College Application Essays - Avoid the Stress

I recently read an article that I believe is important to share. Just in case anyone is skeptical about my assertion that the essays are so important….Don’t take my word for it…

The following are excerpts from an article that appeared in the StarTribune, Minneapolis, MN - May 16, 2013

Perfect scores alone don't make grade for admission to college of choice
By Paul Levy

Essays can trump high grades and college board scores.

Tanner McArdle…perfect 36 on his ACT…grade-point average exceeds 4.1. …Varsity cross county…in the orchestra…volunteers for two food [banks]. But it wasn’t enough to get him into his first college choice: Stanford. “It floored me,” Principal Mike Farley said. “He’s at the top of his class and can’t get in? Are you joking me?”

Record numbers of applicants at many colleges have raised the bar for admissions…forced students to re-evaluate the application process.

A powerful personal essay may trump outstanding Advanced Placement grades, that strong character may be as impressive as eye-popping college-board scores. 

Stanford admissions official said “…it’s the personal essay that differentiates one top student from the next… We’re looking at the human side of these kids.”

Princeton asks applicants to “Show us what’s special about you.”

Sarah Brandt… two essays helped get her into Yale…“One essay showed my serious side, and the other was a silly topic,” she said. “I’m guessing Yale doesn’t get a lot of essays about perspiration.”

Kangqiao Peng, the top-ranked student in [his] senior class…Yale was his top choice…a “rushed” essay doomed his application. “I kind of forgot about it until the deadline, and I paid the price,” said Peng... “Everyone applying to top schools has pretty good grades and pretty ridiculous standardized scores. So what’s the determining factor? I think what they look for is character.”

University of Chicago…24,000 applicants. This year, it had 30,000.
Stanford…38,828 applications this year…will admit 1,700.
Duke University…31,785 applied…only 2,897 accepted.
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I will be presenting a FREE workshop on the Top Five Mistakes Students Make on their College Application Essays at each of the following libraries. (Pre-registration is strongly advised. Please call the library if you wish to attend) I am also available to speak at PTA meetings, JCC, etc....

This is my complete list as of now….NY, NJ, and CT.

Sept 9 –   Shelter Rock Library (NY)

Sept 12 – West Windsor North HS PTA (NJ)

Sept 16 -  Syosset Library  (NY)

Sept 17 – Mount Pleasant Library (NY)

Sept 18 – Manhasset Library  (NY)

Sept 23 – Bellmore Library (NY)

Sept 24 – Jericho Library (NY)

Sept 25 – Montvale Library (NJ)

Sept 26 – Avon Library (CT)

Sept 30 – Smithtown Library (NY)

Oct 2 – Warren Library (NJ)

Oct 3 –   Oceanside Library  (NY)

Oct 6 –  National College Fair (Nassau Coliseum) 

Oct 7 – Maplewood Library (NJ)

Oct 8 – Academy of Allied Health Sciences HS PTA (NJ)

Oct 9 –   My 55th BD….I’ll be under the bed, curled in the fetal position, crying.

Oct 10 – Leonia Library (NJ)

Oct 17 – Sea Cliff Library (NY)

Randy Levin is the ONLY college application essay expert asked to speak at the National College Fair- Nassau Coliseum – Oct 6th 2013. The vast majority of Randy’s clients are accepted to the Ivy League or other prestigious colleges. He has a MA in English and a MFA in Creative Writing. He is a published writer and was a high school English teacher in high achieving north shore Long Island school districts for close to ten years.  For FREE information, go to his website: WriteToCollege.com