How do you write the perfect college essay? This is a complicated question. In this post, we will focus on your audience.

No matter what kind of writing you are doing, you must consider for whom you are writing it.  Who’s your audience? This is a good question to ask even as you write your high school papers.  If your answer is, “my teacher,” then you may not fare as well as you might if you imagined about writing a paper (about a Shakespearean play, for example, or the causes of the Civil War) for your mother.

I’m serious.  If you write for your teacher, you are going to presume too much knowledge on the part of your reader.  You’re going to forget to tell the story, neglect to connect the analytical dots, and assume that your teacher (who already knows the causes of the Civil War) will fill in the blanks.  But too many blanks make for a holey paper.  So, write it for your mom.  She can understand your academic point (because she’s a smart woman and she loves you), but you may have to lead her through it more methodically, and you may have to explain things a bit more carefully.  And a methodical, careful paper is going to be better than a holey one.

So for whom are you writing your college essays?  Good question.  The answer is “some anonymous reader of unknown age or life experience whose job it is to find some reason to say no to my college application.”  Are you starting to tense up? Actually, you don’t have to imagine your audience in such a negative light.  But you do have to keep in mind some basic characteristics of your audience.  These characteristics will help you write a more methodical, careful paper (and not a holey one).

Your reader is tired and easily bored

It’s the dead of winter and he is curled up in front of his space heater, drinking tea, trying to get through as many applications as he possibly can tonight before he starts all over again in the morning. Your essay is the 65^th he has read today, and very few have been memorable.  He yearns to be entertained.  Also he wants to see something fresh and interesting.  He wants to appreciate a creative twist on the same-old essay prompts.  He wants something that reads well…like a mystery novel, a juicy gossip column, or at least a well-crafted feature in the Chicago Tribune. So punch it up.

One of the best ways to do this is to pay close attention to the first and last lines of your perfect college essay.  The first sentence or two, especially, is worthy of your careful consideration: give your reader some reason to sit up and take notice.

Your reader may scan your essay to see if it’s worth reading carefully 

Again, these essays all begin to sound the same after a while.  So it’s natural to imagine your reader scanning it first to discern whether this is just one more formulaic piece about the happy poor people you served at the soup kitchen one evening, or about how you saved the big game by throwing the touchdown pass in the final seconds of the game.  Therefore, you can help your reader do the scanning by using some of those excellent writing devices you began learning in primary school.  Clear structure:  introduction, body, conclusion.  Strong paragraph form.  Clear transitions.  Chronological sign posts:  “first did this, then I did that, finally I did that other thing.”  You learned these techniques years ago:  now is the time to deploy them.

Your reader does not have any information about your life

So assume nothing.  If you’re writing about skiing, pretend your reader is an oboe player.  If you are waxing eloquent about physics, assume your reader prefers poetry.  Avoid using abbreviations or acroynms that may be perfectly clear to you and your friends, but may have no meaning beyond your circle.  To tell someone that you passed through the IC building to go the LRC in order to work on your EE is to use language no one except someone who follows you around day-to-day could understand.  Similarly, don’t assume that if you are writing your essay about model trains that your reader understands the difference between an STD and an HO gauge.  You have to assume that the reader of your perfect college essay is educated and happy to learn new about model trains, but don’t start getting technical on him or you’ll lose him (and he’ll doze off there in front of that nice, warm space heater…).

Your reader really wants to like you

Most students imagine admissions officers as really scary people.  But it’s not true.  Admissions folks are an interesting breed.  They generally love their jobs, and they enjoy learning about young people. They see themselves not as the evil gatekeepers who take delight in rejecting applicants with a villainous cackle as they scrawl a big “deny” across your file in frog bile.  Rather, they want to share their community with interesting people, and they are genuinely hunting for someone interesting like you.  So think of your reader as someone who is supportive and kind to young people. Thinking about the person who will ready your essay will help as you craft it.  Don’t assume too much of him, positively or negatively.  Just be compassionate and understanding.  Know where he is coming from.  This knowledge will help you structure your piece in a way that he will appreciate, and that will give him every reason to leap up out of his chair and cry, “finally, someone who understands me!”

Need help to write your perfect college essay?

Looking for help in writing the perfect college essay? Give us call for a free consultation: 720.279.7577.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

Nearly every week a student or two will ask me if they should disclose learning differences on the college application. Generally speaking, students don’t want to give a college any reason to generate any preconceived notions about them. Even though colleges have come a long way in terms of understanding and accommodating learning differences, most people don’t understand the varied range of learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, processing disorders, or ADHD. As a result, some students simply don’t want to risk the possibility that an uninformed individual will review their applications.

Other students, however, see good reason for to disclose learning differences. They want to actively pursue accommodations at the college level, and they may view disclosing their learning difference as an opportunity to provide an explanation of something unusual on their transcripts.

Learning Disabilities and College Success

Should a student with a learning disability share that information on the college application? This is a tough call. In some ways, a learning difference is a sort of “secret identity” that might best be kept secret. But for some students, it is essential that they disclose their learning difference in the admissions process.

A 2007 survey from the Association on Higher Education and Disability reported that just 28% of students with learning disabilities graduate from college. And only 25% of students with an identified learning difference take advantage of the services available to them on campus. Perhaps this is because many students want to shed the label and stigma of “special education” and are unwilling to ask for the help they need. Or maybe they believe that because they have entered the college arena they need to be completely independent. Even the decision to initially disclose a learning disability is tough. Should students disclose this information or keep the diagnosis private?

High school vs. college

During the school-age years, a student with a learning disability is identified formally so that she can receive appropriate instruction and services. In this environment, school faculty and staff understand the complexities of managing life with a learning disability. Therefore, opportunities for the student to practice self-disclosure of her disability are rare and infrequent. Then again, because it is illegal for colleges or universities to directly ask if a student has a disability and because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) no longer applies after high school graduation, a student no longer has to be identified as learning disabled if she doesn’t want to be. Obviously, students who are applying for a specific program targeted towards LD students will disclose a learning disability without hesitation, but others may feel more hesitant.

When deciding whether or not to disclose a learning disaility, consider the following questions:

• Why would my student want to disclose his learning disability?
• What are the short and long-term risks and benefits of his decision?
• What’s in it for my student?

Determine Whether to Disclose Learning Differences

Students may want to disclose learning differences, however, if they meet the following criteria:

• The student enrolled in some special education classes in high school. Official transcripts will list all resource, support, or special education classes.
• The student did not take all of the high school classes that a college requires for admission, such as a foreign language, and the college is willing to waive those requirements for LD students.
• The student’s grades were consistently lower as a result of a learning disability.
• The learning disability was identified later in his high school career, and the student’s grades noticeably improved after it was identified.
• The student’s learning disability dictated the classes and activities he pursued in high school.
• An explanation of the choice of classes will help an admissions officer better understand the student’s circumstances, abilities, and motivations.

If you’re hesitant to disclose your learning difference on initial applications, be sure to weigh the pros and cons because the ramifications of your decision can results in dire consequences.

A Whole New World: Disability Laws at the Post-Secondary Level

One of the biggest issues facing students with learning challenges and their families is the difference in laws that govern schools that service K-12 versus schools at the post-secondary level.  In this section, our aim is to help you better understand the transition from the laws and procedures in IDEA to the legal protections that apply to college students.

Until a student goes to college or until the semester he turns 21, he is protected by IDEA. IDEA specifically requires that K-12 schools actively seek out students with learning challenges and provide them with the services and the assistance they need to be successful in the classroom. Once a student enters college, however, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) take over.

FAPE: the K-12 standard

Section 504 requires a school district to provide a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) to each student with a disability.  Students are evaluated at no cost to families and Individual Education Plans, or IEPs, are formulated. As a result, students may receive tutoring and other academic services and aids during the school day as dictated by their IEP. Transition services are also required by IDEA, and it is this plan that helps to ensure that students have taken the appropriate courses for college entrance and received the necessary accommodations when completing college entrance exams, such as the ACT and SAT, if they qualify.

How do things change in college?

Students with a disability leaving high school and entering post-secondary education will see differences in their rights and how they are addressed.  Unlike high school, the college or university is not required to provide FAPE. Rather, a college is required only to provide appropriate academic adjustments or accommodations as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of your disability. In other words, focus shifts from academic success to academic access.

Therefore, colleges are not required to seek out students with learning challenges and are not required to provide any diagnostic services. They are also only required to provide “reasonable accommodations.”  Students with learning disabilities or ADHD, however, may be entitled to reasonable academic services and aids based on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and ADA. These laws mandate that all colleges and universities in the United States that receive any federal financing cannot discriminate in the recruitment, admission, or treatment of students with disabilities. This law allows your student to request modifications, academic support, and auxiliary aids that allow him to participate in and benefit from all of the programs and activities that colleges offer.

More Legal Considerations: What Accommodations MUST Colleges Provide?

Because there are no guidelines under IDEA, Section 504, or ADA that require colleges and universities to accept documentation that does not meet their guidelines, each college has the right to develop its own guidelines and adhere to them.  For that reason, campus attitudes and services can vary greatly.  However, under the provisions of Section 504, colleges and universities cannot:

• Limit the number of students with learning challenges that can be accepted for admission
• Ask questions on applications that require a student to disclose a disability
• Ask students to complete pre-admissions tests without academic assistance when eligible
• Exclude a qualified student from a particular course of study or major
• Counsel a student with a disability out of a particular program due to the disability
• Limit eligibility to students with disabilities for scholarships, internships, assistantships, or financial aid

Remember, each college will determine appropriate academic adjustments based on the area of disability and individual needs. Some services, however, are mandatory.

Examples of these services are:

• Extra time on exams
• Allowing tests to be individually proctored, read orally, dictated, or taken on computer
• The use of a system to provide notes
• Adaptive technology that includes computer hardware and software that allows students to access materials
• Note takers who take notes in your classes for you
• Access to specialized, professional tutors

Keep in mind that many colleges offer services beyond what the law dictates.  Most college campuses welcome students with disabilities and have existing policies and procedures in place that make requesting accommodations an easy, worry-free process.  For instance, schools may provide access to learning centers and learning specialists and offer developmental courses, tutoring services, and study skill workshops.  To learn more about the specific services a college provides, ask the Office of Disability Services about all of the services and aids offered on campus.

Students with Learning Differences: Getting Started with the College Search

Whether or not you decide to disclose a learning difference, choosing the right college for a student with learning difference can be tough. So many factors enter the conversation. But one of the most difficult issues is to connect past struggles and successes with predictions of the sorts of environments that will minimize those struggles and maximize those successes in the future.

Some students yearn to “be like everyone else,” to not stand out. They spend energy and effort in trying to make it without any special accommodations. Some students succeed, although typically at considerable cost in time and energy. Others simply fail. Some students spend lots of time worrying if their grades are deserved or if they are being graded too liberally. They want to make it in spite of their disability, not because of it. Some students come from sheltered high school settings where many things were done for them. When they arrive at college, they have many unfulfilled expectations and feel angry and bitter about the perceived lack of support. Some students are able to adjust to the rigors of college; many others, unfortunately, are not.

The Importance of Self-Advocacy

Most students who have difficulties in postsecondary education, however, do not fall into any of these categories. They experience difficulties because they are not good at letting others know what they need in order to be successful. In other words, these students have poor self advocacy skills.

There are many different reasons why students may not be good at communicating their needs. Some feel shy about approaching professors. Others are reluctant to ask for needed accommodations because they do not want to be a burden or because they do not want to be treated differently. Some do not know what to say and what not to say to professors. Others fear that their request will not be honored or respected. Regardless of the reason, research shows that when students get assistance from their professors, they feel more positive about themselves and their professors, and they increase their chances of academic success.

Advocacy starts with honesty

Your student can become her own advocate by becoming proficient at realistically assessing and understanding her strengths, weaknesses, needs, interests, and preferences. The first step is to sit with a professional and review the documentation to be sure your student understands and can effectively communicate her area of disability. Be sure she is comfortable and confident in communicating her areas of strength and weakness as well as all accommodations she has benefitted from in the past. 

Assess Motivation and Independence

The next step is to complete a self-assessment and examine critical questions involving your student’s level of motivation and independence. Author Michael Sandler identifies six questions to assess self-motivation and independence in students with ADHD that can be adapted to students with any learning difference.  These questions can help identify specific attributes that you and your student must consider in researching an appropriate college setting. Do you..

• …need support and structure in high school?
• …routinely need help from others to keep you motivated and focused?
• …thrive on individual attention from teachers?
• …prefer to immerse yourself in a subject?
• …need a high energy environment?
• …have trouble falling asleep?

Career goals, college selection, and learning differences

When selecting a college, you and your student should consider what it is your student hopes to obtain from attending college, so identifying a long-term goal is critical in the selection process.  Most students decide to pursue a college education in order to seek professional employment or move forward in career planning, However, many students change their minds and their majors in the first, second, or even third year of college.  Keeping this in mind, it’s important to recognize your student’s long-term individual goals and to select colleges that offer the educational programming to meet them.

Let’s consider the following career-oriented questions:

• What degree is needed in order to reach the career path your student has selected?
• Does the college offer a program of study that matches your student’s career goals?
• Do your student’s academic skills and interests match her career goals?
• Are these interests identifiable with a career or are they better suited for a hobby?
• Will specific learning disability-related obstacles prevent your student from reaching her career goal?

Choosing the right college location: How independent are you?

Students with learning challenges must not lose sight of the fact that college life extends beyond academic needs. Rather than basing your decision solely on whether or not the college has a strong disability services office, be sure the college can meet all of your needs and preferences. Examining needs and preferences, the location of the campus, and career goals will help your family select a college that best matches individual needs. Remember, there are a variety of resources available to students with learning differences.

Moving away from home can be challenging for students regardless of whether or not they have a learning disability.  However, some students with specific challenges may experience higher levels of anxiety and may not yet be prepared to live independently. Determining whether location of the college campus should be a priority in college selection is dependent on several factors.

Measures of independence

• How independent is your student?  Does she independently manage her responsibilities or does she need adult guidance?  Does she independently manage things like cooking, laundry, and managing finances?
• Is the college located in a small town or a large city?  How will this impact your student’s decision?
• If your student chooses to live at home, how far of a commute is it?  Is public transportation available?  Can she access it independently
• Does your student want to live with a roommate or does she prefer to live alone?
• Is your student able to say no to peer pressure?

Your answers to these questions will help you evaluate your student’s level of academic and social independence.  Beyond this, also consider things like accessibility to medical providers and your student’s ability to maintain relationships with family and friends within a specific mile radius.

Assess Other Student Needs

Once you have examined your student’s needs and preferences, consider other elements of the college decision, including finances, prestige, student life, availability of academic programs beyond the major and disability services (such as study abroad or specialized facilities), and the activities the student enjoys or wants to explore in college.  In this way, the college search is no different than for any other student.

However, it is vital that students with learning disabilities—and their families—place that learning disability squarely at the center of the decision.

As we highlighted above, students with learning differences graduate at less than half the rate of neurotypical students.  You must fully discuss and decide what services, facilities, technologies, and personnel you will need to be successful in college. 

College Graduation Is the Key

This is the key consideration: do not think so much about college admission; instead, think about college graduation. What do you need to be successful so that you can graduate from college with the major you want—on time and on budget? 

Of course, every student is different. But we have seen students with learning differences who have failed to graduate because they were in denial about the importance of putting their learning differences front and center in thinking about how to choose the right college. 

Fortunately, we have also worked with many, many students with learning differences of all types who have successfully chosen colleges that have matched every aspect of who they are as a student and a person. You do not need to limit your college choices just because you have a learning disability. However, you ignore your own learning challenges at your peril. 

The Disability Services Office – How Much Help Do You Need?

High school students who have typically relied on the support of their parents and other adults when it comes to negotiating accommodations will find themselves in the driver’s seat when they get to college. Most parents and professionals involved with preparing students with learning disabilities for college would agree that independent decision-making and the ability to express one’s needs are two critical elements of self-advocacy. However, success with making decisions and communicating one’s needs can be intimidating. In the college classroom, for example, a student with dyslexia who processes written material more slowly will need to step up and do some self-advocating. If he doesn’t, it can mean the difference between passing and failing.

Given that self-advocacy is equated with success, establishing a positive relationship with the disability services office needs to be a top priority.  And remember, you have the right to access these services whether or not you disclosed your disability on your application to college. Whether or not the admissions office knew of your dyslexia or ADD or other challenge before you were admitted, you are eligible to take advantage of those services—as long as you have the right documentation of your diagnosis.  We will discuss documentation requirements below, but first, let’s look at the different levels of support that different colleges may provide. 

Finding the Right Fit – Levels of Support for LD Students at the Post-Graduate Level

The level of support for learning differences varies greatly from college to college.  In this this section, we will summarize these different levels of support. As you review them, consider which level of support would be best for you or your student. 

Students with learning disabilities and ADHD are applying to colleges and universities at increased rates. And while colleges and universities are making progress in leveling the academic playing field for qualified students, campus attitudes and special services programs continue to vary. Unlike public schools, colleges and universities are required by law only to make “reasonable accommodations” for qualified students with learning challenges. To find programs that are a good fit, it is helpful to think about disability support programs in terms of three main categories.

Basic Programs

“Basic” programs are also referred to as limited, self-directed, or decentralized programs, and they only offer accommodations required by law, such as note-taking assistance and un-timed testing. Most colleges and universities fall into this category and are best suited for students who received consultative services only at the high school level. For students with on or near grade level reading, writing, and math skills, strong self-advocacy, and consistent time management skills, the assistance of basic programs provide the necessary accommodations for academic success.

Coordinated Services

At the next level of support are programs described as “coordinated” services. These programs provide services beyond the required level. Students will have access to at least one specially trained staff member who may have input on admission decisions and offer study skills classes, tutors, and other support services at no additional charge. These programs are typically best for students who demonstrated on or near grade level skills in high school, but needed support in requesting needed accommodations and in effectively managing their time.

Structured Services

Programs offering the highest level of support are described as “structured” or “proactive” programs. They often require students to sign a contract and charge additional fees ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 a year. They offer modified coursework and specially trained staff that monitor individual student progress. Fewer than 100 schools fall into this category.

To determine the best program for your student, students and their families should schedule a meeting with the disability services program on campus. Sitting down with staff from the disability services program, which every college and university should have, will give you an opportunity to learn more about the program, the staff, and the services available to students with learning challenges. Once your family has had the opportunity to see the program and meet its representatives, you and your student will be better able to evaluate the college’s academic and extracurricular activities, college climate, and its disability supports for getting you into – and out of – college.

Documenting Your Learning Disability

Let’s assume that you have decided to disclose your learning disability. Before filling out that application, you really should contact the disability services office by phone or by email and request all materials you will need to start the application process. Colleges love to send out information, and among the materials they will send your family are the documentation guidelines.

Something you’ll notice right away is that families (not high schools) are responsible for verifying that existing documentation meets the college or university’s requirements. To be safe, request additional copies of your student’s evaluation results from your high school or testing service provider. You might also need to schedule an appointment to complete additional testing or to provide some supplementary information. Be advised: preparing this documentation can take time, so complete this step as early as possible in the application process. Also, allow the disability services office sufficient time to review the information and become familiar with your student’s accommodation needs.  Any delay can mean a postponement in receiving appropriate accommodations.

Documentation: How much is enough?

Colleges typically use your student’s age, the evaluator’s assessment approach, and the level of detail provided in the last eligibility evaluation to determine the level of support she will receive at the college level.  The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which is the primary enforcement agency for college access under Section 504 and ADA, makes the following points about documentation in their booklet Students with Disabilities Preparing for Post Secondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities:

Recommendations from the US Department of Education

“Schools may set reasonable standards for documentation.  Some schools require more documentation than others.  They may require you to provide documentation prepared by an appropriate professional, such as a medical doctor, psychologist, or other qualified diagnostician.  The required documentation may include one or more of the following: a diagnosis of your current disability, the date of the diagnosis, how the diagnosis was reached, the credentials of the professional, how your disability affects a major life activity, and how the disability affects your academic performance.  The documentation should provide enough information for you and your school to decide what is an appropriate academic adjustment.

 “Although an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan, if you have one, may help in identify services that have been effective for you, it generally is not sufficient documentation.  This is because post-secondary education presents different demands than high school education, and what you need to meet these new demands may be different.  Also, in some cases, the nature of a disability may change.If the documentation that you have does not meet the postsecondary school’s requirements, a school official must tell you in a timely manner what additional documentation you need to provide.  You may need a new evaluation in order to provide the required documentation.”

So, how much documentation will be enough? 

Documentation: Six Core Elements

Based on a review of decisions of the Office for Civil Rights, the following six core elements should help you evaluate your current documentation:

1. Documentation should contain a clear statement identifying the area of disability

Classification codes from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) or the International Classifications of Disease (ICD) are helpful.  Specifically, be sure the documentation includes the dates of the original diagnosis and any evaluations performed by referring professionals, along with a date and description of the most current evaluation.

2. Documentation should contain information regarding the current functional impact of the disability

A psycho-educational battery of tests consisting of standardized tests that measure aptitude, achievement, and cognitive processing is the most common approach for identifying and quantifying a learning disability, and it is likely to meet the minimum requirements for documentation at any college or university.  Current functional impact on physical, perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral abilities should be described in narrative, and when formal or informal testing was used, the details of the results should also be included.

3. Documentation should include information about treatments, medications, and assistive devices and services

While it is important to specifically describe treatments, medications, accommodations, assistive devices and assistive services that your student is currently receiving, it is also important to include a description of their estimated effectiveness in minimizing the impact of the disability.

4. Documentation should provide a description that provides information about the expected progression or stability of the disability over time

Include a description of any expected change in the functional impacts of the disability over time. Also include information about any recommendations concerning the need for re-evaluation of the disability, especially if your student experiences flare-ups or episodes.

5. Documentation should include recommendations

Because recommendations must be reviewed and approved by the college or university, all recommendations should be directly linked to the impact of the disability.  When connections are not specific, they should be explained in detail.

6. Documentation should contain the credentials of the evaluator

If your student’s documentation does not contain a letterhead or form, be sure to include the credentials of the evaluator.  Furthermore, if the credentials of the evaluator are not typically associated with the diagnosis of the disability, be sure to include a brief description of the evaluator’s experience with this type of diagnosis.

Remember, in order to receive accommodations at the post-secondary level, documentation must demonstrate that your student has a disability as defined by the ADA and Section 504. Colleges grant accommodations when existing documentation clearly links the current impact of the disability to the requests your student is making. To avoid complications, always investigate the specific documentation requirements for the colleges your student is likely to attend by either visiting the college’s website or contacting the college’s disability services office.

How and When to Disclose Your “Secret Identity”

Once you’ve decided to disclose your learning difference, the question shifts to how and when you should disclose it. Regardless of the application and the college, you should definitely disclose your learning difference in writing. Generally, there are three different ways to disclose your “secret identity.”

In Your College Essay

Oftentimes, students will address the main essay prompt by describing how their learning challenge impacted their academic careers over time. One of the essay prompts on the Common Application, for example, asks about a “background or identity” that is important to the applicant. Many students for whom their learning challenges have been front and center throughout their lives may be tempted to write about this aspect of their lives.

Another Common Application prompt, in fact, asks students to discuss a challenge or setback that they have experienced, and to write about how they overcame it.  This prompt is also a favorite of students with learning challenges, because it becomes a way to spin the challenge in a positive manner. 

Despite the centrality of a learning difference to a student’s experience, we actually advise our students against using the main college essay as a way to disclose a learning difference.  

Why you shouldn’t write your college essay about your learning difference

Our recommendation is based on the idea that a student with a learning disability generally doesn’t want that difference to be the defining characteristic of their personality. Furthermore, a learning disability by itself is not an “achievement.” Rather, it is something that the student must deal with day in and day out. While a learning difference can have a HUGE impact on a student’s daily academic routine, it is not necessarily the thing that makes the student most proud, or for which the student wants to be remembered in the admissions office.

The personal essay offers all students an opportunity to share with the admissions office something that is enormously important to that student. It allows the student to give a three-dimensional portrait of who they are not only as a student, but as a human being. Thus we recommend that our students use this valuable piece of their application to share their values, ideals, and personal insights.

Our recommendation

At Great College Advice, our recommendation is that students share the facts of their learning differences in a different way. Remember that applicants are usually asked if they want to add any additional information. If so, write a personal statement consisting of 150-200 words and attach to the application packet. Regardless, remember that your statement should not be presented as an excuse for academic difficulties. Be confident, honest, and positive. Also, don’t forget to include current, professional documentation of your disability and your need for accommodations.

As “Additional Information” on the Application

Both the Common Application and the Coalition Application offer an “additional information” section in which the student can offer supplemental information that is not otherwise addressed.  This could be an excellent place to describe the learning disability briefly, and explain the impact it has had on your learning.

This description and explanation should be clear, concise, and matter of fact. It should have a clear, positive tone. Don’t make it whiny. Moreover, it should not be written as some sort of “excuse” for poor grades or other difficulties in school. Nor should not drone on for a long time.  250 words should be plenty to get the main points across.

And what is your main point? The central theme of this essay should be that you have a diagnosed learning disability and that it has an impact on how you do your schoolwork. If there is a connection between the disability and your grades or the courses you decided to take, simply point it out. For example, a dyslexic student might point to generally lower grades in language-based courses or to the decision to avoid a foreign language in high school.

You are not defined by your learning difference

Understandably, some students find it ironic that the disclosure of something that looms so large in their day-to-day life can be summarized in only 250 words. This is partly because of the feelings that the learning difference can evoke. For some students, it is really like a beast that must be slain every day. 

Nevertheless, “disclosure” is a revelation of the facts. It is not the place to discuss the ways in which this beast has made you feel frustrated or angry or lonely. It is not the place to talk about the emotion you felt—after years of struggle—when you were finally given a formal diagnosis and the commensurate accommodations.

Rather, focus on a general theme: I have a learning difference.  It affects me academically in the following ways. I’m doing the following to adjust to this difference. I use the following accommodations. I’m improving, or I continue to do well, or I continue to struggle in the following ways (as the facts suggest).  Finish with a sense of pride and accomplishment that while you will always have to wrestle your own particular beast, you know you will accomplish your academic goals.

Simple. Factual. Concise. No embarrassment, no shame, and a positive view of your future.

In a Separate Written Communication with Admissions

The same writing guidelines above apply to writing a separate communication to the admission office. However, why would you want to send a separate communication?

No space on the application

Many application platforms neither require nor give space for writing essays of any sort. In this case, you cannot disclose your learning difference on the application itself. If you feel that disclosure will help your chances of admission, then you should connect directly with the admissions offices of the universities to which you are applying. We recommend you try to connect with the member of the admissions staff who is responsible for handling applications from your school or region or state. Often, you can look up the admissions staff on the website and learn which staff member would be most appropriate. 

Sometimes, however, you may be unable to find such information. You can try calling the main admissions number, but even then, you may not be able to get the contact information of a specific person. If that is the case, ask the person answering the phone how you should handle your intention to disclose your learning difference. You may be instructed to send your email to the main admissions address. In this instance, do these three things.

How to send your disclosure in an email

First, submit your completed application prior to writing your disclosure email. Second, make sure the email subject line has your application number or identifying code on it. This will make it easier for the admissions office to match your email with your completed application. Third, make sure that the body of your email includes enough identifying information to ensure that the email is matched to your application file.  At a minimum, include your home address, your phone number, your high school, and your date of birth. 

Best use of space

Even if your application does provide an “additional information” section in which you can disclose a learning disability, it may be in your interest to do so in a separate communication.  You want to make sure that the additional information section provides as much high-quality information about you as possible. If you have more important things to share in that section, then use the space for those important things. For example, if you have research abstracts or publication lists or music awards or other achievements that do not fit elsewhere on your application, then the “additional information” space is where you should describe and amplify those accomplishments.

Once again, you are more than your learning disability. While it looms large in your daily life, it does not define you.

Your LD is a fact

Think of it this way: your learning difference is an interesting fact about you, just as your ethnicity, citizenship, and parentage are interesting facts.

Of course, the whole reason for disclosing your learning difference is to give context to your academic performance. The admissions officer needs to know this fact in order to interpret your course choices and grades.

Whether the admissions officer learns this interesting fact about you on the actual application or in some other communication will not really matter. Instead, use every opportunity to give a full 360-degree view of who you are as a person. You want to demonstrate all your accomplishments, positive attributes, interests, and plans and ambitions for the future.

Your learning difference may provide crucial context to all those things. However, a learning disability is not your primary, defining characteristic. Your disclosure is a strategic choice to help you in the college admissions process. But you are much more than that.

Whether to Disclose Learning Differences in College Admission: A Summary

Disclosing a learning disability in the college admissions process can be a difficult decision.  However, as you make this decision, keep in mind these basic considerations:

1. Will disclosure help or hurt your chances for admission? In most cases, disclosure helps more than it hurts.
2. Understand how your learning difference will be accommodated while you’re in college. Specifically, understand legal changes.
3. Assess your own learning needs. Err on the side of planning for more accommodations than you think you need right now.
4. Ensure that the documentation that identifies your learning disability is no more than three years old before you enter college. Whether or not you disclose in the admissions process, you will need proof of your diagnosis if you are to receive any accommodations at all. Even if your diagnosis is mild or doesn’t present great obstacles now, you should have this documentation just in case.
5. Make sure considerations of your learning disability are factored into your college choice. It doesn’t need to be the leading factor, but your academic success—and eventual graduation from college—requires that you include your learning difference in your decision-making.
6. Carefully consider how to disclose. Do so in a way that presents you in the best possible light. Your learning difference is an important fact that gives context to your academic achievement, but it probably isn’t the most important thing about you.

You can do it!

Your learning difference is an important part of who you are as a student. However, it does not need to define you as a person. It doesn’t limit your ability to succeed in life. Embrace your difference, just as you embrace your hair color, your skin tone, your hometown, and your family circumstances.

Or, as the French would say, “Vive la difference!”

Freshman year means the start of high school, and with that comes a lot of changes. There are a lot of things to adjust to, and it might seem like college is a long way off, but your freshman year is the perfect time to start doing some small but important things that will help you later on with the college admissions process.

Not sure how you could possibly use your freshman year to get ready for college? Don’t worry; we’ve got the answers for you!

Fall

Get involved!  Try out new extracurricular activities, and continue to pursue those that already interest you. 

Build relationships with your teachers and school guidance counselor.

Make sure you’re taking a course load that’s rigorous but not out of your reach. Colleges will look at your entire transcript from high school, so now is the time to start impressing. [Read this: Which is better–hard courses or a great GPA].

The transition to high school can be tough; don’t fall behind, and make sure to seek academic help from your teachers, if you need it.  If you need help figuring out how to study efficiently, check out this website called Study Hacks for tips and ideas from Cal Newport.

Winter

Talk to your family about your college budget. It’s good to have an idea now of how much you’ll be able to pay and how much you’ll want to look for scholarships and other sources of funding.

Start thinking about your summer plans.  A job?  What sort of job?  A summer academic enrichment program?  A camp or travel experience?  Waiting until the last minute is always a bad idea.  Prepare!  Ask questions!  Talk to potential employers.  Also talk to your parents about their expectations and budgetary realities.  If you want to read more about how best to prepare for summer, read this article.

Think about ways to amplify your extracurricular activities.  A sports or music camp?  A summer community theater production?  Build your art portfolio?  Volunteering? Make plans for the summer that will be both fun and productive.

Spring

Plan courses for sophomore year, with an eye to what you will take for the rest of your high school career.  Plan ahead, but know that you can always made modifications to your plans as you learn more about what you are best at and what you enjoy most.  Looking for more information about academic planning in high school? Read this article.

Continue to make summer plans so that you can hit the ground running as soon as school is out.

Summer

Implement the plan you started upon in the winter.

Read!  Nothing can help prepare you for the English language portions of the standardized testing than reading.  Novels.  Non-fiction.  Magazines and newspapers.  Even comic books.  Read at every opportunity.

College Timeline For 9th Graders– A Summary

High school should be a fun and exciting time for you! As you embark on your high school career, start to focus on these important things early so you have an easier time later on.

Your classes. Make sure you’re challenging yourself, but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. You want to do as well as you can in the most challenging courses for you.

Your extracurriculars. Whether you’re involved in sports, clubs, a job, or family obligations, make sure you’re keeping track of what you’re doing. Colleges want you to be interested in things other than academics, so make sure you plan your involvements.

Your relationships. Building relationships with teachers and guidance counselors matters, and the earlier you can get to know these people, the more they’ll be able to help you along the way.

A college timeline for freshmen is important so that you can stay on track. But be sure not to sweat the small stuff. Focus on getting good grades, enjoying your extracurricular involvements, and nurturing your relationships.

Mark Montgomery
CEO and Founder, Great College Advice

As early admissions decisions have come over the last few weeks, many students are not being admitted or denied admission.  Many are being deferred.  Welcome to the purgatory of college admissions.  You can’t reveal in the elation of being admitted and you can’t sulk and get over being rejected.  You are somewhere in the middle.

So what does a deferral mean?  Basically, the college is telling you that it has been unable to make a final decision on your application.  You may be within their profile of admitted students, but not near the top. They are essentially holding onto your application in order to see how you will compare to the rest of their regular decision applications.

Being deferred can be disappointing and confusing.  A whole new set of questions can arise from this status.  Here are some common questions about being deferred and our advice about what to do if your application is deferred.

Should I contact the school if my application is deferred?

 Maybe.  For some colleges, it is helpful for you to call the admissions office and ask to speak with the admissions officer who is in charge of your application.  This person will have the most accurate account of why you were deferred.  Make sure and be polite and ask if there is a reason why you were deferred.  They may have a question about a specific grade or your application may have been incomplete.  Some schools may have specifically asked you not to contact them.  If that is the case then more than likely there is not a specific reason you were deferred. And there may be little you can do to increase your chances for acceptance during the regular decision round.

Does this mean I have a better chance of being admitted later? 

Not necessarily.  While most colleges try to defer applicants who they think have a good shot at admission in the regular round, reality is that some colleges are using the deferred status as a security blanket.  They don’t want let go of qualified applicants until they absolutely have to.  This also means that, unfortunately, you could be put on the waiting list.

Should I submit updated grades if my application is deferred?

Yes.  Most colleges will require you to submit an official semester grade report.  If you did have a low grade on your first quarter grade report and your grade has improved, then certainly let your colleges know. If you are still struggling the class ask the teacher to write you a letter of recommendation.  The letter should illustrate all of the steps you have taken to improve your grade (i.e. tutoring, seeking help with questions outside of class, etc.).

Should I submit additional materials?

Again, it depends.  Some colleges may ask you not to submit additional materials.  Some colleges will encourage additional letters of recommendation, as well as updates on awards and activities and further information on the student’s interest in the school. It is fine to ask teachers, counselors, employers, etc. to send additional letters of recommendation to the college. 

Often these communications are called “letters of continuing interest,” or LOCI. However, some colleges do not want you to send letters; rather they want you to update information in their admissions portal for them.  These updates may include checking a box that you still want your application to be reviewed in the Regular Decision round, as well as space for more information.

No matter the mode, these communications should not only talk about your interest in the college, but what you will add to the campus.  If you have received an award or recognition since you submitted your application, tell them about it!  This is not time to be modest! Perhaps you have been cast as the lead in the musical, or you were appointed to a community board, or you did a bunch of volunteering over the holidays. Whatever information you can give to colleges that is new since you submitted your application, share it.  

Colleges also want to admit students who will definitely enroll in their institution. So it is important to continue to show interest in the school, even though you are disappointed.  You will definitely show interest by taking the initiative to find out why you were deferred and by submitting additional materials before the college asks you to. 

You can also ask to do a phone interview, visit the school (only if you live close enough for it not be a great expense) and send an email or two (don’t send too many) to the admissions officer in charge of your application.  Colleges do want to admit students who were deferred who show interest, but you do not want to overdo it. Do not show up unannounced or send gifts and flowers or insist on pleading your case.  Show them the love, but play it cool.

Should I apply to additional schools if my application is deferred? 

If you did not have a balanced college list before receiving this decision, they you should definitely consider applying to additional schools.  If you were deferred from this school, it is possible is that you may not be admitted to schools with a similar profile–especially if your stats are well below the average admissions profile. So review your list to ensure that you have an adequate number of “target” and “likely” schools.

By the end of January, you should check in with the college and make sure they have all the information they need to make a final decision on your application.  Again, this is best done through the admissions officer who is directly in charge of your file.

Remember that this decision is not permanent. A deferral just means you will have to wait a bit longer. You will eventually receive a final decision on your application And we’re hoping that you get the answer you desire.

Which is better for college admission.

A reader recently wrote in to ask my opinion about dual enrollment courses. She wanted to compare them to the Advanced Placement (or AP) options at her sons’ school.  The question came on a post I wrote analyzing the worth of AP courses.

What Is “Dual Enrollment” or PSEO?

First, a brief word of explanation about “dual enrollment,” or “post secondary enrollment options.”  Most states allow high school students to enroll in community college or university courses. These courses also apply the credits earned to their high school transcript.  Students enroll twice: they earn both high school AND college credits for the same course.  In some cases, community college faculty offer these courses in the high school.

In other cases cases, community college faculty “approve” or certify high school faculty a to offer college level courses after the college has approved the syllabus.  Sometimes students leave their high school to attend courses at the community college.  However they are organized, dually enrolled students receive two sorts of credit for their work.  They receive grades on their high school transcript, and the same grades are recorded in their college transcripts. 

Two birds, one stone.

Advantages of Dual Enrollment

The advantages of dual enrollment/PSEO courses include:

• High schools can offer honors level courses without hiring new staff
• Districts can save money by partnering with community colleges
• Parents can save on college tuition, because these college credits are transferable to most state universities
• Students demonstrate that they can handle college-level work
• Students who doubt their own abilities to succeed in college experience success and are more likely to apply to college–and eventually graduate
• Community colleges and 4-year institutions build a pipeline of students moving from high school to college
• State governments and local governments appreciate the collaboration between K-12 and higher education

In states where PSEO options exist, the state government creates master articulation agreements to ensure that credits earned while in high school are  guaranteed transfer to higher education systems in that state.  Thus, if you take a dual enrollment course in Virginia, your credits are automatically accepted for credit by state-funded universities in Virginia–as long as the grade earned is a C- or above, and as long as the courses are considered academic, “general education” course (as opposed to remedial or developmental courses, or technical or industrial skills courses.

So now for my reader’s question, which has two parts:

First, if students in Florida take PSEO credits in Florida, are those college credits applicable only to Florida colleges, or will they be accepted elsewhere?

Second, which makes more sense:  dual enrollment courses for college credit, or AP courses for college credit?

Let’s look at the first question.

Are Dual Enrollment Credits Transferable?

The answer to the first question is fairly easy:  state colleges and universities will likely accept PSEO credits from another state, as long as the credits are listed on a transcript from an accredited community college or university.  Universities in Colorado, therefore, will accept credits from Florida, as long as they are academic in nature and the student has earned a grade of C- or above. In Colorado, there is NO LIMIT to the number of credits that can thus be transferred.  If all the courses a student takes in her junior and senior years of high school are classified as dual enrollment, then effectively that student conceivably could enter as a first semester JUNIOR in college (depending on where the credits are and how they conform to the university’s graduation and major requirements). 

In Colorado, the student with PSEO credits enters as a first-year student, not as a transfer student. (In Colorado, if a high school graduate takes college courses after earning a high school diploma, the student cannot take more than 12 semester hours of credit without being considered a transfer student, which may mean the number of credits transferred in can be limited.)

Private colleges are a different matter, however.  As private entities, they are free to establish their own transfer criteria. Thus it is best to check in advance of applying what the college’s policy toward dual enrollment or PSEO credits will be.  Some will be happy to transfer the courses in, as long as their college offers an equivalent course.  Others may require a grade of B or better to transfer.  Some more selective colleges may use PSEO credits only to waive prerequisites or for placement purposes.  One thing is clear, however:  colleges and universities of all types smile upon students who have completed dual enrollment or PSEO courses.  These courses demonstrate the ability to do college-level work, and they send the signal to admissions offices that this student is likely to succeed at our college–because they have been tested in real college environments.

Now for the second question:

Which is better, AP, IB or Dual Enrollment? 

The answer is:  it depends.

First, some schools are unable to offer both AP and PSEO.  In fact, rural high schools are much more likely to rely on PSEO courses than AP, because dual enrollment is less expensive to the school district–especially if there is not enough demand to fill a complete AP course.  And IB programs are more rare, because this program is both expensive and affects the entire curriculum offerings at a school that adopts the program. So if there is no AP or IB option in your school, you should definitely consider PSEO options.

Second, if your goal is to reduce the costs of attending a state university, PSEO credits are a guaranteed discount.  Because states automatically require these courses to transfer, any PSEO course you take will reduce the number of credits you must complete (and pay for!) while in college.  As long you dually enroll in a college prep course and you get a C- or better, you get the college credit.  The AP test, by contrast, comes with a high stakes test:  take the course, get an A, and then take the test.  If you pass with a score of 3, 4, or 5, you MIGHT get college credit. The amount of credit would depend on the policy in place at a particular college or university.  And as I have written, an A in the class is no predictor of success on the AP test.

Third, if your school has a strong AP program that has a history of success in helping students earn 4s and 5s on the AP test, you might want to consider the AP courses if you plan to attend a highly selective college or university.  The reason is this:  the AP test is a demonstration of proficiency and competence in a subject matter.  While a credit is a demonstration that you did what the teacher or professor required of you, the AP test is a nationally-normed test.  A score of 5 on that test communicates that are you a good student who can handle college level work. And that you have demonstrated a high degree of mastery of the subject matter.

Mark’s Opinion

My opinion is that a score of 5 on the AP US History test communicates more about the student’s intellectual capacity and academic proficiency than an A in an introductory US history course offered by my local community college.  While I have not done a scientific survey of admissions officers at selective colleges , I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that most of my peers would agree.  Standardized test, despite their flaws, do help admissions officers compare apples to apples.  They help to separate grades from proficiency.  High scores provide external verification that the grades a student earns are an expression of content mastery.  So if your aim is an acceptance letter from the most selective colleges, you should consider taking AP courses.

There is a caveat, however, that brings us back to my reader’s original question. She said that her school has a low pass rate in the AP program. Even students who get high grades in their AP courses core only 1 or 2 on the exams. (In other words, these students fail).   Thus I come back to my point in my previous post regarding AP courses. Just because a course is labeled AP does not mean that it is a good course. Nor does the label mean that a student will achieve the level of mastery required to score a 5 on the AP exam.  Many, many schools across the country offer AP courses that very poorly taught. Many teachers simply do not have the content background or pedagogical skill to prepare students for these rigorous exams.

The College Board is trying to ratchet up the standards. They know that parents are noticing the disconnect between the brand name and teacher preparedness.  These steps by the College Board verify AP syllabi in all courses labeled AP are a good start.  But in the end, success in the AP (or IB) program is not about the curriculum alone.  It is about the teacher who delivers that curriculum.

Conclusion

Jaime Escalante of Stand and Deliver fame enabled his poor, inner city students to pass the AP calculus exam. He was a fantastic, talented, workaholic teacher who did not rest until his students passed that exam.  Teachers in your school’s AP program may resemble Mr. Escalante.  Or they may resemble Mr. Larson. He was my high school math teacher. He was as creative as a lima bean and as dedicated as an assembly line worker two weeks before retirement.  An AP syllabus in his hands would make it highly unlikely than anyone but Einstein himself would pass that AP Calculus exam.

THIS JUST IN:  READ A TESTIMONIAL FROM A YOUNG WOMAN WHO CHOSE DUAL ENROLLMENT OVER ADVANCED PLACEMENT…AND IS GLAD SHE DID!

Mark Montgomery
College Counselor

Great College Advice

What summertime activity in high school will help you explore careers, as well as majors you might like to pursue in high school?

While much has been stated on this blog about the importance and the insignificance of choosing a major prior to attending college, it is still somewhat easier to narrow down your college list if you have some idea of your academic and career interests.  You don’t have to sign on the dotted line and say, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” however, it is a good idea to have some general direction or even just rule a few things out.

One way to do this is to test the waters a bit. The long summer vacation provides a great opportunity. Do a little exploration of careers that may be connected to majors you are thinking about.  Here are some ways to investigate different career paths as a summertime activity in high school.

Looking for a way to take best advantage of your summer?  Need help in identifying which summertime activity would help you explore your career options or to get accepted to top universities?  Connect with us!  Our professional college admissions consultants are eager to help.

Hit the internet

Do you really know what a financial planner does?  What does it really mean to be architect?  Research some of the backgrounds of some professionals that you have heard of or respect.  Look up the executive board members of a company you think you might want to work for. Then and Google their names.  Where did they go to school?  What did they major in?  What former positions have they held? LinkedIn can be a great resource in this regard. 

Learn about job titles

Now that you have some job titles from the fields you may have an interest in, find out what those jobs actually require.  Hit career websites such as CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com and view job postings for those specific titles.  You might be surprised to learn about what is really required.

Talk to someone in the field

Let’s face it, everyone likes to talk about what they do. Conducting informational interviews is a great way to find out more about a career.  Ask your parents or teachers if they know anyone who may be the fields you are interested in.  Once you have the contact information for potential interviews, politely ask them if you can meet with them to ask them questions about their profession.  Here are some potential questions to consider:

– How did you become interested in this profession?

– What previous jobs have you held that lead you to your current position?

– What did you study in college and how did you pick your major?

– What courses in your major have helped you in your career?

– What advice would you give to someone who is interested in your profession?

– Is there anyone else I can talk to who may be willing to provide me with more information on this profession?

– Are their any opportunities to intern at your company so I can learn more about your business?

For more about summertime planning in high school to prepare for college admissions, watch this video.

Summer programs

Many college campuses host career exploration programs for high school students. Some of these may last a few days, while others may last for a week or two or even longer. Some programs can be surprisingly cheap and even free. Others may be relatively expensive. We generally like these programs–especially when they are inexpensive and located close to home. We don’t think it necessary to spend more on these programs just because they are offered by a prestigious university.

Often these sorts of programs are completely disconnected from the admissions office. As well as general administration of the university, and your attendance will have no impact on admissions down the road. We like these programs because they allow students to make connections between academic choices and career opportunities. So look for programs in your state. Or nearby where you can cut your teeth on some new and exciting learning. And, consider potential career options down the road.

Learn by doing

Jobs and internships are another great summertime activity in high school. These will help you learn whether you would like a certain career.  When I was in college, I spent an entire summer running a camp for 5 to 8 year olds.  I took the position because I was considering being a teacher. I wanted to see if I enjoyed working with large groups of children.  I did everything from curriculum planning to first aid. Then, when the summer was over, I knew elementary education was not for me. Without that hands-on experience, I may have entered a major and future profession that I really did not enjoy.

A great way to find potential jobs or internships is through the informational interviews.  One of the things you can ask people is what summer activity in high school might they recommend for someone who is interested in their field. While you are meeting with professionals, it does not hurt to ask if they have summer internships available for high school students.

Don’t forget that when you are researching colleges, it is also a good idea to connect with the Center for Career Development.  Last week’s blog post on career questions to ask during the college admissions process will help you further explore if the colleges you are interested in are offering career development opportunities.

We hope this guide will help you find a suitable summertime activity in high school that will allow you to explore careers and potential academic majors.

Mark Montgomery

Educational Consultant

Many college applications require supplemental essays. A common supplemental question asks you to consider and write about a community to which you belong. How do you write the community essay for the Common App?

The definition of community is open to interpretation and can be difficult to pin down. We each belong to a wide variety of communities ranging from our family and friend groups to being members of the global community.  

My communities 

For example, I belong to a bunch of different communities. I sing in a choir, so I’m part of the community of the Colorado Chorale community (and within that community, I’m a member of the tenor section). I go to see plays a lot, so I’m a member of the “theater-going” community. Birdwatching can be fun, I find, so I belong to the “community of birdwatchers.” I belong to a club or two, so I’m members or those communities. I belong to a political party, which is a community in a sense. I went to Dartmouth, so I belong to a community of alumni, both locally and globally. Same with my grad school: my friends and I still talk about belonging to the “Fletcher Community.” 

When I lived in Hong Kong, I was a member of the American community, which was part of the large expatriate community. I speak French and live in Denver. Therefore, I’m part of the community of Denverites who speak French as a second language. I live in a specific neighborhood in the city of Denver in the State of Colorado in the United States. All of those communities define me in one way or another. Finally, at a more intimate level, I also belong to a family community that is very important to me.

Really, when you stop to think about it, we all belong to a large number of overlapping communities. Think of a Venn diagram with lots of overlapping circles—and we are at that tiny dot in the center where each of those circles overlaps. 

Why write the community essay for the Common App?

Why do colleges ask you to write this community essay? In writing about community as it relates to you, you reveal important details at the core of who you are. Colleges are hoping to bring students to their campuses who will contribute in a positive way to campus culture, whether intellectually, socially, or through their extracurricular activities. They want students who will be successful in their new community and enrich the college through their varied backgrounds, experiences, accomplishments, activities and behavior. Thus, the way you answer this prompt will help them imagine if you would be a good addition to their campus community.

Here are some examples of the community essay prompt:

• Please complete the following, and have a little fun doing so: “I appreciate my community because …” (up to 300 characters)
• At MIT, we bring people together to better the lives of others. MIT students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc. (200-250 words)
• What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?  (up to 350 words)
• Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.  (up to 300 words)
• Macalester is a community that includes people from many different backgrounds, some who have lived around the world and others who have lived in one place their entire lives. Please write an essay about how your background, experiences, or outlook might add to the Mac community, academically and personally. (up to 500 words)*

* Note: this last prompt doesn’t ask about a community to which you currently belong, but rather asks you to reflect on what you will bring to the community. This essay is a mix of activities and community essays. However, this essay should emphasize what the applicant would add to the campus community.

The community essay vs. the community service essay

Notice that this essay is not narrowly focused on any service you might provide to your community. Of course, it is entirely possible that your involvement in a community may include some sort of involvement that helps to promote the community and the interests of its members in some way.  

However, the community essay prompts do not specifically ask you to talk about this service. The prompts want you to think about what it means to “belong,” and how you conceive of yourself in the larger world. A sense of community may, indeed, lead you to act in certain ways to advance a cause, donate your time, or exert your energies to meet the needs of your community. Your actions certainly may become part of this community essay as a way to demonstrate the ways in which you identify with—and contribute to—this community. But the focus of this essay is on that sense of belonging. 

Service to your community—or to someone else’s?

To put a finer point to it, it is possible to provide “community service” to communities to which we do not belong. We might donate time to the homeless community—but that does not make us homeless. We might spend time working with refugees, even if we, ourselves, are not refugees. Or while we might enjoy good health, we still might donate time to make meals for the critically ill.

So make sure that when you write the community essay that you zero in on a community that defines you, and not on the service you devote to a community that is not your own.  

When preparing for the community essay for the Common App, DO THESE THINGS:

Think carefully about your choice of community

The community you choose says a lot about you. Think carefully about what message even just the choice of community might convey to your reader. In fact, you may even want to start by asking yourself “What aspects of who I am do I want the reader to know?” and then pick the community that will do that in the best possible way. Think, too, how your choice can help you differentiate yourself and share important insight into who you are. 

Some factors for you to consider as you brainstorm about all the communities to which you belong:

• Which communities are most important to you and why?
• What do these communities say about you that you haven’t shared with your reader elsewhere in your application?
• What roles have you played in these communities?
• How would you measure the impact of your participation in these communities?
• What does your participation in these communities say about your character, qualities, and how you interact with the world around you?
• What does the overall message say about you as a future college student?

Use this as an opportunity to reveal more about yourself

This prompt isn’t just to elaborate on your community; this is another opportunity to reveal important qualities about yourself. Explain why this community is so important to you. Write about what you learned about yourself and how it has shaped who you are. Reveal how you have made contributions to this community.  

Show, don’t tell

Like every essay, the details show your reader what you want them to know about you. Be specific, but selective, with the details you include. Every word should contribute to the message you want to share with your reader. If you have space, share an anecdote to help the reader visualize the qualities that you are trying to share.

Ensure you answer the prompt fully and directly

Some of these prompts are simple and short, but other schools have long prompts. Don’t get lost in answering the first part of the prompt and forget about the remainder. Re-read the prompt after you have drafted your ideas to make sure you’ve addressed everything. 

In addition, sometimes, if you have multiple applications that ask a “community” question, you may be tempted to simply repurpose the same exact essay from one application to the other. Beware! Each prompt will have different nuances to it, and you will need to ensure that you are actually answering the prompt that is being asked. You can certainly re-use the content from one application to the next, but you should tailor how you express those ideas so that they match the prompt.

When preparing for the community essay for the Common App, DON’T DO these things

Don’t be afraid to “think outside of the box”

Some communities to which we belong are obvious because we participate in them on a daily basis. These would include our families and our friend groups. Others are obvious because they are clearly defined: the football team or student government. But what about those informal communities, occasional communities, or hard-to-define communities to which you might belong? Are you a crafty person who blogs about your creations with an online community? Do you belong to a book group in your neighborhood? Are you a classic car connoisseur? Even writing about things that might not seem like natural “communities” can work quite well as long as they reveal important aspects of who you are. For example, we’ve read a successful “community” essays about a student who belonged to a community of anonymous subway riders. We read another about a community of students who wear crazy socks to school. 

Don’t share obvious details

The detail about the community is not the most important part of your response, even if the prompt does say to “describe a community to which you belong.” Consider only sharing those details about the community that tie into what you are trying to share about yourself. For example, most drama groups put on performances for the public. But not all drama groups are community-based and have participants ranging in age from 9 to 99. If part of your story is about this multi-generational community, then this detail plays a part in your story. Include those details that play a role in why the community is important or impactful for you.

Remember these things about the community essay

No matter which community you choose to write about, you want to be sure that you reflect deeply about why this community is important to you. If you have a longer word count, you can consider using an anecdote to share with the reader, but for the shorter prompts, keep your writing personal, but just more to the point.

And don’t lose sight of the reason that you are writing this essay. You are applying to be a part of a new community. You want to show that you have a deep appreciation for the sense of satisfaction, dedication, and attachment that comes with being a member of a community. The purpose is to demonstrate that you know how to nurture the community and how you nourish others’ sense of belonging in that circle.  

Colleges want to know that you will keep the flame of that college community alive, even as you graduate and move on with your life. The admissions office wants to know that you will cherish and contribute to the community that they already call their own. Convince them that you deserve to belong.

All day everyday, I answer this sort of question:  what are the “best” extracurricular activities for college. It’s an important issue. A student’s involvement outside of school are critical in many ways–not just as a strategy for getting into college.

These activities are expressions of our personality, of our talents, and of our priorities in life. Sure, school is important, but so are a great many other things in life.

As adults, some of us define ourselves by our professions. However, many more of us may define ourselves by our other involvements in our communities. All of us have interests and talents that extend beyond our careers. And sometimes these involvements take considerable amounts of our time. And energy.

These investments in time and energy can bring us a lot of joy and satisfaction. They can also make significant contributions to the communities in which we live.

But are extracurricular activities for college only?  Are only high school students engaged in such activities?

Hardly.  Everyone can do them!

Parents: What Are Your Extracurricular Activities?

I get calls from parents complaining that their kids do not engage enough in extracurricular activities.  They know that these extracurricular activities for college applications are important.  But sometimes I wonder what parents are doing to model the sorts of behaviors they want their kids to adopt.  Are the parents, for example, highly engaged in activities that bring them joy and contribute to their communities?  Or are they binge watching Netflix every night or sitting on the couch staring at their phone?  My own parents modeled how to get involved.  My dad played his trombone in an amateur orchestra, and had rehearsals every week (at 87, he is still playing in a band!). He also climbed mountains, organized our family camping trips, and once worked with some local churches to bring the Duke Ellington orchestra to Denver to play his Concert of Sacred Music. My mom volunteered countless hours as a docent and educator at the Denver Art Museum.  While they were focused on raising three kids, they also found time to do things for themselves and for others.  Their involvements demonstrated to my brother and sister and I both the importance and the joys of engaging outside the family unit and outside their professions.  We, then, found it completely natural and to do the same.

Teachers and School Counselors:  What Are Their Extracurricular Activities?

Students, you might very well wonder what the adults at your school do in their free time (or maybe you don’t).  But educators are people, too (surprise!).  I know teachers who play instruments, who volunteer their time to construct sets for community theater productions, who devote tons of time to their professional associations, engage in local politics, and play professional lacrosse (it turns out that professional lacrosse doesn’t pay very well, so this guy teaches as a way to help him do what he loves even more than teaching).

Ask your teachers and counselors about their lives outside of school.  Share what you are doing, but ask them.  Do they knit?  Do they volunteer at the local animal shelter?  Do they have a huge vegetable garden filled with dozens of varieties of tomatoes?  Do they go birding with the local Audubon Society?  Are they in a summer volleyball league?

The point is that extracurricular activities should be a pleasure, not a burden.  Adults do not do these things solely so that they can achieve some sort of objective.  They do not do it in order to achieve some sort of reward (though sometimes that happens when someone makes a significant contribution).  Rather, these involvements are expressions of their priorities, their interests, and their personalities.  If you really want to get to know your teacher and school counselors, ask them what they do for fun!

College Admissions Officers:  What Are Their Extracurricular Activities?

Can you imagine?  The very people who will judge your applications to college are themselves likely involved in some sort of extracurricular activity.  There are extracurricular activities for college applications, to be sure, and college admissions offices are going to be looking for them.  But they have their hobbies and pastimes, too.  You may or may not want to ask these folks what they do, but you can bet that they have interests outside of their job.  I mean, do you really think that the sole reason these people exist is to torture you?  Many college admissions officers love their jobs.  But most of them love the other things they do in life even more.  I know college admissions officers who are athletes and musicians.  I know one who raises dogs and trains them to be companion animals for the blind and deaf.  Another is deeply involved in party politics as an organizer.

So You Want to Go to the Ivy League.  What Extracurriculars Are Required?

The short answer is this:  anything you love and and enjoy.  There is nothing “required”.  There is no fixed list of activities that will get you into the Ivy League or similar highly selective colleges and universities.  However, I can share with you some of the activities that my friends who are Ivy League graduates are now engaged in–many years after they graduated not only from high school, but far beyond.  One guy I know is an accomplished retired attorney–now in his 80s–who has written a couple of spy novels and is also a fantastic jazz pianist.  My former college roommate takes awesome photographs of funny things he sees in New York City, where he lives. He is also took up running a decade or more out of college and has run dozens of marathons.  Another loves participating in historical reenactments of famous Revolutionary War battles.  Another is a ski instructor who trains 10-year olds to become racers.  Another has dedicated a ton of time to the Special Olympics in her community.

If you want to go to the Ivy League, you have to find a way to get engaged–and stick with it.  Find something that interests you and run with it…as far as you can.  However, don’t think that you’ll necessarily do this thing for the rest of your life.  While my dad has played the trombone since he was about 12 years old,  he has had other interests that have come and gone (he and my mom used to be wonderful square dancers, but that ended entirely when my mom developed Alzheimers, and now my dad focuses other interests like birding and opera).  I used to play the trombone in high school (and landed a slot in the All-State orchestra), but I dropped it in college in favor of a cappella music and acting). One of my former Ivy League students was an outstanding percussionist, but now he spends way more time backpacking in the wilderness than he does sitting in a rehearsal hall.

What matters is not what you do–but how much and how well you do it.

Educational Consultants:  What Are Their Extracurricular Activities?

One thing I am most proud of here at Great College Advice is that I have an interesting, engaged, and curious group of colleagues.  Each one of us has an abiding interest in providing the greatest college advice possible to our student and their families.  But that is not all that interests us.  We do stuff.  We are involved.  So let’s have a look:  what does the team at Great College Advice do when they are not dispensing that great college advice?

The Quilter

Karen majored in East Asian Studies at Stanford and then got her Masters in International Relations. She has worked in education for most of her career in a wide variety of roles.  However, most people don’t know that she is an accomplished quilter.  Not only does she painstakingly design and stitch her own creations, but she is a master at restoring old and damaged heirloom quilts.  She has made special quilts for family members, and sometimes she receives commissions from folks who appreciate her artistry and want one of her handmade masterpieces. One of her quilts (shown here) has more than 4500 individual pieces sewn together.  Would it surprise you to learn that Karen is the master of details on our team?

The Political Activist

Andrea majored in Russian Studies in college, so all that is happening in Ukraine today is of keen interest to her:  we went to school during the existence of the Soviet Union, and “mutually assured destruction” (or MAD) was the common understanding of what nuclear war might mean.  More recently, Andrea’s time and attention has turned to local and state politics. She has put her communications and organizational skills to work to lobby for issues and candidates she thinks will be best suited to contribute to our democracy.  She has taken to heart that our democracy depends on our active participation. One of our core national beliefs is that we can always make our country better, and Andrea finds ways to do that every day.

The Skier

Pam graduated from Dartmouth and then moved to Colorado to be a ski bum (she was gainfully employed, but she had an interest that took precedence over her passion for powder).  She worked in the mountains for a few years before eventually becoming a teacher.  She and her husband met on the slopes!

Now she and her family ski as often as they can–though she admits that she skied less while her kids were in high school–because she spent time ensuring they could pursue their own interests, too.  As her youngest heads off to college soon, this may mean that Pam and her husband will be headed up the road every winter weekend to chase the snow!

The King of Side Hustles

James, our Executive Assistant, works several jobs. One of his abiding interests is stand up comedy, so he often works weekends at the local comedy club so he can catch the country’s best comedians as they come through Denver.  James is also interested in health, and he has developed a line of matcha-based powdered drink mixes, a business he hopes will become a lucrative side-line.  He also reads like a fiend, and in our weekly meetings he usually makes another recommendation that the rest of the team adds to their own reading lists. Having grown up in Illinois and attended college, James has not yet learned to ski.  But Pam may get him on the slopes yet!

The Chorister

Since graduating from college, I have sung in a classical choir in Washington, DC, started an a cappella group at my graduate school, performed in plays and musicals in Hong Kong (where I eventually chaired the board of the American Community Theatre), sang in an award-winning barbershop chorus, and now sing with a community chorus that performs four times a year.  I also perform in an annual variety show (this year I make an appearance as the coronavirus). I also ski about 20 days a year and hike the Colorado Rockies as often I can in the summer.  Moreover, I volunteer my time as a member of the board of Full Circle of Leadville.

Extracurricular Activities for Grown Ups

The point of all this is to demonstrate that one’s involvements and interests enrich our lives. They serve as a focal point.  We enjoy doing them.

Not only do these engagements make our lives more full, but they bring us into contact with others who share those interests. This is often the way we make friends or even meet our spouses!

Extracurriculars for college are important for that once-in-a-lifetime transition from high school to college. However, they are important to us well beyond that brief moment in our human existence.

We should all be involved in our world in whatever ways suit us best.  So get out there and do fun stuff!

The Common App essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. The Common App prompts provide a structure that will help you stand out from the crowd. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question. Then write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don’t feel obligated to do so. (The application won’t accept a response shorter than 250 words.)

The Story

Generally, we see these essays, or “personal statements,” as having two primary components. First is the story. You have to tell your reader a story in which you are the main character. Always remember that you must be at the center of whatever you write since the goal is for the essay to provide a multi-dimensional picture of who you are beyond the basic information that is captured on the rest of the application. Each of the prompts requires that you relay a short narrative that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

The Reflection

The second component is your reflection or analysis of your story. What does the story mean? How should we, your readers, interpret your story? Share the lessons you derived from your story, and help your reader to understand how this small event shows your values, your priorities, and your plans for the future.

So, as you read through these prompts and our description of how to address the prompts, think about those stories, those events, those anecdotes, those snippets of your own personal history that relate to the prompt. And as you remind yourself of these stories, begin to analyze what these stories say about you as a human being.

It may seem daunting at first, but remember that each of us has a unique story to tell. In fact, each of us has hundreds, even thousands of stories that make up our lives—even when we are young. So, don’t hesitate to share. In fact, some of our experiences that seem, at first, to be relatively insignificant can actually carry great weight and can help illustrate who we are, what we care about, and where we’re headed.

Watch This Video: The Elements of the Common App Essay

You and your counselor will spend much more time brainstorming and discussing possible ideas and responses to these Common App prompts, but we wanted to get you thinking to give you a running start. If you have some ideas, be sure to jot them down and share them with your counselor when the time comes to dig into the crafting of your personal essay.

In the following sections, we will examine each of the prompts for the Common Application essay and give you detailed guidance for success.

Prompt 1: The “About You” Common App Essay

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

This Common App essay prompt is sort of a catch-all prompt for essays that might not easily fit another one of the prompts below. However, it is important to focus on the key words.

Incomplete Without It

Generally, you want to use your essay to bring something new to your application—something that is not already evident in the other elements (transcript, recommendations, honors, activities, and the like). The focus of this essay, then, should be something that is meaningful to you but that is not obvious. The pivot of the essay should be something that reveals something personal or unusual about you that helps the reader put you in a new perspective, or that brings to light a hidden truth about you that will give context to the rest of your application.

Background

Your background includes the context in which you live: your parentage, your community, your collective experiences.

Identity

This is how you define yourself—the labels you might use to describe who you are as a person. Again, this identity may not be readily visible, but sharing it with your reader will provide context to your application and help her understand the “real you.”

Interest

Here you might share an interest that does not appear on your list of activities or in your honors. It might be something that none of your teachers—or even your best friends—might not know about you. For example, perhaps you are hooked on zombie movies and have watched hundreds of them. Maybe you have an interest in antique automobiles or have a collection of coins or painted elephants. Absolutely anything that attracts your time and attention could be the focus of your essay.

Talent

This is similar to an interest, but it usually entails developing some sort of expertise or ability. Perhaps you have taught yourself origami or how to knit—and you make things for your family and friends. Perhaps you do woodworking or calligraphy, and have used this talent in some sort of interesting way. Here again, the interest would likely be invisible on your application unless you brought it up here.

Story

Note that the last word of the prompt requests that you share a story. So even in identifying the background, identity, interest, or talent that helps your reader to understand the “real you,” your essay will be considerably strengthened if you are able to relay an anecdote or short vignette that illustrates this key attribute about yourself.

Watch This Video: The “About You” Common App Essay

Prompt 2: The “Failure” Essay

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you faced a challenge setback, or failure.  How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

This prompt has been around for quite a while. It can be found on a variety of college essay platforms.  An essay on this topic gives you an excellent opportunity to tell an interesting story, but also demonstrate your resilience and grit. We all fail at one point or another. And while writing about failure can sometimes be painful, the process of working through some sort of challenge can help you demonstrate that you are ready for future challenges that you will face in college and beyond.

Let’s look at the keywords of this prompt as a way to help address it effectively.

Obstacle / Challenge / Setback / Failure

The key word here is obstacle, along with its various synonyms that appear in the prompt: challenge, setback, failure. Very few things we achieve in life come easily on the first try. Often, something impedes our smooth movement toward our goals. Sometimes we are able to overcome the obstacle. Sometimes we are not: we fail. Thus, the first order of business in addressing this prompt is to clearly identify the goal you were trying to achieve. What was it you wanted? What was the objective? Hopes you have? Then the second order of business is to clearly identify the obstacle (or challenge or setback or failure) that rendered the achievement of your goal more difficult—or even impossible.

Incident or Time

As with any essay, you need to tell a story. Whereas the previous prompt uses the word “story”, this prompt invites you to “recount” this process of setting a goal and having trouble meeting it. This is the story of how things did not go according to plan. Your story should have a beginning, middle, and end. But it must be brief.

Learning from the Experience

Whenever we fail—and we all do—we have to figure out how to respond to that failure. Often we gain something from the experience. Perhaps we learned a valuable lesson. Or, we redirected our energies in a new way. Perhaps we have developed a greater understanding of our own strengths and weaknesses. The key element to successfully answering this prompt is to reflect on how this failure affected you and what you did as a result of it. So, after you have told your (brief) story, you should do quite a bit of reflecting on how this experience led to personal growth or greater understanding of the world around you.

Watch This Video: The “Failure” Common App Essay

Prompt 3: The “Belief” Essay

Reflect on a time when you questions or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Belief or Idea

This prompt hinges on some belief, idea, or value that you hold dear. At the core of the story, you must be able to identify this closely-held belief or idea, and explain why it is important to you.

Questioned or Challenged

At various times in our lives, we are called upon to defend our ideals or our principles, either because others don’t share these beliefs, or because you may hold a view that is unpopular or out of the ordinary. Your story in this essay revolves around a time when you were called upon to defend your belief or idea against some countervailing force. This force could come from a particular person, a small group of people, or maybe even a very large group of people. What animates this essay, then, is the tension between your belief or idea and the beliefs or ideas of others.

Your Thinking

The “story” that is at the heart of this essay is the genesis of the tension, how you came to realize it, and how you came to a decision to do or say something in response (or not). Given that your values were under fire, did you do or say something to defend those values? Why or why not? You want to make the effort to explain your thought processes that eventually led to some sort of decision, action, or realization.

Outcome

The decision, action, or realization you made is the outcome of the story. You want to be sure to describe the outcome. Don’t stop there, however: explain and analyze that outcome. Was the decision the right one? Did you act to defend your values, and if so, what was the result? Or, perhaps, you acted in a way that did not defend those values, and you later regretted your inability to stand up for your beliefs. Either way, you are asked in this prompt to reflect upon what you did (or did not do) to defend your beliefs or ideas, and to determine whether you would approach a similar conflict of beliefs or ideas in the same way in the future.

Watch This Video: The “Belief” Common App Essay

Prompt 4: The “Problem” Essay

Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

This Common App essay prompt can be tricky, at least at first glance.  The most important aspect of the prompt is the problem at the center of it, and the explanation for why this problem is so important to you.

Problem

The core of this essay is a puzzle, a riddle, or a difficult question that begs an answer. Education, after all, is the process of gaining knowledge, skills, and understanding that will help us solve problems of all types, whether personal, political, ethical, economic, social, technological, or scientific. Central to this prompt is your curiosity. What puzzles or fascinates you—or bothers you? Define the problem carefully and clearly, and describe it so the reader can feel your fascination.

Personal Importance and Significance to You

Why is this puzzle interesting to you? This piece of the prompt invites you to tell the story of how or why this puzzle occupies your mind, your body, or your spirit. From where does your interest emanate? Tell the story of how your fascination developed, and why this problem became significant to you. To be clear, this idea of significance is based on your own intellectual, spiritual, ethical, or personal experience. For this essay to work, you have to really care about the problem in a personal way.

This Common App prompt makes it clear that there is another “story” in this essay: the narrative describing what you did—or what you will do—to address this problem. If the problem at the center of this essay is something you have tried (and perhaps succeeded?) in solving in the past, then you need to recount the sequence of events that led to that solution. If, instead, you have not yet tackled this problem, then you need to imagine and describe the actions you could take in the future to find a solution—or at least whittle away at the problem and move toward a solution.

Watch This Video: The “Problem” Common App Essay

Prompt 5: The “Personal Growth” Essay

Discuss an accomplishment or event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

I sometimes call this Common App prompt the “Aha!” prompt.  Your life was coasting along, and then something happens that forces you to recognize that suddenly you feel differently or think differently.  We all have these “Aha!” moments from time to time, and when they do occur, we reorient ourselves in our world.  This is an opportunity to share one of your “Aha!” moments

Personal Growth and Understanding

As we grow older, we find that in some situations we feel—or are treated—as children, while in other situations we feel more like adults. Sometimes this transition is subtle, as in how other adults begin to treat you with greater seriousness in restaurants, at the post office, and in other public places. Sometimes, however, this transition can seem more abrupt, as in the day you get your driver’s license or register to vote for the first time. Religion often marks this transition (first communions, bar mitzvahs), as do particular cultures (quinceañeras, debutante balls). This prompt asks you to more closely examine your own transition from childhood to adulthood. Granted, for all of us, this transition is slow and gradual (and frankly, sometimes even we are not sure we have completely transitioned to adulthood!). But no matter our age, religion, or culture, this transition is punctuated by some memorable stories—stories that you are being asked to share with your readers.

Accomplishment or Event

The transition to adulthood is marked by both accomplishments and events. An accomplishment is something that you achieved through hard work. An event, on the other hand, is a happening in which you may have been more passive, but nonetheless marks a very important milestone in your life. Some of these accomplishments and events are formal (e.g., learning Hebrew and reciting the Torah before your congregation in a ceremony before your friends and family). Some of these accomplishments and events are informal (e.g., you finally looked old enough that when you entered a restaurant with your parents, the hostess no longer gave you the kiddie menu). College admissions folks do not care so much about the exact nature of these accomplishments or events; rather they care about how you tell an interesting story about your transition to adulthood.

Realization

Unlike an accomplishment or event, a realization can have no outward manifestation that others can see or experience. You may, instead, experience some sort of internal “Aha!” moment. Your understanding changes. You see yourself—or others—in a completely new light. Perhaps you shared this realization with others, or perhaps it is one that is intensely private. But the change or transition is real, because it leads to a new and different understanding of yourself and the world around you.

Discuss

At first glance, this Common App prompt doesn’t seem to have a story at the heart of it. However, the focus is on a transition, which implies a description of “before” and “after” this event, accomplishment, or realization. So you should retell the story briefly to help your reader understand the transition. As with the other prompts, you should then go on to put this event, accomplishment, or realization into a larger context. You need to interpret this story for your reader through analysis and synthesis. By focusing your “discussion” of what happened after this event, accomplishment, or realization, you can give your reader a sense of your increasing maturity and your priorities, values, and personality.

Watch This Video: The “Personal Growth” Essay

Prompt 6: The “Obsession” Essay

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engageing that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Sometimes I jokingly refer this to the “wet your pants” Common App essay prompt:  you become so engrossed in something that you forget to meet your own most basic needs.   Colleges love to hear about what occupies your mind–after all, colleges are places where you expand and train your mind. This prompt offers an opportunity to talk about the ideas that excite you.

Topic, Idea, or Concept

This Common App prompt gives you broad latitude to discuss pretty much anything you’d like to discuss. However, it’s important to remember that colleges and universities are places where the focus is academic and intellectual. It would be entirely possible to write an essay on something as seemingly silly as “Hello, Kitty” or model airplanes or even on multiplayer computer games (my students have written successful essays on all three of these topics in the past). Notice, however, that the prompt does not use the word “activity.” As we will see, certain activities are related to the topic, idea, or concept, but the prompt asks you to keep your description focused on the academic or intellectual foundations that underlie the things you do.  Your chosen focus for this essay could be just about anything, but what matters is the thought that may lead to the activity—and not on the activity itself.

Learn More

Even as you get excited about the social aspects of college, don’t forget that the primary focus is on learning. This phrase also keeps the focus on an intellectual or academic plane. Colleges and universities are communities of learners, first and foremost. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that this is your first priority in going to college.

Engaging and Captivating

The topic, idea, or concept you choose implies some sort of action that demonstrates your interest. What do you do to activate or express your interest? The prompt sets a high bar: you find this interest so appealing that you sometimes get lost in it. And this is your story for this particular prompt: give an anecdote that demonstrates the depth of your interest, that shows the reader that you can become completely engrossed and lose track of time.

Why

This word is the key to the essay. You need to justify—in some way—your devotion to this particular idea, topic, or concept. If you have chosen the right subject for your essay, your level of interest is so high that it is infectious. Your aim, then, is to explain the reasons for your interest, and to convey the reasons for that interest to your reader. You will have done your job well if your reader comes away with a newfound appreciation for an idea, topic, or concept that she has never considered to be so engaging or captivating. Share your enthusiasm by explaining the why behind your interest.

Watch This Video: The “Obsession” Essay

Prompt 7: The “Your Choice” Common App Essay

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Your choice!  Anything you want! This prompt offers you the freedom to write about anything you want. But be careful, as not every possible topic you could dream up will make for a solid college essay.

Your Choice

The nice thing about this Common App prompt is that the admissions folks leave the choice of topic entirely to you. And therein lies some of the danger of deviating from the other prompts. You are free—and encouraged—to go beyond the limitations of these other prompts, but at the same time, you want to consider the fundamental commonalities found in the above prompts.

–Ideas and Concepts

Your college essay should represent you as a student and as a learner. Not every topic has to be entirely serious, but you should consider whether your chosen topic has any intellectual or academic depth.

–Transitions

The heart of many of these prompts is some sort of change in your mindset, perspective, or understanding. Admissions folks are looking for young people who have made some sort of transition that demonstrates their maturity, depth of thought, or newfound ability to see the world in a new light.

–A Story

You must have some sort of anecdote animating your essay that helps your reader to see your point. This is where you will “show” your reader your fundamental point. You are the main character of this essay in which you can demonstrate aspects of your personality, your values, and your point of view.

–Analysis and Reflection

Every other Common App prompt requires you to dig underneath the surface, to go beyond superficialities and to uncover the important truths at the center of your story. It is not enough to tell your reader the story: you must demonstrate the fundamental importance of the story to you. The story is the vehicle to convey a deeper understanding of you as a person.

Already Written

Some colleges encourage the submission of essays you have written as part of a class or other assignment. These essays may represent you very well as a student and demonstrate some of your intellectual abilities and academic depth. If you choose to submit an academic paper, it is sometimes best to do so as an additional or supplemental essay to your application. In some cases, you may have written some sort of personal essay or narrative as part of a creative writing assignment. If this personal memoir has most of the elements described above, it could be an excellent college essay.

Own Design

It is perfectly acceptable to experiment with the form of the Common App essay. Admissions folks want to encourage your creativity, and they are looking for unique approaches. I have seen students write very successful poems in response to the prompts, and a couple have written mini-plays or screenplays. You are welcome to experiment with the form. However, you will want to keep in mind the elements described above. While the form can be highly creative, it is important to keep the purpose of the college essay in mind: to communicate to your reader something important, something fundamental about who you are as a person, as a citizen, and as a learner.

Watch This Video: The “Your Choice” Essay

Choosing the Right Common App Essay Topic

When faced with seven prompts–including that allows you to write about “anything you want,” it can be hard to choose a prompt to focus upon.

Generally we encourage our students to outline responses to as many of the prompts as possible. These outlines are not full drafts–rather they are bare-bones sketches of main points you might make in a fuller response.

Your outline should contain the two primary elements of a good Common App essay:  the story and the reflections.

For the story, try to give basic parameters of the story or anecdote in no more than a sentence or two.

For the reflections, make a list of bullet points that explain the meaning or moral of the story.  A solid response to a prompt should have at least three reflections or take-aways from the story.

As you are developing these reflections, be as deep and introspective as you can be. These reflections are an opportunity to share with your reader your values and priorities.  And these values and priorities are what will make your application more revealing and more compelling.  So don’t be afraid to share!

Once you’ve completed these outlines, you can share them with teachers, parents, peers, and your college counselor.  Gradually a topic or two will rise to the top of the list, and you can begin to draft those “winners” in greater detail.  As you draft, you’ll be able to assess the viability of the topic. Often you’ll simply find that one topic flows better than another.

Finding the right topic is the hardest part of writing your college essay.  The prompts are the best way to start.  But you’ll know you’re on the right track when you begin to feel your personality shine through your prose.  It can be an organic process, but once you have the right topic, you’ll know it.

So enjoy the process of self-discovery as you explore the many possible essay topics that will help you present yourself in the best light in the admissions office.

Are You Experiencing Stress About College Applications?

Where did this stress about college applications come from? Why wouldn’t my daughter finish her college applications?

The college application deadlines were looming, and she always seemed to have too much homework or too many tests, or she was too tired from practice.

It kept me up at night. I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from bringing it up several times a day. And when I couldn’t help myself, the conversation quickly degenerated into an argument.

I knew she was eager to graduate and head to college, so why the procrastination? If this was what she wanted, why couldn’t she sit down and just do them? If I only knew then what I’ve learned since, I could have saved us both a lot of stress and heartache!

What’s Ailing our Teens?

In a nutshell, this procrastination was likely the result of anxiety. Anxiety about not getting into college. Anxiety about not getting into the ‘right’ college. Anxiety about not being able to craft a ‘winning essay.’ Anxiety about not measuring up to my expectations.

I attended an event with Dr. Jonathan Dalton, who specializes in working with anxious youth, and his presentation opened my eyes to the magnitude of this problem. According to Dr. Dalton’s research, 38% of girls will have at least one anxiety disorder between the ages of 13 and 18. For boys, it is somewhat less at around 26%. For students with a learning difference or ADHD, the statistics are even more grim. At this very moment, approximately 8% of all teens are suffering from an anxiety disorder, with most of them not receiving any help or treatment. 

I was floored. This placed my daughter’s behavior in a new light. She was coping with her fear by simply avoiding dealing with her applications. Not a rational response from my perspective, but a predictable one.

How Did They Become So Anxious?

It wasn’t always this way. Teens are now 5 to 8 times more likely to show symptoms of anxiety disorders compared to teens in the 1900s. According to psychologists, comfort and growth are not compatible, and kids in recent decades are increasingly not taught how to fail, which it turns out is a useful, even necessary, skill to have. Our youth have not spent as much time learning how to overcome challenges on their own, as triggers and obstacles are removed or minimized by the adults around them, in homes, schools and extracurricular activities.

So as my daughter’s parent, it turns out I need to take some responsibility for this sad state of affairs. I know (I can even remember some of the instances) I often stepped in to help my daughter when I saw her struggling. I have no doubt that in many cases, she would have been just fine, and possibly even better off, if had I let her figure it out for herself. Then, when it was time to complete those college applications, she probably would have been much more self-confident and less fearful of failure.

And while we can tell our applicants they have nothing to fear, once anxiety becomes pervasive in a young person’s life, it does not matter whether the danger is real or perceived.  The body reacts in the same way. Can you imagine trying to write a unique and insightful essay while sitting in a lion’s den?  Much easier to avoid entering the den….

How Can We Foster Courage?

I have been thinking about how to apply the wisdom shared by those who are treating teens with anxiety orders to the anxious college applicants in our lives. A fundamental first step is to consistently model what we want our teens to feel: calm.  When we feel anxiety and stress about college applications, it can have exponential impacts on those around us.

Let our teens know that just because they are scared it doesn’t mean anything bad is going to happen. Colleges actually have more spaces than there are applicants. So every student who wants to go to college can! Apply to a balanced list of schools, and every applicant should expect success. Getting a bachelor’s degree is hopefully but one step in a long and successful life, and if you have read Frank Bruni’s book, you would know that ‘where you go is not who you’ll be!’

Help them see that they are stronger than their fear. Our youth have to believe in themselves. They have to experience failure and know that everything is going to be OK. They also have to have experiences seeing themselves succeed separate from their parents. So while it would be easy to help them too much, which is what got us into this situation to begin with, it would diminish their own growth.

We can support them best by helping them learn how to complete strong applications of which they can be proud. We have all seen the long list of self-help titles, and these are often very useful. Just as importantly, we can strip away the mystery that shrouds the admissions process, so applicants can feel more assurance that they know what they are doing and why.  When it’s time to tackle the essays, we can help them see that they can write, by helping them build up their own ideas one step at a time.

If I could do it all over again, I would support my anxious daughter differently. As we all become more aware of anxiety disorders, we can help our teens live healthier lives, whether in the college admissions process or beyond.

Thanks to Jonathan Dalton, Ph.D., Center for Anxiety and Behavioral Change for his insightful presentation regarding stress about college applications.  He can be reached at drjdalton@changeanxiety.com.