I’ve spent more than a decade reading student essays, and I can tell you something that might sound strange: the opening paragraph determines everything. Not the thesis itself, not the research, not even the quality of your arguments. The opening determines whether your reader–whether that’s a professor, a teaching assistant, or an admissions officer–will actually […]
I’ve read thousands of argumentative essays. Not an exaggeration. When you spend enough time in education, you start noticing patterns that most people miss. Some topics absolutely sing on the page. Others fall flat before the writer even finishes the introduction. The difference isn’t always about writing skill. Sometimes it’s about the topic itself. The […]
I’ve read thousands of college essays. Not an exaggeration. When you spend years working in admissions consulting, you develop a kind of sixth sense for what works and what doesn’t. The weird part? Most students have no idea what they’re actually doing wrong. They think an essay is just a story. They think it’s about […]