The definitive guide to writing an amazing essay and mastering the college applications process. Writing a memorable personal statement can seem like an overwhelming project for a young college applicant, but college essay coach Alan Gelb's organized and encouraging step-by-step instructions take the intimidation out of the process, enabling applicants to craft a meaningful and polished college admissions essay. Gelb teaches students to identify an engaging topic and use creative writing techniques to compose a vivid statement that will reflect their individuality. A consistent top-seller in the college prep category, Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Easy Steps has been revised to include extra information on supplemental and waitlist essays. This much-needed handbook will help applicants win over the admissions dean, while preparing them to write better papers once they've been accepted. For more, visit the author’s website at www.conquerthecollegeessay.com.

This alternative college guide from a former Dartmouth assistant admissions director-turned-consultant gives non-straight-A students advice on the many options available to them and tips on how to identify, gain admittance to, and pay for the schools that will allow them to flourish. Less-than-perfect grades? No problem! Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to have a 4.0 GPA or a perfect jump shot to get into a good college. This insider’s guide reveals easy tweaks that will pay off big-time in showing admissions officers that you as a whole—not just your SAT scores—are a perfect fit for their incoming class. With stellar advice on getting into schools that will allow you to thrive, this handbook reveals how to: Find great colleges that are a good match for your strengths (and will overlook less-relevant weaknesses) Painlessly beef up your application Tailor extracurriculars to showcase your uniqueness Make sure your recommendation letters emphasize the right qualities Write original essays that reveal traits beyond your transcript Make an impression on admissions officers and college interviewers Create an early-admissions strategy to increase your likelihood of acceptance Help your chances if you’re deferred Get into brand-name schools through the side door Communicate about learning disabilities or special circumstances Get scholarship money based on attributes other than grades Customize your financial aid strategy BONUS: Includes an appendix of 130+ selective colleges to consider!

This popular guide helps students write essays that win admission Winning college application essays take admission officers beyond the numbers and shows them what the students really care about, how they think, and who they really are. But even the best of students can be daunted by the task. This easy-to-follow guide provides the tools to tell a memorable story. Updated to reflect recent changes to the all-important Common Application, which nearly all applicants to competitive colleges use, this book provides a clear path to an essay that says, "Pick me!" Features: -Best approaches to the new Common Application questions -Clues to how colleges read essays -Simple steps for successful drafts -Revision strategies -Quick fixes for procrastinators -The right role of parents in the process Critiques of actual sample essays guide students toward the best practices and away from common mistakes. No other book on this topic has this breadth and depth of expertise.

Offers tips on how to write meaningful essays for college admission applications. Includes sample essays.

Presents examples of 104 real essays by college hopefuls, along with advice from admission officers from top universities on what they look for when evaluating essays and applicants.

"The 25th- anniversary edition of this best-selling guide gives students simple strategies to maximize the opportunity to "tell us about yourself." Updated to reflect the experience college applicants face today, this book provides a clear path to an essay that says, "Pick me!""--

No one knows colleges better than The Princeton Review! Not sure how to tackle the scariest part of your college application—the personal essays? Get a little inspiration from real-life examples of successful essays that scored! In College Essays That Made a Difference, 6th Edition, you’ll find: • More than 100 real essays written by 90 unique college hopefuls applying to Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and other top schools—along with their stats and where they ultimately got in • Tips and advice on avoiding common grammatical mistakes • Q&A with admissions pros from 20 top colleges, including Connecticut College, Cooper Union, The University of Chicago, and many more This 6th edition includes application essays written by students who enrolled at the following colleges: Amherst College Barnard College Brown University Bucknell University California Institute of Technology Claremont McKenna College Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Georgetown University Harvard College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Northwestern University Pomona College Princeton University Smith College Stanford University Swarthmore College Wellesley College Wesleyan University Yale University