Stacey Brook

Guide to the 2025-26 Coalition Application Essay Prompts

What do the 2025-26 Coalition Application essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA’s Chief Advisor, Stacey Brook, is here to break it all down.

How To Write Diversity Supplemental Essays When You Feel Like You Don’t Have a Story to Tell

The diversity-focused supplemental essay has been gaining traction on college applications for years. These prompts allow admissions to get a sense of a student’s background, culture, and values. They often provide meaningful context for a student’s resume, transcript, and other application materials. And, as of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, they serve […]

If You’re Not Done with Your College Application Essays Right Now, You’re Late

Every year it happens. September rolls around, Labor Day BBQs end the summer with a side of slaw, and students all over the world wake up and realize that, in addition to schoolwork, they have to start working on their college admissions essays. As someone who has been advising students on their college essays for […]

A Message From our Founder Re: Affirmative Action and The College Essay

Ever since the Supreme Court ruled to overturn affirmative action, students around the globe have been wondering how the decision will affect their chances of acceptance to American colleges and universities. Most critically, students of color have been grappling with how they can attempt to get a fair shake in an inherently biased admissions system […]

Guide to the 2023-24 Coalition Application Essay Prompts

What do the 2023-24 Coalition Application essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA’s Chief Advisor, Stacey Brook, is here to break it all down.

Guide to the 2022-23 Coalition Application Essay Prompts

What do the 2022-23 Coalition Application essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA’s Chief Advisor, Stacey Brook, is here to break it all down.

Guide to the 2021-22 Coalition Application Essay Prompts

What do the 2021-22 Coalition Application essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA’s Chief Advisor, Stacey Brook, is here to break it all down.

How to Write The Common App’s New “Optional” COVID-19 Essay

Guide to the 2020-21 Coalition Application Essay Prompts

What do the 2020-21 Coalition Application essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA’s Chief Advisor, Stacey Brook, is here to break it all down.

A Message From Our Founder Re: Coronavirus and College Applicants

Dear Students, Parents and Educators, First and foremost, my team and I wanted to extend our wishes for the safety of you and your loved ones during this crazy and unprecedented crisis. No one yet knows how COVID-19 will impact the education system at large. What we do know is that there are many immediate […]