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Powerful & Persuasive College Apps & Resumes
500+ Essays | 5* Student Reviews | T20 Acceptances & Internships
Free Resources for Students
Tools for Better Writing | Common App & UC App Information | Additional Information & Links
Help with Writing for Essays & Resumes
"Values" Vocabulary
A great resource from The College Essay Guy, this page provides a comprehensive list of vocabulary for students to refer to when defining their personal values.
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Extra-Curricular Themed Vocabulary
One way for students to subtly elevate their writing while reinforcing a noteworthy attribute of their ECs is to use specific vocabulary choices that reference that EC but in a different context. Here is one reference to identify vocabulary based on a student's interests, such as sports, music, theater, or debate (and more).
Example: As a powerful coda to my 5-minute science fair presentation, I met and spoke with with a lead scientist from NASA, Dr. Mary Smith. (for a STEM student referencing a music interest with the use of the word "coda.")​
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EC-themed Vocabulary: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/topic/
Great List of Verbs
A list of many verbs to incorporate into your app.
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https://education.utexas.edu/students/career-engagement/resources-students/strong-action-verbs/
The Oxford Comma
I am a fan of the Oxford comma, used to separate lists of three or more items. Not familiar with it? Read on:​
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The Oxford Comma: https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/end-the-debate-why-the-oxford-comma-or-serial-comma-is-so-cool
Literary Tools for Elevated Writing
Three of my favorite literary devices are Alliteration, Analogy, and Imagery. It is important not to go overboard in literary techniques for college essays, but used sparingly, they can be quite effective in elevating the feeling of your essay.​
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Common Literary Devices: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/literary-devices/common-literary-devices/
Common App & UC App Information
Common App Prompts
25-26
A link to all the prompts.
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https://www.commonapp.org/blog/announcing-2025-2026-common-app-essay-prompts
Character Counts for Common App Activities
Details on the exact character counts for each Activity on the Common App.​
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UC PIQ prompts
25-26
A link to all the prompts.
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UC App
13-points of Review
Here are 2 links to help students understand how the UC system evaluates applicants. The UC PIQs should be very focused on evidence-based essays meeting the rubrics outlined here.​
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https://www.collegeessayguy.com/uc-prompts-guide/1-2-the-13-points-of-comprehensive-review
Additional Information
Common Data Set
Available for nearly all universities, this link takes you to the Common Data Set for the University of Southern California, as an example. Students can google "Common Data Set" + university name for any school they are looking at. The Common Data Set gives a wealth of information about any institution the student is considering, from application and admit demographics to financial aid funding.
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USC (SoCal) Common Data Set (as an ex): https://oir.usc.edu/common-data-set-archive/common-data-set-2023-2024/
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UCLA Common Data Set (as an ex): https://apb.ucla.edu/file/cedc749a-fd65-4935-b9ee-8a551f6de2fc
National Merit Scholar Program
One of the best investments of time for students who are strong test-takers is to prepare for the PSAT taken the junior year of high school. A high score can present numerous merit opportunities including full-rides, for students who qualify.
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PSAT Test Overview & Details https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/whats-on-the-test
National Merit Scholar Corp: https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/start.aspx?gid=2&pgid=61
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Path to Becoming a National Merit Scholar: https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/interior.aspx?sid=1758&gid=2&pgid=1881#:~:text=About%2095%25%20(over%2015%2C000),distinguished%20performance%20in%20the%20competition.
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National Merit Scholar Corporate Sponsors: https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/merit_sponsor_leaflet.pdf?gid=2&pgid=61&sessionid=d1b0319f-d194-4f4b-8340-0cf3a5bae3cc&cc=1
Historic State Qualifying Scores: https://blog.prepscholar.com/psat-score-needed-for-national-merit-scholarship
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List of Full-Ride University Scholarships available to National Merit Finalists (NOT A FULL LIST - please do your research, as universities change their merit programs often): https://blog.collegevine.com/national-merit-scholarship-full-ride
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Khan Academy PSAT/SAT prep: https://www.khanacademy.org/digital-sat
Khan Academy for SAT Prep
Unique Project Ideas to add a
Spike to your Profile ("Passion Projects")
The best practices for incredibly unique and customized extra-curricular community service impact ideas come from the Girl Scout Gold Award model and the Boy Scout Eagle Award model, both of which are based on solving a need in the community through partnership with an existing organization, with measurable deliverables that offer "persistent" benefits (such as a physical space creation or improvement), and are not a 1-time volunteering effort as you might see with typical community service hours. Note that these projects often involve an education component.​
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Unique projects like these establish student's own ecosystem, outside of the high school ecosystem, and lend credibility to the student through working with an established community organization.
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Girl Scouts Gold Award Project Ideas: https://www.girlscouts.org/en/discover/about-us/what-girl-scouts-do/gold-award-girl-scout-graduating--bridging-class-this-year-list.html
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Boy Scouts Eagle Scout Project Ideas: https://eagleprojects.scoutlife.org/
Great Books about the College Application Process
If you're looking for great books to learn the nitty-gritty details about university financials and how they affect acceptance criteria, here are two well-regarded places to build your knowledge base.​
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Who Gets In and Why by Jeffrey Selingo https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52765755-who-gets-in-and-why
The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48836839-the-price-you-pay-for-college
Fly-In Programs for Disadvantaged Students
Some universities have special free, fully paid-for programs to introduce disadvantaged students to their campus, and it is often thought of as a "recruitment" program for high-stats students. Applications open summer to early fall.​
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List of Programs: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/fly-in-programs-guide
Cal Tech's Fly In Program: https://www.admissions.caltech.edu/visit/visit-campus/fall-fly-in-program-caltech-up-close
Pre-Med
Information
High School Students interested in the pre-med track or pre-med focus can review the links below to learn more about the process. Please remember that pre-med is a focus, not a major!​
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​How to Choose an Undergrad Major if you want to go to Medical School: https://www.princetonreview.com/med-school-advice/how-to-choose-a-pre-med-major
Med School Academic Requirements: https://students-residents.aamc.org/system/files/2025-06/MSAR002%20-%20MSAR%20Premed%20Course%20Requirements.pdf
Undergrad Extra Curriculars for Pre-Meds (one opinion - many feel these numbers are low): https://www.medschoolcoach.com/medical-school-extracurricular-activities-shadowing-volunteering-research-clinical-experience-leadership/
MCAT Overview: https://students-residents.aamc.org/prepare-mcat-exam/whats-mcat-exam
Pre-Med Timeline v1 https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-students/preparing-medical-school/college-freshman-m1-medical-school-timeline-admission
Pre-Med Timeline v2: https://medicalschoolhq.net/getting-into-medical-school-the-timeline/
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Pre-Med Timeline v3: https://crackingmedadmissions.com/premed-timeline/​
