kasey Urquidez, dean of undergraduate admissions​ at the University of Arizona, and Katherine Cohen, CEO of educational consulting firm IvyWise.
   "Be authentic. Be yourself," Urquidez advises. Use your essays to give examples "of ways you overcame something  or something you've done that might set you apart.
   "Remember, they're reading a lot of essays, so it's important to set yourself apart and not just recreate your resume," she said.

Watch the full video here:


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   Plenty of so-called experts -- yes, including me -- are eager to tell you all about your college essay: How to title it, how to organize it, how to write it and how to edit it. But what do we know anyway?
   How about listening to a high school senior who's going through his essay struggles as you read this?
   "You will not stand out if your grammar is so correct, and your narration so generic, that there’s no soul in the writing," says high school senior Paul Vedier, writing in the Times Union for the Albany (N.Y.)-area Journalism & Media Studies Program. "Colleges want to see you in that paper, so assess the essay as if it were a looking glass."
   "Make sure that the quirky things about you, no matter how small, shine through the words," Vedier writes. "Hit them with this light, but don’t blind them with it. Treat it like looking at the sun in the sense that when someone looks at the sun they don’t get the chance to look for very long, and they don’t really see the whole sun, but they walk away from the experience going, ''Yeah, I got to witness that, and I wish I could see more.'”
   Great analogies. And great advice.
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   OK, you put in all this work, but do colleges really read every essay they get?
   They definitely do, according to Kim Lifton, president of WOW Writing Workshop.
   "We talk to admissions officers all the time," says Lifton. "Public. Private. Small. Liberal arts. Ivy League. They would not ask you to write an essay if they were not going to read it."
   She quotes Amy Hoffman, assistant director of admissions for Miami University of Ohio: “Last year we received 25,000 applications, and we read 25,000 essays.”


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.  
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    Arnie Rosenberg

    Arnie is an award-winning newspaper, magazine and online editor. He's been helping students perfect their college and scholarship essays for more than 15 years.

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