Q: Would it be bad to start with a two-sentence paragraph? All the rest of my paragraphs are normal length. A: When it comes to the college admissions essay, capturing the attention of an admissions officer can be difficult, and an opening paragraph that challenges traditional writing conventions can be an effective way to stand […]
As many parents and students are already aware, this year will mark some dramatic changes in the Common Application essay’s content and format. The admissions and college prep communities are abuzz with analysis of the new essay standards, and CEA’s advisors have been following the changes every step of the way. Below we created a […]
One of our student Facebook friends asked us a great question this week, and as we began to respond, we realized the answer would be helpful to many of our essay-writing disciples. Thus begins our new CEA series, “Students Ask” in which we will call for questions each week and expound upon the ones we […]
Recently, New York Times columnist Ron Leiber asked students to submit college admissions essays related to “money, class, working and the economy,” and was rewarded with 66 entries to comb through alongside Harry Bauld, the author of On Writing The College Application Essay. Together, the two men selected four essays they found both compelling and […]
We here at CEA are motivated folks who work with may of the country’s most ambitious pre-collegiate minds, so we understand as well as anyone that students on a wait list for their dream school would want to proactively affect the outcome of a college’s final decision. Last week the New York Times published an […]
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” -Stephen King
Even when we talk about how it starts, our students are sedentary. You’re going to sit down and write that essay. An article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal suggests that we should all be doing our work standing up, or at the very least, sitting up straight. The advisors at CEA should take some lessons […]
Trust us, we know it’s hard: we love the internet just as much as you do. Disconnecting yourself from that wi-fi connection can feel as unnatural as swimming fully clothed or spending Saturday night at home watching a Lifetime movie with your parents. Still, if you allow yourself to work internet-free for an hour or […]
We thought so.
