Career goals count on application and essays.

You will need to sell yourself in your application and essays. Have clearly stated career goals, because the nation’s top colleges are now bringing in career-services staff to evaluate candidates for admission.

The college admission essay requires a relaxed state of mind and time to think. Brainstorm the direction you wish to take when evaluating your essays topic. Gerald Bradshaw America's top college consultant addresses how important a clear career goal mention in the college essay can be to an admissions committee.

Dear Mr. Bradshaw -- I am a junior in high school and I know I will face a very competitive class of applicants when I apply to college next fall.

I have a 4.125/4.250 GPA and a 2250 SAT score. I participate in a number of extracurricular activities including football and wrestling, and I am the editor of our school’s literary magazine.

There are 500 students in my class and most of the students who are in the top 5 percent have similar achievements. I am applying to most of the Ivies, Stanford and Berkeley. Is there anything I should know that will enhance my chances of getting into a top college?

Read Mr. Bradshaw's Answer....

Personal essays vital to admission

Dear Mr. Bradshaw — I have been putting off writing my college essays, and now it is getting to crunch time.

It is not so much writer’s block as it is that I just can’t find anything interesting about myself about which to write. I am not sure what to say or how to say it. Please help. — Stumped Student

Dear Dear Student —

First, it’s important that you understand the essays are a hugely important part of your application.

If nothing else, let that fact prime the pump and start the adrenaline flowing. Almost every college applicant must write an essay about himself or herself.

I will add a little fuel to the fire by pointing out that essays can make or break your chances of admission.

Applicants must separate themselves from the pack because there are only so many openings. And, when it comes time for the admissions committee vote on your application, my view is that a well-written group of essays will set you apart and get you into the admit file.

Remember, your essays are a chance to show admissions officials a side of you that is not reflected in other parts of your application. It is a chance to talk about your personal traits, plus the values and experiences that helped shape your life and give you inspiration for the future.

Tell them about the person behind the grades and the test scores.

If you aren’t comfortable talking about yourself, the essay task can be daunting.

There are a number of books on how to write college essays. My favorite is “50 Successful Harvard Applications Essays,” published by the Harvard Crimson. It features writing examples from students who were admitted to Harvard, and provide a helpful analysis at the end of each essay.

In my opinion, you must get excited about the task at hand and finding the sound of your voice. I sometimes suggest that my clients read James D. Watson’s “The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure DNA (Gunther S. Stent edition).”

They usually get the message on the first try. Watson wrote about the momentous discovery with the easy pen of a diarist. He found the trick is to use a conversational tone of voice that puts even the most skeptical reader at ease without insulting their intelligence.

His story is interesting because the discovery was revolutionary and met with skeptics and roadblocks. There is drama at every turn, and a huge dose of humor and self-effacement in his prose.

So, start writing. Use a friendly and unaffected tone of voice. Show members of the admissions committee a side of you that made you what you are — happy, sad, funny or serious.

Be yourself and tell them about it.

There are close to 3,000 colleges to choose from nationwide and admission to these colleges is complicated.

Bradshaw college consulting takes the pressure off ensuring that your college search experience is one to look forward to rather than dread.

Work with a college consultant that can assist guide you through the proper way to write your essay, conduct your interview, test, and apply for financial aid.

Get help choosing the right college or getting into the college you desire to attend. Call: Toll Free: 866-687-8129

College Consultant - Bradshaw College Consulting - Personal essays vital to admission

College Common Application Changes Coming

Thursday, February 2, 2012


BY GERALD M. BRADSHAW
gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu
Bradshaw College Consulting
(219) 663-3041


Dear Mr. Bradshaw: --

My older sister just completed her college applications, and had a really stressful time. She applied using the Common Application for most colleges and was in tears over the deadlines and the number of college essays she had to write.

She would have given up if it wasn’t for our parents helping out and keeping track of everything. It was the most stressful time of her life. My question is, what will I have to look forward to when I apply in 2013?

College Common Application Changes Coming

Dear Student: --

Many students say the college application process is the most stressful time in their lives. If you apply to 10 colleges, several dozen essays must be written — almost all having word limits and even some with character and space limits.

Pay close attention to the prompts, and approach each essay with extreme care. Each section of the application receives a score, and your success or failure could hinge on making just one mistake fewer than the other candidates.

Most colleges use the Common Application, which streamlines the process by allowing the 456 member colleges to share basic information about you. Name and address, test scores, extracurricular activities and primary essays have only to be entered once and the Common Application is sent to all the colleges on your list.

Most colleges also require that you fill out a supplemental application to the CA in an effort to individualize the admissions process for their school.

The whole process is demanding and, for many students, confusing. The stress factor goes up because you must complete all of this during the first semester of your senior year. The good news is, in 2013, there will be a big change in the CA. Known by its preliminary name as Common App 4.0, the new application should take some of the stress out of applying.

Applicants long have struggled with the quirks of the current form. The new CA will be easier to complete. For example, the application now displays all the questions in a particular section on a student’s computer screen — as many as several dozen at a time. Only a fraction of these questions may be relevant to the student. The new 4.0 will change the display so only one question at a time (or, at most, a handful) will be visible, and the particular answers to each will determine what subsequent questions will be asked.

Tablets such as iPads may not be supported, at least initially. But, as with the current version, students will be able to check the status of their applications on a cell phone or iPad.

The proposed changes should help make your experience a bit easier than your sister’s.

College Common Application Changes Coming

College Admissions - Compatibility glitch has student in a panic

Tuesday, November 8, 2011


BY GERALD M. BRADSHAW

gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu

Bradshaw College Consulting

(219) 663-3041

Dear Mr. Bradshaw: I am filling out my Common Application and, when I upload my college essays, for some reason, they do not post in the display box.

When I click “view document” or “print preview,” all that appears is a blank page.

I am in a panic.

I thought it had posted because it did not show an error, until I discovered they were not visible in the display.

I missed my Early Action deadline because of it. What can I do to fix the problem?

Please help. -- Panicked Student

Compatibility glitch has student in a panic


— This will be a short answer because I want readers to understand what they have to do about this problem without digging through a lot of technical jargon.

Several of my clients who uploaded their essays to the Common Application with a Macintosh have experienced this compatibility issue.

If you view an application submitted on your Mac on a PC, you will be able to see your essays in the display. You have to use a PC to view them.

This glitch has given students fits because they missed the Nov. 1, Early Action filing deadline.

I have not seen references to this problem in the news and am unaware of any fix to date.

To be on the safe side, I recommend that my clients fill out their applications on a PC and not a Mac.

In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, I use an iPad and iPhone for fun, but, for my business, I use a PC, even though I am constantly under attack by viruses and malware.

College Admissions Consulting Articles - Compatibility glitch has student in a panic