Resources & Tips


CEA Blog
10 Critical College Essay Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Why College Essays Matter Since many other students have similar GPAs and test scores as you (if not better, eek!), one powerful way to stand out from the crowd is to draft compelling and insightful essays. The personal statement and other supplemental essays are your chance to “be in the room” with admissions and introduce […]
How to Combat Writer’s Block and Finish Your College Essay
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 […]
The Number One Mistake International Students Make
It goes without saying that, as an international student, your application will be distinct from that of many of the other students applying to American colleges and universities. If you did not go to school in the States, your schooling experience, the activities you participated in, and many of the details of your life and […]
How to Write a Compelling Community Essay | College Application Guide
The Community Essay is a standard supplemental essay type that mines for information about your social habits and favorite causes. Since you will become a member of whichever college community you choose to attend, it’s not surprising that admissions is curious to learn more about the communities you are already a part of and the […]
How to Write a Compelling Extracurricular Activity Essay | College Essay Advisors
Admissions knows you lead a busy life, both in and out of school, and this standard supplemental essay type is an opportunity to elaborate on your most meaningful or prolonged extracurricular involvement. Colleges have the expectation that you will be an active contributor on campus, and your past participation is a window into your future […]
5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Write Your College Admissions Essay
Procrastinators, you know who you are. You’re the ones who waited until December to start your college essays and spent 15 minutes frantically scouring the internet before you landed on this post. You have a month (maybe less) before the deadlines start to hit and you don’t know where to start. First, just take a […]
5 Signs You’re Making Better College Application Progress Than You Think
The excitement of early applications has fully worn off and the regular decision slog is on. You are working your way through a seemingly infinite list of essays, but hold on, it looks like time is racing, hurtling you toward those final deadlines. WHO CREATED THIS PARADOX? In the face of the anxiety and burnout […]
The Trick to Avoiding Supplemental Essay Burnout
It’s mid-September and the school year is fully underway. You’ve been working steadily on your college applications, powering through the personal statement and filling in your Common App and Coalition profiles. Things are going well, but you’re starting to feel this flickering sense of blah-ness. Or maybe you haven’t started yet, and you’re watching essays […]
Your Back to School Application Checklist
So this is it. Senior year has arrived, and now you are officially staring at the business end of what feels like it could be the most important year of your life. So much is going to happen this year – and you have so much to do! It suddenly seems like lists are popping […]