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Resources & Tips

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CEA Blog

How to Write the Stanford University 2017-18 Supplemental Essay

Topic: Admissions, advice, Brainstorming, College Admissions, Essay Resources, Essay Tips, From The Founder, Supplemental Essays, Uncategorized  |  Posted on September 7th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

The Stanford University supplement is a BEAST. There is no way around it. Admissions Officers really want to weed out the uncommitted students and learn more about the applicants who are willing to put the time in to submit an extensive and detailed application. We made you a guide on how to brainstorm and write […]

How to Find Supplements on the Common App

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Supplemental Essays  |  Posted on August 11th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

Wondering where to find those sneaky supplemental essay questions? Are they in the writing section of the Common App or hidden away in some deep, dark corner of a school’s supplemental application? You won’t know until you go poking around — or, until you watch this handy, dandy guide we made you!  

How to Combat Writer’s Block and Finish Your College Essay

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Common Application, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Productivity, Quick Tips, Tips, Uncategorized  |  Posted on August 10th, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

So you’re two hours deep into your college essay and you just can’t seem to get anything good down on paper! We know what that feels like, we’ve all been there! Here are 4 tips on how to overcome the beast that is writer’s block.   Flip your topic on its head Maybe the way […]

Our 2017-18 Common App Tutorial is Live!

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Common Application  |  Posted on August 9th, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

We know you’ve been anxiously awaiting the brand new Common Application for the 2017-18 application season (we have!) so you can get those college applications started. Although the Common Application platform has been around for years, it’s probably your first time making an account and using the site. Even if you have poked around before […]

The 2017-18 Common App is Live!

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Common App Prompts/Topics, Common Application, Uncategorized  |  Posted on August 1st, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

Yes, you read that correctly! For months we’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of the shiny, updated Common Application for the 2017-18 application season and it’s finally here! So, now what?! First, things first. Make an account (if you haven’t already). Hop on the new platform and familiarize yourself! There are a bunch of new […]

Structure: How to Build a Boss Essay

Topic: Admissions, advice, College Admissions, Common Application, Essay Resources, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Quick Tips, Tips, Uncategorized  |  Posted on July 31st, 2017  |  Written by Kat Stubing

Your college admissions essay is a required writing assignment, yes, but try not to think of it as more work that will stress you out. YOU OWN THIS ESSAY. How can you be the boss of this assignment instead of letting it be the boss of you?  It’s easier than it seems. Just do these […]

The Common Application’s 2017-18 Essay Prompts: What You Need To Know

Topic: College Admissions, Common App Prompts/Topics, Essay Tips, Most Popular, Uncategorized  |  Posted on February 7th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

Class of 2022 – it’s about that time. The first milestone in your college application journey has officially arrived. Today the Common Application released their 2017-18 essay prompts. This reveal comes with a heaping helping of good news, most of which relates to the fact that the prompts have not changed all that much from last […]

2017-18 College Application Calendar for Juniors

Topic: College Admissions, Essay Tips, International Students  |  Posted on January 12th, 2017  |  Written by CEA HQ

High school juniors…it’s your turn up at bat. 2017 will be the year you reach an extremely important milestone – applying to college, which of course means writing your college essay. AHHH! PANIC! Wait, no, don’t. Because if you’re reading this post, then you’re already WAY ahead! We here at CEA say that the most […]

The Short Answer

Topic: Admissions, College Admissions, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Supplemental Essays  |  Posted on December 10th, 2016  |  Written by CEA HQ

A popular format for supplement questions is short answers. Don’t confuse these with the why, activity, community, or oddball essays. These are an entirely different beast. These little critters provide a different kind of creative challenge for aspiring college-goers. Take this set of short answer questions from the 2014 Yale application: “What excites you intellectually, […]

The Oddball Essay

Topic: College Admissions, Common App Prompts/Topics, Essay Tips, Essay Writing, Supplemental Essays  |  Posted on December 10th, 2016  |  Written by CEA HQ

There are certain schools, like the University of Chicago, who have always taken special pride in developing craft questions for their applicants to answer. In recent years, more schools are jumping on the bandwagon, luring students to their applications with questions like “What does #YOLO mean to you” (Tufts, 2013). This is both fun and […]

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