A Focus on the College Application Essay

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Recently, we came across an article published this week on Business Insider’s website by Yale graduate Abby Jackson, on the magazine’s education team, that highlights some key points from conversations on Reddit concerning the college application essay. Stacey Brook, founder of the company “College Essay Advisors”, answered some users’ questions about what they should focus on when writing the essay that asks “why” a student wants to attend the college they are writing the personal statement for. This article comes at an appropriate time as Jackson states, “The White House issued a presidential proclamation on Friday deeming November National College Application Month. As students work to finish their applications, many will struggle with how to approach their essay topics.”

One piece of advice of Brook’s that Jackson mentions:

“An effective answer to this question addresses two main areas: pointed interest and good fit. And it all begins with research!”

Brooks goes on to say that when students do their research on the colleges they are applying to that they should find reasons to explain literally why they want to attend. They should identify the kinds of activities and classes peak their interest and even professors they could potentially see themselves working with.

You can read the full set of conversations that Stacey Brook has with students on the Reddit site back starting around October 10th when she answers questions about the “Why Essays”.

 

Abby Jackson’s article “A college adviser explains the trick to nailing a particularly hard type of admissions essay” can be found on the Business Insider website.

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