December 6, 2011. Many schools ask a question involving diversity. For these questions, remember that diversity is about more than differences between races and cultures; it is about each person’s unique traits, experiences, and the resulting influence on one’s perspective.

Universities value diversity in their admitted students because diversity outside of the classroom can broaden your perspective on the world and increase your contribution both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. For example, someone very different from you might share a viewpoint or experience in a class discussion that is new to you. These unique contributions add depth to each student’s individual educational experience.

The proper way to answer a question about a situation involving diversity is to tell about a time when you learned something about yourself or another culture from someone very different from you. Instead of talking about going out for Chinese or Indian food, explain how you were changed by your exposure to new experiences or helped change the perspective of someone else. This type of response will allow admissions officers to see the impact you will have if admitted.

One way to imagine diversity is to see the undergraduate student body as a puzzle with thousands of pieces, and yourself as one of those unique pieces. What strengths do you bring to the college and your fellow students? How can you help the University complete the picture, and what qualities do you possess that can add depth to the on-campus experience?

Need more assistance with writing your story or your college application essay? Write debbie@essaycoaching.com. We educate and motivate. You create.

November 13, 2011.  What do you think about writing an essay and receiving $5,000 for your effort? Essay Coaching is proud to raise awareness concerning 14 scholarship opportunities, including two essay contests.  Bookmark the following list, because the deadline on the last contest is July 31, 2012—plenty of time to apply!

Need more assistance with writing your story or your college application essay? Write debbie@essaycoaching.com. We educate and motivate. You create.

[Read Advice on Whittling Your Admissions Essay.]

November 4, 2011. Dr. Pepper is giving away $2,500 each week to winning video stories (deadline December 31, 2011). See this week’s winner below or by visiting the Dr Pepper contest site.

Need more assistance with writing your story or your college application essay? Write debbie@essaycoaching.com. We educate and motivate. You create.

[Read Look at Life the Way Steve Jobs Did.]

November 1, 2011.  Here is some great advice from the New York Times on reducing the number of words in your common application essay or your college admissions essay.

Shorter essays usually make a stronger impression, just like reducing a soup stock gives it a stronger flavor. However, when cutting words, examine the content. Compare this short, but general phrase:

“Volunteering to help others is important to me.”

with this slightly longer one that says so much more about a student, because it is specific:

“I remember when I went to the Flint Homeless Shelter last year, for my weekly two-hour shift serving dinner.”

Here is a sample essay that is very effective with only 79 words, from Fiske:  Real College Essays that Work:

“Why Yale” by David Roosth

Upon a recent Yale visit, I conversed with a Yale senior in the admissions office about his experiences.  He had only two complaints about the university: there were too many student protesters, and the university sands the roads instead of salting them in the winter.  I love that Yale is a place where the students are motivated to change the world, and the faculty encourages them to act.  Sanding saves the environment.  What annoyed this Yale student impresses me.

Ask yourself:  “What have I learned about David from this essay?”  Then ask yourself: “What will someone learn about me after they read my essay?” They should finish with a clear, positive impression of you.

Need more assistance with your college application essay?  Write debbie@essaycoaching.com.  We educate and motivate. You create.

[Read Look at Life the Way Steve Jobs Did.]

October 18, 2011. If you are applying to college, you have certainly heard:   “What do you want to do? What are you interested in?”

You don’t have to know what you want to do when you write your college application essay.  You simply have to know what you care about, what you’ve done about it, and why.  It’s that simple.  Create a true story where you tell about a situation, an experience, a person, a book, or an idea that is meaningful to you. The story needs to describe both your experience, and your insight about that experience.

For inspiration, read Steve Job’s commencement speech and watch his video. He went through life with an enviable intensity. He was an original. Plan to enter and graduate college with that same excitement and inquisitiveness about life.

After watching the video, spend at least 10 minutes writing.  Set a timer, and start to write.  Keep the pen moving. Don’t cross out, don’t worry about spelling, punctuation and grammar, you can correct those later.  Get some ideas on the page.  Writing will get your ideas flowing.  You can’t edit a blank page. You can download the common app questions here.

Need more assistance with your college application essay?  Write debbie@essaycoaching.com.  We educate and motivate. You create.

[Read Ten Websites Every College Applicant Should Know About]

September 13, 2011.  If you are applying to college, take five minutes and watch the video below, even though you may not be applying to Yale.  Marcia Landesman, a Yale Admissions Officer, eloquently describes what Yale is looking for in an essay. She says to make your essay specific, use an anecdote, have a point, write in your own voice. This advice also describes what other colleges are looking for in a college application essay. However…

Essay Coaching presentations have mentioned all of these points in school talks and workshops since 2005.  What we have found is that although all of these points are helpful, they may not change your writing behavior. That is because knowing what you should do and knowing how to do it is two different things.

The solution?  Write a rough draft and then ask for feedback. Ask the reader: What have you learned about me from reading this essay? Is my point clear? Is there anything that confused you? What parts did you find most interesting? Then edit accordingly. You’ll notice the difference. Visit essaycoaching.com or write to debbie@essaycoaching.com for more information about how you can improve your college application essays.

September 6, 2011.  Below is information on three scholarships with the deadlines of October 13, September 15, and October 17, 2011 respectively.

To apply for these scholarships you need to create a video, write a haiku, and write a personal statement.  Apply now!  For more assistance, write to debbie@essaycoaching.com

————————-

Scholarship Provided By:

Cambium Enterprises

Deadline:

October 13, 2011

Type of Award:

Contest

Amount:

$5000

Awards Available:

1

Website:

http://www.possibilityu.com/node/693

Description:

The PossibilityU Scholarship is available to high school and college undergraduate students. To be considered, you must create a five – minute video that uses one of the five prompts provided to tell about your hopes, dreams, and schemes for the way your college experience will change your world. You must post your video on YouTube and PossibilityU’s Facebook page. Voting will be open to the public. The video with the most votes wins.

Applicable Majors:

All Fields of Study

Additional Information:

————————————

Scholarship Provided By:

DirectTextbook.com

Deadline:

September 15, 2011

Type of Award:

Contest

Amount:

$500

Awards Available:

3

Website:

http://www.directtextbook.com/haiku

Description:

The DirectTextbook.com Back-to-School Haiku Scholarship is open to students currently enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college or university. To enter, you must submit an original haiku that captures the essence of going back to school. You must have a minimum GPA of 2.5, be a resident of the U.S. and have never been incarcerated to be eligible for this award.

Applicable Majors:

All Fields of Study

Additional Information:

Please visit the sponsor’s Web site for additional information.

Scholarship Provided By:

The College JumpStart Scholarship Fund

Deadline:

October 17, 2011

Type of Award:

Scholarship

Amount:

$1500

Awards Available:

Unspecified

Website:

http://www.jumpstart-scholarship.net/

Description:

The College JumpStart Scholarship is available to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors; and current college students. To be considered for this award, you must be committed to going to school and be able express your goals for getting a higher education.

Applicable Majors:

All Fields of Study

Additional Information:

Please visit the sponsor’s Web site for additional information.

Information on scholarships from fastweb.com

The winning 500 word essay answering the question,

“What does fitness mean to you, and how can you better incorporate overall physical, mental, and emotional health & fitness into your daily life as a student?”

will receive a $1,500 scholarship from United Youth Fitness.  This is a great essay topic!  Enter now.  For additional assistance, contact Debbie Merion: debbie@essaycoaching.com.

August 23, 2011. “The calendar may say August, but it is not too early to begin thinking about—and working on—college applications,” says Peter Van Buskirk in U.S. News and World Report.  His six steps for getting organized are:

1. Develop a timeline, 2. Create a college spreadsheet, 3. Establish a filing system for application materials, 4. Collect applications from colleges likely to be on your short list, 5. List the essay topics required by each school, 6. Think about the key messages that you want to convey, 7. Develop a resume.

I want to comment  on # 3 at this time — Listing the essay topics. The best way to do this is:

a. In a computer file, start a list of the colleges you are interested in.

b.  Look up each school on the Internet and find its undergraduate application.  In your essay file, underneath the name of each college, copy and paste the exact essay requirements from the application, including word length requirements.

c.  You will have three types of essays for colleges (note that not all colleges require essays). The first type is the common app essay, which is accepted by 456 colleges. However, many colleges (such as University of Michigan) require the common app essay and supplemental essays unique to their school.  Third, some colleges (such as Michigan State University) have their own essay requirements. You may also have some short questions, which, like essays, require thought.

d.  Review the list.  Which essay questions overlap?  How do word length requirements differ? Mark up your list with your notes to answer these questions.

e.  Start brainstorming, and writing lists of topics for these essay prompts.  The best ideas are unique, reveal your strongest qualities, tell a true story about something you care about, and appeal to you as a writing topic.  If you don’t want to write about it, why would anyone want to read about it?  For more information on this, read Solving the College Admissions Puzzle, review the information at essaycoaching.com and contact debbie@essaycoaching.com for a free consultation.

August 10, 2011

I agree with Susan:

Susan Warner, an independent college counselor, said she believed an application essay should be about the student, not about an activity.

“Parents always ask, ‘What should my child do this summer to assist in the college application?’ ” Ms. Warner said. “I tell them it’s as significant to scoop ice cream as it is to build houses in a foreign country.”

Read the entire NY Times article : Planning Summer Breaks with An Eye to the Essay.