“Never use a long word when a short one will do.” Good advice from George Orwell (“Politics and the English Language,” 1946) that students might want to keep in mind when writing college application essays. Orwell wasn’t suggesting that writers use simple vocabulary to “dumb down” their prose. He was arguing against what he saw […]
Read MoreSix-pages, full sentences, “narrative” format. These could be the requirements of a middle school writing assignment. But, they’re actually Jeff Bezos’s guidelines for “pitching” plans at Amazon. According to Franklin Foer in “What Jeff Bezos Wants” (The Atlantic, November 2019), Bezos insists that his employees explain their ideas in lengthy narratives, because he knows that […]
Read MoreAlthough not scored, the SSAT Essay matters! Schools receive the essay along with the scored results. And admissions boards read the essay to learn more about the way a student thinks and writes. So, students prepping for the SSAT should always include time to prepare for the essay–by learning about the format and strategies and […]
Read MoreMany parents find the college application process incredibly stressful–“nervewracking,” as one parent put it. Her son, a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme HS, had been laboring over his college essays for several weeks but had resisted her help. Although she had tried giving tactful feedback, this seemed to shut him down further and add tension to […]
Read MoreAs a writing teacher, I talk about vocabulary a lot. After all, words are essential tools for writers. Even more important, words make thinking possible. They give shape to our thoughts, enabling us to identify and clarify what’s in our minds. So, the more words we know, the more “thinking” we can do, and the […]
Read More1) Give yourself plenty of time! Don’t wait until a week before the deadline to begin writing. Crafting a coherent, readable essay takes time and thought. Remember that writing–any kind of writing–is essentially thinking on paper. Your college app essay is no different. The essays you submit to your colleges will reflect the quality of […]
Read MoreGood writing isn’t just important for authors, English teachers, or technical writers. It tops the list of skills most prized by employers today. According to a 2018 survey by the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), employers placed written communication ahead of all other attributes they value in recent college graduates (“In the Salary […]
Read MoreWhy do students so often struggle with their college application essays? While some find writing in general daunting, others get stuck mainly because they’ve forgotten to think about their audience. All writers, no matter their purpose in writing, need to consider their audience. Who will be reading their writing? Knowing this from the start and […]
Read MoreStart explaining comma splices and dangling modifiers to a high school student and watch the eyes begin to roll! It’s not surprising that the typical eleventh grader balks at the idea of SAT grammar review. However, even a little prep can go a long way and offer a big return on investment! On the revised […]
Read More“Is Majoring in English Worth It?” So asks William McGurn in a recent WSJ column (Sept 10, 2019). I occasionally wondered this myself, working feverishly towards my English PhD. Yet, my main reason for going to graduate school was to learn more, not earn more. And, in pursuit of this degree, I developed invaluable critical […]
Read More
