Ethan Sawyer - College Essay Essentials: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay

Ethan Sawyer is an essay guru. His approach to essay work is insightful, inspirational, and fun. He helps students find their own unique voices and knows what colleges are looking for. Ethan is my number one choice for essay help.

Dr. Steven R. Antonoff, former dean of admission and financial aid, University of Denver, author of College Match and College Finder

Ethan teaches us the shape, the shift, the heft of the weapons, and the soft caresses that make words worth reading and remembering. His cinematic approach, his warm but literate and smart tone will help any student learn the beauty of shaping words into essays that work and play. This is one book applicants to college will want to read.

Parke Muth, consultant and former assistant dean of admission, University of Virginia

A must-have book for students and counselors! Sawyers detailed steps make writing awesome college essays a breeze!

Jennifer Kresock, independent counselor

Ethans College Essay Essentials is the most concise and easy to follow how-to guide out there I cannot recommend Ethan and his approach more.

Rebekah Elmore, Peak College Consulting

With the gentle wisdom of a trusted shepherd, Ethan Sawyer brings the art of self-reflection and the craft of storytelling together brilliantlyand students respond with inspired, deep narratives worthy of respect by todays most discerning admissions officers. I cant imagine tackling an essay without it.

Jann Russell, College Fly

My advice to you if you are applying to collegeget writing and get this book. Ethan will help guide them every step of the way until they have finished their college essaysALL of them!

Kelly Bates-Siegel, independent counselor

Ive attended a lot of college essay classes, and read even more books on the subject, but nobody breaks it down quite so simply, yet elegantly, as Ethan. His essays and story examples are excellent and really highlight what college admissions departments are looking for. I highly recommend his new book!

Gina Ney, college and career advisor

Yours was the best workshop Ive attended in thirty years in the profession.

college counselor, on WACAC 2015 workshop session

If it werent for your help and support, I dont think I wouldve gotten too personal on my personal statement Working with you was extremely helpful and rewarding Thank you for loving what you do. Your love is now reflecting through us as we continue our journey.

Adriana S., student

By day two, [my daughter] was looking forward to going [to Ethans class] and was so excited to see how her essay would develop by days end. At the end of the three days, Danas reaction was a sense of relief and excitement because she was completely done with her essay, she had crossed off a major task from her college to-do list, and she was so very happy with how her essay turned out.

Erin C., parent

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Copyright 2016 by Ethan Sawyer

Cover and internal design 2016 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

Cover design by The Book Designers

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This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

All sample student essays are copyright to the contributors.

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IMAGINE YOURE A SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD HIGH school senior given the task of writing a 650-word personal statement for your college application.

Youre perplexed. Do you tell the story of your life or a story from your life? Do you choose a single moment? If so, which one? You feel your options are endless.

After an hour mulling over the possibilities, youre now more than perplexedyoure stressed. You start to wonder about what they (the admissions officers) want, even though you can neither predict nor have any control over their thoughts. So you start to panic. What if they dont like what I write? What if I say the wrong thing? Is there a wrong thing?

Then you remember you have just 650 words. Thats one page of single-spaced Times New Roman to express the entire depth and complexity of who you are. You want to throw up.

Then you do.

* * *

This is the position many students find themselves in each year when it comes to writing the college application essay, an essay thatgiven the current landscape of college admissionsis arguably the most important 650 words a contemporary human will write.

But what if I told you, the seventeen-year-old high school senior, that your options arent as endless as you might think? In fact, what if I told you that you only had four choicesjust four potential paths you could take to write your essay?

And that, furthermore, you could choose a path by answering two simple questions.

Would that make things easier?

* * *

Tell me if this sounds like you:

a. Youre worried about your essay because you dont know what you want to be when you grow up, or you dont have a sob story.

b. You do have a sob story, but youre worried its too dramatic or that the reader will judge you for it.

c. You feel like you have too many options for stuff to write about, and you dont know how to pick.

d. You have a couple ideas, but youre not sure how to structure them.

e. Youve written a draft, but youre not sure if its any good.

f. You have some combination of all these, depending on the hour.

Heres the thing: no other college essay book out there helps you solve all these issues in an in-depth, step-by-step way.

But this book does.

Thats right. This book answers all these questions.

And you dont even have to read the whole book.

You can jump around.