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The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions
508: What Colleges Want (Part 7B): Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Counselors and Teachers
Apr 30, 2024
Todayâs episode is all about writing letters of recommendation for teachers and counselors. Continuing our series on What Colleges Want, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) is joined by Hanah Lim (CEGâs Director of Workshops and a former high school English teacher), where they provide their tips, tricks,...
507: What Colleges Want (Part 7A): Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Students and Families
Apr 9, 2024
This week, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) is joined by Ayesha King (Director of College Counseling at the International School of Los Angeles) to talk about letters of recommendation. They get into:
- What goes into a letter of recommendation?
- How are they evaluated by colleges?
- Who should students consider...
506: What Colleges Want (Part 6): Demonstrated Interest: What Is it, Why Is it Important, and How Do You Show it? with Dean of Enrollment Christine Bowman
Mar 26, 2024
On todayâs episode, Ethan is joined by Christine Bowman, Assistant VP for Admission at Southwestern University. In part 6 in our series on What Colleges Want, Ethan and Christine get into:
- What is demonstrated interest and how do colleges track it?
- How important is demonstrated interest to a studentâs chance of...
505: What Colleges Want (Part 5): A Crash Course in the Supplemental Essays + Application with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)
Mar 12, 2024
On this weekâs episode, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) sits down with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) for Part 5 in our What Colleges Want series to talk about some of the other written parts of the applicationâthe activities list, additional information section, and supplemental essays. Tom and Ethan...
504: What Colleges Want (Part 4): A Crash Course in the Personal Statement with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)
Mar 5, 2024
On this weekâs episode, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) sits down with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) for Part 4 in our What Colleges Want series to talk about the personal statement. According to the latest State of College Admission report â after grades, course rigor, and positive character traits (see...
About the Podcast
Practical, up-to-date interviews with experts in college admissions, financial aid, personal statements, test prep and more. Ethan Sawyer (aka College Essay Guy), interviews deans of admission, financial aid experts, and veterans of the admissions field to extract, then distill their advice into practical steps for students and those guiding them through the process. From creating an awesome college list to appealing a financial aid letter, Ethan skips the general advice and gets right to the action items, all in an effort to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college admissions process.
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64 episodes
Practical, up-to-date interviews with experts in college admissions, financial aid, personal statements, test prep and more. Ethan Sawyer (aka College Essay Guy), interviews deans of admission, financial aid experts, and veterans of the admissions field to extract, then distill their advice into practical steps for students and those guiding them through the process. From creating an awesome college list to appealing a financial aid letter, Ethan skips the general advice and gets right to the action items, all in an effort to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college admissions process.
The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions Ethan Sawyer
- 4.5 ⢠198 Ratings
- APR 30, 2024
What Colleges Want (Part 7B): Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Counselors and Teachers
Todayâs episode is all about writing letters of recommendation for teachers and counselors. Continuing our series on What Colleges Want, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) is joined by Hanah Lim (CEGâs Director of Workshops and a former high school English teacher), where they provide their tips, tricks, and hacks to help you write more efficient and effective letters for your students. Tom and Hanah discuss: How long should letters be and what format works best? How do letters differ between counselors and teachers? What details might be helpful to include, and what should be avoided? How can teachers and counselors efficiently gather more information about their students to include in the letter? We hope you enjoy the episode! In case you missed it: Students and families, be sure to check out last weekâs episode with Ayesha King to learn about what goes into a letter of recommendation, how they are evaluated by colleges, and who students should consider asking. Hanah Lim is the Director of Workshops at College Essay Guy and a former public high school English teacher. She oversees College Essay Guy's essay and application workshop team and organizes speaking events and college application and essay workshops for students at schools and organizations in the US and around the world. She has presented college essay workshops to thousands of students across diverse settings, including community-based organizations, public, international, and independent schools. She also worked as a college consultant for students in Bangkok, Thailand, directed SAT prep centers in Irvine, California and worked with non-profit groups and as an AVID teacher and coordinator to help close the achievement gap. She holds a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Education from California State University of Long Beach. Hanah finds joy in watching musicals, visiting Disney parks with her husband, and playing with her two cats.  Play-by-Play 2:19 - Hanah and Tom share their school contexts for writing their letters of recommendation 5:40 - How much weight do letters of recommendation hold in admission? 10:25 - What is the best practice for the length of a letter of recommendation for college? 10:57 - How should it be formatted? 14:03 - Should a letter be customized for each college? 15:38 - What else is submitted with the studentâs application from the high school? 16:19 - What is covered in the school profile? 19:44 - What is covered in the counselorâs letter? 25:25 - What is covered in the teacher's letter? 30:46 - How does the Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious admission affect letters of recommendation? 36:29 - What generally might be not as helpful to include in the letter? 40:38 - Hanah shares her process for writing letters of recommendation 49:18 - Tom shares his process for writing letters of recommendation 59:01 - How to incorporate a studentâs essay brainstorming work 1:01:37 - How could generative AI be utilized in the recommendation writing process? 1:07:08 - Closing thoughts  Resources Continued Learning On-Demand Webinar: How to Write Better Recommendations in Less Time How (and Why) to Uplevel Your School Profile Post-SCOTUS (College Essay Guy) CEG Podcast Episode 507: What Colleges Want (Part 7A): Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Students and Families Sample Recommendation Letters Sample Recommendation Letters by Student Archetype How to Write a Letter of Recommendation: Counselor's Guide + Samples (College Essay Guy) How to Write a Recommendation Letter for a Student: Teacher's Guide + Samples (College Essay Guy) Junior Questionnaires/Recommendation Request Form Questions Sample Junior Questionnaire (for Counselor Recommendations) Hanah Limâs Teacher Recommendation Request Form Helpful Student Brag Sheet Questions for Teacher Letters of Recommendation (Johns Hopkins University) Working with Recommenders and Advisors (several brag sheets from Common
- APR 9, 2024
What Colleges Want (Part 7A): Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Students and Families
This week, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) is joined by Ayesha King (Director of College Counseling at the International School of Los Angeles) to talk about letters of recommendation. They get into: What goes into a letter of recommendation? How are they evaluated by colleges? Who should students consider asking, and how do they ask? What can students and families do to ensure that their letters are the best they can be? What are FERPA rights and why should you waive them? Ayesha King (she/her) has over twelve years of experience in admissions at the secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels, developing her values of social justice, equity and access. She is currently the Director of College Counseling at the International School of Los Angeles (LILA), a French International school, where she is stretching her skills working with students considering post-secondary options all over the world. She holds her Bachelors degree from the University of Redlands and her Masters degree from California Lutheran University. Ayesha loves spending time with her two boys and two dogs, visiting Disneyland, and talking about pop culture.  This is the next episode in our series on What Colleges Want. Stay tuned for our upcoming episode about writing letters of recommendation for teachers and counselors. Tom will be joined by Hanah Lim (CEGâs Director of Workshops and a former high school English teacher), where they provide their tips, tricks, and hacks to help you write more efficient and effective letters for your students.  Play-by-Play 2:49 - How important are letters of recommendation to admissions officers? 5:55 - Why might it be called a âLetter of Advocacyâ instead? 7:19 - When would a letter of recommendation make a big impact on a studentâs application? 13:38 - Should students also share this important context if itâs already in their recommendation letter? 15:35 - How can students determine how many letters to request? 19:49 - What is being said in these letters? 26:38 - Which teachers are typically the best to ask for a recommendation letter? 29:51 - Why should students consider asking a teacher from a class they struggled in? 30:47 - What can students do to help their teachers & counselors write the best letter possible? 36:06 - What information should students share with their recommenders? 39:20 - How should students ask for a letter once they have determined who to ask? 44:41 - Do students ever see their letters of recommendation? 48:24 - Closing advice for parents & students  Resources How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for College: Step-by-Step Guide for Students CollegeTransitions Blog Post - College Recommendation Requirements Podcast Ep. 505 - What Colleges Want (Part 5): A Crash Course in the Supplemental Essays + Application with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) How to Write a Successful Common App Activities List How to Use the Common App Additional Information Section: Guide + Examples 100 Brave + Interesting Questions Pedro Pascal Cries From His Head While Eating Spicy Wings Â
- MAR 26, 2024
What Colleges Want (Part 6): Demonstrated Interest: What Is it, Why Is it Important, and How Do You Show it? with Dean of Enrollment Christine Bowman
On todayâs episode, Ethan is joined by Christine Bowman, Assistant VP for Admission at Southwestern University. In part 6 in our series on What Colleges Want, Ethan and Christine get into: What is demonstrated interest and how do colleges track it? How important is demonstrated interest to a studentâs chance of getting in? How might students find out if a particular school considers demonstrated interest in their admission review? What are some practical ways you can demonstrate your interest to colleges? Christine Bowman is the Assistant VP for Admission at Southwestern, where she oversees the admission department to set enrollment and retention philosophies. She has a Masters in Higher Ed Administration from UT-Austin, was the Co-Chair for the 2007 NACAC National Conference in and has served two terms as the Chair of the Colleges that Change Lives Board of Directors (see last seasonâs episode with Ann Marano for more on CTCLâs work). She currently serves on the advisory board of ROCA-NM (Rural Opportunities for College Access) and, with almost 30 years of experience in the admission profession, Christine believes in guiding students to find the right college fit and regularly gives presentations encouraging a stress-free college search process. We hope you enjoy the conversation!  Play-by-Play 2:15 - What is demonstrated interest? 5:00 - Why might demonstrated interest be important to colleges? 8:22 - What is yield? 11:24 - How can students demonstrate interest for a particular school? 15:17 - What can colleges track? 18:52 - For whom does demonstrated interest matter most? 23:47 - How to âbreak upâ with a college 27:05 - What are some practical tips for students as they reach out to a college? 30:10 - How might an admissions officer use demonstrated interest? 32:58 - What ways can students demonstrate interest without visiting campus? 37:24 - What is the difference between early action, early decision, and regular decision? 40:25 - How important is the college interview? 48:10 - What can parents do to support their students during this process? 53:02 - Closing advice for parents, students, and counselors  Resources A Behind the Scenes Look at Demonstrated Interest w/Christine Bowman (Southwestern University) What is Demonstrated Interest? A Practical How-To Guide Factors in the Admission Decision (NACAC Report) How to Decide Whether to Apply Early Action (EA) or Early Decision (ED) College Interview Tips and Strategies - The Ultimate Guide CEG Podcast Episode 411: Finding Your Why, What a Liberal Arts Education Really Is, and How to Figure out What You Actually Want w/ Ann Marano (CTCL) Â
- MAR 12, 2024
What Colleges Want (Part 5): A Crash Course in the Supplemental Essays + Application with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)
On this weekâs episode, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) sits down with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) for Part 5 in our What Colleges Want series to talk about some of the other written parts of the applicationâthe activities list, additional information section, and supplemental essays. Tom and Ethan get into: How can students write a great Activities List? How can you find out what colleges are looking for in the supplemental essays? And what even is the additional information section? What is a âSuper Essayâ and how might it be useful? How does a student know when their application is complete? Fun fact: Youâll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel.  Play-by-Play 1:09 - What are the other writing components of a college application? 5:26 - How can students write a great Activities List? 9:33 - Does the order of the activities matter? 11:41 - Are activities from 9th and 10th grade worth putting in the Activities List? 13:37 - When should students elaborate on Activities in their Additional Info section? 17:05 - What else can go into the Additional Info section? 23:14 - What are some things to avoid putting in the Additional Info section? 24:41 - How should students format the Additional Info section? 26:19 - Why do some colleges have supplemental essays? 27:31 - What are some of the most common supplemental essays prompts? 34:11 - How might institutional priorities impact an individual applicant? 44:14 - What is a âSuper Essayâ and how is it used? 49:12 - How does a student know when their application is complete?  Resources How to Write a Successful Common App Activities List How to Use the Common App Additional Information Section: Guide + Examples My College List (Research + Essay Topic Tracker) School-Specific Supplemental Essays Why This College Essay Guide + Examples How to Combine Your College Essay Prompts (To Save 20+ Writing Hours) What the Heck are "Hooks" and "Institutional Priorities"? The Values Exercise CEG Podcast Episode 101: Life As an Undocumented Student at Harvard CEG Podcast Episode 504: What Colleges Want (Part 4): A Crash Course in the Personal Statement with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)
- MAR 5, 2024
What Colleges Want (Part 4): A Crash Course in the Personal Statement with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)
On this weekâs episode, Tom Campbell (CEGâs Community Manager) sits down with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) for Part 4 in our What Colleges Want series to talk about the personal statement. According to the latest State of College Admission report â after grades, course rigor, and positive character traits (see previous episodes), the college essay is what colleges care about most. Tom and Ethan get into: What is the purpose of the personal statement? How do you find a topic, especially if youâre not writing about challenges?  Why do I recommend students NOT choose a common extracurricular activity as their main college essay topic? How do you stand out? And how do you know when youâre done? Fun fact: Youâll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel.  Play-by-Play 1:38 - What is the purpose of the personal statement in the college admission process? 2:53 - How might students use this statement for multiple schools? 3:48 - Should students talk about challenges theyâve faced in a personal statement? 6:47 - Should students talk about their major or career goals? 8:33 - Where is the best place to discuss extracurricular activities? 10:20 - Should students explain red flags in their personal statement? 11:26 - How can students brainstorm potential topics for their personal statement? 17:56 - What is the structure of a personal statement? 21:11 - How can students stand out? 28:57 - Case Study: What does the process look like from brainstorming to final draft? 35:39 - How does a student know when their essay is done? 38:27 - Is there a place for artificial intelligence in the college essay? 41:47 - have personal statements shifted since the Supreme Court ruling on Race-Conscious Admissions? 44:04 - Why does the personal statement process matter? 49:14 - Closing thoughts  Resources YouTube Video version of this episode (504) Sample personal statements 7 Brainstorming Exercises (YouTube video) The âFoodâ essay (YouTube video analysis) The Great College Essay Test Why You Donât Have to Write about Trauma in Your College Essay to Stand Outâand What You Can Do Instead Matchlighters Informaiton CEG Podcast Episode 404: Race-Conscious Admission Was Struck DownâWhat Does This Mean and What Can Students and College Counselors Do? w/ Jay Rosner Is It âOkayâ to Talk About Race in Your College Application and EssaysâAnd If So, How Should You Do It? Â
- FEB 13, 2024
What Colleges Want (Part 3): "Positive Character Attributes": What Are They, and How Do You Show Them in Your College Application?
In todayâs two-part episode, weâre delving into one of the potentially more confusing aspects of what colleges want â âpositive character attributesâ â which 65.8% of colleges give considerable or moderate importance. In part 1, Iâm joined by Tom Bear (VP for Enrollment at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) and Bob Massa (former chief admissions/enrollment officer at Johns Hopkins University, Dickinson College and Drew University) to discuss: What are these positive character attributes? Why are they important to colleges? How do colleges decide which qualities to seek and how to evaluate for them? How do students show these qualities in their application? Part 2 is with Trisha Ross Anderson, from the Harvard Graduate School of Educationâs Making Caring Common Project, and we get into: How Making Caring Common helps colleges figure out what they are looking for How some colleges are working to increase access and equity in admissions Advice to parents as they navigate this process with their students Tom Bear has been working in college enrollment since 1987 at a variety of institutions, including as VP for Enrollment at University of Evansville, Senior Director of Enrollment at Notre Dame and now as the VP for Enrollment at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He joined the Character Collaborative in 2017, served as Board Chair and will chair NACACâs Character Focus Initiative. Bob Massa got his Doctorate in Higher Education from Columbia, served as the chief admissions/enrollment officer at Johns Hopkins University, Dickinson College and Drew University and Co- founded the Character Collaborative in 2016. Although he has retired from full-time work after 45 years of campus-based work, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Californiaâs online masters program in enrollment management. Trisha Ross Anderson has served on research teams at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for the past 13 years. Sheâs worked with the Making Caring Common (MCC) Project to help write reports including one called Turning the Tide that focuses on reform of the college admission process. She leads MCCâs college admissions initiatives with Richard Weissbourd and currently serves on NACACâs Character Focus Initiative Advisory Council.  Play-by-Play 0:00 - Meet Tom Bear and Bob Massa (Part 1) 2:12 - What do colleges mean by âpositive character attributesâ? 3:55 - What are some examples of these âpositive character attributesâ?  4:58 - Why is it important for students, parents, and counselors to think about these qualities? 7:16 - How do colleges decide what qualities theyâre looking for? 12:04 - How do colleges evaluate students for these qualities? 13:09 - Example of a rubric on extraordinary commitment to others 19:10 - Why donât colleges share their rubrics for what theyâre looking for? 21:18 - What can students do to better understand what a particular school is looking for? 24:08 - How do colleges evaluate âcharacterâ in an applicant? 29:58 - What is the high school profile and how is it used in a studentâs evaluation? 31:20 - Why is it important to think about positive character attributes now? 35:56 - How can students demonstrate these qualities in their college applications? 40:00 - What can parents do to help their students in this process? 42:01 - Meet Trisha Ross Anderson (Part 2) 43:09 - What is the Making Caring Common (MCC) project? 44:37 - How is MCC working with colleges? 46:17 - Why is it difficult to create a rubric for these qualities? 48:16 - How is MCC helping colleges decide on what they are looking for? 52:45 - How is MCC helping colleges to increase equity and access in the college admissions process? 57:33 - Advice for parents on navigating this process with their students 1:01:31 - Closing thoughts  Resources Making Caring Common Character Assessment in College Admission Guide Turning the Tide (2016): Insp
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How to Write the Williams College Essays 2020-2021
Found in rustic, western Massachusetts, Williams College is a small liberal arts college known for its stellar undergraduate education. With a tight knit community of 2,000 students, Williams boasts a 7:1 student to faculty ratio and offers 36 different majors. Williams was founded in 1793, and through its 227 year history, it has accrued deep traditions, such as a school-wide Mountain Day, in which students hike up nearby Mount Greylock.Â
Williams College has consistently been ranked by US News as the number one liberal arts college in America. The college is also highly selective, and for the class of 2023, only 13% of applicants were accepted (most recent official stats). Williams alumni are also diverse, ranging from President James Garfield to composer Stephen Sondheim to photographer Walker Evans.Â
A key aspect of the Williams application lies in the strength of your supplemental essay, which gives the admissions committee a more personal look at your profile, and weâve broken down each essay prompt below! Want to know your chances at Williams? Calculate your chances for free right now.
Want to learn what Williams College will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take? Hereâs what every student considering Williams College needs to know.
How to Write the Williams College Supplemental Essays
This is an opportunity for you to present another writing sample. Itâs entirely optional, and you can either respond to one of the prompts below in an essay of no more than 300 words, or you can upload an academic paper (preferably in the humanities or social sciences) completed in the last academic year.
Option 1: The first-year Entryâa thoughtfully constructed residential microcosm of the student community thatâs a defining part of the Williams experienceâbrings together students from around the world with different perspectives, interests and backgrounds. Imagine having a late-night conversation with your Entrymates about a community that you value. Describe that community and why itâs important to you.
Option 2: All-Campus Entertainment (ACE), a student organization, hosts a weekly event called âStressbustersââan opportunity for students to focus on self-care by stepping away from their typical routine and enjoying some unscheduled timeâand snacks!âwith friends. Weekly Stressbuster activities might include a concert, playing with a therapy dog, painting pumpkins, building with Legos, etc. Whatâs your version of a âstressbuster,â and how does it help you rejuvenate in the midst of a hectic week?
Option 3: At Williams, we believe that bringing together students and professors in small groups produces extraordinary academic outcomes. Our distinctive Oxford-style tutorial classesâin which two students are guided by a professor in deep exploration of a single topicâare a prime example. Each week the students take turns developing independent workâan essay, a problem set, a piece of artâand critiquing their partnerâs work. Focused on close reading, writing and oral defense of ideas, more than 60 pre-determined tutorials a year are offered across the curriculum. Imagine yourself in a tutorial at Williams. What topic would you be most excited to study in that setting and why?
Option 4: I would like to upload my own essay (from a humanities or social science course and ideally 3-5 pages in length).
The first-year Entryâa thoughtfully constructed residential microcosm of the student community thatâs a defining part of the Williams experienceâbrings together students from around the world with different perspectives, interests and backgrounds. Imagine having a late-night conversation with your Entrymates about a community that you value. Describe that community and why itâs important to you. (300 words)
In this essay, you want to first brainstorm the communities that have been valuable to you growing up, any community that has been formative for you as a person. This can be a cultural or ethnic community, a family, a sports team, a musical ensemble, a neighborhood, an online community, or a workplace. The key simply is to bring this community alive in your essay, illustrate how much it means to you, and show how youâve given back to it.Â
You want to show the admissions committee passion and commitment to groups and organizations that youâre invested in, just as you would in a freshman residential community. Then, you could look toward the future, toward your time at Williams, and talk about wanting to meet people outside of your own bubbles, and have intimate conversations with people from all over the world.Â
Williams College consistently admits students from the vast majority of states in America, as well as from over 30 countries worldwide, so their commitment to diversity is deep. As a result, you want to think about what perspective you would uniquely bring to the Williams Entry, what kinds of conversations you could contribute to foster a diverse community. Thereâs enough space to also think critically about the communities youâve been a part of, and think through the different problems that you had to undergo while being a part of them.Â
Here are a few different examples for you to think about:
- Maybe you have been committed to your Indian Bhangra team for the past four years. You could talk about the technical aspects of your work, such as choreographing dances, organizing practices, and putting on performances. However, you could also dive into the most difficult parts of your commitment, such as the time a dance wasnât coming together leading up to the concert, or dealing with a sudden drop out in your group, or having communication issues within the team. Through these experiences, you could talk about drawing closer to your team, as well as feeling closer to your own Indian heritage through dance and performance.
- Maybe youâve been shaped by your environmental surroundings, being from Idaho. You could talk about how you never grew up in a city or a large community, but spent most of your time with your family and friends hiking mountains and going camping. You could talk about how as an Idahoan, you have come to value land conservation, indigenous rights, and an overall respect for the places you inhabit. You could illustrate for the reader the beautiful scenery that surrounded you growing up, the thrill of looking out from a mountaintop, and the difficulties of living outdoors.Â
- Maybe youâre not American, and grew up in Brazil. You could talk about your own local customs and culture, how it differs from the stereotypes of Americans you have grown up hearing. Maybe your interest is primarily in politics, and so you envision having long conversations that compare the Brazilian government to the American government, and how race relations operate in both countries.Â
All-Campus Entertainment (ACE), a student organization, hosts a weekly event called âStressbustersââan opportunity for students to focus on self-care by stepping away from their typical routine and enjoying some unscheduled time â and snacks! â with friends. Weekly Stressbuster activities might include a concert, playing with a therapy dog, painting pumpkins, building with Legos, etc. Whatâs your version of a âstressbuster,â and how does it help you rejuvenate in the midst of a hectic week? (300 words)
Thereâs many different ways in which you can approach this essay, and itâs certainly a bit more left field than prompts one and three, but if done right, this essay can shine an equal amount of light on your character, personality, and passions. However, this essay is a bit tricky, because you want to answer the prompt and talk about the ways in which you relieve stress, but you also want to show the admissions committee a deeper picture of yourself as a person. Therefore, you should try to avoid a simplistic response, like âI binge Netflix,â without a bit more depth into your own struggles and passions as a person.Â
You can be as open as you want to be, talking about stress relief side by side with your daily stresses, flipping back and forth between the difficulties and the pleasures of your daily life. Ideally, your stressbuster could also be a hobby or activity you love to do, but just donât have enough time to pursue. Or maybe your stressbuster is an extracurricular activity, and youâve been struggling over the difficulty in enjoying it, while being pushed to excel in it. Itâs critical that you drive the essay towards not what you do, but who you are.Â
Here are a few examples for you to think about:
- Maybe your stress reliever is playing the cello, but you have a particularly complicated relationship with that because playing the cello also brings you stress. You want to both excel in the instrument, winning competitions and helping your school orchestra, but also want to keep it as a hobby that brings you joy. You can talk about the times itâs been a relief, maybe when you play a certain song you love, but also dive into the times when itâs caused stress and pain in your life.Â
- Maybe your destresser is watching food channels on YouTube, which not only makes you more hungry, but has also instilled within you a curiosity about the different food cultures across the world. Maybe thereâs a few particular YouTubers you follow closely, which has inspired you to create your own YouTube channel, and spread joy through cooking videos of your own. Making the videos turned out to be hard work, but you found joy through seeing other people respond positively to your content.Â
- Maybe your hobby is building model airplanes, which youâve been doing with your father since you were a child. You could talk about how despite everything else changing in your life, school getting much more difficult, and witnessing different familial troubles, youâve never stopped working on model airplanes with your dad, and itâs been a soothing and reliable activity for you.Â
At Williams, we believe that bringing together students and professors in small groups produces extraordinary academic outcomes. Our distinctive Oxford-style tutorial classesâin which two students are guided by a professor in deep exploration of a single topicâare a prime example. Each week the students take turns developing independent workâan essay, a problem set, a piece of artâand critiquing their partnerâs work. Focused on close reading, writing and oral defense of ideas, more than 60 pre-determined tutorials a year are offered across the curriculum. Imagine yourself in a tutorial at Williams. What topic would you be most excited to study in that setting and why? (300 words)
First, you want to brainstorm the kinds of academic fields youâre interested in, and itâll be even better if you have past experiences studying the topic. Then, you want to choose a specific sub-topic in the particular field you chose: if you want to study English, you could choose a particular author, or literary movement, or genre of writing. If you want to study chemistry, you could choose anything from thermal dynamics to quantum mechanics to inorganic chemistry.Â
The key here is to be able to both talk about a specific topic, as well as shed light into your own character, passions, and desires for your future education. You want to show the readers what youâd bring to the table in an academic discussion, and how you would engage with difficult academic questions.Â
You should also do some digging into all the different tutorials Williams offers , just to get a sense of the kinds of classes taught at Williams. The topics truly span the entire range of academic disciplines, with titles ranging from âFictions of African American Historyâ to âAnalytic Number Theoryâ to âAdvanced Planetary Geology.âÂ
Next, you want to think about why youâre excited to study the subject, and here, past anecdotes are great. If you want to do a computer science tutorial, you could talk about your own experience learning how to code and working on your side projects, but then go into how Williams takes it up to the next level, with their âMachine Learningâ tutorial. You could talk about how youâre excited to work with similarly passionate people, and not only get better at the technical aspect of coding, but also dive into the ethical and societal questions suitable in a tutorial-esque setting.
Maybe you want to study history, and the topic youâd be most excited to study is the Vietnamese War, because of your own history of being the child of Vietnamese refugees. You want to get to know more about your own history and culture, as well as be able to understand your parentsâ own socio-political contexts better.Â
While imagining your ideal tutorial, it wouldnât hurt to brainstorm what the class itself would look like. What kinds of materials and mediums would you be engaging with in class? What primary sources excite you? What kinds of problems would you want to solve each week? Even if you donât include all of this in the essay, itâll help bring the tutorial to life in your head.
I would like to upload my own essay (from a humanities or social science course and ideally 3-5 pages in length).
If you feel like a high school essay captures better the essence of who you are, rather than the aforementioned prompt options, you should go for this option. Or, you could pursue this option if youâre completely crunched for time. However, we would recommend that you pursue one of the first three options, because they are all excellent avenues for you to illustrate your personality and character, but also show to Williams that youâre committed to writing about their school.Â
Ideally, if you do end up choosing this option, the essay should be grammatically tidy and free of any syntactical errors. A well argued analytic essay should do the job, but it would be even better if you had a personal essay you could use, because the main point of the supplemental essays is for the admissions committee to get to know you on a personal level.
Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other studentsâ essays.
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Yale Class of 1963 - 50th Reunion New Haven, CT May 30-June 2, 2013
Personal Essay
Immediately following graduation from Yale, I went to law school. I spent one year as a law clerk in the Federal Court of Appeals in New York, and then went to work for the firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, where I have been ever since. I have learned a great deal from my clients and from the talented lawyers I have worked with and against. However, all good things eventually come to an end, and on March 31, 2013, having reached our firmâs mandatory retirement age of 70, I am scheduled to retire from active practice. My first marriage, to Catherine Tolstoy Arapoff, an artist, ended in divorce in 1985. We have two children, Andrew (a litigation lawyer in Los Angeles) and Cathie (a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School). Andyâs two children, Elizabeth and Jack, are as yet my only grandchildren. In 1986 I married Marcia Mayo Hill, an interpreter at the United Nations, whose principal career since her retirement in 2004 has been as a master swimmer, swimming competitively at both regional and national levels. All of you who have seen us together know how much I owe to Marcia, who has made my life anything but ordinary. We have four children, Frank (a second-year medical student), Guy Jr. (a graduate of SUNY Albany), Beverly (who died at the age of one year following a failed heart operation, and whom we remember constantly), and Elena (whom we adopted in Moscow following Beverlyâs death). I am very much in the market for good ideas about what to do in retirement. For the time being, my principal idea is to go back to what I have always loved to do, namely, learn new things. Starting the day after retirement, I intend to take the set of textbooks on Anglo-Saxon that my father bought many years ago, and start learning the language. This essay would be incomplete without mentioning how much I have learned from reunions and other activities of our Class over the years. Perhaps the most educational thing about Yale for me has been the journey we have all taken together since graduation. I look forward to continuing that journey at our 50th Reunion. The following story will illustrate what I mean. Ian Robertson is a very good friend, and a stalwart of our 50th Reunion effort. Our paths did not cross in college. Recently Ian told me that, during our freshman year, he saw me waiting in line for dinner in Commons, and felt very sorry for me. As soon as Ian said that, I saw myself then as Ian saw me, an awkward, clueless 16-year-old, and for a moment I felt sorry for myself too. Then I remembered that the story does not end there, that Ian and I have since gotten to know each other, and that now, half a century later, he and I are fast friends. That would never have happened but for our continuing involvement with the Class.
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Russia Denies U.S. Charge That It Put Anti-Satellite Weapon in Space
FILE PHOTO: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attends a meeting chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin on operational issues, including the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict and the continuing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia October 16, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS
By Guy Faulconbridge
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's top arms control diplomat dismissed as "fake news" on Wednesday an assertion by the United States that Russia had launched a weapon into low-Earth orbit that was capable of inspecting and attacking other satellites.
The Kremlin has flatly denied assertions by U.S. officials that Moscow is developing a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon.
U.S. Space Command on Tuesday pointed to the launch earlier this month of a Soyuz rocket from Russia's Plesetsk launch site, saying it likely involved "a counterspace weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit".
Russia's defence ministry said the May 17 launch had a spacecraft on board but gave no details what it was for.
"I don't think we should respond to any fake news from Washington," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
"The Americans can say whatever they want but our policy does not change from this," said Ryabkov, adding that Moscow had "always consistently opposed the deployment of strike weapons in low-Earth orbit".
President Vladimir Putin and then-defence minister Sergei Shoigu denied U.S. assertions in February that Russia was developing a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon designed to disrupt everything from military communications to phone-based ride services.
U.S. Space Command said the May launch, which it dates as May 16, included COSMOS 2576, a type of Russian military "inspector" spacecraft that U.S. officials have long said exhibits reckless space behaviour.
INTERNATIONAL LAW
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined specific comment on the U.S. assertion but said Russia acted in full accordance with international law.
"We are not violating anything. We have repeatedly advocated a ban on the deployment of any weapons into space. Unfortunately, our initiatives were rejected, including by the United States," Peskov told reporters.
U.S. intelligence agencies had been expecting the launch of COSMOS 2576 and informed allies of their assessment of the satellite before its deployment in space, according to a U.S. official familiar with the intelligence. The launch also included civilian satellites deployed to different orbits.
COSMOS 2576, as of Tuesday, has not gone near a U.S. satellite, but space analysts observed it to be in the same orbital ring as USA 314, a bus-sized NRO satellite launched in April 2021.
Ryabkov said Russia's space programme was developing as planned, including tasks aimed at strengthening defence capability but added that "this is also not news".
He said the United States was wrong to have dismissed Russian proposals on strengthening the security of space activities, including a proposal on developing a treaty on preventing an arms race in space.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Guy FaulconbridgeEditing by Andrew Osborn and Gareth Jones)
Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .
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The Sunday Read: âWhy Did This Guy Put a Song About Me on Spotify?â
The answer involves a remarkable â and lucrative, and ridiculous â scheme to game the way we find music today..
By Brett Martin
Read by Eric Jason Martin
Produced by Adrienne Hurst and Aaron Esposito
Narration produced by Tanya PĂŠrez and Krish Seenivasan
Edited by John Woo
Original music by Aaron Esposito
Engineered by Sophia Lanman and Devin Murphy
Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Have you heard the song âBrett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yesâ?
Probably not. On Spotify, âBrett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yesâ has not yet accumulated enough streams to even register a tally. Even Brett Martin, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and the titular Nice Man, didnât hear the 1 minute 14 second song until last summer, a full 11 years after it was uploaded by an artist credited as Papa Razzi and the Photogs.
When Martin stumbled on âBrett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes,â he naturally assumed it was about a different, more famous Brett Martin: perhaps Brett Martin, the left-handed reliever who until recently played for the Texas Rangers; or Brett Martin, the legendary Australian squash player; or even Clara Brett Martin, the Canadian who in 1897 became the British Empireâs first female lawyer. Only when the singer began referencing details of stories that he made for public radioâs âThis American Lifeâ almost 20 years ago did he realize the song was actually about him. The song ended, âI really like you/Will you be my friend?/Will you call me on the phone?â Then it gave a phone number, with a New Hampshire area code.
So, he called.
There are a lot of ways to listen to âThe Daily.â Hereâs how.
We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at [email protected] . Follow Michael Barbaro on X: @mikiebarb . And if youâre interested in advertising with The Daily, write to us at [email protected] .
Additional production for The Sunday Read was contributed by Isabella Anderson, Anna Diamond, Sarah Diamond, Elena Hecht, Emma Kehlbeck, Tanya PĂŠrez, Frannie Carr Toth and Krish Seenivasan.
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The following story will illustrate what I mean. Ian Robertson is a very good friend, and a stalwart of our 50th Reunion effort. Our paths did not cross in college. Recently Ian told me that, during our freshman year, he saw me waiting in line for dinner in Commons, and felt very sorry for me. As soon as Ian said that, I saw myself then as Ian ...
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Even Brett Martin, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and the titular Nice Man, didn't hear the 1 minute 14 second song until last summer, a full 11 years after it was ...