Category: College Essays
How to Write Princeton Supplemental Essays
If Princeton is at the top of your list for best-fit colleges, you know that every component of your application counts. With an acceptance rate of 4.5% for the class of 2027, it’s clear that applicants are going to have to submit their best work to be competitive, and that includes writing compelling supplemental essays.
Harvard University Supplemental Essay 2024-25 Prompt Guide
If Harvard is one of your top-choice schools, you may be wondering how you can make your application stand out to the admissions committee. This is where your college essays come in. If done well, they can set you above other applicants. However, these essay prompts require short, creative answers, which is not an easy task. Keep reading to learn more about Harvard’s supplemental essays for the 2024-25 admissions cycle and how to craft them.
How to Write the Columbia University Supplemental Essays
How to Write an Impressive College Application Essay
Join IvyWise college admissions experts to learn how you can showcase your best self when applying to college. They will cover:
Each step of the Common App, including the activities section and the optional community disruption question. How to stand out to admissions officers when applying with the Common App. Tips for brainstorming essay topics, beginning the first draft, word choice and tone, editing the final personal statement essay. How to use supplemental essays to demonstrate interest in each college on your list. Watch now College application essays are a critical aspect of the admissions process, offering an opportunity to showcase your individuality beyond the standard application forms and test scores. A well-crafted essay can highlight your unique personality, experiences, and aspirations, providing college admissions officers with a more holistic view of who you are.How to Write the 2024-25 Brown Supplemental Essays
Crafting a Winning Why Dartmouth Essay: Tips and Tricks
One of the most stressful parts of the admissions process for many students is writing the college essay. After all, the essay carries so much weight because it provides more insight into who you are, how you think, and whether you’re a good fit for the school. Because the essay is so stressful, many students put it off until the last minute. However, the trick to writing a winning essay is to prepare in advance.
Knowing what to expect can help you feel more confident about how to respond to the essay prompts. If you’re interested in attending Dartmouth, you will be expected to write the “Why Dartmouth?” essay. Read on for some tips and tricks to write a winning essay that will get the attention of the admissions committee.
How to Write the 2024-25 Yale Supplemental Essays
Join IvyWise college admissions counselors Christine and Scott, both former admissions directors at Yale, for an inside look at Yale. Whether you are beginning the college search process or finalizing your list, this is a great opportunity to learn all about Yale from those who used to recruit and admit students to the university.
Watch now With its lengthy history and unparalleled academic rigor, it’s no surprise that Yale tops many students’ best-fit lists, with an acceptance rate that has dipped below 5% in recent years. Given the competitive nature of Yale’s admissions process, every component of your college application is going to be crucial, including supplemental essays.2024-25 Common App Essay Prompts
2023-24 Cornell University Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide
Is Cornell University on your college list? Because it’s an Ivy League institution with a low admissions rate, your application needs to be extremely competitive. Your responses to Cornell’s supplemental essay prompts can help set you apart if they are compelling, thoughtful, and authentic. Keep reading for some insights into Cornell’s 2023-24 supplemental essays.
UCLA Personal Statement: FAQ, Examples & Insider Tips
UCLA is part of the University of California system, which is comprised of nine campuses throughout the state. Students applying to UCLA must use the UC application — the University of California system does not use the Common App or Coalition Application. The application process includes several personal statement prompts, or what UC refers to as personal insight questions. Keep reading to learn more about these prompts and tips for responding to them.
Stanford University Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide 2023-24
If Stanford is one of your top-choice schools, you may be wondering how you can make your application stand out. Your responses to Stanford’s supplemental essay questions are a significant way to set yourself apart from other applicants. However, these essay prompts require you to be both concise and creative, which is not an easy task. Keep reading to learn more about Stanford’s supplemental essays for the 2023-24 admissions cycle and how to craft them.
12 College Essay Prompts and Topics 2023
The Common Application is officially open, and many college-bound high school students are hard at work on their college applications. In addition to the main Common App essay, many schools might also require supplements that include some thoughtful — and downright quirky — essay prompts and short answer questions.
What Vanderbilt Admissions Officers Look for in Essays
If Vanderbilt University, also known as Vandy, is one of your top-choice schools, you may be wondering how to craft your admissions essay to help you stand out. Vanderbilt is incredibly selective, so they look for students who demonstrate what they can contribute to the diverse campus community academically and otherwise. Your response to these essays contributes to the holistic review of your application, so it’s important to put a lot of thought into them.
Keep reading for more information about the Vanderbilt essays and some strategies for writing them, including tips from one of our IvyWise counselors.
ChatGPT in College Admissions
If you’ve been paying attention to education or technology news lately, you’ve likely heard a lot about ChatGPT, the new tool from OpenAI that generates astonishingly human-like text based on prompts and questions submitted by the user. We have been getting a lot of questions about this tool and how it should or should not be used in the college application process. Because this is a new advancement and I am far from a technological expert, I thought it would be best to pose these questions to the tool itself.
The italic text below represents the responses I received when I submitted the following questions to the ChatGPT tool. Some responses have been shortened for space and relevancy, but otherwise no changes have been made.
When to Use a Comma to Separate Phrases — and Other Comma Questions
By Carolyn, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor
In eighth grade, my English teacher Mrs. Houlihan told me that I was the only student in my class who knew how and when to use a comma. That feedback stuck with me, not just because it made me feel like the greatest student of all time (which, let’s be honest, I totally was), but because it made me realize the awesome power of the comma. For such a tiny piece of punctuation, the comma packs a mighty punch, in that using it correctly or incorrectly is one of the most glaring signs that a writer either does or does not know what they’re doing.
Grammar and Spelling Mistakes to Avoid in Your College Essay
Few things are scarier to students than submitting their college application only to find grammar and spelling mistakes afterward. This can lead to panicked calls to counselors and colleges, asking to resubmit their essays or correct an error. While small grammar and spelling mistakes won’t kill your college admission chances, they can lead to a lot of additional headaches for already stressed-out students.
How to Answer the “Why This College?” Essay Prompt
This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate your interest in a college and highlight that you’ve done your research in the schools to which you apply. If tens of thousands of other applicants all chose to apply to Brown University, for example, what makes you so special? This is where admissions officers will turn to the supplement prompts. After all, if you were in their shoes, would you be more likely to admit the student that answers the “Why Brown?” question with deep consideration about their academic future,
How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay
NYU has long been a top choice school for many students. New York University’s application volume has now reached a new level. Last year, more than 100,000 students submitted applications, marking a new record for the college.
Consequently, it’s no surprise that gaining a seat at NYU is exceptionally competitive. To boost your admissions odds, you must ensure that each component of your application presents you in the best possible light, including your NYU supplemental essays. Read on to learn what you can do to make sure your writing sets you apart for all of the right reasons.
How to Write the Why NYU EssayIf you think you only need to worry about your personal statement, think again. Supplemental essays matter, particularly at highly competitive colleges like NYU where students are applying amidst tens of thousands other applicants.
One of the most important questions you will need to answer as part of the NYU supplemental essay process is about the college itself. Many schools include a supplemental essay question that asks the applicant why they are choosing to apply to their institution. They ask this question because they want to gauge an applicant’s
How Many Colleges Should I Apply to?
With colleges receiving more applications than ever before and admissions rates dwindling each year, many college-bound students are deciding to hedge their bets and apply to as many schools as possible in order to secure sufficient offers of admission. There have been reports over the years of students applying to dozens of colleges – sometimes 30, 40, even 50. But is this really beneficial? How much is too much when it comes to college applications?
5 Common College Application Essay Myths
The Common Application opens this weekend on August 1, and for many rising seniors this is the perfect opportunity to get a head start on their college applications before the start of the school year. However, before students dive into their college application essays, they need to know what’s true, and what’s false, about these common application essay myths.