Writing a Great College Recommendation Letter

College essays have much in common with college recommendation letters: they both provide insight into the student voice.

To help St. Clair County teachers and counselors with this writing challenge, Debbie Merion and John Boshoven presented at two three-hour sessions, using the powerpoint slides shown above to answer these questions: What types of letters do college admissions officers find compelling? How can you effectively write them?

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Thirty-Eight College Scholarships

Scholarship Update for December, 2009***
If you have completed your college essays and your college applications, now is the time to look into these scholarship opportunities:

Scholastic Art and Writing Award

Deadline to apply: Varies
middle or high school art or writing program
Consider entering your college essay into this competition for an award. Other types of writing are [...]

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Does My Essay Really Make a Difference in Getting Admitted?

Admissions

Yes, it can. Here is a quote from one college admissions counselor in College Essays that Made a Difference:
There are essays that are compelling, that make a difference. A great essay can carry the student. A poor essay might do the opposite. – John Latting, Director of Admissions at Johns Hopkins University
In general, [...]

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How is a College Application Essay Different from a High School Essay?

High School

After an Essay Coaching workshop, one high school student said to me:
Now I understand. High school essays are about what we know. College application essays are about who we are.
She was right. Colleges want to know more about you than whether you can get an “A” on your physics test. They often have to choose [...]

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Welcome to The New Essay Coaching

News

“It’s easy when you know how.” Have you ever felt that?
Before you learn how to do something, it seems scary and maybe even impossible. Then, after you’ve learned a technique, the mystery is gone, and in its place is a perfectly attainable goal.
The goal of this blog is to speed you towards the after.
But [...]

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