From the category archives:

application

Should You Include Extra Materials with Your College Application?

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You’ve spent three and a half years preparing for this–the college application. Now, you’re the curator of a vast collection of experiences and accolades. Perhaps you feel compelled to include everything, even if the college didn’t explicitly request it. This impulse is natural, but not always effective. So let’s take a look at the most common “extras” [...]

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Cliché Essay: The Résumé Essay

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When crafting a personal statement for your college application, it’s easy to get caught up in listing your accomplishments. The result is a cliché essay known in admissions circles as “The Résumé Essay.” It’s the prose version of your application, and it makes for miserable reading. But you can fix it.

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Cliché Essay: The Mission Trip Essay

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These days, mission trips are as frequently attended as summer vacations. And for the college applicant, they provide the perfect subject for a personal statement. There’s multiculturalism, diversity, service, personal growth. But this essay is just as perfect as it is unoriginal…and that’s the problem.

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Brown Fellowship FAQ

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On the fence about whether or not to apply for the Brown Fellowship at Centre; not sure if it’s worth your time? This FAQ should answer all of your questions including how binding your project proposal is, whether or not you’re qualified, and what current Brown Fellows are doing.

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Cliché Essay: The Tragedy Essay

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Very rarely is something more life-changing at age 17 than a death in your immediate family or some other unexpected tragedy. When looking for potential essay topics, nothing seems more personal, more unique than an account of this situation. But beware, the tragedy essay is often riddled with clichés you should be careful to avoid.

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Cliché Essay: The Music Essay

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Music is deeply ingrained in our personal histories. When attempting to write a personal essay, using the shared human experience of music feels like a solid bridge between you and your reader. Unfortunately, many of these essays are given to over generalizations and hyperbole.

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