by Cara Kalf | Mar 15, 2021 | Cara, college application essay, College Application Tips
Unicorns Are Not Unique or No Such Thing as a Synonym If you polled every student I have ever had in the classroom, I suspect one of the top three facts you would learn is this: “Mrs. Kalf doesn’t believe in synonyms.” I think they find this deliciously subversive in...
by Cara Kalf | Feb 28, 2021 | Cara, college application essay, College Application Tips
The New (Improved?) Common App 2022 The Common App has released its prompts for next year, and I’m delighted to see all of my favorites still on the list. There’s only one prompt that’s new for 2021, and you probably didn’t need the Common App writers to tell you it...
by Cara Kalf | Jan 15, 2021 | Cara, College Admissions, college application essay
What Are You Reading 2021? Future college students need to be big readers. Academic success requires it, and applications often ask about it, but those aren’t the only perks. It can be a relaxing escape from reality or a tool to develop other useful skills. With our...
by Cara Kalf | Dec 30, 2020 | Cara, college application essay, College Application Tips
Success Resolutions for Striving Students I am a sucker for a fresh start. I love Mondays, firsts of the month, and especially the first of the year. If you’re a candidate—or perhaps even an already-accepted future student!—at one of the country’s top colleges, you...
by Cara Kalf | Sep 15, 2020 | Cara, college application essay, College Essay Examples
The Tortoise and the Hare and the College Application If you started your applications over the summer, you were probably feeling pretty good about yourself. As school got going, you might have taken a page from the hare and decided you could afford a quick “nap”...
by Cara Kalf | Aug 30, 2020 | Cara, college application essay, College Essay Examples
Get Out of Your Own Way When you first begin your essay, you might wonder how you’ll have enough to say. But when you find your story and get into it, you’re going to be surprised how soon you run out of space. (It’s pretty standard for my coaching students to have...