College Application Resource Links

If you have any questions or suggestions, email me at lucaschu@college.harvard.edu

Overview Guide:

Fair Opportunity Project:
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZKLGoO_mfwJcx98yHqeOo4GciK78U67D/view?usp=sharing

Essays:

Hack the College Essay by John Dewis. (This is the one external source I've added so far, because it's worth it. It's endorsed by many of the other people included in this post).

The u/ScholarGrade Essay series (and his extras!):

35+ Best College Essay Tips

5 High Schoolers and Their College Application Essays About Work, Money and Social Class - The New York Times

Top 41 Common App Admissions Essays - Study Notes

WilliamTheReader: What Your Essay Looks Like From the Other Side + Crucial Essay Advice : ApplyingToCollege

u/BlueLightSpcl:

u/WilliamTheReader:

u/novembrr: When you're over the word count and can't for the life of you cut your essay down...

u/steve_nyc: 5 Steps to Starting Your College Essay

u/mistermcneil (admissions consultant): My World-Ending Guide to the College Essay

u/Jidawg: Tips About Writing Multiple Supplements from a Sophomore @ Dartmouth

u/G0mega: Last Minute "Why X" and Supplement Advice from a Brown sophomore

u/PhAnToM444: An analysis of why the "mundane topic" seems to work so well for college essays. (Even if you're not writing a mundane essay, you can bring those same components into your own essay).

Activities Section:

novembrr's activities series is so useful:

Stuck on your activities list? Novembrr can help. (Comment replies give helpful examples of how to phrase ECs)
How to write your Common App and UC Activities Lists
What you should do if you have no ECs

u/MrsScholarGrade's series is new, and I hope I'll be adding more of her great work:

This post links several resources to find competitions/programs for your ECs or to find ECs based on your academic interest! I don't think you should be basing your activities on prestigious awards, but if you are doing something and you want to find ways to get more involved or get rewarded, this is a good resource.

LORs:

steve_nyc: How to Ask Teachers for College Recommendation Letters

novembrr: The secret to having excellent LORs

ScholarGrade: How to get top LORs that stand out from the stack

AP Score Reporting:

novembrr: When AP Scores Matter and When They Don't (in my experience as an admissions reader at Berkeley and UChicago)

u/admissionsmom: Let's Talk about your AP Score

Interviews:

ScholarGrade: There have been many questions about interviews. Here's my guide

WilliamTheReader: Interview Tips!

novembrr: How to prepare for an interview: a guide by Novembrr, former UChicago admissions reader & alumna interviewer

admissionsmom: Up Close and Personal: The Interview. Here's My Cheat Sheet