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Personal Statements

Challenge Spotting: How to Add Emotional Stakes to Your College Essay

You’ve got 99 problems, and well…just pick one! Every good story, especially your personal statement for college, needs a challenge. Without one, you literally have no story. Part of the definition of “story” is that it features a conflict, challenge, or problem. Most of the Common App prompts actually hint at potential challenges you might have faced. Topic 2: obstacle, challenge, setback, or failure Topic 3: a belief you challenged Topic 4: a problem you solved or would like to […]

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The Power of a One-Liner in Your College Essay

Hope you had a wonderful July 4th! This holiday always brings me back to the 1996 Will Smith movie Independence Day. The classic story of an alien invasion and Will Smith kicking some serious extraterrestrial butt. (No, I didn’t go see the new one because I heard it stinks.) But here’s the quote I’ll always remember the original ID4 movie by: “This is our victory dance. Not until the fat lady sings.” –Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) Everyone loves a

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The Secret to Sex Appeal & How It Helps You Write a Killer College Essay

Want to know a secret? I’m going to let you in on a big one today—the surprising secret for men to attract women. No, it’s not height, looks, or money. No, it’s not even style, confidence, or humor, though those are up there. If you’re not looking to impress a woman, don’t worry, this article still pertains to you too. But sorry, I can’t reveal to you what attracts men (*cough cough* food…the way to a man’s heart is through

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How to Pick and Write the Best 4 UC Prompts With the V x V Framework

Which 4 UC prompts are best? Well, that’s kind of inappropriate to ask, don’t you think? It’s a lot like asking a mother which child she loves most. Though I’m sure my mother would say me over my brother (hah maybe). But don’t worry about political correctness because I’ve done the insensitive thing and found out the answer for you already. According to UCLA’s Director of Admission, Gary Clark, there aren’t any 4 prompts the UCs like best. (By the way, let me know

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Bad News: New UC Essays This Year & What to Do About Them

For the first time in about 10 years, the UC (University of California) college essay questions have changed! They are both longer and shorter now. Shorter because each individual essay is much shorter now in terms of word count. Longer because you have to write FOUR UC essays now (as opposed to just TWO essays in the past). It used to be that you got 1,000 words max, split up any way you wanted between the two essays. Now, you

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How to Get Deep With Your College Essays

One of the sweetest things about my job is creating incredible content… And then just giving it away to you for free. Today, it’s your turn to learn how to create your own great content. If you missed out the other day on my massive guide on how to pick the perfect college essay topic, then download it quickly HERE. One of the major takeaways I was making was that a standout essay doesn’t need to be about a unique

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