Teachers know it, guidance counselors know it, even colleges know it: High school students dread writing the personal college essay. The pressure is high, the word count is low, and it can be next to ...

Let’s say you are confronting one of the most important decisions of your life. But first, you must answer this: My favorite thing about last Tuesday? And do it in 25 words or less. The query may seem ...

Every fall, high school students applying to college face an intimidating task: They must write a stylish, memorable essay that will boost their admissions chances. So who can blame them when they ...

Imagine two applicants vying for a job neither has held before, perhaps running a sales team. The first candidate spends the interview gushing about how much she wants the position, why she loves ...

Parents: sit down before you read this. Kids: deep breaths. You know that beautifully crafted, deeply felt, highly unusual college application essay you’ve been polishing? It might not make a ...

When I wrote my own MBA admissions essay, I remember feeling lost, rambling without a clear direction. Crafting a standout essay requires self-awareness, authenticity, and alignment with the program.

When Sue O’Connell’s daughter asked her to take a peek at the college admissions essay she’d written, the Chicago-area mom had no problem telling her to go back to the drawing board and start the ...

Writing a college admissions essay is hard. But using AI could backfire badly. Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; Tero Vesalainen / iStock / Getty Every fall, high school students applying to ...