Resources & Tips


CEA Blog
What You Can Learn from Stalking Your Dream College on Facebook
You’ve been warned. In this digital age, 40% of college admissions officers scour your social media profiles about as closely as your academic records. While this Facebook (or Twitter or Instagram) stalking may seem invasive, it’s also a window into your judgement, values, and sense of humor – and now, two can play at this […]
Don’t Forget About Your College Essay This Summer: CEA’s Weekly Link Roundup
As the school year starts to wind down, we can lay back, relax, and start thinking about our impending college search and application process. Nothing stressful about that, right? With senior year just around the corner, college is probably one of the only things on your mind. The summer is a great time to begin […]
Bragging Writes Winner: A Real College Essay that Really Worked!
We are thrilled to announce that Kelly Porter’s essay, “En Español, Por Favor,” is the First Place winner of CEA’s Bragging Writes college essay contest. Her thoughtful approach to the Common App’s fifth prompt, about the transition from childhood to adulthood, stood out from the pack. Kelly’s essay caught our attention from the first line, […]
Bragging Writes College Essay Contest First Runner-Up
Summer Allen is the First Runner-Up in CEA’s Bragging Writes college essay contest. She tells a story of swashbuckling intellectual curiosity as she spends one summer racing her father to the finish of Robinson Crusoe. Summer’s submission is the perfect example of how a great essay can come out of a small, personal life event. […]
Bragging Writes Essay Contest Second Runners-Up
There was a tie for Second Runner-Up in CEA’s Bragging Writes college essay contest. We just couldn’t decide between Ha Hoang’s creatively-paced piece “The Tear Catalyst” and Eva Su’s tale of accidental entrepreneurism. Both essays find creative ways to connect personal experiences with global issues and communities, either in their structure or content. This fall, […]
3 Strategies for Taking Good Notes on College Visits
Where will YOU go this summer? Is a good long stay at camp in your future? Will you head abroad to study or volunteer? How about a trip to Canada to hang out with ducklings and nice people? Is the inside of the local ice cream parlor your destination of choice? Will you be wielding […]
How to Write an Eye-Catching Activity Resume
You probably never knew that taking French could help you with anything other than learning the correct pronunciation of “macaron” and the crucial definition of “escargot.” Who knew it could also help you with your college applications? Whip out those dual-language dictionaries and look up the word “résumé.” The translation is pretty simple: a summary […]
5 Things You Have To Do Now That The SAT Is Over
Your second to last chance to take the SAT before the end of the school year is this Saturday and you are prepared. In fact, you may be SO prepared for the SAT that it’s all you’ve been thinking about. Well, that and season 2 of Dark. But after you color in that final circle, […]
Guide to the 2016-17 Coalition Application Essay Prompts
There is an upheaval in the world of college admissions. At least that’s what the members of the newly-formed Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success would have us believe as they prepare to launch a new mass application platform this summer. Since the announcement that over 80 elite colleges would be banding together to challenge […]
The 2016-17 Coalition Application Essay Prompts Have Been Released
This past September, a coalition of 80+ top-tier colleges announced their #squadgoals to create a new kind of college application that would promote college access, affordability, and success for all students. This new platform would compete directly with the well-established Common App, offering students an alternative pathway to some of the best schools in the […]