I've written hundreds of essays. Some were brilliant. Most were mediocre. A few were genuinely embarrassing. What I've learned through this journey isn't that there's one perfect formula–there isn't. But there are principles that work, patterns that emerge when you…
I've read hundreds of scholarship essays. Not because I'm some kind of masochist, but because I've spent the last five years helping students navigate the bewildering world of financial aid applications. What strikes me most isn't the quality of the…
I've read thousands of body paragraphs. Some of them made me want to throw my laptop across the room. Others stopped me mid-sentence because they were so sharp, so purposeful, that I had to reread them just to understand how…
I've read thousands of college essays. Not an exaggeration. When you spend years in admissions, you develop a kind of sixth sense for the ones that stick with you. The ones that make you pause mid-sentence and think, "I need…
I've been staring at this question for years now, watching students panic over word counts and structure requirements like they're deciphering ancient hieroglyphics. The truth is messier than most writing guides admit. A five-paragraph essay doesn't have a fixed length…
I've read thousands of essay introductions. Some made me want to keep reading. Most made me want to stop immediately. The difference wasn't always about intelligence or writing ability. It was about understanding what an introduction actually needs to do.…
I've read thousands of essays. Not an exaggeration. When you spend years teaching writing, grading papers, and helping students navigate the bewildering landscape of academic composition, you start to notice patterns. The most glaring pattern I've observed is this: most…
I've spent the better part of a decade teaching writing, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that compare-and-contrast essays terrify students more than they should. There's something about the dual task–holding two subjects in your mind simultaneously while…
I've read thousands of college essays. Not an exaggeration. When I started working in admissions at a mid-tier state university, I thought I'd encounter mostly polished, articulate reflections from teenagers who'd figured out their entire lives by age seventeen. What…
I've been staring at blank definition essays for years now, both as a student and later as someone who had to help others figure out what they were doing wrong. The irony is that most people think a definition essay…