Monday, August 31, 2009

Getting Started

August is the "Sunday night" of the year. It hasn't started yet, but it's about to start--school, soccer, homework, parent stress, college applications. This blog is a daily riff on the last part of that agenda: college applications. But not all of the many aspects and anxieties of the process. Just the essay.

I've worked in admissions, conducted sponsored research on the essay process, taught writing, taught teachers, and published on the topic--there's a lot of information to be shared but no easy, quick way to provide hand-holding and guidance to all the seniors wondering exactly what ethical dilemma they've faced and what its impact ought to have been.

So if you are one of those seniors, stop by here every day and take a look. I'm not going to tell you that your essay on the two-week community service program is a winner. Or that you can download a great essay off some site somewhere. But I am going to share as much as I know about how you can "nail this essay" and make the most of an opportunity to be admitted to a college where you will thrive and succeed.