Write Yourself In: The Definitive Guide to Writing Successful College Admissions Essays

This pragmatic debut from Tipler, a college admissions consultant, details how high schoolers can stand out during the college admissions process with strong personal and supplemental essays. The bulk of the guidance is devoted to crafting the personal essay, which Tipler suggests should present a narrative that ties the application together and focus on events from one’s high school years (“Admissions officers want to know about who you are now”). Describing how to tackle the most common supplemental essay topics, Tipler contends that “Why Our School essays” should explain why specific programs and opportunities make the university a good fit. Elsewhere, Tipler breaks down the application review process, noting that an admissions officer will read through one’s materials and then present them to the rest of the committee before the group votes on whether to admit the student. Exercises for brainstorming personal essay topics will help students get their creative juices flowing (one suggests choosing five words to describe oneself and recalling stories that demonstrate those qualities), and guidance on whether to discuss one’s racial background or use ChatGPT gives this an edge over older guides. (Tipler contends that though ChatGPT can be useful for generating ideas, no text should ever be copied directly from the site.) High schoolers will find this a boon. Agent: Karen Murgolo, Aevitas Creative Management. (June)