--- title: College Admissions News and ACT / SAT Strategy | Melissa Baumgart description: Stay current with the latest college application and admission news, as well as proven ACT and SAT strategies. --- # COllege Admissions News and ACT / SAT Strategy Stay current with the latest undergraduate college admissions news and proven ACT and Digital SAT strategies. Browse by All ACT ACT/SAT sat prep ACT/SAT study skills college tips college advice sat tutoring ACT prep sat tutors college student College Admissions High School Test Taking SAT college education college questions study skills ACT test SAT study plan college freshman advice SAT test College Applications SAT online tutoring college entrance college timeline ACT overview SAT math digital sat sat online studying for the SATs undergraduate student common questions ACT study plan ACT-Math practice SAT study help SAT study tips college tips for studying for the SATs ACT Science ACT math Reading Comprehension SAT practice tests SAT self-study admissions essays applying to college college admissions process college tuition sat reading test taking strategies ACT concepts ACT study help ACT tutoring AP tutoring Choosing a College Digital ACT SAT reading comprehension SAT writing act online act reading ap classes ap test prep college admissions essay cost of sat tutoring math skills sat help sat tutor cost sat tutor hourly rate studying for the ACT ACT english COVID sat Campus bound College Rankings GMAT Managing Stress Online Reputation Management PSAT SAT classes SAT redesign Standardized exams Study plans Uncategorized Writing Section act coronavirus admissions data chemistry chemistry subject test college ROI college athletics college coach college essay writing advice college essays college freshman questions college prep college recruiting college resume collegebound admissions cost of college desmos extracurriculars improve academic performance interview preparation logs in ACT-Math math new student FAQs process of elimination sat chemistry test standardized tests study abroad study tips studying for standardized exams submitting test scores test anxiety test optional test prep strategies tips for studying for the ACT writing an essay This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ## Posts by Melissa Baumgart: ![college essays tutoring](https://www.myguruedge.com/hs-fs/file-402611804-jpg/images/college-essays-tutoring.jpg?width=260&height=196&name=college-essays-tutoring.jpg) Every time a reader picks up a new application, he or she must wonder: "Is this going to be another generic snooze-fest of an essay or the dynamic proclamation of an individual thinker?" Guess into which category you want to fall? ![shutterstock 158576756](https://www.myguruedge.com/hs-fs/file-403737787-jpg/images/shutterstock_158576756.jpg?width=300&height=200&name=shutterstock_158576756.jpg) I recently spoke with a former college admissions officer who mentioned that a lot of applicants fail to give supplemental essays their proper attention. Instead, these students focus all of their energy on the main essay. While it’s obviously important to have a knockout personal statement, overlooking the supplemental essays could be a fatal error in judgment. Every individual piece of your application matters. Here’s how to maximize the positive impact of your **college application supplemental essays**. ### FILL IN THE BLANKS The personal statement isn’t your life story – it’s *one* story, hopefully with a lot of character and detail, but still – just one story. The supplements allow you to mine from other stories in your life – various skills, interests, or challenges you’ve overcome. Use your quirks, your passions, and your unique life experiences to give your application greater depth. It’s an opportunity to share another side of yourself – something that wouldn’t necessarily be on your resume. Doing so will give the admissions committee a fuller picture of who you are. Your supplemental essays should help illustrate the many facets of your personality, and you’ll leave the impression of a real person instead of just grades on a page. ![shutterstock 123859036](https://www.myguruedge.com/hs-fs/file-344226759-jpg/images/shutterstock_123859036.jpg?width=272&height=201&name=shutterstock_123859036.jpg) We’re taught to be modest – not to brag or talk too much about ourselves. But when you write your college essay, you’re forced to do the exact opposite, and that shift can make students uncomfortable. It’s hard to **strike the right tone in writing or speaking about yourself**, especially when you’re discussing something at which you excel. Here are some tips on **how to write about your accomplishments** without bragging (hint: they’re all about showing rather than telling). ### Show what you’ve learned Talking about your achievements shouldn’t be a list. It should be a discussion. Focus on just one - or a few - accomplishments instead of listing every single one, and then give more details and context to measure your success. What skills have you developed as a result of excelling at an academic subject, a sport, or hobby? What happened the first time you tried, and how is it different now that you’re more experienced? If you naturally excelled from the start, how have you managed to keep challenging yourself and to hold your interest over time? If you didn’t succeed at first, what kept you from giving up? ![college application](https://www.myguruedge.com/hs-fs/file-338415468-jpg/images/college-application.jpg?width=313&height=208&name=college-application.jpg)Have you thought about starting your college applications this fall? If so, you should spend some time **considering which teachers you want to write your college recommendation.** ![shutterstock 107658848](https://www.myguruedge.com/hs-fs/file-314229136-jpg/images/shutterstock_107658848.jpg?width=315&height=210&name=shutterstock_107658848.jpg) A **college essay** does not have to be about an important topic – cancer, death, poverty, etc. – basically, the Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened To You Or Anyone Anywhere. It has to be important to you, but not by definition heavy or serious. However, sometimes a major world issue or a personal tragedy is vital to understanding you and your worldview. It’s understandable to want to share that with an admissions committee. If you truly want to write about something serious, here are some tips on how to handle it. ### Keep the focus on how YOU relate to the topic at hand Discuss major issues in the context of you and your life story. It can be difficult to have any sort of meaningful dialogue about such topics as war or racism in approximately 650 words. Narrow your focus down to a specific time or event when your life was personally affected by such an issue. Describe how it made you feel, what your reaction was, and how you have grown as a person as a result of going through the experience. Providing relevant (the key being relevant, not “every sordid”), specific details will be the key to **keeping your college essay from feeling generic** or superficial. Ultimately, the point of the essay is to give a little insight into an applicant as an individual. Don’t waste the opportunity by pontificating on ending world hunger without relating it back to exactly why it’s a goal of yours and what you plan to do about it.**** ![personal statement act sat chicago](https://www.myguruedge.com/hs-fs/file-289919189-jpg/images/personal-statement-act-sat-chicago.jpg?width=269&height=179&name=personal-statement-act-sat-chicago.jpg)The *Common Application* sets a 250-650 word limit for the **length of your personal statement**. It may feel like it’s impossible to say everything you need to say about yourself in 650 words or less, but complying with this rule is about more than just word counting. It’s a life lesson. ### Follow this blog