On a gray November morning, stacks of essays sat on an admissions counselor’s desk at a New England liberal arts college. She had already read 60 that week. “I could tell within the first five lines ...

“My Common App essay is one of the best things I’ve written,” Krishna says. “It is basically everything that I am in one piece of paper — a crash course to myself.” College essays loom large for high ...

Writing a college essay is a rite of passage for many students applying to attend a college or university in the United States. Although each institution has its own application requirements, most ...

A brilliant college essay topic doesn’t just showcase intelligence — it reveals personality, curiosity, humor, resilience, or the wonderfully weird way someone sees the world. Over the years, certain ...

As the college essay program manager for Write the World, a nonprofit writing organization for teens, I oversee a group of advisers who guide students through the essay writing process. I have seen ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write on the human/political issues surrounding college admissions. The college essay has been a common, central part of ...

At Bucknell, we can assure you that a real human being (at least two, actually) will review your entire application, including your essay, and that they (not computers) will decide if you get in.

The glow from the laptop reflects off his forehead as he stares at the screen, paralyzed by panicked perfectionism. The Common Application essay prompts are neatly copied onto the blank document, ...

Extended "discourse," such as class presentations or essays written as school assignments, has a particular structure arising from particular expectations and standards. Such structure, expectations, ...