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Hi! I’m Ethan.

Welcome to the blog.

Browse the latest and greatest from the College Essay Guy Idea Factory, check out my list of favorite resources from across the site, or look below for all posts organized by category.

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Recently Published Blogs

 
 

our favorite guides - all in one place

 
Hand-picked resources for all parts of the application process.

Hand-picked resources for all parts of the application process.

Resources built for students interested in leaving their home country for college.

Resources built for students interested in leaving their home country for college.

 

Check out our Pay-what-you-can college essay and application courses

Video Course: How to Write a Personal Statement

How to Write a Personal Statement

How to Write Your College Application + Supplemental Essays

How to Write Your College Application + Supplemental Essays

Video Course: How to Write the UC Personal Insight Questions

How to Write the UC Personal Insight Questions


Blog Posts by Category:

 

Personal Statement

 

Supplemental Essays

UC Personal Insight Questions

College Admissions

Brainstorming Exercises

Counselor Resources

Parent Resources

Student Resources

International Students

Test Prep

Financial Aid

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Blogs from some of my favorite admissions experts

Blog Title Description
1. College Admission Essays: I’ve heard that one before… Find out what parts of an essay really matter to this college admission administrator (hint: it isn't the topic).
2. Essay Advice for UVA College of Arts and Sciences Applicants Learn the three most important tips for writing an application essay to the UVA College of Arts and Sciences.
3. How To Write A College Essay This MIT admissions director has some great advice for writing a college essay, including some work from George Orwell
4. Tips for Writing Your College Essay Here are a few of the tips I always share with students when talking about the application essay at Vanderbilt University.
5. Application Essay Tips and Tricks Ryan's advice for writing the application essay.
6. Inside Admissions: Tufts University This blog brings you behind-the-scenes with Tufts admissions officers.
7. College Explorations Blog In this blog, Nancy Griesemer addresses a variety of topics or trends in college admissions. The information should complement one-on-one counseling by providing answers to frequently-asked questions
8. All College Application Essays: News and Tips Dr. Rebecca Joseph is the founder of All College Application Essays, and her News and Tips webpage will help you stay up to date on all things college admissions.
9. Essay Hell Blog The hottest writing source for college admission essays brings you the hottest blog posts around!
10. Pwn Test Prep Blog Funny Name. Serious Blog. Learn all about admissions test prep from Mike McClenathan, founder of PwnTestPrep.
11. Testive Test Prep Blog Conquer The SAT And ACT With These Resources from Testive.com
12. Kaplan Test Prep Blog and Resources Check out Kaplan's bank of resources for every test you can think of.
13. The Blog of Coach Mira Mira Simon is a professionally trained coach from the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), who specializes in helping high school students who are bright but may feel overwhelmed about their future. Check out her personal, inspiring blog here.
14.College Greenlight College Greenlight focuses on connecting first generation and underrepresented students to caring colleges, generous scholarships, and life-changing counselors and mentors.
15. ACM College Consulting Blog ACM is an international college consulting firm located in Fort Myers, FL dedicated to helping students and their families through the US college search and admissions process.
16. Higher Scores Test Prep Blog Higher Scores Test Prep is a family-owned and operated company, and this is their personal Blog for helping students score the best they can on The SAT and the ACT.
17.Parenting for College Blog This blog focuses on how parents can best help their students apply for college.
18.College Basics Blog College admissions tips and insider secrets about planning for college, applying for college, financial aid, admissions essays, college interviews, and much more.
19.JLV College Counseling Blog JLVCollegeCounseling.com is a free resource for prospective and current college students, as well as their parents and guardians. Jessica believes that college admission and financial aid information should be available to all students and families, no matter their financial circumstances.
20.College Confidential Blog Welcome to The World's Largest College Forum. College Confidential has a huge blog, including forums, school searches, and expert advice.
21.The Blog of Brennen Barnard Writer and high school college admissions director Brennan Barnard writes about all things college admissions, from mental health impacts to social equity.
22.College Express College Express has everything students need to find scholarships, research schools, and read about the college application process.
23.Perfect Score Project Blog The blog of a former publishing executive whose career spanned over two decades, Debbie Stier, who is the author of The Perfect Score Project: One Mom’s Journey to Uncover the Secrets of the SAT.
24.Going Merry Financial Aid Blog Going Merry has everything you need to know about finding financial aid for college, and her blog is full of inside tips on the FASFA, Scholarships, and more.
25. Addressing Difficult Topics in Your Application Here are thoughts on how to address parts of the college application that may bring up struggles that are difficult to write about.