In the professional writing world, you’re taught to be wary of writing contests or submissions that require an entry fee. Some people simply don’t apply at all, while others don’t have the means to shell out anywhere from RMB 30 to RMB 100 for every contest. A few might capitulate for certain dream publications.

But these are professionals – or at least adults working towards becoming professionals – making their decisions. When the situation involves your children and their future international school or university applications, the idea of what’s appropriate to pay might be different. CCTV recently uncovered how training centers and a fake version of the esteemed Ye Shengtao Cup writing prize scammed parents in Beijing out of anywhere from RMB 12,000 to RMB 15,000 per child.

This wasn’t just an entrance fee, however. Parents were apparently paying for their children to receive prizes, according to a report on caixingglobal.com. So if you know anyone who claims their child won one of the esteemed middle school writing competition prizes, check that it didn’t come from Beijing Shengtao Wenrun Education and Culture Co. Ltd, which has seemingly been in cahoots with training and learning centers across Beijing since 2016. The website for the Ye Shengtao Cup has added a statement clarifying that “the Ye Shengtao Cup has no participation fee, nor does it conduct paid training classes or marketing activities.”

Ye Shengtao was a prolific Chinese writer known for his short stories about the lives of working people and intellectuals, as well as his children’s literature. In 1987, a selection of his short stories was translated into English and titled How Mr. Pan Weathered the Storm.

Although it’s hard to know whether or not the parents scammed by the fake prize understood that it was illegitimate, this certainly serves as a cautionary tale for anyone paying for their kids to receive a prize. Check that you are getting the real deal, even if your training center assures you that you are.

KEEP READING: Inject My Child with Chicken Blood and Turn Her Into a Cow! The Low Down on The Competitive World of Chinese Parenting

Images: Unsplash

With the New Year, by the lunar calendar just around the corner, it is that time of the year to start thinking about an update to your applications – whether for boarding school or university. Both sets of schools are in the process of reading your application and no doubt there are a few things that you can report on since you submitted your application.

Why is this important? First of all this lets schools know that you are still thinking about them. It may have been quite a while since you last contacted your schools and most likely there are things that have happened they should know about. What should you update them on? Awards, projects, improved grades, special events, or even something like an important connection you have made.

What you shouldn’t do is send them packages, posters, food, or other gifts. Send a short, concise and well-worded email directly to the admissions officer at the school. If you interviewed with an admission officer, that is your contact. If you don’t know who to write – check the school’s website to see who covers your region or area.

Remember wording is about who you are as a person. If you are sending a letter to either a boarding school or a college, remember that this is a “professional’ email so the wording should reflect a professional attitude. This is not the time or place to blah, blah blah. Get to the point about what you are sharing. A bullet form email is a great idea to share those important aspects you are updating them on. Nor is this email to let them know XX School is your dream school. Your email is implying that they are a first choice school for you.

While you are thinking about updating your applications, it is also important that you monitor the status of your application. Check to make sure that all of your materials have been submitted. By this time test scores, letters of recommendation, transcripts etc… should all be in your file. CHECK your Spam email to make sure that you have not missed an email from any of your schools.

If you are missing something, please speak with your counselor if it is a school-related document like a transcript or letter of recommendation. A reminder that sending scores from College Board (SAT) or ETS (TOEFL) take some time to arrive at their destination. In the world of immediate communication, it is important to remember that some things do take time – test scores are one of those take time things.

If you are currently a Junior or in the process of thinking about applying to any school, now is the time to start doing some research as well as applying to Summer Programs. There are literally thousands of options for both. Be aware that some summer programs have very strict deadlines and for very competitive programs that deadline may have already past. It is also important to note that it is not where you go for summer programs, but what you do and what you learn. And, not everything has to be about schoolwork. Go do something really interesting. Too many students do the same thing and come across as robots rather than individuals.

So while you’re on vacation for CNY, spend some time getting either research on schools done or applying to summer programs. Preferably both!

Spend some time with family, enjoy the celebration and Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!

Photo: cambridge-news.co.uk

There was recently a post by an education firm that seemed to take a rather cavalier attitude toward early decision agreements for universities in the US.

First of all, what is early decision (ED) as compared Early Action (EA)? The main difference is that ED is a contract between the student, his parents, the school that student attends and the school to which they are applying. The purpose and point of the contract is that a student agrees that admission is binding and the student will commit to attending that school. Further, the fact that the student, the parents and the school counselor sign the ED Agreement is so that everyone is aware of and understands what the contract states and further that the family has considered all the issues related to applying under such conditions, including financial obligations. Students may only apply to one school ED.  It should be very clear to all involved that this is not an agreement to take lightly or to use as a way to game the system or weigh ones chances versus another college. Finally, a student must withdraw all other applications if made and may not apply to any other schools. They are done and in to their first choice school.

Early Action on the other hand is not as rigid. It is basically an early application so that a student may know early in the admission process that they have a school in their pocket. Some schools do have a slightly more rigid Early Action program called Single Choice EA. Under this application students may only apply to this type of school early i.e. no ED and no other EA applications may be submitted. This choice is so that the student may know early and be able to make choosing this school with out conflict with other early applications. Schools like Stanford and Georgetown have this option.

Back to the post about ED. The point that it seemed to be making was that there really was no repercussion if a student decides not to attend if accepted. The article points out that there are no legal repercussions and that the contract is more like a “Gentlemen’s agreement.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Let’s break this down a bit further. Choosing a school ED is something that should come from a students research. They should, by choosing a school ED, have concluded that this school is: 1. The Best School for them 2. The school has everything they need and want from a school – including location, size and academic programming. The fact that three different people sign the agreement should indicate that this is the family’s First Choice – there are no other schools that come close to fitting the student and that of course, if admitted they will attend if accepted. Basically, there should be no reason at all to second guess this decision.

Furthermore, the college counselor is directly involved in the process of this type of application and by virtue, the school that the student attends is part of this choice. Basically, there are a lot of people, not just the student, in completing this agreement. If the college counselor is doing their job correctly, they will have advised the student along the way, agreed that this school is a good choice for ED AND explained the language of ED to the student.

So what happens if a student reneges on the ED decision? As was stated in the article, schools talk to one another, particularly in the early process. If a student backs out of the commitment, that college may inform other schools that the student has applied ED. There are two reasons for this – 1. to check that the student has not applied anywhere else ED. 2. to basically have dibs on that student early in the admission process. But in the event that the student backs out, to inform other schools that this student has not lived up to the binding agreement and beware.

Further, while not committing may have little or no repercussions on the student other than they may not get in anywhere else, opting out affects their current school. The ramifications may be felt for years to come and it would be doubtful if any student ever got in to that school in the future. The school has basically been blacklisted into the future. Oh, and the same could be said for the college counselor.

While it is true that a university cannot force a student to come, there are a number of people affected by one student’s poor decision. But one may ask if there are any conditions where it may be ok to not accept an ED offer? Not really. As I jokingly tell my students, the only possible reason is because you’re no longer alive. Beyond that, there really is not a reason. Not because your SAT scores went up in December, not because you’ve decided it is not the school for you – that should have been figured out long, long before.

Often students, particularly international students forget that applying to and attending school in the US is not a right, but a privilege. Being accepted to any school should be viewed as an honor and nothing less.  It is exceedingly distasteful that some students try to game the system and forget the seriousness of what applying to university actually means.  All too often admission feels like it is a mission to collect acceptances and fully consider that other people are involved in arriving at an “admit” decision – other students for whom that school actually was their dream school, the admission committee, their school, their counselor and finally their own reputation.

Applying ED is an adult decision, not a willy-nilly I think I just apply ED to see if I can get in. In fact, applying to college is an adult decision, so students please take responsibility for your choices.

Photo: ilumineducation.com

Spring vacation has come and gone and Easter just past, which brings that time of the year when Seniors are looking at the final haul to the end of an era – High School! There is so much to do and so many emotions that it is important to keep some things in mind in the last stretch to the finish line.

For most students final exams are coming – whether AP, A Level or IB. Dedicating the time to focus, when the finish is so close, is a challenge. Granted! But this is the time when students should be preparing to seal the deal with their best efforts. There is a fair amount at stake:

1. The schools that have accepted you are expecting you to finish strongly. Any deviation from what your predicted grades suggested could end up being a problem.

2. Earning advanced credit – based on the subject, the exam and the level of the course (AP (4.5), A2 (A*,A), IB HL (6, 7) or the IDP) you could potentially earn advanced credit for your results. Certainly that was on factor in choosing to take those courses – right? Do not lose sight in the final stretch.

So… while your enthusiasm for school wanes in the dog days of the final stretch, do yourself a favor – knock those exams out of the park!

Exams are not the only thing coming. Once you have made your deposit to a university you will have lots of other things to plan. Some schools will ask you to choose your courses for next year. You will have a roommate survey to complete, documents to sign and send back, visa applications, and much more. Keep organized, plan ahead and finish those items before they come due.

Perhaps that hardest part of school is the ending. You’re at the end of a stage in your life. You’re leaving school, leaving friends and leaving home. On all these fronts it can be both exhilarating and scary. These feelings can leave you in an emotional quandary – at time elated and others depressed. You may even feel blasé about the whole thing.

Take some time to reflect on the end of this period of your life. Take time to take stock in what you have achieved and perhaps what you did not achieve; what did you do well and what needs focus. You may have some regrets, but you cannot go back in time. Still, as this year is coming to an end in a flurry, make sure you take the time to say “Thank You” to those important people in your life who helped get you where you are today: parents, teachers and friends.

Be careful not to close any doors by being out of touch or too blasé. Yes, you’re leaving and high school is ending. But this is not the time to make mistakes – careless or otherwise. Remember people will think back not on all that you have done over time, but how you finished – that last memory of how you behaved and presented yourself. While you cannot undo a lot of your past, set the tone for how you will be remembered.

University is coming before you know it. As you are preparing to go off this new adventure, start planning now how you will take advantage of all these opportunities. Be realistic, set goals and write them down. I always encourage students to take part in at least three different activities when they arrive: 1. Academic, 2. Social, and 3. Personal.

An Academic activity might be a club or organization that is connected in some way to your academics or have an academic underpinning – Debate Club, Model United Nations or something of the like. A Social activity might be a Fraternity or Sorority or community service club or organization. It could even be an international club or student government. And finally, one that is personal or physical – a sport of some sort, Yoga, outing club etc…

School is not just about the classroom; it is also about building relationships and experiences. By having three activities of different classifications, you spread out your relationship building, while at the same time developing new skills or building on ones that exist.

As this term comes to an end, look forward, but also pay attention to what is right in front of you. Work hard and achieve the results for a rockstar ending to the long trudge of high school.

Just when it might be time to throw away standardized testing, the SSATB is coming out with a new test. It will not be your regular Reading, Writing, and Math test, but a test that looks at non-cognitive skills. We will get to what non-cognitive skills are in a moment and start with the reasons behind this change.

The SSAT’s main purpose, simply speaking, is to help assess academic skills from reading to language and math. In some ways, it is a test of what you know and hopefully gives receiving schools a predictive idea of academic success, particularly first year grades and fit from an academic standpoint. The problem though is that secondary schools do more than develop academic minds, they also build character, in the formative years of teen-hood.

The Character Skills Assessment (CSA) will look at other areas of ability. CSA is in trial stages now and will roll out officially next Fall. So what does CSA test for: Teamwork, empathy and integrity, skills that schools look for in determining the kind in character they want to instill in their community. Since each school is unique and the community of that school is as well, schools will be looking for different attributes. Working with a team from the Think Tank on the Future of Assessment* and here are the questions they tried to answer:
“• How do we better understand our students’ many kinds of minds, and look for new ways standardized testing can reveal more about them?
• How should we support the professionalism and consistency of the admission process and consider carefully what will serve independent schools 10-20 years from now so we can better lead the profession forward?
• How do we pull together the best available thinking on broadening admission assessments and share that thinking widely?
• How might we test for important character attributes in the admission process?”*

So what are schools looking for? The G32, or the pilot schools, determined the following traits as important for success in independent schools: “resilience, grit, curiosity, growth mindset, empathy, integrity, motivation, self-efficacy, and self-control.” It seems that many of these align with the Harvard report and set of initiatives Making Caring Common.
The basis of the test or rather how students will be tested is through a Situation Judgment Test whereby students are presented with a “situation” and several response, which they rank their answers choose the best or worst choice depending on the question and situation. How they respond will give insight into revealing their traits as described above.
The CSA will not be required in the following years admission process. Again, it is just in the trial phase at the moment. The CSA will not replace the SSAT test but be used in addition to the test. So while the SSAT will provide pertinent information on academic skills, the CSA will help admission offices build the kind of class from a additional set of standards which meet, one supposes, the mission and philosophy of the school.
The enormous benefit of the CSA is that gives additional information to schools in the selection process. My hope is that the tests, both the SSAT and CSA have revolving questions that cannot be gamed. The ACT will, in the near future, go to a computer-based test where the questions change based on the ability of the student. The TOEFL had the same test quality when they launched the CBT many years ago.

The ability to assess students on different factors is important. When schools are building a class that sets the culture of the school, the CSA brings added value. And while standardized tests have limited predictive value on academic success, perhaps this is an additional piece of evidence to help enrollment managers build the best class they can and really help schools determine the “fit” of the student.

*From SSAT.org
*From Think Tank on the Future of Assessment

Photo: westottawa.net

So the question of school rankings is kind of like the Hamlet’s “To be or not to be?” But it does not have to question what Hamlet was contemplating – to live or die. Yet, there are times when it feels, based on conversations I have had with students and their parents, that when it comes to school lists – boarding or college, to rank is to “Be,” to not rank is to “Die.”

From the last couple of years of writing for beijingkids, it should be apparent that, from my perspective, ranking in no way represents the quality or education found at a school, in a classroom, nor the impact a particular professor may have had on an individual student. That last sentence, if taken apart should lead the reader to understand, or at least think, about all the variations that go into education, but it only touches the surface.

So why is this article about ranking and college lists? First off, if you’re the parent of a senior, or looking at boarding schools, or the student in this mix, it is time to get your list of colleges in order, if you haven’t already. And your list MUST have a good order to it – Reach, Core and Foundation. Hopefully, you have done more than enough research to be able to understand how you fit those schools. Just an aside, if you are looking at ranking, most probably you are not placing the correct emphasis on ranking in your school search, i.e. too much on overall rank rather than other factors.

I raise this point for a couple of reasons. I recently had to rank some schools for a group of students. First, I was asked how the students fared in The Times ranking. Knowing that The Times is particularly British, I also added in the U.S. News ranking, thinking that the Brits, love them dearly, would be looking at a different criteria than Americans. It was interesting to see the differences – some narrow, some vast. Then the query came, “How about QS Rankings?” Wow, a completely different set of numbers came up. But since QS breaks down to World, Region and Country it was very difficult to ascertain what was being asked. My point is this – what are you talking about when the word ranking is used? There are so many different ways of slicing the pie that it is really much easier to look at what a school actually does.

The other reason for this post is the recent article in The New York Times – Why College Rankings Are a Joke by Frank Bruni. Read the article and see what conclusions you come to afterward (VPN required). By the way, Mr. Bruni wrote a fantastic book Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. Highly recommend it, if it is not too late. But the point comes back to a number of things a student needs to consider in the creation of a list.

I’m often perplexed when students say certain things are important in their education and their lives, and yet throw them all away for the sake of name brand. I recently had an email from a student of mine who now attends a prestigious business school. When he was applying, he was all about international relations and business. So we talked about interesting schools, such as NYU Abu Dhabi and Yale/NUS, as possible schools. But, somehow he got on this track of wanting to be an entrepreneur. He is finding at his current school most students are interested in working in banking or finance; very few share his interest. So, his email was about transferring.  Makes sense, but he seems to feel that Stanford/Silicon Valley is where he wants to go. I remember a previous conversation where the sole reason he was thinking about this was because there were more entrepreneurs in SV than anywhere else. So, I pointed out that SV is now ranked #8 for entrepreneurial endeavors. Sometimes, ranking does have its fine points. I am not sure what my boy is going to do, but I told him to sit tight and get the most out of his education where he is now.

What I am trying to say is that ranking should not be the sole reason for a school to be on your list. Using ranking should be a tool, like a screwdriver when building a car engine. Read the manual first, i.e. research the schools to understand what, why, and how they teach and think to find out if that is what you want. Know that, most likely, you will change your major – most students change majors 5/6 times before they graduate, and many do not pursue careers in their specific majors. Allow for change, growth, and new challenges for, after all, that is what education should be about.

So, while Hamlet contemplated living or dying, choosing a school is not of that magnitude. Where you go is an important decision but perhaps not to the degree that you may think.

Photo: mattsingley.com

Over the last couple of weeks there have been several articles related to how people view Liberal Arts (LA) programs. For the most part, information related to these programs has been fraught with skepticism and concern. However, as more and more students seek education in the US, whether for boarding school or college, understanding the fundamental value of Liberal Arts is a must. And, while there is overwhelming evidence that a LA degree has significant value, there is more and more pressure, mostly from parents, on students to focus on professional degrees. The evidence exists, and here are a few examples:

1.    Mark Parker, President and CEO of Nike: Pennsylvania State University B.S. Political Science
2.    John Watson, Chairman and CEO of Chevron: UC Davis B.A. in Agricultural Economics
3.    Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks: Northern Michigan State B.A. in Communications
4.    Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company: Ithaca College B.S. Television and Radio
5.    Ken Chenault, CEO American Express: Bowdoin College B.A. in History
6.    Carly Fiorina, CEO Hewlett Packard: Stanford University B.A. in Medieval History

These are just a few examples of CEO’s who not only studied non-professional majors but also attended schools other than the Ivy League.

The most recent article Meet Parents Who Won’t Let Their Children Study Literature in the Washington Post highlights several issues. First, the explosion of students undertaking double majors – one to satisfy their parents and their own, has caused undo stress, not to mention the added cost of time and money, as students attempt to satisfy credit requirements to complete both degrees.

The second issue is a complete misunderstanding of the value of a LA degree. At the core of learning are three (3) critical skills students must master – Critical Thinking, Analytical Thinking, and Communication. These three are the underpinnings of future success which are developed in Liberal Arts Colleges (LAC) through the understanding and exploration of History, Math, Science, and Literature.

A second article That Useless Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket from Forbes describes how high tech companies now need more students able to write well-developed arguments from idea to concept. More importantly, companies are finding that students with LAC degrees make them stronger in all areas of the company, particularly in sales and marketing. It is LAC graduates who can distill the dreamland of coders to end-users, making sense of the software’s value and its uses to propel companies forward.

While I have distilled the two articles down to some simple concepts, they are worth a read to fully grasp the value of LA degrees. Here is something further to ponder – There are companies, which exist today that will not exist ten years from now because they have not adapted to new economic forces; there are jobs that do not exist today that will be prevalent in the future. Have a look at this article about some of the 162 Future Jobs that don’t currently exist.

What should students and parents do – Think more widely about what education means. Don’t discard something because it does not make sense. Investigate, research, and understand. Take some career and personality tests – Morrisby Careers Guidance or Do What You Are (a book) or MyVerse to understand your personality and possible attributed careers. And lastly, students should be thinking about these two most important questions – What change do you want to bring to the world you will inherit? What change do you want to bring to yourself to make that happen?

Photo: amazonaws.com

T’is the season to start the application process, whether you are applying to boarding school or universities. By this time, you should have a pretty clear idea of the schools you are planning to apply to, aside from those elusive test scores needed to solidify your goals (notice I don’t use “dream”). Along with the “season” comes many other tasks to be accomplished – school for one (and it should be your #1 priority), preparing for those pesky tests, writing essays, getting teacher recommendations, completing the actual forms, and finalizing your list.

Here are a couple of things to remember:

1. As mentioned, school should be your #1 priority. No matter where you are applying, your first semester/trimester grades can have an affect. While getting good grades won’t vastly improve your GPA, schools will be looking at how you did during this marking period. Consider school your full time job – so give it all the consideration–and more–that it deserves.
2. Allocate time to get things done – each day! What does that actually mean? Since school comes first, the remaining hours (including appropriate time to sleep – at least 7 to 8 hours) should be divided by homework, test preparation, essays, completing applications, and other interests. Don’t slack on your interests or organizational commitments. Balance should be the operative word as you look at all the things that need to get done.
   a.  Prioritize – what needs to get accomplished now? What can you hold off on? What do you need to start?
   b.  Use a daily calendar to allocate specific times when you will attack the different tasks you need to get done. Set specific deadlines and intersperse projects over a period of time. Allow for revision and hiccups in your plan, such as events happen and take time away from what you need to finish. Plan ahead.
   c.  Don’t beat yourself up if you spend more time doing one thing. Learn to reevaluate how you use your time so that tomorrow you can get everything done.
   d.    Don’t leave things to the last minute; that never works out well.
3. On the application front, in particular, make sure you:
   a.  READ THE DIRECTIONS
   b.  ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
   c.  Complete the necessary forms
   d.  Make sure your teachers are attending to your letters of recommendation. Nicely remind them, and make them aware if you are applying early (universities only) so they have the time to write good recs for you
   e.  Make sure you attend university visits to your school or area, even if you have been to a presentation before, especially if you are applying there. (Get business cards so you can follow up). Be open minded about school visits – you never know when you might learn something new! Remember Demonstrated Interest is an important, though small piece, of the application process.
   f.    Be focused and thorough! Make sure your application is as complete as possible.
   i.    Make sure your essays are filled with evidence, not vague statements or allusions.
   ii.    Make sure they tell your story, in your voice, with good, solid evidence. The reader should come away with some specific information about you in as complete a way as possible (given the apparent limitations of the application process.)
   iii.    Make sure that the essays are not just telling but showing who you are.
   iv.    Have someone, not a parent, read your essays for clarity, grammar, and context
   v.    Read your essays aloud – how do they sound? Are they complete, and do they tell a complete story? Will the reader understand the references you are making?
   vi.    When you are done, take a break from them, and come back to them after a week or so. Read them aloud again. Make adjustments as necessary.

There is no question that the application is time consuming and burdensome, but this is an important facet of your current and future life. The main problem is time.

Don’t wait, get going!

Photo: harpendenmoneyadvicecentre.co.uk

As previously mentioned here is the second part of the Agony of Essay Mistakes. In that article, I mentioned 8 things to consider about writing your essay.  Hopefully by now you have started your essay and gotten well in to the story you are going to tell. With that in mind here are some of the common mistakes that kill an essay:

The number one killer from an admission officer’s perspective – Not answering the question!!!!! ‘Nough said. Well, read the question and answer it. It speaks to your intelligence.

Number two mistake – sports stories. “I single handedly pulled my team together when we were losing by twenty-five points, to rally AND score the final winning shot to win the game and the respect of all my peers!” There is a whole lot wrong with this, even if it is true. First – single handedly, yeah maybe but sports are usually team sports. Most teams have a coach and even if they don’t, really! Secondly, no one cares that you earned the respect of “all your peers”. The essay is not about winning, it’s not about accolades but it is about self-reflection. Sports stories are usually the number one go to topic (for boys) and perhaps the one most dead essay choice. By the way, respect does not come from winning the game – it comes from leadership and good choices, it comes from respecting others (as noted here, the student won the game all by himself), it comes from good communication skills and it comes from taking risks, to name a few important qualities.

Number three – vague references and off topic or grand statements. “I learned so much from my father, it changed my life” or “I spent two or three hours collecting all the materials that I needed”. What exactly did you learn? What materials? Be specific and provide great examples to support ideas. “I want to realize my dream” is so vague it causes my gag reflex. “I want to change the world” Wow, can’t wait! How will you change the world? Think instead of learning as a process that will lead to your goals (specifically used word), but again be specific.

Here is one from a student applying to a specific school answering the “why our school” question: “Simple Calculus including Differentiation was the obstacle to get the highest grade when I was in 10th grade. Before this, every topic was so easy that I could get the great grades. However, with my conviction, I continued solving past papers until I could understand them all. Eventually, I could pass through the crisis by getting the highest grade for the topic. And the course, Algebra and Calculus, seems to have so many hardships, but I believe enjoying the hardships is one way to conquer the mathematics.” Aside from being long winded, this last example has nothing to do with the essay, is so far off topic and provides information that is not necessary, in this context. Instead, I would want to read how he challenged not just the math curriculum but how his choice of courses relates to the programs at the school to which he is applying, even if he is applying undecided.

Number four – using vocabulary no normal native speaker would use or using big words in the wrong way or context. “Abnormal extraneous verbiage eradicates the oblique nature of my epistle only to confound the reader into rhapsodies of punishing tediousness.” I think you get the point – no one talks like this, especially teenagers or language learners.

The last example – getting lost in transition. Sometimes students focus so much on telling a story about an event, place, person, they forget to write about themselves until the end of the essay. They get sucked so deep trying to explain the example, they miss out on the real topic – themselves. Remember words are limited, use them all wisely.

As a reader, I want a clear simple story that tells about a genuine experience, or more than one experience. I want to leave knowing more about the student than when I started. I don’t want information repeated that I could find elsewhere in the application. I want the writer to explore and think deeply about their life experience and how they changed.

There is no question that writing this kind of essay is hard, even for adults. So – keep it simple, be clear about the qualities you want to reveal, tell a good story about you.

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