Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. That's not going to be the best way to choose a prompt and topic for the Common App essay. Just sayin'. So how should you go about making your choices? Get clear – and specific – about who you are what matters to you. Clarity is the foundation of your authentic writing voice. Students often think they have nothing important to say. Or they mistakenly believe they should write about something dramatic or shocking. They simply don’t trust their own thoug

Ever wonder how much pressure the red pencil feels – to be like the blue ones? To think and act like the blue ones. Interesting things happen when you embrace the red thought that feels out of place in a blue world. Your red thought may be – ~ the seed of a new creative project (that no one understands yet) ~ the choice to find a solution (for a problem only you can see) ~ the decision to make a change (even though it's unpopular ) As you brainstorm for college essay topics,

In kindergarten, it was so easy to answer this question: What do you want to be when you grow up? The dress-up clothes, toys and books sparked your imagination. Pilot. Teacher. Quidditch player. All you had to do was play. Now that you’re grown up and researching colleges, you may have no idea what subjects or majors you want to pursue. (You're not alone!) But in order to write effective supplemental essays, also known as the "why us" essays, you’ll need to make a few choices

Some students freak out at the mention of the word passion. It’s overused and the fizz is gone. Agreed. But until we find a better word – Passion is about experiencing a strong feeling of enthusiasm for what you do. When you engage in a pursuit that fulfills you, the payoff can lead to a profound sense of satisfaction. Reflect on what moves you to celebrate an accomplishment: ~ Acing a challenging class ~ Completing an innovative project ~ Solving a problem in your community