Common Application

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Writing Your Essay For Common Application Prompt #2

Writing Your Essay for Common App Prompt #2This is the second installment in a series of posts I’m doing about the Common Application essay prompts. Now that summer is here, it’s a great time to work on your essay so that you can take your time, let your mind wander and put together something that truly compliments your applications.

Last week I talked about the first essay prompt, what it’s asking you to do and even gave you an example of a student who had written his essay for that prompt. If you missed the post, here it is:

Writing Your Essay For Common Application Prompt #1

Today, I wanted to talk about the second prompt:

Prompt #2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

I like this topic because who hasn’t failed at something in their lives? Failures are the building blocks of character and colleges love applicants with character-building stories. It shows them that when life gets tough at college and you get knocked down – and you will – you’re more likely to get up and keep getting after it. You will work hard to overcome a bump in the road and that you will find success.

Just don’t dwell on the failure itself. In fact, you should briefly introduce the failure and then spend the bulk of your essay talking about how it affected you and what you learned from it.

One former student wrote about her struggles in a ceramics class. She had always excelled in anything artistic but, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her clay to take shape on the wheel. After failing multiple times to produce a basic clay pot, she took matters into her own hands. She spent hours scouring YouTube watching videos on hand placement, controlling wheel speed and developing the patience it takes to craft such a delicate piece of art. She learned to think creatively in the face of adversity, to look at problems from different perspectives and that with some patience and resolve, that she could solve problems on her own.

Working on a ceramics wheel isn’t an Earth-shattering idea, but for this student it was a key life lesson that transcended into other areas of her life. If something like that hasn’t happened to you, it’s okay. There’s five essay prompts, so if you’re doubting whether or not you have failed at something that has subsequently helped you to grow, then consider going in another direction with your essay.

In my next post, I’m going to talk about the third Common Application essay prompt which asks you to write about a time when you challenged an idea or belief. Stay tuned…

If you would like some assistance with your college essay or any other aspects of your college search, contact me today for a free 60-minute consultation.

Here’s what other families like yours are saying about how Dobler College Consulting made a difference for them.

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Eric Jul 10, 2015 , , , , , , No Comments
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Writing Your Essay For Common Application Prompt #1

Writing Your Essay For Common Application Prompt #1Last week I introduced you to the new Common App essay prompts. If you missed the post, here it is:

Introducing the 2015-2016 Common Application Essay Prompts

At the end of the post, I said I would share some tips on how to approach each of the prompts. Without further ado, let’s talk about the first one:

Prompt #1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

This is what I call a “big-picture” prompt because it’s about you and your identity.  Because of that, it’s also a prompt which you can completely whiff on if you don’t pay attention to the keywords. First, whatever story you are going to share, you have to make certain it is truly CENTRAL to your identity. This means the story needs to be something big, something that has shaped you as a person, something that sits at the very core of who you are.

The second part of this prompt asks you to demonstrate how your application would be incomplete without the reader knowing this story. This means that, without telling this story, colleges aren’t going to understand the full picture of who you are and why they should admit you.

So, write down the prompt and then start making notes on everything that makes you who you are. What are your VIPS and how did they come to be that way? Has anything happened in your life – again, big-picture ideas here – that admission counselors should take into consideration? Remember, you’re trying to let them in on something about you that will help them say “Yes!” to your application.

A former student of mine wrote a fantastic essay for this prompt. During the winter of his freshman year in high school, he had suffered a rather severe concussion which resulted in intense headaches, short term memory loss, an inability to focus and a complete loss of direction. At times, to get away from it all, he would go on nature walks with his camera trying to capture unique shots of the trees, railroad tracks – anything that caught his eye. For the first time in over a year, he had found something in his life that was both calming and inspirational. He started manipulating the images, turning them into pieces of art and a budding interest in graphic design had been born.

So while majoring in graphic design is no more unique than majoring in English, nursing or accounting, how my student arrived at this place in his life is unique. It’s personal, it’s meaningful and it is absolutely central to his identity. Without knowing his story, you have no idea just how much his design work means to him. As he often told me, finding design changed his life.

Now, not everyone is going to be able to come up with such a story, and that’s okay. There’s five essay prompts so if you’re doubting whether or not you have something that is so revealing, then consider going in another direction with your essay.

In my next post, I’m going to talk about the second Common Application essay prompt which asks you to write about a failure. Stay tuned…

If you would like some assistance with your college essay or any other aspects of your college search, contact me today for a free 60-minute consultation.

Here’s what other families like yours are saying about how Dobler College Consulting made a difference for them.

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Eric Jun 29, 2015 , , , , , , , No Comments
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Narrowing Down Your College List

Ohio UniversityA couple weeks ago I was touring several colleges in Ohio with a group of high school counselors and college consultants like myself. We traveled from Cleveland to Columbus visiting John Carroll, Kent State, Ohio State, Otterbein, Ohio University, Marietta and Baldwin Wallace. I also took a quick side trip to Case Western Reserve before flying home.

Ohio has some amazing schools and while most students here in New England focus on the East Coast, there are some incredible values just several hours away in the Buckeye State. Seeing them up close and personal allows me to advise and challenge my students with a more informed and personal opinion.

While I was on the trip, I was talking with some of the other counselors about college lists and how students conduct their research (or don’t) to narrow down their list to the schools which fit them well. In my opinion, a college should fit you three ways: academically, socially and financially.  While there is no one perfect fit, striving to find this balance in your colleges helps ensure a student’s experience will be one that helps them develop as both a student and person without having to graduate with excessive student loan debt. There’s a lot of reasons why only half of students graduate in four years if they graduate at all. There’s just as many reasons why the average student graduates with nearly $30,000 in student loan debt.

One of the common denominators for both is lack of research.

Each counselor I talked to agreed that the process is tedious, but so necessary and that students need to do a better job with it. And when you consider the amount of time, effort, blood, sweat and tears that will go into applications, essays, supplements, interviews, auditions, portfolios, showcases, SAT, ACT and AP tests not to mention just doing well in your classes, why wouldn’t you make sure that the schools you apply to are good fits for you?

Why wouldn’t you make sure that each school is one that gets you excited? Where your major is strong and where the support you may need along the way is available? Where faculty help students gain experience in their field so that when they graduate, they have value to offer a business, organization or facility who’s looking to hire? Where the cost is something you and your parents can handle without having to lose sleep at night?

If you’re not doing these things, then you’re doing something wrong. The Common App will launch on August 1st and, with it, the frenzy of the college application season will be underway.

Wouldn’t you like to hit senior year and your college applications feeling confident about your options?

If you want some help and guidance on your college search and application process, contact me today to set up an appointment for a free consultation. If you want to hear more about any of the schools on my travels, I’d be happy to talk to you about them as well.

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Eric Apr 28, 2014 , , , , , , , No Comments

College Counseling Tip Of The Day – Your college essay needs to shine

Your essay is your chance to put YOU into the admissions equation, to get beyond the numbers and demonstrate who you really are as a person. Be willing to devote the time and effort that is necessary so that your essay makes a difference in your applications. Summer between junior and senior year should be all about your essay.

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Eric Jan 24, 2014 , , , , , , No Comments
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The New Common App Essay Prompts

Dobler College ConsultingIn case you haven’t heard already, the Common App has revamped their essay prompts. Gone are the six prompts that have been around forever and, in their place, are five new ones. Moving forward, the prompts will be rotated and changed so that each year, there will be new options.

First, let me introduce you to the new prompts. Then I’ll tell you why I don’t think they’re anything you should be stressing over:

Topic #1: Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Topic #2: Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?

Topic #3: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

Topic #4: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

Topic #5: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

As you read through these prompts, you can see that each one asks for a specific moment, situation, place, event or story that reveals something important about the applicant. Please note the emphasis on the word, “important.”

I didn’t say incredible. I didn’t say amazing. And I definitely didn’t say Earth-shattering.

Because let’s be honest – at 16 and 17 years old, very few people have had incredible, amazing and Earth-shattering experiences in their lives. So take the pressure off yourself to write something that has never been written before. Instead, focus on a story you can tell that helps an admission counselor learn something new about you.

And while you may not be able to come up with something for each essay prompt, I’m sure you can come up with a story that relates to at least one of them.

So, take a deep breath, relax and think about the things you’ve done in your life. The places you’ve visited. The experiences you’ve had – both good and bad. Start writing down some notes on how each of them might apply to the prompts above. Don’t worry about whether the ideas are stinkers or the seeds of a truly great essay right now. Just brainstorm and get some ideas on paper. Talk to your parents, friends and relatives. Let them help you brainstorm – chances are, they may think of something really interesting about you that you, yourself, didn’t think of immediately.

Writing is a process that involves steps and time. If you take the time to go through the steps, the finished product will be so much better for it!

Next week, I’m going to share some tips on how to approach each prompt. Stay tuned…

Want some help navigating the college admissions journey? Give me a call now at 203.525.4096 or email me at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com to schedule a FREE 60-minute consultation to discuss your college counseling needs.

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Eric Jul 16, 2013 , , , , , , , No Comments