Customer Reviews

The Best College Admission Essays

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really liked this book because of the Advise From Experts section. The book consulted the Dean of Admissions from a dozen different colleges. The Admission officials discuss what they look for and what they hate. It was a candid section, and it had a unique outlook. The book also gave actual admission essays from students that everyone wanted and they grouped them into categories. This gave me valuable insights into what other students have done and what these students consider valuable experiences. Lastly, the book talks about do's and don'ts. They weren't the typical do's and don'ts that you find in all of the other books. They had a unique spin and opened my eyes to some little known don'ts. Great book! Worth the investment! Even if you don't like it for the content, the essays are great reading!

One of the most useful of the essay collections for college applicants.

Tips are good, and well-organized. It is great to be able to read actual "winning" essays. At first read, I was far less than impressed with many of them. I wished for a more specific critiquing system, as in "Fifty Successful Harvard Application Essays," also available thru amazon. (In contrast, the Harvard Crimson book actually includes critiquing on every essay... reader can see what qualities made the essay a winner, and also some ideas on what could have made it even better).

But in general, the tips are good, and this should be a guide for ALL high school students who wish to write better essays.

Oh, yes. After using this book as a guide, my son got accepted, early decision, into a great school. So that's worth a few stars.

Love this collection! For anyone teaching students how to write personal essays or how to prepare college essays, you have to see the model essays in this collection -- if for no other reason than to read and show off the introductions. Students who have spent four years writing for standardized tests will find these openings fresh and inviting -- a welcome departure from the formulaic. This collection reminds us what professional writing looks like and reminds us that writing should be a pleasure to read.

This book helped me come up with essays that ultimately led to my acceptance at all 12 schools to which I applied (two of which are IVY league schools and all of which are ranked by US News at within the top 50 Doctoral Universities in the Nation)! I honestly don't think I would have had a chance had it not been for this book!

This book helped me come up with essays that ultimately led to my acceptance at all 12 schools to which I applied (two of which are IVY league schools and all of which are ranked by US News at within the top 50 Doctoral Universities in the Nation)! I honestly don't think I would have had a chance had it not been for this book!

page 26
"There is no excuse for spelling errors in your essay!"

Okay, authors, so please take your own advice - it's "Seuss" not "Suess" (page 19), "Dave Barry" not "Dave Berry" (page 9). These are the authors' mistakes, not from the students' essays. Good ideas - Sloppy editing = Lost credibility.