by Lan N. A great essay alone will not determine whether you’re accepted to a college, but it can be a critical factor, especially at highly selective colleges, for several reasons. The Deciding FactorThink of your grades and test scores as the quantifiable foundation of your application. If an admissions officer is deciding between you and another applicant with identical numbers, your essay could make a difference. It’s an important
By Lan N. Supplemental essays are an opportunity to showcase your most meaningful experiences. Depending on the prompt, your focus might shift between personal growth, a favorite extracurricular, or an academic accomplishment. These days, many students are interested in computer science or tech programs. If that’s you, your resume likely already includes an internship, a club leadership role, or a technical personal project. The challenge is picking the best one
By Lan N. When writing college application essays, one of the best opportunities to stand out is the “Why Us?” or “Why Major at Our School?” essay. These prompts are an invitation to demonstrate how you align with the school’s ethos, including its values, mission, and the ways the school lives those out. Step 1: Research the College’s Ethos Begin by studying the college’s values, which is often highlighted on
By Amy T. Let’s be honest—college applications are stressful at best, and if you feel uncertain on your college major or are considering 2 majors in different fields, they can feel even more overwhelming, especially when faced with “Why this major?” essay prompts. Here’s the good news: you’re not alone. Studies show that up to 80% of students will change their major at least once during their bachelor’s program. Admissions
While your main college application offers an overview of your academic achievements and extracurricular activities, supplemental essays provide the opportunity to go deeper. These (often) short but powerful responses help admissions committees understand who you are beyond the numbers—and how you might fit into their campus community. 1. Showcasing Your Personality Supplemental essays are a rare chance to speak directly to admissions officers in your own voice. They often feature prompts
by Amy T. Are you a student who’s had to juggle a lot of responsibilities at home, such as caring for younger siblings, helping aging grandparents, or maybe having to plan and prepare meals due to your parents’ long work hours? Have you been raised in a single-parent household, requiring you to step up in specific ways to help support your family? If so, these experiences have most likely given
by Amy T. So, you’ve landed on a topic for your college essay and you’re ready to get started. The only issue is that you’ll be writing about an academic subject or major that happens to be complex, and you’re not quite sure how to approach it. How much do you have to explain the topic for your intended audience—the admissions reader? Since admissions readers come from diverse academic backgrounds,
by Kathleen M. Figurative language adds a lot to your writing by making what you say more relatable, showing something about you and your creativity, and making the examples you offer more concrete. But figurative language can go astray if you use it incorrectly. How can you not overuse figurative language in your essays? 1. Be sure to choose figures of speech that make sense in the context of your essay
by Lan N. Students interested in engineering often begin their college essays by tracing their passion back to building Lego structures as a kid. Other students take a similar approach, writing about developing an interest in ballet after seeing The Nutcracker or discovering a desire to pursue business through fond memories of a lemonade stand. While heartfelt, these stories have become clichés. What To Do Instead First, ask yourself “When,
by Kathleen M. So, here is the thing. There is no magic formula to “sound smart.” The best way to accomplish this is by sounding confident. And how do you sound confident? Write about something you know well. Once you select a topic you know well, plan an essay on that subject. Make sure there is a main point, evidence, and focused organization. Then write what you know. You will
by Lan N. If you’re applying to college, you likely already know that the college essay is an important part of the application. But have you ever wondered: Who’s reading my essay—and why does it matter? Meet the Readers: Undergraduate Admissions Officers Admissions officers are trained professionals who work in a college’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, often with backgrounds in education or counseling. They review applications, including essays, and select
by Kathleen M. One of the things you may not think too much about until it is too late is how to organize your computer files so that the most recent draft of your essay is clear. It is true that you could rely on the time/date stamp, but why risk it? One suggestion is to open and save new folders in Google Docs or your laptop for each college
by Kathleen M. Making decisions about when and how to use semicolons is more often about style than it is about grammar. Your sense of writing style comes through when you decide how to punctuate complex and compound sentences. Your writing style also comes through when you showcase your ability to write a variety of sentence types. These kinds of considerations come in the later stages of your writing process,
by Kathleen M. It is time to write an essay, and you’ve read all of the prompts and have selected the one you want to respond to. You do the brainstorming, look at your activity list for inspiration, and choose the story you want to tell. Then you sit down to write, and somehow, you come up short. Your essay draft is well below the requested word count, and honestly,
by Kathleen M. It is time to start learning a few shortcuts to help you in reading and writing for college. When you read, if you take notes, you will be better able to remember the details of what you read. This is important because not only will it help you with readings in college classes, it will also help you to understand your own point in your writing, such
by Kathleen M. Your life is full of writing opportunities every day. Taking a minute to recognize these opportunities and to start to take advantage of them is a good first step in training yourself to improve your writing in a nearly unconscious fashion. So first, take a deep breath. We are creating a new habit here, not anything more. Look around for a way to practice writing that feels
by Kathleen M. For the most part, you understand when to use capital letters. But when talking about college majors, the rules are various. So here is a super basic tip – if you are speaking in general terms, use lower case and if you are being specific, capitalize. Example 1:I am interested in studying English and possibly double majoring in applied physics. Here English is capitalized because it is
by Kathleen M. Always remember that your college application essays are about you, and why you would be a great fit for a particular university. So your interests, goals, and intentions should come together to give a full picture of you. But what if your interests were related to something you worked on with social media, like Instagram or YouTube? Can you mention social media topics in a college essay?
by Kathleen M. Yes and no. How is that for an answer? As with many things you are considering as you prepare to write a college admissions essay, the answer is maybe. It depends on what example you are using and why you want to use that answer. If the pop culture reference shows the reader something about you, then the answer is more likely to be yes. But remember
by Kathleen M. Happy April Fool’s Day! I hope you enjoy a little levity this month, and one way to start is to read a few funny books/authors. Everyone’s sense of humor is different but these classics should work for many people. Below would be 3 authors that students can read for laughs, which should also help them develop their understanding of their own writing style and how humor can
by Kathleen M. The main problem with most writing is clarity. And teachers will mark all sorts of things to help you try to clarify your meaning. One of the things they may have suggested you learn about is vague pronoun reference. One of the problems with having to look up things that will aid in your writing is that the grammar terms might be confusing. In order to understand
by Kathleen M. In order to avoid sentence fragments, you have to know what they are. And it is really pretty simple: a sentence fragment is a sentence which is missing one of its main parts – either the subject or verb. The problem with missing one of these essential elements is that first of all it is incorrect, but additionally, a sentence fragment rarely makes sense on its own.
by Kathleen M. There are a few tried and true ways to make personal writing sound more conversational, and less academic. This tonal change in your writing for application essays can be made with just a few easy changes. The first thing to pay attention to is the audience. This is true in all kinds of writing but to make your writing more conversational, you have to imagine an audience
by Kathleen M. Women’s History Month started in 1980 as Women’s History Week and now is observed throughout the month of March. International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 – this is often a day off where women can celebrate their strength and solidarity. It is always good to read widely and wildly so here are a few suggestions to get you started as you discover amazing women authors
by Kathleen M. You have selected your top ten schools to apply to and at least one of them has asked you to write a short essay about a social issue or community issue that is important to you. What happens if you don’t really have an activist cause? It is always a good idea to start with a list. What is important to you? Compare the list of what’s
by Kathleen M. Beware! This is a tricky question hiding in plain sight. You think – oh, I got this – my coach has done so much good in the community, and I could easily write 350 words about all the good she has done. Wrong! Whenever you are responding to a question for an application, the answer should be about you. So how do you answer a prompt when
by Kathleen M. Thinking about applying to college? Looking for a new year’s resolution? I have an idea for you! Keep a record of all you are doing/learning in high school so you will be prepared for college applications. How to start? How can you record your accomplishments from high school activities? Select a notebook – or online source. And commit to recording weekly your accomplishments. Weekly may seem like
by Kathleen M. You selected your dream school, you applied and …. wait list! Now what? If this school is still the school you want, now is the time to refocus your energy and writing skill and send a letter of continued interest (if the school has asked for one, or as long as they didn’t say don’t write!). What are some tips you should know for writing a waitlist
by Kathleen M. You have heard the advice to avoid cliches and maybe you have even tried to rid yourself of the ones you employ most often. The reason to avoid cliches is that they are a shortcut – and when you are writing an application essay (or any important piece of writing), you don’t want the reader to think you are cutting corners. So instead of most cliches, you
by Kathleen M. You have always loved math (or whatever subject is your passion!) and now is your time to shine – you are applying for a summer program or college and one of the short essay questions is for you to explain a subject you feel passionate about. If you are tempted to start with “I am passionate about math”, I would ask you to step back for a
By Kathleen M. So you are a STEM student who has lots of application essays to write and are struggling to write about all of the work you have done. You have a list of projects and internships and summer programs that you have participated in and are unsure of how to move from list to essay. How can you write about a STEM project? Here are a few ideas:
by Kathleen M. The COSMOS Application is open and live for 2025. One big reminder right from the start – Choose which COSMOS campus you would like to apply to and read about their specialty. Then you can choose two clusters at that campus to apply for. Tailor your interests to the clusters of your choice and apply away! How should students write their COSMOS essay? The COSMOS essay is
by Kathleen M. One of the most difficult questions that students have to answer in essays is the question that asks you to think about how you know what you know – or what you learned from an experience. It is easy to describe what you know or the experience itself – but much harder to explain how you are different now that you have that knowledge. So as with
by Kathleen M. If you are stumped about how to present your achievements in an application essay for a summer program or for a college application, think about what you want to highlight about you. What makes you different? What makes you a good applicant? One articles suggests that what may be important to link to your achievements are character traits you might not initially think of a part of
by Kathleen M. Are you a high school student who is considering applying to a summer program? Here are a few things to think about as you write your essays for whichever summer program you are applying to. Consider the question. This seems simple but you have to address the prompt being asked. The people who are deciding if you participate want to know something about you and why you
by Kathleen M. The UC PIQ number eight is open-ended and asks you what else you “believe makes you a strong candidate for the University of California.” So what kinds of responses might go here? Remember you want to balance the kinds of stories you are telling for the four responses, so if you have covered academics, your major, your volunteer service, your sport in the other questions – now
by Kathleen M. When you start to think about the UC PIQ 7: What have you done to make your school or community a better place?, focus on the word “better” and a little less on “done.” What would it mean for you to make a place better? How would you show that you had improved the place? For example: I made my softball team into a better place by
by Kathleen M. So by now you have recognized the pattern and know we will be discussing UC PIQ number 6 this week: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside the classroom. If your first impulse is to wax poetic about what you love about calculus… I am here to remind you that this UC essay 6, like all
by Kathleen M. The UC essays 4 and 5 are really very closely related to one another. So think about selecting one of these. Prompt number 4 asks: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. And prompt five poses this question: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to
by Kathleen M. When the UC PIQ prompt #3 asks: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? How should you answer? How do you show development over time? At some point you were probably only okay at something you count as your greatest talent and skill. You likely worked very hard for the thing you are discussing
by Kathleen M. When you first read the UC PIQ prompt #2: “Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side,” you may think, “this doesn’t apply to me because I am not an artist.” However, read it again. You will see the options that the
by Kathleen M. The first prompt for the University of California Personal Insight Questions is “Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. After an initial read, you may decide not to pursue this question – you only have to choose four of eight – but I would recommend you read it again and
by Kathleen M. For the University of California system, students will need to choose four of eight Personal Insight Questions. The UC admissions webpage provides a welcome video and a breakdown of the eight questions. Additionally, there is a handout on the webpage which breaks the process down into steps. If you would like more info on the UC PIQs, this blog has a number of posts that would be
by Kathleen M. “It was a Dark and Stormy Night…” Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote a novel that started with this phrase in 1830; now there is an annual contest to write an equally atrocious opening sentence each year. You are more likely to remember the phrase from Peanuts cartoons, as it was often the opening of a novel that Snoopy worked on. Writing a memorable opening for an essay is not
by Kathleen M. If you have to tell people that they have reached the end of your personal statement, you may have a problem with your personal statement. So my first piece of advice when writing your conclusion is to not open with “in conclusion.” My second piece of advice is to re-read your introduction and see what connections you may make to show you how to write your conclusion
by Kathleen M. Now that you have a draft of your Common App Essay written, it is time for revision. “Revision” means seeing it again – hopefully from a new perspective. So as you work on polishing and revising your own essay, here is one way to be sure the HOCs and LOCs are all locked in! Supplies needed: Your essay, sticky notes, pens. Step one: Read your essay one
by Kathleen M. We all know what a paragraph is. But do we? We can agree that a paragraph has one main idea, has a topic sentence, evidence, and a link to the thesis. But when writing a personal essay, the thesis and topic sentence may not be as obvious as they are when you are writing an expository essay. So how do we know when to end one paragraph
by Kathleen M. One of the main challenges in writing a Common App Essay is writing something that isn’t boring or cliched or overused. How can you avoid writing a boring essay? Let’s go over some examples that may be more boring or expected. For example: My aunt was the one who always babysat me ever since I was five years old. I always remember her love for the outdoors,
By Kathleen M. One of the key lessons to learn as you write your personal narrative as a part of your college application is to be specific. Two of the words that get in the way of that specificity are “it” and “that.” Sure they are handy words to use and work in all kinds of ways in all kinds of sentences, but if you are working to make your
by Kathleen M. As you write, you may find yourself googling questions that are stressing you out. You know that your English teacher told you not to use personal pronouns in formal writing and here you are trying to write a personal narrative for your college application. How are you supposed to write about your authentic self without using I? You aren’t. Use “I” – you have to use “I”
by Kathleen M. You have been working on college applications essay and trying to come up with an idea but are drawing a blank. Do you feel like you should have your Common App essay outlined but can’t come up with any ideas? Remember that you have loads of resources at your fingertips and try to relax! First, what have you done for brainstorming? Did you consider a few values
by Kathleen M. The Common App refreshes on August 1, and it is time to review the personal essay prompts for the 2024-25 year. The news shouldn’t come as a surprise that the topics will remain the same as last year. Now is the time to dig in and think about each of the options and make a plan for your Common App Essay! The IvyBoost Blog is loaded with
by Kathleen M. You are working away on your college application essays and suddenly wonder – wait should I be using the past or present tense? Can I switch back and forth? What is correct? Relax. The main goal in writing your personal essays is to communicate with your audience. You want the reader to get a sense of who you are. So the main decision when you are writing
by Kathleen M. When I was a college student, I had a professor offer me an F on an essay with the caveat that if I turned it in having corrected the comma splices, I would earn an A. So that was the day I learned what a comma splice was! And I am here to save you from a similar fate. A comma splice happens when you use a
by Kathleen M. You had a wonderful summer internship or extracurricular where you learned a lot about tech or STEM, and you would like to showcase that as part of your college application essay. Perfect! Now take a minute to remember that the audience for your personal essay and the audience who might understand what you did related to CS or programming or AI may not crossover. Here are 3
by Kathleen M. If you were a college admissions officer and had the opportunity to read hundreds of personal narratives, what would you want to read? Sometimes it is fun to imagine yourself as the audience. So as you read the three introductions below, think about which essay you would like to read and why. Once you have read through, click on the Details tab to find out what I
by Kathleen M. As Oscar Wilde famously quipped, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” If only this advice were easy to follow when you are writing a personal essay to be included in your college admission portfolio. But it is necessary because the college of your dreams wants an authentic and honest sense of who you are. Authentic you. When you write and add in words you don’t fully
by Kathleen M. Have you ever tried to convince someone that you can multitask? If yes, you probably need to work on limiting your distractions while writing! Or at least considering these elements of your work/distraction balance will help you to be more efficient and write more effectively. Designate time for writing. Then turn off notifications, set a timer, and work. If your phone lighting up is distracting, then turn
by Kathleen M. Congratulations! You finished exams and have taken a little time off and now you want to know how to proceed with getting your college application together. There are two main questions to consider: Why are you writing a personal essay? When should you begin writing? You should write your purpose down. Why are you writing a personal essay to the college of your dreams? What do you
by Kathleen M. When do you write your introduction? Is it the first thing you write or the last? Or does it happen in the midst of writing your essay? Different online writing sites offer a variety of advice for when it is best to write your introduction. But it is your essay, do what works for you! And remember that what works for you may vary from one writing
by Michelle P. Along with summer sunshine and catching up with exciting summer flicks, students might find themselves spinning the gears in their brains for ideas for their college application essays. What does it mean for college applications to ask you to write a personal essay? And as a student, what does personal writing even look like? It’s a very different piece of writing from an argumentative essay or an
by Kathleen M. Ever wonder how to add more life to your writing? Sometimes writing is correct and clear but lacks any emotion or life; these types of essays are often difficult for the reader because they lack energy. These “boring” essays are a struggle for writers because like all personal writing, if it’s yours, it is probably clear and interesting to you. Here is a list of ways you
by Michelle P. From earlier posts on originality to values, students understand why it’s important to write a strong and unique college application essay. But what if a student still feels stuck? Everything they like, or the main experiences and stories they want to share—all of it feels pretty normal to the student. How can they write an interesting college application essay about a normal topic? Connect the ‘what?’ of the
by Kathleen M. One of the challenges of the personal essay is writing effective transitions. When we are writing essays, we know to refer back to our thesis statement in order to create transitions, or to look for the connection between ideas and make that connection clear. These same lessons apply to the personal college application essay. Just remember that transitions are the glue that hold the essay together. In
by Sarah M. As you begin to think about your college essays, you probably already know that you need to start by brainstorming. You can check other posts for specific prompts that can get that process going for you. This one will help you start to wrangle all of those big ideas, as you narrow them down and look for the best topic. Brainstorming kicks up a lot of exciting
by Michelle P. One essay for college applications can already be an intimidating task for many students. Multiply that by the variety of essay prompts required from colleges, and the writing work required looks like a very tall mountain indeed. How can students write more quickly for a personal college application essay, especially when you want to get that first draft out on paper? And no, we are not talking
by Michelle P. From AI to data science to cybersecurity, students have a multitude of options and interests to consider in the field of computer science. If Computer Science is an intended college major for a high schooler, it is highly important to plan for how you may write about it for one of your later college application essays. A previous blog post covers how a student can write about
by Michelle P. Instead of detailed business spreadsheets, perhaps you are most used to examining new versions of code. Or, instead of scrutinizing variables for a science lab, you feel most at home testing out solutions for coding bugs. While Computer Science is a fascinating area with many applications within your daily life, it can prove a challenge to write about for a college essay or summer program application. What
by Sarah M. No matter what particular prompts you are responding to for your applications, there is pressure to figure out how to make yourself stand out. How do you pick topics, or even supporting details, that are unusual enough to catch your readers’ eyes? When you have the space to tell a full story, as in your Common App personal statement, you can spend some time building a unique
by Michelle P. For students, the phrase ‘spring break’ usually heralds a time full of sunshine, adventure, and relaxation. It also gives you both the space and time to catch up on some reading and reflection. Perhaps you have a quiet moment or two during a long trip, or you would like to bring some reading while sitting by a refreshing breeze near a lake. For students who want to
by Molly R. Good writing is engaging and captures the attention of its readers. As we have shared before, writing a good college application essay means writing an essay that is meaningful, uses descriptive language, and is emotional. Repetitive sentence structures can bore your readers and make them lose interest. One way to keep your readers engaged is by utilizing a diverse range of sentence structures. Sentences are composed of
by Sarah M. When you write your college essays, whether a personal statement, a supplemental, or anything else, it’s important to be as descriptive as possible. This is what can truly set you apart from the crowd: your ability not just to narrate an experience, but to make it come alive to the reader, to explain convincingly what was unique about it. There are a lot of ways to tackle
by Michelle P. Do you get excited about the chance to take apart and repair a gaming computer? Or what about working on robots for NASA and scientific discoveries? If your future college interest is towards engineering or robotics, how can you write a strong essay about it for college applications, either in the supplements or the main essays? See what you can learn with these 3 tips from the
by Michelle P. From our past blog posts, many students would be aware of the importance of summer research or other research project experiences during the school year. Not only is research a good way to demonstrate a specific academic interest for colleges, it also helps students deepen their enthusiasm and exploration for later career directions. But whether your research project centers around analyzing data on native bumblebee populations or
by Drew C. As a concept, “style” can be hard to pin down. In writing, style is technically the result of diction (the words you choose) and syntax (the shape of your sentences). In essence, it’s how you express yourself on the page—how you come across. You can think of writing style in terms of fashion, since the process of choosing the right clothes to suit your personal taste is
by Sarah M. If you already know going into your applications that you’ll be focusing on the health sciences, and perhaps a pre-med program, then you should incorporate this into your essays. You don’t have to know exactly how your career will unfold yet, but health and medicine are tracks of study that often take considerable planning and stamina, and so it is helpful to let your readers know that
by Michelle P. Our previous essay blog post focuses on how to write a great personal essay on a business or entrepreneurship interest if you’re a student. Building off of that, what are some great examples of writing that students can look at, to inspire themselves when writing personal statements for summer business programs of a business major? You can analyze 3 examples of writing from articles below which focus
by Drew C. For students applying to business or entrepreneurship programs, the choice can sometimes feel as if it’s self-explanatory. Unlike dance or poetry, there’s a clear path to the workforce. And who wouldn’t want to be CEO of the next big startup? When it comes to your application essay, however, it can be dangerous to assume your goals are obvious. You still need to do the work of discovering
by Michelle P. Have you ever finished a draft of an essay, after hours and hours of thinking, then sat back and looked at it? Did you ever think that the story of the essay was there, but somehow read as stiff and a little boring? One big issue that comes up for students writing a personal essay, whether for college applications or a summer program, can be understanding how
by Sarah M. When it comes to showing your values in college essays, it can be easy to fall into the realm of cliché. There are a few key values that most, if not all successful applicants definitely have and often write about: discipline, focus, adaptability, independence. These are of course important values to have, but when it comes to setting yourself apart in essay, they’re not the best to
by Molly R. Many college essay students don’t want to seem conceited or egotistical in their college essays. At the same time, it is also important to not diminish your skills and achievements in these essays. Use your college essays as a place to shine and as an opportunity to highlight all of your high school success. If you are gearing up to write your college essay next year or
by Drew C. Everyone knows that a good personal essay is original. It’s one of the laws of the universe for English teachers and counselors and college admissions committees, and you’ve probably heard it a thousand times. But what does it actually mean to be original? And why does it matter? In one sense, being original means “not being a plagiarist”—i.e., submitting your own work instead of the work of
by Sarah M. One fairly common supplemental essay is something about how you want to make an impact, or to change the world. The prompts and word counts can differ slightly, of course, but the main idea stays the same: what big ideas, goals, or plans do you have? This essay is a chance to do three distinct things: First (and probably most importantly), it invites you to introduce a
by Molly R. A common essay supplement prompt for college applications asks students to share more about their identity, race, cultural background, or why inclusivity is important to them. These diversity essay prompts also ask students to share how they will contribute to a thriving, diverse student body. While it may be tempting to write only about race, cultural identity, or ethnicity in this diversity essay, at IvyBoost we encourage
by Michelle P. You’ve tackled the main Common App essay with a great story showing your change and growth. Perhaps you’ve also happily triumphed over the challenge of writing four strong UC personal essays that each share something unique about yourself. Now what’s left is you, the hopeful college applicant, staring down smaller supplemental prompts, like “Why do you want to attend our college?” IvyBoost has a previous introductory blog
by Drew C. “Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected.” “Why this major?” is one of the most common supplement prompts, though it’s not always phrased that way. College A might ask you to explain “how you plan to pursue your academic interests,” whereas College B might ask you to describe how you discovered those interests in the first place. However it’s phrased, the ultimate goal
by Michelle P. Whether you are working through the flurry of UC essays or jumping between one supplement to the next like Mario collecting coins, there are many steps in writing to get your college application drafts to a strong final version. When you reach the revising stage, below are some past EssayNarwhal posts you may consider reading, just to refresh your memory! But beyond these posts, if you only
by Drew C. UC prompt #8: Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Sometimes opened-ended prompts are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the question frees you up to write about almost anything, including how great you are. On the other hand, that very freedom can easily lead you astray, because
by Molly R. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix
by Sarah M. UC prompt #6: Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside the classroom. This is an ideal topic for students with a longstanding intellectual passion, but writing it well can be a bit tricky. First of all, if you love a topic and know a lot about it, it can be tempting to write an essay about
by Michelle P. UC Prompt #5 asks: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? As a hopeful applicant for a UC, students may see this prompt with relief and understanding that colleges do not expect all applicants to have a perfect record on their grades. Of course, having a strong academic
by Drew C. UC prompt #4: Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. This one is a double prompt, so choose your own adventure. You could write about your favorite honors course, a special trip you took, an after-school activity, or anything else that shaped you into the student you are today. On the other hand,
by Lillie W. UC Prompt #3: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Chances are, you know very well what your greatest talent or skill is. What popped into your head when you read this prompt? Likely, that’s your answer. But if this question intrigues you yet you’re wavering on what to name as your niftiest gift,
by Sarah M. UC prompt #2: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you
by Molly R. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. This is a place for applicants to think about when they were leaders. Have you been a leader at school? At a community event? At home? Leadership roles can happen anywhere; they don’t need to just happen at school. Perhaps you took on
by Molly R. As you probably know, it’s imperative to write concisely in your college essays. Every word matters when there is a small word count and it is important that you share relevant details to make your essay compelling. Oversharing can make your essay confusing and hard to read. Yet, undersharing leaves holes in your story and will be confusing for an admissions officer. Therefore, it’s crucial that you
by Michelle P. What is the career that you imagined you would have as a kid? An action movie star? A fashion designer? It would be very likely your career interests have changed and developed as you’ve grown through high school. Colleges you are applying for would also be interested to know what kind of career interest you have as a student. Your essay is a strong chance to show
by Sarah M. Prompt 7: “Share an essay on a topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.” This prompt is an opportunity to tell your own story in your own way. If you don’t have any idea what you want to write about and you’re brainstorming from scratch, a different prompt will most
by Michelle P. Common App prompt #6 asks: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? A lot of students find it fun to write for this Common App prompt, seeing as the entire focus of the prompt is about a
by Sarah M. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Prompt #5 is the most quintessential college essay prompt. Indeed, any prompt that you choose to answer will eventually come back to the formula asked for here: a moment or experience that led to a process of personal growth. Although you may find inspiration in other
by Lillie W. Two years ago, a new prompt showed up among the Common App’s standard seven personal statement options, a question that invited students to talk about an experience that made them grateful. As several public commentators remarked at the time, Prompt #4 stood out against the other six essay options in a couple of significant ways. Its wording is, “Reflect on something that someone has done for you
by Molly R. Previous Essay Narwhal blogs have shared tips and tricks for Common App Prompts #1 and #2. This week, we’re pleased to share some insights for lucky #3: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? As with other Common App questions, it’s best to be specific and share positive growth. Admission officers want to
by Michelle P. From sleeping late past an alarm clock to losing a contact lenses or misspelling a word in a hasty text message—failures and mistakes are a natural part of life. A previous post dives into Common App prompt #2 about failure and challenges for Essay Narwhals. This post will offer some additional insight for students hoping to make this Common App essay on failure into their big win
by Molly R. At IvyBoost, we know how important college essays are because they display something more than just test scores and grades: They share your story. One way to tell your story and to present yourself authentically is make sure that you’re writing in the right tone. When it comes to creating a memorable and effective college essay, use a conversational and courteous tone. Imagine you are telling the
by Lillie W. If you’re a rising high school senior, at this point in your life your experience with job interviews is probably limited. But you’ll find out soon enough, once you hit the job market, that there’s no more paralyzing moment at the start of an interview than a company executive’s unexpectedly trumpeting “So, tell me about yourself!” across a big desk. Most of us suffer instant brain freeze
by Sarah M. The stakes are high when you sit down to write your personal statement for the Common App (or any college essay, for that matter), so it can be easy to get a little carried away. Writers sometimes get too caught up in big ideas, and end up writing grandiose essays inspired by the most pressing issues of our time. While behemoths like climate change or world peace
by Lillie W. Sure, the temptation is tantalizing. The touted miracles of generative AI language programs such as ChatGPT or Google Bard might seem fantastically enticing: producing a credible piece of writing that involves barely a lick of your own work, what could be better – right? If you compulsively barked “Wrong!”, congratulations to you. For this notion in indeed wrong on so many levels — both obvious and not-so-obvious
by Albert L. In honor of Pride month, I wanted to discuss a little about how identities shape who we are and whether those topics should be chosen for your college essays. With the rights of many groups being attacked and the heated political discourse that often touches these subjects, students and parents often worry about whether stories about orientation or gender identities should be written about. The answer is
by Nick L. As the school year ends and you begin thinking about your college essays, it can be tempting to focus exclusively on the body of your essay—those three or four paragraphs that provide the bulk of your narrative and ultimately allow the reader to decide whether you belong at your favorite school. And while the body of your essay is arguably the most crucial component when it comes
by Michelle An ugly duckling turns into a swan. An acorn becomes a beautiful oak tree. A timid fish becomes a brave adventurer (okay, that last one is from Finding Nemo). As an Essay Narwhal, you understand that college application essays present a great opportunity to share a story about yourself. But not just any story though. Your application essays are a great chance to show to colleges how exactly
by Nick L. Writer’s block. These two words have plagued writers ever since ancient Mesopotamians began scrawling ideas into clay tablets, and the advent of a long list of helpful writing tools— from the typewriter to the modern computer—haven’t made things any easier for writers who find themselves searching in vain for the next word. Whether you’re just beginning and trying to come up with an exciting subject for your
by Michelle After days of typing and staring blankly at a computer screen, you’ve managed to complete a first draft of a college essay! But upon rereading your draft, your brow furrows. Something seems to be missing—but what? What are some important details that students can miss and forget to include in their college essays? 1.Name of an event Once, a student working on an essay wrote a paragraph on
by Michelle One popular prompt that pops up often for college essays would be a question like ‘Describe a community you are a part of’ or ‘Describe how you have contributed to your community.’ These prompts can prove puzzling to many students, who may be unsure how to describe a community. Beyond the TV-perfect image of a community being made up of a group of friends in a fancy New
by Albert L. It. No, I’m not talking about the killer clown that preys on your deepest fears. However, overreliance on the word “it” in your writing should scare you. This seemingly harmless pronoun is the antithesis of clarity in writing. I understand the allure of this word for writers. It is a catchall to mean almost anything. You might say, EssayNarwhal Blogger, you just used it. And yes, I
by Sarah M. As your junior year draws to a close, college applications are probably an undeniable, crucial, anxiety-inducing task that you plan to start… soon. But summer begins, and December starts to seem very far off. The task of writing can seem overwhelming, and it can be all too easy to push those essays back to the end of the summer, or the fall, or even beyond. Here are
by Michelle At some point, an Essay Narwhal may find themselves needing to describe a setting in their essays. For prompts like ‘Why would you choose this college?’ (when you’ve had a chance to visit) or ‘describe your community and a problem you fixed in it’, knowing how to give readers a sense of place through your writing can be especially important. An earlier post, Chewing the Scenery, does give
by Michelle Pick up your pen and cross out those lines about a 1st place science award or winning a statewide music competition. While accomplishments and academic awards may have been hard-earned, they may not show the most attention-grabbing or important parts of your personality in the college application essays. So what are some stronger tips on how to stand out in college essays and show your unique self? 1.
by Michelle This April Fool’s, want to know a nice way to show a little more personality in a college essay? Humor. Does a college essay have to be serious all the time? No. Do you have to use humor in your college essays to make it a good essay? No, not necessarily. But reading this post can also help boost your writing techniques in general for any kind of
by Michelle “After I finished that difficult lab in AP Biology, I realized I wanted to become a doctor.” “I really want to major in Chemistry, because of that great summer internship I had at a research center at that college, and because of my experience in placing first in the science fair.” One area that students can really struggle with in writing is how to show their interest in
by Michelle From last week’s post on emotional growth, Essay Narwhals should understand how it is important to show maturity and understanding of your own emotions. The topic for today’s post will jump off of that idea as a launching point. Many students know that they wish to show the best sides of themselves in a college essay. However, there is one simple trap that many students fall into when
by Sarah M. One of the most important ways to make your college application essays stand out is to convey your feelings and emotions. This is a bit of a new task for many students, because generally speaking, academic writing is NOT emotional. So, how should you include more of your own inner life within a college essay? You can’t simply insert something like “I felt sad,” or “that made
by Michelle Hey Essay Narwhals! Do you remember what you had for lunch three days ago? How about what you had for lunch one month ago? Do you remember the title of that one catchy song you heard one day ago? How about the title of the catchy song you and your dance team practiced to a year ago? You can’t remember? Even for the most type-A personality, Hydro
by Albert L. As the application season is nearing its end for most schools, I want to congratulate this year’s seniors for going through the gauntlet of essay writing. It’s been a pleasure guiding our EssayNarwhals with writing and story principles to show the diversity in values and experiences I know many colleges will deeply connect with. But as one class’s college application journey is about to end, another is
by Michelle You may still be finishing up a few last-minute college supplements for deadlines! Or you may have found this post while intrigued by how you can prepare for your summer activity essays or college essays in the future. Every year, there are 4 cliches that constantly show up in students’ college essay drafts like an inevitable flock of seagulls swarming over spilled french fries. No matter the topic,
by Sarah M. Supplemental essays are colleges’ chance to ask questions unique to them. These essays are usually short, but they can be a lot of work, because it’s so essential to make sure that your answers are tailored to each college (when that is what the prompt is asking for). Several prompts come up again and again, from college to college. This post will focus on one of the
by Lillie W. By now, you may very well be sick of hearing that your college application essays should make you “stand out,” and just as sick of staring at your laptop screen trying to figure out how in the world you’re going to do that. Here’s some great news: you’re more outstanding than you think. You may just be looking at the wrong parts of your life to alight
by Albert L. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” “Fortune favors the bold.” “But what I do I have are a particular set of skills…” Quotes can be powerful. The last one taken from the movie Taken is so ubiquitous, it’s spawned a whole generation of memes. Using quotes in your writing can be effective. They can summon profound ideas written by culturally and intellectually significant individuals that have
by Sarah M. Students are often advised to stay away from essay topics that might be too generic, and one common example of that is athletics. Since so many high school students play sports, it can seem like it might be too difficult to write a unique essay. But there’s no reason to throw out an entire genre, especially one so potentially rich and interesting. Athletics can provide excellent experience
by Michelle It’s 8pm on a weekday and you’re sitting in front of your computer, ready to keep going with your drafts on your essays for your college application. Instead of sitting uncomfortably in a creaky desk chair with the white light of the screen burning your eyes, you imagine yourself somewhere else. Maybe a beach, on a warm, lazy afternoon. You’re looking out at the water, watching the ocean
by Albert L. In my first job in high school, my right thumb often pulsated with a rawness that came from my nemesis that was a single hole puncher. I believed I could efficiently brute force my way through one too many sheets that would somehow defy the laws of physics. My loving cousin employed me as one of her sweatshop elves in her home business that sold handcrafted messages
by Albert L. The quintessential story of America is that of the immigrant. Packing up your bags to leave the comforts you once knew and traveling to a land of apple pies in search of opportunities and freedom is something that is hardwired into the DNA of the United States. So many come to our shores (or more likely airports) in search of a better life for themselves and their
by Albert L. It’s that time – when finals have just finished and you’ve heard the triumphant ringing of the last bell for the school year. The rising temperatures are beckoning you to soak up some sunshine and it’s your chance to reshape the mush that is your brain from all that studying. After a long year, you probably deserve a much-needed break. However, as tempting as it might be
by Albert L. If there’s one thing that we can count on in our shifting society, it’s that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) will lead us into the future with lucrative careers solving the problems of tomorrow. Even as a writer and essay mentor for many years, I too sing in the praises of entering and focusing on such fields, especially if students have the talent and passion. However,
To all our Students and Families, Seasons Greetings and Merry Christmas from IvyBoost! As a note, IvyBoost Education’s office will be closed for the holidays from the dates 12/23-01/05. The office will resume its hours as usual after 01/05. We wish everyone a safe and healthy winter holidays! If you have any questions about signing up for college counseling services, feel free to contact us through the sign-up form on
by Michelle For all the Essay Narwhals who have begun boldly swimming into the first drafts of their essays, they might be unaware of a few dangerous icebergs they should avoid. Of course, we’re referring to clichés. What is a cliché, exactly? To recap, a cliché would be a phrase of writing (or more broadly, a scene or situation) that has been used over and over so much that it
by Michelle Hey Essay Narwhals! Did you know that different groups of whales may sing songs in different dialects? It’s been hypothesized that the songs in these dialects could be a way for whales to identify themselves, and bring up the possibility of the existence of different whale ‘cultures.’ This idea is easy enough to understand for human society as well. Even groups of people in the same country may
by Albert L. One of the reasons why I like running on a treadmill is that I can stare lasers at the mile counter. I know exactly how much distance I have left to sweat before the pain will end. Similarly, some of you might find pleasure in the gamifying the word count feature of your word processor as you creep towards the end. There’s of course a word count,
by Albert L. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? In many cultures, we honor the wisdom of our elders. We do so not necessarily because they are inherently smarter, but because their formative years have left indelible memories
by Albert Leo After an arduous hike to the summit of a mountain, you might feel a sense of accomplishment and take in the scenery to enjoy the vista. But within the hustle and bustle of your day to day lives, you’re not often asked to really capture your surroundings. Unfortunately, your college essays require you to draw and catalogue those moments. So how do you chew the scenery
by Michelle A singer practices their scales, from one octave to the next. A baseball batter practices their swing. Baby birds practice flying from high branches, and young whales need to be shown how to hunt by their pod. Likewise, to get good at writing, Essay Narwhals should write. Perhaps it isn’t time for you to draft your college application essays yet, so you don’t see the point in
by Albert Leo “LOOK COLLEGES, I AM A GOOD PERSON!” In a world where people can curate their personal image on social media, you can see instances of how people attempt to virtue signal. This is the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions intended to demonstrate one’s good character or the moral correctness of one’s position on a particular issue. I use this NPR tote bag, so clearly I’m
by Michelle So you’re well underway on your first draft of your college essay. You have a story, you’ve given some thought about your philosophies, and you’re ready to go—and then you run into a roadblock. How can you make your writing feel personal? This can feel like an impossible, elusive task, something difficult to accomplish—like remembering the melody of a favorite song but the title of the song eludes
by Albert Leo When we think of philosophy, we might think of some Greek man draped with a piece of cloth, contemplating on a rock. Thinking about that image, I would say ouch, I’d hate to think of a life without cushions. But beyond the physical details of a philosopher, what we’re left assuming about their thoughts is vague. The man is not doing, he is thinking. We have no
by Albert Leo 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? When reading this prompt, I’m reminded of how the Japanese have a traditional aesthetic called wabi-sabi. This philosophy aims to highlight what is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Take
by Albert Leo Now that you’ve started looking at the prompts for the Common App, you can already see how they’re so intentionally broad, that it would be hard for me to cover all of it in just one blog post. We’ll try to tackle part of the first prompt here. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be
by Michelle Finally, the big moment is here. Time to start on your college essay. You’ve cleaned up a good writing space for yourself, making sure you have your essay prompts and water and snacks on hand. You’ve pondered for a long time over experiences and events from your year during COVID, carefully considering what kind of meaningful stories you can write about. “How hard can writing this college essay
by Albert Leo With all the thoughts of relaying your hopes and dreams into your essay, you can sometimes go too big and broad, unintentionally making your writing not as relatable. It’s important that you make your aspirations digestible and anchor them through personal experiences. Powerful stories often tap into the smaller moments we have with other people. Humans, like narwhals in their pods, are a social species. We relate
by Albert Leo Writing for narratives, like the essays that you will write for your college essays, often requires flexing completely different muscles than the ones you use in writing for school assignments. Teachers may assign you to read compelling novels and even teach you some techniques that authors employ for an engaging story, but they often don’t make you use narrative techniques in your own writing. This is why
By Michelle When you think of a writer, what comes to mind? A melancholy artist hunched over a typewriter? Li Bai with a brush in hand, looking at the moon? Mary Shelley scribbling with a quill as a thunderstorm rages outside? Actually, it doesn’t matter that much if you don’t have a typewriter or a fancy color-coordinated bullet journal on a desk with Instagrammable succulents. There are really only 3
by Albert Leo As a writer, I’m often consumed in my own headspace of the stories I want to tell. If I had my way, I would rather just spend time riffing with my characters and twist in turmoil in the worlds that I create than talk about myself. But often, even when you’re not writing, whether you’re going on an interview, or talking to a stranger, you’re finding ways
by Albert Leo For this week’s Essay Narwhals, I’m writing about how to show and tell. Let’s try that again, but by showing. With several YouTube tabs open, and the next episode of Friends queued up on Netflix, I glance back at a sea of white on my screen. Though I’m comfortably planted in my ergonomic chair designed for productivity, my Word document brandishes a blinking cursor, mocking me to
by Albert Leo With the Common App essay being such an important component of an application, a lot of students will scrutinize over choosing the “right” prompt or whether they are answering the prompt completely. This kind of attitude is not surprising. We’ve been conditioned throughout school to read the directions clearly, to make sure that you answer the question completely. In math, there’s often one correct answer. Even
By Albert Leo You picked out a topic you’re excited about! Now where do you begin? With my track shoe’s spikes digging into the pavement, I launched into strides down the runway. My problem with the long jump was that I often sabotaged myself before I even started my ascent into the air and landed in the sandpit. In my anticipation of the jump, I would fumble my footing and
By Michelle I was 7 years old, standing at the tiled edge of the pool, with all my classmates looking at me. I looked at the water. Gulped in a breath. This was an elementary school swim class. I had on a life jacket. We were supposed to practice floating in the deepest end of the school pool. The end where if you looked too long, you would get nervous,
by Albert Leo One of my teachers gave me valuable advice to become a better writer: “Get a life.” The logic was simple: writing will inevitably be easier if you have vivid stories and experiences to pull from. However, with many schools stuck in various stages of lockdown, a lot of activities have either been postponed, hindered, or cancelled. You might no longer be able to run at track meets
Why a narwhal, and what does the sea unicorn have to do with college essays?by Albert Leo For our first blog post, I wanted to dive into a common problem amongst students: How do you show off something unique about yourself? Teens in their formative years are often socialized to blend in with their peers rather than stand out. For me, that meant I HAD to have a pair of
