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Health & Fitness

College Application Essays - Avoid the STRESS

How crazed is your household becoming?

Is your teen procrastinating on his essays?

Are you freaking out as each day ends and he is no further along?
Does he try….get stuck….stare at a bank screen…then zone out and quit?

Are you ready to call in Dr. Phil or have the police break up the fights?

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Well….let’s see if I can help a little (Sorry I can’t supply you with Xanax. That would probably be the best help).

Aside from having your son read all of my previous blogs…

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Go to my website and request a FREE copy of the Top Five Mistakes Students Make on Their College Application Essays. You can also check my calendar below and see me give my presentation of the Top Five at a library (or Org) near you…

Now…for this week’s advice…

An AP English Coordinator from Kentucy emailed me for advice about the essay process and used the term, “spectacular” in terms of what students wanted from their essays.

At some point, most students and parents I talk to misinterpret the process of the essay as it applies to the primary tool to set a student apart from all the other applicants.

Everyone assumes the essay must be “spectacular” in order to set someone apart. In fact, when I tell a student, “That is a great idea for an essay,” more often than not I hear something like, “But it doesn’t sound impressive enough.”

“Spectacular” or “Impressive” aren’t the adjectives you should think in terms of. Instead, the essay needs to:

1) Be an HONEST representation of the student as a teenager….removed from his academic and athletic record. Void of the clichés like “hard working,” “ambitious,” and “driven.”

2) Have an INSIGHTFUL “sub-text” about the teen…his values, beliefs, etc. What does this essay tell me about the PERSON? Again….not the obvious qualities expected in an academic environment.

3) Demonstrate (subtly) that the teen is Well Rounded. If his transcripts illustrate how bright he is and academically driven he is….than an essay about his love of ice hockey….the friendships, the fun, etc show the school that he isn’t a one-dimensional character.

It’s not a creative writing assignment. They aren’t looking for clever “catchy” introductions.  “The ominous dark clouds above foreshadowed the events that would unfold for me.”  BARF. NO NO NO.

It’s also not a dry expository essay on the origins of belly button lint.

They aren’t asking you to channel your inner Faulkner or Henry James.

What makes an essay “spectacular” isn’t the writing or for that matter the specific content. It’s spectacular if it’s YOU. Honest and insightful and helps show who YOU are as a teen…as an individual…as a three-dimensional person.

 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 17 – Mount Pleasant Library (NY)

Sept 18 – Manhasset Library  (NY)

Sept 23 – Bellmore Library (NY)

Sept 24 – Jericho Library (NY)

Sept 26 – Avon Library (CT)

Sept 30 – Smithtown Library (NY)

Oct 2 – Warren Library (NJ)

Oct 3 –   Oceanside Library  (NY)

Oct 4  – Montvale Library (NJ)

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 15 – Commack JCC – (LI)

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


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