essay for early college high school

How early colleges can make us rethink the separation of high school and postsecondary systems

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April 15, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a historic spike in unemployment insurance claims, and there is growing consensus that the economy is headed for a potentially deep and protracted recession. In the past, postsecondary credentials or degrees have helped mitigate the impact of an economic downturn. Of all new jobs created after the Great Recession, 99% went to individuals with some type of postsecondary training. Not only can postsecondary education help in times of economic distress, but at least some college education is becoming ever more necessary for earning a living wage in the 21 st -century economy.

Unfortunately, not all groups have the same levels of postsecondary education enrollment and attainment, with particular challenges for low-income populations and people of color . The growing need for postsecondary education coupled with continued, unequal access is a recipe for a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots—a gap that will likely be exacerbated by the current pandemic.

Policy responses to this persistent inequality have generally sought to address individual barriers to college access, whether financial , academic, cultural, or logistical. Since 2006, we have been studying a model—early college—that takes an entirely different approach. Early colleges ask a conceptually simple question: If we want more people to have postsecondary education, why don’t we just combine high school and college together?

What are early colleges?

Early colleges are small schools that seek to seamlessly integrate high school and college. Frequently located on college campuses, they enroll students starting in 9 th grade and provide them with early access to the college experience. Students remain in these schools for four or five years, during which time they complete their high school diploma and earn an associate degree or two years of transferable college credit.

Despite offering rigorous academic coursework, early colleges are not focused on gifted students; instead they target students who might traditionally face challenges in making the transition to college, such as low-income students, students who are the first in their family to go to college, and students who are members of racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in college. To minimize barriers that these students may face, early colleges also provide extensive academic and affective supports. The early-college model is being implemented broadly across the country, with more than 100 schools in North Carolina , over 170 in Texas , over 100 in Michigan , and more in many other states.

Do early colleges work?

We have been conducting a 14-year rigorous experimental study of North Carolina’s early-college model. Our study, which has been determined to meet federal standards for a high-quality research design , compared results for students who applied to early colleges and were accepted through a lottery (our treatment group) to students who applied but were turned down through the lottery (our control group). This research design ensures that we are comparing apples to apples.

We found 27% of students in our treatment group graduated from high school with an associate degree or technical credential, compared to 2% of our control group. An additional 47% graduated with at least some college credit, compared to 26% of the control group. Even if early-college students do not go on to any further education, they are much more likely to enter the workforce with some postsecondary training.

Many do pursue further education, though. Our most recent published findings looked at credential attainment by six years after 12 th grade. We found that:

• More early-college students earned postsecondary credentials than control students. More than 44% of treatment students had earned some sort of postsecondary credential by six years after 12 th grade, compared with 33% of the control group.
• Early-college students were three times as likely to get associate degrees as control students. 33% of early-college students earned an associate degree, compared to 11% of control students.
• Despite the higher rate of associate degree attainments, early-college students were not being steered away from bachelor’s degrees. Our research indicates no differences in the attainment of bachelor’s degrees between treatment and control students in the full sample. In fact, there was a 4.5-percentage-point positive impact on bachelor’s degree attainment for economically disadvantaged students.
• Early-college students earned their degrees more rapidly. The early-college model shortened students’ time to degree by two years for associate degrees and by six months for bachelor’s degrees.
• Despite spending less time in college, early-college students did equally well academically. Both groups had essentially the same average postsecondary GPA.

In addition to these impacts on postsecondary degree attainment, our prior research in North Carolina has shown that early-college students were more likely to complete high school courses required for college; students also had higher attendance and lower suspensions. Early-college students reported better experiences in school than control students. They were also more likely to enroll in college .

Finally, we’ve taken a preliminary look at the costs of the early-college model. While we found that early colleges were more expensive than a traditional comprehensive high school, they were a less expensive route to a two-year degree and a much less expensive pathway to earning a four-year degree.

What do these results mean?

The early-college model demonstrates that combining portions of high school and college is possible. Our results to date show many advantages, including an increase in degree attainment and less time to degree, which should benefit the students who attend these schools as well as society more broadly.

Some might argue that students will miss out on important learning if they earn a high school diploma and a two-year degree at the same time. At this point, we do not have any evidence to support that argument. Instead, we have found that early-college students perform just as well as students in the control group when they enter further postsecondary education. It is possible, as the president of Stanford argued 100 years ago , that the separate evolution of our secondary and postsecondary systems have led to unnecessary redundancies between the two.

We do not yet know how long or deep this economic downturn will be, or how the pandemic will affect the way we work and learn. However, if past patterns hold, having some postsecondary training will be more important than ever. And just as the post-coronavirus workplace is surely being re-envisioned, this crisis should motivate us to reconsider the structure of our educational system. Early college is a model that can help inform these discussions.

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What is an early college high school?

by: Christina Tynan-Wood | Updated: June 12, 2023

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On a balmy spring day, the students in a classroom at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington are listening intently to a lecture, some weighing in with answers and opinions. Most of these students are, as you’d expect, college students. But a handful are attending a small high school —  Isaac Bear Early College High School — that operates entirely on the university campus.

The early college students are required to check in at their high school building before heading to class. Beyond that, there’s little — certainly not their participation in class, preparedness for college, or GPA — to distinguish them from their college-age classmates. They can avail themselves of all the facilities of this quality university — labs, languages, professors, the student union, transportation, and the beautifully manicured Southern coastal campus — while most students their age are lining up in the high school cafeteria or riding a yellow school bus.

Motivation a must for early college high school

The handful of students listening to this lecture have worked hard to get here. They had to make the decision to attend an early college while still in middle school. Many early colleges accept only freshman applicants — no late transfers — which is why recruitment starts in middle school.

“The most important thing we look for in a potential student is motivation,” explains Isaac Bear Principal Philip Sutton. “Our students need to have that.” Making a decision this weighty while in the eighth grade may seem harsh, but it’s essential. During the first two years of early college high school, students dispense with all their high school requirements. At Isaac Bear , freshmen and sophomores take five honors-level classes per semester. But it will be worth it. They will graduate from high school with as much as two years of college credit, allowing them to transfer to a four-year college while other students their age are applying as freshman. Sound expensive? It’s not. This is a public high school.

An innovative approach towards a college degree

Early college high schools are an innovative way for high school students to earn both a high school degree and a two-year associate’s degree (or up to two years’ credit toward a bachelor’s degree) in the time it takes to go to high school – saving the student both time and money.

Unlike vocational schools , early college high schools are focused on getting students on a direct college path, as opposed to training them for an immediate career. As well, early colleges distinguish themselves from college preparatory schools , since students are actually taking college courses, not simply preparing themselves for college.

In general, these schools make possible college for young adults who otherwise have few opportunities to continue with higher education. In fact, early college high schools were created primarily for underprivileged students who are first-generation college goers, as well as English language learners or any other students traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

Making college accessible to those with the drive

Although many don’t realize it, most colleges are open to high school juniors and seniors who are excelling and interested in starting college earlly. But that opportunity has largely served the children of parents who have been to college themselves and know to guide their children in that direction — and who can afford the tuition. Early college high schools make that opportunity available to any student with the drive – who otherwise may not have had the means – to do the work, and it’s a fast-growing trend. There are currently 75,000 students in 28 states attending early college high schools.

No two early college high schools are alike. Most partner with a university, college, or community college to compress the time it takes to earn a college degree. Many early colleges get started with grants from organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation .

Note that there are variations on the early college high school model. For example, Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA, calls itself an “early college” and offers college-level courses to high school juniors and seniors. But Simon’s Rock is a private school and it’s not geared primarily to underprivileged kids, unlike most early college high schools, although financial aid is available. The Advanced Academy of Georgia is another example: its formalized dual-enrollment program offers eleventh and twelfth graders the opportunity to earn concurrent high school and college credit in a residential setting.

What you might find at an early college high school

• Hard work:  In an early college high school, four years of high school are compressed into two so all the flab is gone from students’ schedules. There is lots of homework, and the demands are high.
• Diversity:  According to The Early College High Schools Initiative , nearly 75 percent of students enrolled in early college high schools are African-American or Latino.
• Hard-working students:  None of these options are for the student who fears hard work, wants a traditional high school experience, or needs lots of direction. Early college high school students are expected to learn to manage their time, pull good grades, and keep up with college-age students.
• Lots of support:  Early college high schools tend to be small, about 300 students on average. Students receive tutoring, supervision, counseling, and guidance from a dedicated high-school staff. Early college high school students are more likely to be better prepared for college than the college freshman who did not receive this transitional guidance.
• The freedom of a college campus:  Though they have more support systems than their fellow college students, early college high school students — with some rules and exceptions — have the run of a college campus. Rules and restrictions vary school to school, but in many cases early college high school students are not allowed in dorms where college-aged students live. They may not be allowed in other areas of campus for the same security reasons.
• A smoother transition from high school to college:  Many early college high school graduates ( 42 percent, by one estimate ) continue on at their school’s partnering institution for college, which makes for an easier high school to college transition.
• Not your typical high school experience:  Though this varies school to school, most colleges do not allow high school students to participate in college sports programs. In some cases, early college high school students can participate in college clubs and organizations; they may also have their own clubs and use college sports facilities for exercise.

What supporters say

• Preparation for college:  The transition from high school to college is a challenge for many — especially those whose parents don’t know how to negotiate college. The early college high school helps ease this transition by providing support and assistance.
• Creates a college-bound mentality:  Spending every day in a college setting encourages kids to value college and to continue once they graduate from early college high school.
• Small size means kids don’t get lost:  In a huge traditional high school, teens can get pulled in a lot of directions — not all of them good. Here, the small size and teacher support mean kids are accountable for their work, goals, and actions.
• Good value:  Two years of college is expensive. So getting out of high school with two years of college credit means that a student can either graduate from college sooner or take more advanced classes in college. Either way, the student gets more out of the money spent on college.

What critics say

• Too young to make the decision:  Many early college high schools insist that teens start in their freshman year of high school. That means kids are making this choice just as they exit middle school. Some may be too young for that choice, which puts parents in the difficult position of either letting the opportunity go because kids aren’t ready to commit or forcing an unpopular decision.
• No high school experience:  For kids who want a prom, to play high school sports, or to enjoy a traditional high school experience, this is not the way to go. Students will likely not be allowed to participate in college-level sports. If there is a prom, it will be a smaller affair.
• Risk of early exposure to college life:  Some kids may be ready for the freedom of a college campus and to socialize with students a couple of years older. But some kids, or their parents, may not like the idea of exposing a young teen to a college atmosphere. The early college high schools offer a lot of supervision and support for this. But that might not be enough for some parents.
• Unclear whether early college high schools really lead to college success:  Overall, early college high school graduates have a high rate of college enrollment. In 2010-11, for example, 77 percent of early college high school graduates went on to some form of postsecondary education in the fall after graduation. Whether that success can be maintained over the long haul is a question, however. Only 33 percent of early college high school graduates earned two or more years of college credit in 2010-11, and that same year, only 24 percent of graduates at early college high schools earned an associate’s degree or a college certificate.

Is an early college high school right for my child?

Early college high schools require — more than any other single thing — motivation from students. If your child doesn’t have it, it’s probably not the right choice.

Early college high schools are focused on providing a guided track for students who are motivated to go to college or get on with their career, but who do not have the resources at home to help them do that. The gifted and bored student, with parents who went to college, should look at taking honors and AP classes, doing dual enrollment with a local college or university, applying for college early (perhaps to one of the colleges set up for early enrollment or at a college nearby) if their parents are willing to pay the tuition and provide transportation.

A final word of advice

Think twice before urging your child to attend an early college high school if he’s not completely on board. He’ll have to be prepared for a lot of hard work — and to forgo high school sports and social activities. If he’s ambivalent, he may not have the motivation to succeed. If he’s sure he wants to attend an early college high school, get an early start: he’ll likely have to apply while still in middle school. Many early college high schools do not accept transfers after freshman year. Finally, be sure to visit the early college high school your student is considering. Each school is different and reflects the college or university with which it partners.

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Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks

Published on February 9, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023 by Shona McCombes.

This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction , focused paragraphs , clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion .

Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence , and each point is directly related to the thesis statement .

As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.

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Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay, an appeal to the senses: the development of the braille system in nineteenth-century france.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

In France, debates about how to deal with disability led to the adoption of different strategies over time. While people with temporary difficulties were able to access public welfare, the most common response to people with long-term disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, was to group them together in institutions (Tombs, 1996). At first, a joint institute for the blind and deaf was created, and although the partnership was motivated more by financial considerations than by the well-being of the residents, the institute aimed to help people develop skills valuable to society (Weygand, 2009). Eventually blind institutions were separated from deaf institutions, and the focus shifted towards education of the blind, as was the case for the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, which Louis Braille attended (Jimenez et al, 2009). The growing acknowledgement of the uniqueness of different disabilities led to more targeted education strategies, fostering an environment in which the benefits of a specifically blind education could be more widely recognized.

Several different systems of tactile reading can be seen as forerunners to the method Louis Braille developed, but these systems were all developed based on the sighted system. The Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris taught the students to read embossed roman letters, a method created by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy (Jimenez et al., 2009). Reading this way proved to be a rather arduous task, as the letters were difficult to distinguish by touch. The embossed letter method was based on the reading system of sighted people, with minimal adaptation for those with vision loss. As a result, this method did not gain significant success among blind students.

Louis Braille was bound to be influenced by his school’s founder, but the most influential pre-Braille tactile reading system was Charles Barbier’s night writing. A soldier in Napoleon’s army, Barbier developed a system in 1819 that used 12 dots with a five line musical staff (Kersten, 1997). His intention was to develop a system that would allow the military to communicate at night without the need for light (Herron, 2009). The code developed by Barbier was phonetic (Jimenez et al., 2009); in other words, the code was designed for sighted people and was based on the sounds of words, not on an actual alphabet. Barbier discovered that variants of raised dots within a square were the easiest method of reading by touch (Jimenez et al., 2009). This system proved effective for the transmission of short messages between military personnel, but the symbols were too large for the fingertip, greatly reducing the speed at which a message could be read (Herron, 2009). For this reason, it was unsuitable for daily use and was not widely adopted in the blind community.

Nevertheless, Barbier’s military dot system was more efficient than Hauy’s embossed letters, and it provided the framework within which Louis Braille developed his method. Barbier’s system, with its dashes and dots, could form over 4000 combinations (Jimenez et al., 2009). Compared to the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, this was an absurdly high number. Braille kept the raised dot form, but developed a more manageable system that would reflect the sighted alphabet. He replaced Barbier’s dashes and dots with just six dots in a rectangular configuration (Jimenez et al., 2009). The result was that the blind population in France had a tactile reading system using dots (like Barbier’s) that was based on the structure of the sighted alphabet (like Hauy’s); crucially, this system was the first developed specifically for the purposes of the blind.

While the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009), realizing that access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Although Blind people remained marginalized throughout the nineteenth century, the Braille system granted them growing opportunities for social participation. Most obviously, Braille allowed people with vision loss to read the same alphabet used by sighted people (Bullock & Galst, 2009), allowing them to participate in certain cultural experiences previously unavailable to them. Written works, such as books and poetry, had previously been inaccessible to the blind population without the aid of a reader, limiting their autonomy. As books began to be distributed in Braille, this barrier was reduced, enabling people with vision loss to access information autonomously. The closing of the gap between the abilities of blind and the sighted contributed to a gradual shift in blind people’s status, lessening the cultural perception of the blind as essentially different and facilitating greater social integration.

The Braille system also had important cultural effects beyond the sphere of written culture. Its invention later led to the development of a music notation system for the blind, although Louis Braille did not develop this system himself (Jimenez, et al., 2009). This development helped remove a cultural obstacle that had been introduced by the popularization of written musical notation in the early 1500s. While music had previously been an arena in which the blind could participate on equal footing, the transition from memory-based performance to notation-based performance meant that blind musicians were no longer able to compete with sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997). As a result, a tactile musical notation system became necessary for professional equality between blind and sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997).

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Bullock, J. D., & Galst, J. M. (2009). The Story of Louis Braille. Archives of Ophthalmology , 127(11), 1532. https://​doi.org/10.1001/​archophthalmol.2009.286.

Herron, M. (2009, May 6). Blind visionary. Retrieved from https://​eandt.theiet.org/​content/​articles/2009/05/​blind-visionary/.

Jiménez, J., Olea, J., Torres, J., Alonso, I., Harder, D., & Fischer, K. (2009). Biography of Louis Braille and Invention of the Braille Alphabet. Survey of Ophthalmology , 54(1), 142–149. https://​doi.org/10.1016/​j.survophthal.2008.10.006.

Kersten, F.G. (1997). The history and development of Braille music methodology. The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education , 18(2). Retrieved from https://​www.jstor.org/​stable/40214926.

Mellor, C.M. (2006). Louis Braille: A touch of genius . Boston: National Braille Press.

Tombs, R. (1996). France: 1814-1914 . London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Weygand, Z. (2009). The blind in French society from the Middle Ages to the century of Louis Braille . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Early College High School Pathway (ECHS)

Get a head start on your college education Quincy’s Early College High School (ECHS) Pathway is a cohort-based program that provides eligible QPS students in grades 10, 11, and 12, the opportunity to earn up to 21 college credits while still in high school, at no cost to families. ECHS students receive robust academic support during their ECHS experience that will better position them to be successful in college and in their future careers. The program is made possible by the partnership between Quincy College, Quincy Public Schools, State Street Foundation, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Upon acceptance into this program, students will be enrolled in the following ECHS courses at their respective high schools. Upon successful completion of each course, students will earn Quincy College credit at no charge to the student. In addition to the ECHS coursework, all ECHS students will participate in academic and non-academic support opportunities focused on post-secondary success. Most ECHS courses will be the length of one college semester to mirror a true college schedule. ECHS students will be supported by an ECHS Guidance Counselor and ECHS College Transition Coach during their time in the program. Students can earn up to 22 Quincy College Credits. Students will earn honors credit for the following courses:

Introduction to Criminal Justice – ECHS Gr. 10 – 5 Credit (3442)

This Early College High School course will examine the criminal justice system in America. Beginning with a study of the classifications of criminal behavior, students will trace the process of justice through the court system and end with an examination of our forms of punishment and retribution. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits in social science and five points toward high school graduation requirements by completing this course.

Music Across Cultures – ECHS Gr. 10 – 5 Credit (6362)

This course explores music across national boundaries in its cultural context. At the same time, it enhances the students’ listening, critical, and analytical skills along with their aesthetic ability. It is an excursion in non-western music with an emphasis on the cultures in which it flourished such as the selected music of China, Japan, India, Middle East, Latin America, Ethnic North America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits in the arts and five points toward high school graduation requirements by completing this course.

Introduction to Environmental Studies – ECHS Gr. 11 – 5 Credit (2422)

This Early College High School course utilizes numerous case studies of current environmental health and safety issues. Topics include: Human/ecological exposure to pesticides and hazardous substances, acid rain, ozone depletion, global warming, renewable/non-renewable energy, and biodiversity. Students will gain environmental literacy by learning about the science behind these issues. Students will conduct hands-on experiments covering a broad range of topics including chemistry, biology, ecology, toxicology and earth science. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive four college credits in natural science and five points toward high school requirements for science by completing this course.

United States History II – ECHS Gr. 11 – 5 Credit (3422)

This Early College High School course traces developments since the end of the Civil War to the present. Selective emphasis will be placed on topics such as the Civil War and its aftermath, the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, World War II and its aftermath, civil rights and equal rights movements, the cultural crises of the 1960’s and 1970’s, and the ongoing political and social issues of our time. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits in history and five points toward high school requirements for social studies by completing this course.

English Composition I – ECHS Gr. 12 – 5.0 Credit (0422)

The focus of this Early College High School course is learning how to structure and write various types of essays required at the college level. Thesis, evidence, organizational principles, and rhetorical strategies are some of the emphasized concepts. A critical essay based upon an assigned outside reading is required. The course also covers writing based on research and information literacy. Peer-group editing, conferencing and cooperative learning groups are examples of the activities in this course. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits and two and a half points toward high school requirements for English by completing this course.

English Composition II – ECHS Gr. 12 – 5.0 Credit (0425)

Modern, high-interest literature of various genres and modes will be presented in project-based theme units that incorporate writing, critical thinking skills, vocabulary, inquiry, grammar, and character study. An emphasis will be placed on developing and fostering an analytical approach to literature, focusing on comprehension, and improving critical thinking skills. In addition, students will analyze literature, developing and improving their abilities to examine and evaluate a text in relation to other texts, their own lives, and the world through both expository writing and multimedia presentations. Students will work with short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and film. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits and two and a half points toward high school requirements for English by completing this course.

Statistics – ECHS Gr. 12 – 5.0 Credit (1422)

This Early College High School course introduces the student to the fundamental methods of mathematical statistics. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion probability, sampling distributions, problems with the normal and t-distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. Students will be required to complete homework assignments using a web-based computer program. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 2.

The ECHS College Transition Coaches and Guidance Counselors look forward to assisting you throughout this process and to being a part of this exciting new chapter.

For more information regarding the ECHS Pathway at NQHS, please contact Kara Bobrov .

• [email protected]
• 617-984-8875
• [email protected]
• 617-984-8988

For more information regarding the ECHS Pathway at QHS, please contact Eli Stewart .

• [email protected]
• 617-376-3388
• [email protected]
• (617) 376-3399

All full-time grade 10 or 11 students at Quincy High School and North Quincy High School in good standing can choose to enroll in Quincy’s ECHS Pathway.

Students are encouraged to complete the application form with assistance from a school counselor or an ECHS staff member.

Applications will be reviewed and students accepted into the program will receive an acceptance letter and a commitment form, which will need to be signed by the student and a parent/guardian and returned to an ECHS staff member.

Click Here for Application

Click below to read through semester Newsletters to see what has been happening in our program.

• ECHS Newsletter October 2023
• ECHS Newsletter August 2023
• ECHS Newsletter June 2023
• ECHS Newsletter February 2023
• ECHS Newsletter Back to School 2022
• ECHS Newsletter Fall 2022
• ECHS Newsletter Summer 2022
• ECHS Newsletter Spring 2022
• ECHS Newsletter Fall 2021

Early College High School Pathway Scholarship

ECHS Pathway students receive a one-year, full tuition scholarship to Quincy College

At a symposium celebrating the successful first year of the Early College High School (ECHS) Pathway program – an innovative partnership between Quincy College and Quincy Public Schools – President Dr. Richard DeCristofaro presented each of the 40 high school seniors currently enrolled in the program with a one-year, full-tuition scholarship to Quincy College.

ECHS, a first-of-its-kind program in this region, is designed for the city’s high school students who may not actively be considering college.  It serves about 150 Quincy High and North Quincy High School students in grades 10 through 12 who are first-generation, from low-income families, English language learners, and/or have disabilities.  Those enrolled in the program earn college credit by taking a sequence of college courses taught by Quincy Public Schools instructors as a way to provide students the opportunity to experience post-secondary education while still in high school.  ECHS Pathway courses are aligned with Quincy College courses, and the College faculty collaborates with the high school instructors to ensure that the courses are delivered as a college course would be.

Quincy Public School students celebrate at the Early College High School (ECHS) Pathway Symposium

“Any opportunity to expose our high school students to the benefits of a college education represents a win for our entire community,” said Dr. DeCristofaro. “Thanks to the generous support of the State Street Foundation, ECHS Pathway has brought Quincy College and Quincy Public Schools together to offer participating students a combination of academic and non-academic support, ongoing guidance, and college readiness techniques that are essential to their future success.  We look forward to welcoming many of this year’s ECHS Pathway seniors as first-year Quincy College students in the fall.”

State Street Foundation

Initial ECHS Pathway funding came in the form of a significant grant from the State Street Foundation, support which includes the cost of all student expenses as well as two new high school guidance counselors and two Quincy College “transition coaches” with responsibility for program implementation and oversight.

“The State Street Foundation is thrilled to provide the opportunity for so many students to see themselves as college-ready and college-bound,” said Joe McGrail, President of the State Street Foundation.  “We understand and value the incredible potential of the Early College High School Pathway and the opportunities that it provides to Quincy Public Schools’ students.”

Quincy High School College Transition Coach Eli Stewart shares a round moment with students.

Granite Telecommunications , HarborOne Bank , and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education have contributed additional financial support to the program.

“I am extremely proud of Quincy’s Early College High School Pathway program, which provides our high school students with the incredible opportunity to expand their academic horizons by earning up to 22 Quincy College credits before graduating high school,” said Kevin Mulvey, JD, Superintendent of Quincy Public Schools.  “Special thanks to Quincy College, a lead partner of the Quincy School-Community Partnership, for providing this educational opportunity.”

As part of the collaborative celebration symposium, held at the Boston Marriott Quincy, current ECHS Pathway students participated in a series of grade-specific breakout sessions featuring interactive discussions between students and professional staff; later, ECHS Pathway teachers attended their own separate breakout session focused on evaluating key elements of the program’s first year.

Scholarship Details

We’re excited to offer current Grade 12 ECHS Pathway students full tuition scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year at Quincy College. We have a support team to help you navigate the campus, academic programs, and answer any other questions you may have about beginning at Quincy College. Students planning to attend Quincy College in Fall 2024 are advised to contact their ECHS College Transition Coach at their respective high school to discuss this opportunity.

• This scholarship will cover the tuition, books, and fees (up to 24 credits maximum) for the 2024-2025 academic year at Quincy College.
• Other costs will be the responsibility of the student.
• All students must apply for Pell, SEOG, and Mass grants through the FAFSA process.
• Students must commit to completing their degree at Quincy College.
• This scholarship excludes selective programs (For example, Phlebotomy, Medical Lab Technology, Surgical Tech, Biotechnology, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Nursing).
• This scholarship applies to Quincy residents only.
• This scholarship applies to U.S. citizens and green cardholders only.

Interested? Contact:

Kara Bobrov | NQHS Students [email protected]

Eli Stewart | QHS Students [email protected]

• Scholarships

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Grand Prairie and South Grand Prairie Early College High School Essay Questions

Additional Application Information and Requirements for Essay

Early College High School (ECHS) at South Grand Prairie High School and Grand Prairie High School - a partnership between Grand Prairie ISD and Mountain View College.

Early College High School (ECHS) offers a rigorous and demanding curriculum designed for motivated students with the ability to successfully handle a high school curriculum while simultaneously earning college credit hours. The student being considered for admission will be given the opportunity to earn up to 60+ college credit hours. The student must be capable of being successful in college courses and must be willing to work hard and be dedicated in order to complete both high school and college work. ▪ Student Essay: In the space provided in the online application, the student must compose and write an essay from the following essay prompts. Students may type directly into the space provided or compose the essay using a word processing software (i.e. Microsoft Word) and copy and paste the text into the space provided in the online application.

• Essay PROMPT #1: What is your favorite subject in school? In what area do you excel? Why?
• Essay PROMPT #2: What accomplishments in your life (in or out of school) are you most proud? Why?
• Essay PROMPT #3: If one of your friends asked you to explain why you want to attend an Early College High School, what would you tell them.

If you cannot complete the essay questions while filling out the online application, you may bring them to the campus or the Education Center at 2602 S. Belt Line Rd. You can also contact the campus for a link to upload the essay.

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Please complete this form to receive updates about the 2023-2024 Admissions Season. Please click here for our 2023-2024 Assessment.

Bard High School Early College is a public, non-specialized, and screened high school/early college.

Eighth-grade applicants who are interested in our program must fill out the Department of Education’s High School Application on MySchools. Please ask your guidance counselor for additional information about the high school ranking website. Students who are applying from private or parochial schools are advised to speak with their school’s principal. Students may rank up to 12 non-specialized programs/schools on the Department of Education High School Application in addition to the specialized and audition high schools. Please note that students who apply to both BHSEC Manhattan and BHSEC Queens must list these as two separate choices. Please review program/school choices and carefully prioritize the list. We strongly recommend that you seek advice from your guidance counselor and review the NYC High School Directory before ranking programs.

2023-2024 Admissions Information

Applicant profile.

The following is required of all students who apply to BHSEC Queens:

• a completed BHSEC assessment to be submitted on the Myschools application.
• a completed Department of Education’s High School Application on MySchools .
• currently resides in one of the five boroughs of New York City.

About the assessment and rubric components

The BHSEC Assessment was created and developed by the BHSEC faculty and administration to assess applicants writing, thinking, and interest in an early college.

• There are two parts to the assessment: two writing prompts and a short video statement.
• The answers to the writing prompts are to be typed or copy and uploaded to Myschools . They should be approximately 250-500 words or 1200-2500 characters per prompt. The answers should be well organized and well written, showing clarity, and creative or original thinking. 
• The video statement should be no more than 2 minutes and will also need to be submitted on Myschools . The applicant should be engaging, clear, and show signs of preparation.

Rubric components and weights

• Average Course Grades – 10%
• Humanities Response – 30%
• STEM Response – 30%
• Video Response – 30%

How to Take the Online Assessment

Before you begin our online assessment please read the requirements and tips listed below:

• In order to be eligible for possible admissions for FALL 2024 , you must currently be a New York City resident. 
• You must complete our assessment on Myschools . This video will show you how to upload the assessment once you are complete.
• You must fill out and submit a NYC High School application in MySchools listing Bard High School Early College as one of your 12 choices. Ranking order matters. Please rank Bard High School Early College in preference order. If you are applying to both campuses then these need to be separate choices.
• If you require special accommodations for testing please email [email protected] .
• Video statements must be under 2 minutes.
• Review your video to ensure that there is sound and picture before uploading it.
• Applications without a video will result in lower scores. All three parts are mandatory.
• Essay Prompts 250-500 words or 1200-2500 characters. 
• The deadline for the online assessment is December 1st, 2023 .

Click HERE for the Bard Assessment. You must upload the responses directly on Myschools.

Click  HERE  for the Department of Education’s Screened School Page.

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WICHITA NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

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Application Link  

*Please note:   At this time our online application must be completed in one sitting. It is  not  possible to start the application and then save your progress midway through the process. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Students are asked to write two essays as part of the application.

All   applicants should answer Prompt #1 (no less than 450 words): 

Prompt #1: Explain why you want to be accepted into the Early College Academy, why you would be a good fit, and how this program will help you achieve your long-term goals.  

Applicants should choose one prompt from the remaining prompts below (no less than 450 words):

Prompt #2: Discuss what you feel will be your biggest challenge in high school. Include your concerns about taking college classes.  

Prompt #3: Describe your experience in middle school, grades six through eight, including challenges and  accomplishments .  What steps were, or could have been taken to address the challenges?  

Prompt #4: Explain what you think the following quote means and how it might apply to your life now or in the future. “It’s easi er to build strong children than  it is to repair broken men.” –  Frederick Douglass  

Prompt #5:  Describe a real-world problem you have encountered or witnessed and propose a means of improving the problem. Stay awa y from ideological topics (e.g.  prayer or religion in public schools or racism. While these are real topics, they require a kind of change that is outside of your control). Focu s on tangible issues where there  are specific steps anyone can take.  

Prompt #6:  Define what leadership means to you and give examples, positive or negative, from your life. Your essay should demonstrate what you learned about leadership and how you hope to use those lessons.

Application Link    

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• The College Essay
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Essays are the most important part of your application.

Since colleges don't have the capacity to interview every applicant, they rely on your essay to get to know you. This is your opportunity to shine and show who you are. 

Many colleges will refer to your essays when deciding whether or not to award you a scholarship. Do not think of these in the same way you would a high school essay. Think of these as your chance to convince a school that they want you on their campus and you will take advantage of the resources they provide!

These essays are a chance for the reader to get to know who you are...which is more than just the admissions application.

College Admissions Essay Topics

Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?

Some students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. If you are one of these students, then tell us about yourself.

You've got a ticket in your hand - Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

• 2-4 paragraphs
• final opinion on topic plus summary of the essay
• Keep essay true to your voice
• 500-700 words
• Essay A is most common (so work on that prompt first)
• Have a teacher, parent or college adviser read over it
• Read essay out loud to hear how it flows

How to structure your college essay.

Generic Structure for Admission Essays

College Essay Examples

• Sample Application Essays
• Enin K Common Application Essay 2014

State should expand early college/dual enrollment programs for high school students

Early college/dual enrollment programs can be transformative for high school students. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas

High school students on Long Island and around the state have been able to earn college credits while still in high school for many years. Many school districts have outstanding programs through collaborations with colleges/universities.

Since college is so expensive and not always accessible to every student, it is time for New York to enter a new era of academic advancement. Early college/dual enrollment programs can be transformative for high school students by offering unique opportunities to amplify educational horizons and better equip students for the challenges that lie beyond the classroom.

Early college/dual enrollment programs allow students to simultaneously earn high school and college credit by taking courses at or offered by accredited colleges and universities. Our organization of school counselors provides guidance and recommendations for implementing and overseeing these programs across the state.

The New York State School Counselor Association believes these programs provide students with the opportunity to challenge themselves academically and that these programs should be available in all of New York's public schools. Though more than half of New York's high schools offer a dual enrollment program, only 15.8% of the state's high school students were enrolled in such a program in 2022, according to state Education Department data.

Access to these programs would help our high-schoolers make knowledgeable choices about their postsecondary education and career plans. This would enhance college accessibility and affordability by giving students a head start on their college education and thus saving students and their parents time and expense. This would, in turn, strengthen the partnership between our K-12 schools and colleges and universities.

From our Editorial Board, get inside the local, city and state political scenes.

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To make these programs rigorous, accessible, and equitable, we strongly suggest that the programs contain academic equivalence with the courses being offered to students by their high schools and that they be taught by qualified instructors with appropriate credentials and experience.

Also important is the factor of inclusivity. Dual enrollment programs should be inclusive and accessible to all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, geography, race, gender, or abilities, and institutions must ensure that dual enrollment credits seamlessly transfer to colleges and universities within New York State.

It is critical that K-12 students have access to support services like counseling, academic advising, and academic support services to succeed in dual enrollment programs. Quality assurance should consist of regular evaluations and assessments of dual enrollment programs to maintain high-quality standards.

Administrative support is also crucial to success and to that end, we suggest creating an Office for Early College/Dual Enrollment Programs at the state Education Department with regional support centers and stable funding to support these initiatives.

Collaboration between K-12 schools, colleges, and universities is critical to foster successful dual enrollment programs. It is essential to establish clear communication channels, data-sharing agreements, and partnerships for program sustainability.

We advocate for policies that support dual enrollment programs, including pending legislation that provides TAP funding for school districts hosting dual enrollment programs and measures that promote equitable access for all students and provide resources and professional development opportunities for school counselors, educators, and administrators involved in dual enrollment to ensure best practices are followed.

The time to make this investment is now. Dual enrollment programs have the potential to significantly benefit New York State students in their pursuit of higher education and career success. We should do everything we can to help them on that journey.

This guest essay reflects the views of Robert Rotunda and Kelly Whitney-Rivera, executive director and advocacy & public policy chair, respectively, of the New York State School Counselor Association.

This guest essay reflects the views of Robert Rotunda and Kelly Whitney-Rivera, executive director and advocacy & public policy chair, respectively, of the New York State School Counselor Association.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 177 college essay examples for 11 schools + expert analysis.

College Admissions , College Essays

The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in—college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre.

In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 11 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 177 full essays and essay excerpts , this article is a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay!

What Excellent College Essays Have in Common

Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay.

Visible Signs of Planning

Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level.

Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life.

Stellar Execution

A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it—check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens!

A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.

Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it.

And if you need more guidance, connect with PrepScholar's expert admissions consultants . These expert writers know exactly what college admissions committees look for in an admissions essay and chan help you craft an essay that boosts your chances of getting into your dream school.

Check out PrepScholar's Essay Editing and Coaching progra m for more details!

Links to Full College Essay Examples

Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these.

Common App Essay Samples

Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 177 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts. 

Connecticut college.

• 12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025

Hamilton College

• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2018
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007

Johns Hopkins

These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Coalition Application (which Johns Hopkins used to accept).

• 1 Common Application or Coalition Application essay from the class of 2026
• 6 Common Application or Coalition Application essays from the class of 2025
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2024
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2023
• 7 Common Application of Universal Application essays from the class of 2022
• 5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021
• 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020

Essay Examples Published by Other Websites

• 2 Common Application essays ( 1st essay , 2nd essay ) from applicants admitted to Columbia

Other Sample College Essays

Here is a collection of essays that are college-specific.

Babson College

• 4 essays (and 1 video response) on "Why Babson" from the class of 2020

Emory University

• 5 essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) from the class of 2020 along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on why the essays were exceptional
• 5 more recent essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on what made these essays stand out

University of Georgia

• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2019
• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2018
• 10 Harvard essays from 2023
• 10 Harvard essays from 2022
• 10 Harvard essays from 2021
• 10 Harvard essays from 2020
• 10 Harvard essays from 2019
• 10 Harvard essays from 2018
• 6 essays from admitted MIT students

Smith College

• 6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018

Books of College Essays

If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.

College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson—A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard .

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe—For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays.

Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay.

Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked

I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them.

Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long)

I had never broken into a car before.

We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.

Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.

"Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?"

"Why me?" I thought.

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.

Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.

But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.

Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.

Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.

What Makes This Essay Tick?

It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why!

An Opening Line That Draws You In

In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?).

Great, Detailed Opening Story

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame.

It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger—he "jiggles" it.

Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking.

Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click."

Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally.

"Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.

Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice

My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed.

Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed."

The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness—since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant.

An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future

But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control.

This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life.

What Could This Essay Do Even Better?

Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"—just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could?

Replace some of the clichéd language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring.

Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context.

Example 2: By Renner Kwittken, Tufts Class of '23 (Common App Essay, 645 words long)

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go," and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration.

Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear.

I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

In the lab, Dr. Ray encouraged a great amount of autonomy to design and implement my own procedures. I chose to attack a problem that affects the entire field of nanomedicine: nanoparticles consistently fail to translate from animal studies into clinical trials. Jumping off recent literature, I set out to see if a pre-dose of a common chemotherapeutic could enhance nanoparticle delivery in aggressive prostate cancer, creating three novel constructs based on three different linear polymers, each using fluorescent dye (although no gold, sorry goldbug!). Though using radioactive isotopes like Gallium and Yttrium would have been incredible, as a 17-year-old, I unfortunately wasn't allowed in the same room as these radioactive materials (even though I took a Geiger counter to a pair of shoes and found them to be slightly dangerous).

I hadn't expected my hypothesis to work, as the research project would have ideally been led across two full years. Yet while there are still many optimizations and revisions to be done, I was thrilled to find -- with completely new nanoparticles that may one day mean future trials will use particles with the initials "RK-1" -- thatcyclophosphamide did indeed increase nanoparticle delivery to the tumor in a statistically significant way.

A secondary, unexpected research project was living alone in Baltimore, a new city to me, surrounded by people much older than I. Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research. Whether in a presentation or in a casual conversation, making others interested in science is perhaps more exciting to me than the research itself. This solidified a new pursuit to angle my love for writing towards illuminating science in ways people can understand, adding value to a society that can certainly benefit from more scientific literacy.

It seems fitting that my goals are still transforming: in Scarry's book, there is not just one goldbug, there is one on every page. With each new experience, I'm learning that it isn't the goldbug itself, but rather the act of searching for the goldbugs that will encourage, shape, and refine my ever-evolving passions. Regardless of the goldbug I seek -- I know my pickle truck has just begun its journey.

Renner takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but their essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of this essay.

One Clear Governing Metaphor

This essay is ultimately about two things: Renner’s dreams and future career goals, and Renner’s philosophy on goal-setting and achieving one’s dreams.

But instead of listing off all the amazing things they’ve done to pursue their dream of working in nanomedicine, Renner tells a powerful, unique story instead. To set up the narrative, Renner opens the essay by connecting their experiences with goal-setting and dream-chasing all the way back to a memorable childhood experience:

This lighthearted–but relevant!--story about the moment when Renner first developed a passion for a specific career (“finding the goldbug”) provides an anchor point for the rest of the essay. As Renner pivots to describing their current dreams and goals–working in nanomedicine–the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” is reflected in Renner’s experiments, rejections, and new discoveries.

Though Renner tells multiple stories about their quest to “find the goldbug,” or, in other words, pursue their passion, each story is connected by a unifying theme; namely, that as we search and grow over time, our goals will transform…and that’s okay! By the end of the essay, Renner uses the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” to reiterate the relevance of the opening story:

While the earlier parts of the essay convey Renner’s core message by showing, the final, concluding paragraph sums up Renner’s insights by telling. By briefly and clearly stating the relevance of the goldbug metaphor to their own philosophy on goals and dreams, Renner demonstrates their creativity, insight, and eagerness to grow and evolve as the journey continues into college.

An Engaging, Individual Voice

This essay uses many techniques that make Renner sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know them.

Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other).

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.

I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Renner gives a great example of how to use humor to your advantage in college essays. You don’t want to come off as too self-deprecating or sarcastic, but telling a lightheartedly humorous story about your younger self that also showcases how you’ve grown and changed over time can set the right tone for your entire essay.

Technique #2: intentional, eye-catching structure. The second technique is the way Renner uses a unique structure to bolster the tone and themes of their essay . The structure of your essay can have a major impact on how your ideas come across…so it’s important to give it just as much thought as the content of your essay!

For instance, Renner does a great job of using one-line paragraphs to create dramatic emphasis and to make clear transitions from one phase of the story to the next:

Suddenly the destination of my pickle car was clear.

Not only does the one-liner above signal that Renner is moving into a new phase of the narrative (their nanoparticle research experiences), it also tells the reader that this is a big moment in Renner’s story. It’s clear that Renner made a major discovery that changed the course of their goal pursuit and dream-chasing. Through structure, Renner conveys excitement and entices the reader to keep pushing forward to the next part of the story.

Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Renner emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences.

Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research.

In the examples above, Renner switches adeptly between long, flowing sentences and quippy, telegraphic ones. At the same time, Renner uses these different sentence lengths intentionally. As they describe their experiences in new places, they use longer sentences to immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of those experiences. And when it’s time to get a big, key idea across, Renner switches to a short, punchy sentence to stop the reader in their tracks.

The varying syntax and sentence lengths pull the reader into the narrative and set up crucial “aha” moments when it’s most important…which is a surefire way to make any college essay stand out.

Renner's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved.

Connecting the research experiences to the theme of “finding the goldbug.”  The essay begins and ends with Renner’s connection to the idea of “finding the goldbug.” And while this metaphor is deftly tied into the essay’s intro and conclusion, it isn’t entirely clear what Renner’s big findings were during the research experiences that are described in the middle of the essay. It would be great to add a sentence or two stating what Renner’s big takeaways (or “goldbugs”) were from these experiences, which add more cohesion to the essay as a whole.

Give more details about discovering the world of nanomedicine. It makes sense that Renner wants to get into the details of their big research experiences as quickly as possible. After all, these are the details that show Renner’s dedication to nanomedicine! But a smoother transition from the opening pickle car/goldbug story to Renner’s “real goldbug” of nanoparticles would help the reader understand why nanoparticles became Renner’s goldbug. Finding out why Renner is so motivated to study nanomedicine–and perhaps what put them on to this field of study–would help readers fully understand why Renner chose this path in the first place.

4 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay

How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively.

#1: Get Help From the Experts

Getting your college applications together takes a lot of work and can be pretty intimidatin g. Essays are even more important than ever now that admissions processes are changing and schools are going test-optional and removing diversity standards thanks to new Supreme Court rulings .  If you want certified expert help that really makes a difference, get started with  PrepScholar’s Essay Editing and Coaching program. Our program can help you put together an incredible essay from idea to completion so that your application stands out from the crowd. We've helped students get into the best colleges in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.  If you're ready to take the next step and boost your odds of getting into your dream school, connect with our experts today .

#2: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own

As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well?
• Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye?
• Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill?
• Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone?

Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it . Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay.

#3: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment

All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world.

Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan , Leslie Jamison , Hanif Abdurraqib , and Esmé Weijun Wang to get more examples of how to craft a compelling personal narrative.

#4: Start Early, Revise Often

Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due.

Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it!

For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots & Leaves .

What's Next?

Still not sure which colleges you want to apply to? Our experts will show you how to make a college list that will help you choose a college that's right for you.

Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application , some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay , and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities .

Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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College Application Checklist

Find the right college for you., junior summer: ─do before applying to college checklist.

• Set up a professional-sounding email address.
• Create a balanced list of reach, match, and safety colleges.
• Go to the application website.
• Note the regular application deadline.
• Note the early application deadline.

Junior Year: Take Tests and Other Exams for Admission

• Find out if an admission test is required.
• Take an admission test, if required.
• Take other required or recommended tests (e.g., AP Exams, IB exams).
• Send admission test scores, if required, with your application.
• Send other test scores.
• Retest by summer of junior year or fall of senior year.

Early Senior Year: Get Letters and Essay Ready.

• Request recommendation letters. Provide a résumé for reference.
• Send thank-you notes to recommendation writers.
• Start the essay drafting and revision process 2 months prior to the application deadline.
• Draft initial essay.
• Proofread essay for spelling and grammar.
• Have 2 people read your essay.
• Revise your essay.
• Proofread your revision.

Fall of Senior Year: Make a Campus Visit. Apply for Financial Aid.

• Interview at the college campus, if required.
• Submit FAFSA® if eligible.
• Submit CSS PROFILE if needed.
• Make a note of the priority financial aid deadline.
• Make a note of the regular financial aid deadline.
• Submit college aid form if needed.
• Submit a state aid form if needed.
• Check the college's financial aid website to see if you need to submit any additional institution forms.

Submit the Application. Pay Fees by Deadlines.

• Complete college application.
• Save copies of your application and application materials.
• Pay application fee. Submit an application fee waiver if eligible.
• Submit application.
• Request high school transcript to be sent.
• Request midyear grade report to be sent.
• Confirm receipt of application materials by checking your application status online.
• Send additional material if needed.
• Tell your school counselor that you applied.
• Receive letter from admissions office.

Senior Spring: Make Your Selections.

• Apply for housing and meal plans, if applicable.
• Receive financial aid award letter.
• Accept financial aid offer.
• Notify whichever colleges you’re not planning to attend.

What things do you need to provide in the college application process?

When applying to college, you’ll need to provide information regarding personal details, your academic background, your extracurricular activities, and achievements you want to highlight. You’ll also need to submit standardized test scores and letters of recommendation, if required. Along with that, you’ll want to submit any required essays, making sure they highlight your aspirations and your personality. You can even strengthen your application by including additional information about yourself and a résumé.

Most colleges will require an application fee. If you require financial assistance to cover this fee, ask your school counselor about application fee waivers.

What are five things you need to know about college application process?

When navigating college admissions requirements, consider these five points:

• Go through each college's admissions requirements, including transcripts, test scores, essays, and recommendations.
• Pay close attention to submission deadlines to ensure you deliver all required documents on time.
• Familiarize yourself with the admissions criteria, including academic performance, extracurricular activities, and personal attributes.
• Check out the available financial aid options, such as scholarships and grants. Follow the designated application timelines.
• Visit the colleges you're interested in. Take advantage of any interview opportunities to express your interest and gain valuable insights into the institutions.

Is the admissions process the same for all colleges?

The admissions process can differ between institutions. Colleges you apply to may ask for standardized test scores and recommendation letters. Or they may have more specific requirements. Before you even begin an application, you’ll need to review the admissions guidelines of each college you plan to apply to and personalize your application to their needs.

How important are extracurricular activities in the college admissions process?

Participating in extracurricular activities can significantly influence the college admissions process. Colleges seek students who aren’t only academically accomplished but also have a diverse range of interests and a demonstrated dedication to their passions. Being actively involved in clubs, sports, community service, and leadership roles can positively impact your application and highlight your potential contributions to the college community.

Are interviews required for college admission? How should I prepare for them?

Colleges may require interviews as part of their admissions process, or they may not require them. You’ll want to verify the specific requirements of each college. If a college recommends an interview or it’s mandatory, make sure to prepare yourself thoroughly. Practice answering common interview questions, research the college, and think about how to express your objectives and interests effectively. Interviews offer a chance to present yourself in a more personal and engaging way, so take advantage of this opportunity.

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It’s time to scale early college high school programs

E arly college for high school students has zero opposition. And yet Massachusetts is an underachiever in giving kids a leg up on college.

Education experts, researchers, and advocates all agree that the initiative, which allows high school students to take free college courses, is a winner — great for students and the Massachusetts economy. For high school students, participating in early college more than doubles their odds of immediately enrolling and then persisting to a second year of college, according to studies. And Massachusetts needs college graduates more than ever .

The question for policy makers is, if early college yields such strong academic results and there is no political opposition to it, why is it currently reaching just 3 percent of students enrolled in public high schools in Massachusetts, or about 8,200 students? In contrast, 12 percent of Ohio’s high schoolers are enrolled in College Credit Plus, a similar dual-enrollment program.

“We know it’s possible,” Erika Giampietro, executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College, said last week at the State House during “ 2024 Early College Day ,” an event dedicated to bringing together policy makers and education stakeholders to advocate for an expansion of the program. “We believe [early college] needs to reach 15 percent of high schoolers to make a meaningful dent in college success rates statewide.”

Massachusetts should bet more heavily on early college, particularly because it serves many students who typically face systemic barriers in higher education. More than half of students enrolled are Black or Latino and nearly half come from low-income households, according to the alliance. These are students who typically are the first in their families to attend college or for whom a higher education is a pipe dream. Early college unlocks post-secondary education pathways for them and demystifies what it means to attend college.

Consider the experience of Destiny Egbuta, who moved with her family to the United States from Nigeria when she was in eighth grade. She enrolled in early college while at Lynn Classical High School, from which she graduated last year. She’s currently studying nursing at Salem State University. “The program helped me build confidence and resilience stepping into the higher education field,” Egbuta said during a panel I moderated at the advocacy event last week. “It just taught me a lot, even what the professors expect, what being in college feels like even while being in high school.”

The urgency to grow early college is also about creating a diverse workforce pipeline for the state economy.

“To us employers, the most important thing about early college is the equity it promotes,” Jay Ash, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, said at the event. “About 65 percent of employers around the state have trouble hiring qualified workers. What is early college? About 70 percent of the jobs that we have here in Massachusetts require some form of post-secondary education.”

To help grow the program, there’s a bill in the Legislature that would establish a new state government unit dubbed “college in high school,” a centralized office in charge of managing programs like early college, Advanced Placement, and others. It was filed by state Representatives Jeff Roy and Kate Lipper-Garabedian. This isn’t about adding layers of bureaucracy. Early college is built on collaboration and this new office would provide “the structure necessary to catapult” the initiative, Roy told me.

Beyond passing that bill, how can Massachusetts sustain early college’s momentum? Current investment in the initiative is at around $30 million. But the state must also articulate a bold vision with specific targets so that stakeholders can be held accountable. Ambition requires commitment to accountability. In other words, the state should be able to say: If five years from today there aren’t, say, 45,000 students enrolled in early college, then call us out on it.

To be clear, the growth in the program so far has been impressive — to go from 1,000 students enrolled in 9 early college programs in 2018 to 50-plus programs and a 720 percent growth of students is no small feat. Money has been a factor, sure, but that’s not all.

“We’re exiting the startup phase,” Giampietro said. “If in five years the program isn’t a whole lot bigger than it is right now ... [it would be due to] a combination of a bunch of little things. The Legislature has been leading, they’ve been really supportive. But it would be things like, are there enough faculty at these colleges who can and want to teach early college? Did we all do the work to get more faculty ready to do this? Did colleges and high schools work together well enough to cross the silos of their two campuses? Did [everyone] put this at the top of their priority list?”

That’s a difficult, but not impossible, assignment. If other states have figured out a way to scale early college programs, then Massachusetts should be able to do so as well.

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Guest Essay

Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands

By Sarah Bernstein

Ms. Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist in Brooklyn.

“I just can’t think of anything,” my student said.

After 10 years of teaching college essay writing, I was familiar with this reply. For some reason, when you’re asked to recount an important experience from your life, it is common to forget everything that has ever happened to you. It’s a long-form version of the anxiety that takes hold at a corporate retreat when you’re invited to say “one interesting thing about yourself,” and you suddenly believe that you are the most boring person in the entire world. Once during a version of this icebreaker, a man volunteered that he had only one kidney, and I remember feeling incredibly jealous of him.

I tried to jog this student’s memory. What about his love of music? Or his experience learning English? Or that time on a summer camping trip when he and his friends had nearly drowned? “I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “That all seems kind of cliché.”

Applying to college has always been about standing out. When I teach college essay workshops and coach applicants one on one, I see my role as helping students to capture their voice and their way of processing the world, things that are, by definition, unique to each individual. Still, many of my students (and their parents) worry that as getting into college becomes increasingly competitive, this won’t be enough to set them apart.

Their anxiety is understandable. On Thursday, in a tradition known as “Ivy Day,” all eight Ivy League schools released their regular admission decisions. Top colleges often issue statements about how impressive (and competitive) their applicant pools were this cycle. The intention is to flatter accepted students and assuage rejected ones, but for those who have not yet applied to college, these statements reinforce the fear that there is an ever-expanding cohort of applicants with straight A’s and perfect SATs and harrowing camping trip stories all competing with one another for a vanishingly small number of spots.

This scarcity has led to a boom in the college consulting industry, now estimated to be a $2.9 billion business. In recent years, many of these advisers and companies have begun to promote the idea of personal branding — a way for teenagers to distinguish themselves by becoming as clear and memorable as a good tagline.

While this approach often leads to a strong application, students who brand themselves too early or too definitively risk missing out on the kind of exploration that will prepare them for adult life.

Like a corporate brand, the personal brand is meant to distill everything you stand for (honesty, integrity, high quality, low prices) into a cohesive identity that can be grasped at a glance. On its website, a college prep and advising company called Dallas Admissions explains the benefits of branding this way: “Each person is complex, yet admissions officers only have a small amount of time to spend learning about each prospective student. The smart student boils down key aspects of himself or herself into their personal ‘brand’ and sells that to the college admissions officer.”

Identifying the key aspects of yourself may seem like a lifelong project, but unfortunately, college applicants don’t have that kind of time. Online, there are dozens of lesson plans and seminars promising to walk students through the process of branding themselves in five to 10 easy steps. The majority begin with questions I would have found panic-inducing as a teenager, such as, “What is the story you want people to tell about you when you’re not in the room?”

Where I hoped others would describe me as “normal” or, in my wildest dreams, “cool,” today’s teenagers are expected to leave this exercise with labels like, Committed Athlete and Compassionate Leader or Environmentally Conscious Musician. Once students have a draft of their ideal self, they’re offered instructions for manifesting it (or at least, the appearance of it) in person and online. These range from common-sense tips (not posting illegal activity on social media) to more drastic recommendations (getting different friends).

It’s not just that these courses cut corners on self-discovery; it’s that they get the process backward. A personal brand is effective only if you can support it with action, so instead of finding their passion and values through experience, students are encouraged to select a passion as early as possible and then rack up the experience to substantiate it. Many college consultants suggest beginning to align your activities with your college ambitions by ninth grade, while the National Institute of Certified College Planners recommends students “talk with parents, guardians, and/or an academic adviser to create a clear plan for your education and career-related goals” in junior high.

The idea of a group of middle schoolers soberly mapping out their careers is both comical and depressing, but when I read student essays today, I can see that this advice is getting through. Over the past few years, I have been struck by how many high school seniors already have defined career goals as well as a C.V. of relevant extracurriculars to go with them. This widens the gap between wealthy students and those who lack the resources to secure a fancy research gig or start their own small business. (A shocking number of college applicants claim to have started a small business.) It also puts pressure on all students to define themselves at a moment when they are anxious to fit in and yet changing all the time.

In the world of branding, a word that appears again and again is “consistency.” If you are Charmin, that makes sense. People opening a roll of toilet paper do not want to be surprised. If you are a teenage human being, however, that is an unreasonable expectation. Changing one’s interests, opinions and presentation is a natural part of adolescence and an instructive one. I find that my students with scattershot résumés are often the most confident. They’re not afraid to push back against suggestions that ring false and will insist on revising their essay until it actually “feels like me.” On the other hand, many of my most accomplished students are so quick to accept feedback that I am wary of offering it, lest I become one more adult trying to shape them into an admission-worthy ideal.

I understand that for parents, prioritizing exploration can feel like a risky bet. Self-insight is hard to quantify and to communicate in a college application. When it comes to building a life, however, this kind of knowledge has more value than any accolade, and it cannot be generated through a brainstorming exercise in a six-step personal branding course online. To equip kids for the world, we need to provide them not just with opportunities for achievement, but with opportunities to fail, to learn, to wander and to change their minds.

In some ways, the college essay is a microcosm of modern adolescence. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either a forum for self-discovery or a high-stakes test you need to ace. I try to assure my students that it is the former. I tell them that it’s a chance to take stock of everything you’ve experienced and learned over the past 18 years and everything you have to offer as a result.

That can be a profound process. But to embark on it, students have to believe that colleges really want to see the person behind the brand. And they have to have the chance to know who that person is.

Sarah Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist.

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