Alexa Donne | How to Write A Stellar College Essay | College Essay Mistakes + REAL EXAMPLES! @AlexaDonne | Uploaded November 2020 | Updated October 2024, 10 hours ago.
I'm doing a deep dive on how to write a stellar college admissions essay, specifically topics to avoid, how to brainstorm good topics, storytelling techniques to employ, and TONS of examples of how to approach your essay creatively and stand out. PLUS I'm doing an on-screen analysis of a Harvard essay that made me cry, and a Johns Hopkins essay that readily employs many fantastic essay writing tactics.
YES I am spilling the tea on bad essay topics, too! Also shaming myself about my OWN college essay! Cheese alert.
I have been working as a college admissions essay consultant since 2014, primarily pro bono work with Los Angeles non-profit WriteGirl, as well as two years in the private sector with College Essay Advisors. I am a published young adult author whose next book The Ivies is a thriller about elite college admissions and will be out from Random House on May 25, 2021. The book was largely inspired by my work with students who got into schools like Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, UCLA, UCSB, Berkeley, Wellesley, Rice, NYU, Georgetown, and more. I myself attended Boston University on a full tuition scholarship and graduated magna cum laude.
How COVID Impacts College Admissions: youtu.be/FqzLtsKKELM
RESOURCES MENTIONED
New York Times Essays About Money 2019: nytimes.com/2019/05/09/your-money/college-application-essays-money.html
Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked Class of 2024: https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/
Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked Class of 2022: https://apply.jhu.edu/essays-that-worked-2022/
College Confidential forums: talk.collegeconfidential.com
ApplyingToCollege subreddit: reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/new
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
02:34 Essay Basics & Standing Out
06:37 Breakups, Cheating & Weight Loss
08:04 Poverty Tourism Bad
09:03 Mental health topics
11:23 Breaking the law & Romance
12:38 Sports/Harry Potter/book & writing essays
14:24 Brainstorming good ideas
17:00 Brainstorming questions
23:25 What makes an essay boring
24:36 Finding the story in facts
27:43 Creating a scene with details
30:05 Opening image & frame devices
31:22 My college essay story example
32:37 Dialogue in essays
33:22 Don't be TOO creative
34:54 Humility vs Bragging
36:09 Authentic Teen Essays
38:04 When Adults Meddle Too Much
40:37 Analyzing Harvard essay (that made me cry)
48:01 (Brief) Analysis of creative "recipe" essay
50:29 Analyzing successful "music" lens essay
Preorder The Ivies from your favorite book retailer!: bit.ly/3mkxyYj
Add The Ivies on Goodreads! goodreads.com/book/show/48896122-the-ivies
+BUY MY BOOKS+
Buy The Stars We Steal from Book Depository (ships worldwide!): bookdepository.com/Stars-We-Steal-Alexa-Donne/9781328948946?ref=grid-view&qid=1603728315664&sr=1-3
Buy Brightly Burning from Book Depository (ships worldwide!): bookdepository.com/Brightly-Burning-Alexa-Donne/9781785659423
Buy BRIGHTLY BURNING on Amazon: amazon.com/Brightly-Burning-Alexa-Donne/dp/1328948935/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1500334638&sr=1-1
Get Brightly Burning on Audible.com! audible.com/pd/Brightly-Burning-Audiobook/B07H41CPVC?asin=B07H41CPVC&source_code=AUDOR2220912189OII
+LINKS+
Goodreads:
goodreads.com/book/show/35065031-brightly-burning
Twitter:
twitter.com/alexadonne
Instagram:
instagram.com/alexadonne
Newsletter Sign-Up:
alexadonne.com/newsletter
Website:
alexadonne.com
Wattpad:
wattpad.com/user/alexadonne
+FILMING SPECS+
Camera: Canon t6i
Mic: Rode VideoMic Go Light
Lighting: Limo Studio Soft Kit
Editing Software: Pinnacle Studio 22
I'm doing a deep dive on how to write a stellar college admissions essay, specifically topics to avoid, how to brainstorm good topics, storytelling techniques to employ, and TONS of examples of how to approach your essay creatively and stand out. PLUS I'm doing an on-screen analysis of a Harvard essay that made me cry, and a Johns Hopkins essay that readily employs many fantastic essay writing tactics.
YES I am spilling the tea on bad essay topics, too! Also shaming myself about my OWN college essay! Cheese alert.
I have been working as a college admissions essay consultant since 2014, primarily pro bono work with Los Angeles non-profit WriteGirl, as well as two years in the private sector with College Essay Advisors. I am a published young adult author whose next book The Ivies is a thriller about elite college admissions and will be out from Random House on May 25, 2021. The book was largely inspired by my work with students who got into schools like Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, UCLA, UCSB, Berkeley, Wellesley, Rice, NYU, Georgetown, and more. I myself attended Boston University on a full tuition scholarship and graduated magna cum laude.
How COVID Impacts College Admissions: youtu.be/FqzLtsKKELM
RESOURCES MENTIONED
New York Times Essays About Money 2019: nytimes.com/2019/05/09/your-money/college-application-essays-money.html
Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked Class of 2024: https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/
Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked Class of 2022: https://apply.jhu.edu/essays-that-worked-2022/
College Confidential forums: talk.collegeconfidential.com
ApplyingToCollege subreddit: reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/new
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
02:34 Essay Basics & Standing Out
06:37 Breakups, Cheating & Weight Loss
08:04 Poverty Tourism Bad
09:03 Mental health topics
11:23 Breaking the law & Romance
12:38 Sports/Harry Potter/book & writing essays
14:24 Brainstorming good ideas
17:00 Brainstorming questions
23:25 What makes an essay boring
24:36 Finding the story in facts
27:43 Creating a scene with details
30:05 Opening image & frame devices
31:22 My college essay story example
32:37 Dialogue in essays
33:22 Don't be TOO creative
34:54 Humility vs Bragging
36:09 Authentic Teen Essays
38:04 When Adults Meddle Too Much
40:37 Analyzing Harvard essay (that made me cry)
48:01 (Brief) Analysis of creative "recipe" essay
50:29 Analyzing successful "music" lens essay
Preorder The Ivies from your favorite book retailer!: bit.ly/3mkxyYj
Add The Ivies on Goodreads! goodreads.com/book/show/48896122-the-ivies
+BUY MY BOOKS+
Buy The Stars We Steal from Book Depository (ships worldwide!): bookdepository.com/Stars-We-Steal-Alexa-Donne/9781328948946?ref=grid-view&qid=1603728315664&sr=1-3
Buy Brightly Burning from Book Depository (ships worldwide!): bookdepository.com/Brightly-Burning-Alexa-Donne/9781785659423
Buy BRIGHTLY BURNING on Amazon: amazon.com/Brightly-Burning-Alexa-Donne/dp/1328948935/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1500334638&sr=1-1
Get Brightly Burning on Audible.com! audible.com/pd/Brightly-Burning-Audiobook/B07H41CPVC?asin=B07H41CPVC&source_code=AUDOR2220912189OII
+LINKS+
Goodreads:
goodreads.com/book/show/35065031-brightly-burning
Twitter:
twitter.com/alexadonne
Instagram:
instagram.com/alexadonne
Newsletter Sign-Up:
alexadonne.com/newsletter
Website:
alexadonne.com
Wattpad:
wattpad.com/user/alexadonne
+FILMING SPECS+
Camera: Canon t6i
Mic: Rode VideoMic Go Light
Lighting: Limo Studio Soft Kit
Editing Software: Pinnacle Studio 22
