Resources & Tips

The NY Times’ June Checklist: “Start Writing Your College Essay”

The NY Times’ The Choice blog recently released its June College Checklist for Juniors, and can you guess what was on the list?  That’s right folks!  It’s officially essay time! The post suggests that June is the perfect time to begin the college essay, as the summer frees students from the added pressure of everyday […]

The New 2013-14 Common Application

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 […]

CEA Comics Corner: The Procrastinator’s Inspiration

(Image by Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes)

Students Ask: “What is the fastest way to come up with an essay idea?”

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 […]

Let’s Talk About Cents: Is Writing A College Essay About Money Too Scandalous?

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 […]

Write Yourself Off The Wait List

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 […]

CEA Comics Corner: How To Choose Your Major

Productivity Quick Tip: Disconnect Yourself

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 […]

Why The Columbia ’17 Freshmen Should Be Proud of Their “Pretentious” Admissions Essays

Long before the Internet provided a platform for the mass critique of a seventeen-year-old applicant’s painstakingly polished prose, writing the personal statement has been a process fraught with tension and self-doubt.  But as several new additions to Columbia University’s class of 2017 recently discovered, even after your essay secures your admission to the school of […]

Welcome to College Essay Advisors!

Welcome to College Essay Advisors, otherwise known as CEA.  Our college essay experts have been working with students for over a decade to help them personalize, polish and perfect the personal statement.  We know the college admissions essay is a crucial tool in boosting admissions rates for students of all abilities and have worked with […]