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Caroline Koppelman
TKG's Official Common App Essay Guide 2026-2027

For those who have been with us from the beginning (and what the heck, newcomers too!!), feel free to take a big breath of relief. We™ve done it! Over the last month, we™ve been breaking down the Common App essay prompt by prompt, which means we™re ready to bring it all together for the big finale: a comprehensive guide to writing the Common App essay.

Caroline Koppelman
Official Common App Essay Guide 2025-2026

We™ve spent the past few weeks breaking down each Common App essay prompt one by one, and now it time for the grand finale: our ultimate guide to writing the Common App essay. Sure, there are seven different prompts, but at the end of the day, every school is looking for the same thing: a story.

Caroline Koppelman
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 7: Example ...

We™ve been waiting for this one: it finally time to dig into Prompt #7, the crown jewel of the Common App essay prompts.

Caroline Koppelman
Ultimate Guide to Letters of Continued Interest ...

Getting waitlisted or deferred from your dream school is hard. We know it hard! You feel rejected, but it this weird non-rejection rejection that can leave you feeling lost and confused. And while a lot of things in college admissions are totally out of your control, there is something you can do if you™ve been waitlisted or deferred to give yourself another chance. A letter of continued interest, sometimes known as a waitlist letter or deferral letter, is one of the few, actionable things you can control when admissions decisions seem so out of your control. It your only chance to make a good second impression, and we help students write them every single year.

Caroline Koppelman
Ultimate Guide to Getting Waitlisted 2025

Getting waitlisted is the ultimate limbo “ it not not a rejection, but it not a full-on denial, either. And depending on your circumstances, you could be feeling everything from mild disappointment to full-on panic. Don get yourself into a tizzy just yet, because there are things you can do to give yourself a shot at getting off the waitlist and make sure that you have a plan in place for the next year.

Caroline Koppelman

43 Phrases You Should Never Use In A College Admission Essay

When most students are writing their college admission essay, they aren thinking about the Essay Readers at colleges whose entire job is to sort students™ essays into NO, MAYBE, and YES piles. As hard as you™ve worked on your essay, you may get exactly two minutes of a Reader time if he or she feels your writing is boring or unoriginal. Unfortunately, a huge percentage of essays fall into this category. On the other hand, the few essays that show clear, original thinking get promptly placed into the YES pile. The admission essay is one truly personal section of the college application; if your essay stands out, your chances of getting into your top choice school goes up dramatically. Therefore, take careful note of these 43 phrases. Using them might spell NO for your admission chances.

10 Essays That Don't Work

A college essay can fail for a number of reasons. The writing can be atrocious, the theme can be predictable, the execution of the essay can simply flop, or the student personality cannot shine through. We™ve compiled a list of 10 essays topics that don work and would advise you to avoid them.