Essays
Essays
In the United States, college applications are approached with a holistic perspective, meaning admissions considers much more than grades and test scores. Getting the grades and the test scores are only one side of the picture, while college essays and letters of recommendations are the other. College essays give admissions officers the opportunity to learn more about a student’s story and perspective, providing more depth to the application: a voice behind the numbers.
Writing is a big part of the US college application process. There is the personal statement which is 650-words, supplemental essays, and the personal insight questions if applying to the University of California schools.
Students should think of the personal statement as an opportunity to tell their story. Generally, personal statements can be characterized into two categories: one based on overcoming a challenge, and the second- a montage approach of different experiences that connect together to create one story. Supplemental essays are specific questions that a college might ask, like Why Us, Community, or Why Major. For these additional essays, we recommend getting specific and using an activity, experience, or hobby that relates to the prompt. For the UC personal insight questions, students choose four prompts to answer in a relatively straightforward way. Given the variety of essays that different schools require, the college essay writing process takes time and effort to do well.
Tackling college essays is frequently the most intimidating aspect of the college application process for students, which is why we have a team of dedicated essay coaches to help.
How We Can Help
Our excellent team of essay coaches are actual writers who have years of experience working with high school students. We provide workshops to brainstorm essay topics, bootcamps to tackle supplemental essays, and personalized one-on-one essay coaching for all of our students at Thompson College Consulting. Through the years of working with students on college essays, we know what works and how to move each student through the process of crafting compelling essays. Regardless of a student’s writing ability, rest assured that they will have support every step of the way.
