Category Archives: Resources – Essays
Love Harry Potter and the Shiver Trilogy? Share your thoughts!
Do you love Harry Potter? The Shiver Trilogy? The Road? Other dark adventure books in dystopian teen literature? The New York Times is talking about you today. Authors like Linda Rowe and Paolo Bacigalupi are discussing why young adults like you relate to dystopian end-of-the-world stories. Get it in on the action with this Voldemortian [...]
Keep English Weird: Weird?
Did you say this rhyme in school? “I before E except after C or when sounding like “eh” as in neighbor or weigh?” If we take this rhyme as fact, then “I” almost always comes before “E”: (Diesel. Pieces. Lie. Quiet.) … except when creating the Canadian “eh” sound, eh? (Sleigh, Hawaiian Lei, Sergei Brin). [...]
Keep English Weird: Homonyms
Keep English Weird is a series about fabulous mind-boggling and intricate ways to express yourself in English. Today, we’ll start the weirdness in your ears. Cantaloupes can’t elope. Say it slowly: Cantaloupes. Can’t elope. That’s a homonym ~ when two words or phrases sound alike but mean very different things. Homonyms definitely keep the English [...]
One-Sentence Essay Guide
Here’s your one-sentence essay guide: Write as though you’re talking to a 30-year-old blind person. Why? Because ~ They have a good working knowledge of the world – but they can’t see it the way you do. Help them see your point through your eyes, ears and heart. Replace generic verbs with very visual verbs [...]
Essay Top 10s #5: Persuasion!
What’s the purpose of a scholarship essay? You’re persuading the scholarship committee to award you some much-needed money. At College Liftoff, we read hundreds of smart essays. Most look something like this: 1. “Hi. I am a person who believes…” 2. “I have done these ten fabulous things…” 3. “I need your support because…” 4. [...]
Essay Top 10s #4: Ten Words Choking Your Essay
These smarmy vague words have choked thousands of well-intentioned college essays. Trust me. When you edit your papers, grab these ten words and smack that delete button! 1. Get (it’s vague – choose a cooler verb) 2. “It” – when “it” refers to nothing. Ex: “It’s clear that a math major appeals to me.” (lose [...]
Essay Top 10s #3: Ten Best College Blogs
Need ideas? A fresh perspective on college? Read before you write that essay. Visit these blogs! In no particular order: 1. College Times – They analyze everything from the new Karate Kid movie to “100 Search Engines for Business Students.” 2. CampusGrotto – These serious bloggers have 100+ Tips for College Survival, and you can [...]
Essay Top 10s #2: Ten Things Every College Essay Should Say
They read hundreds of essays. Details will give you the edge. Give them remarkable memorabilia to remember you by. In no particular order: 1. Thank you for reading the essay. 2. Your age. 3. A straightforward one-sentence answer to the essay question. 4. A specific fact about the college, grant program or scholarship committee (look [...]
Essay Top 10s #1: 10 Fun Things To Do in a College Essay
These 10 ideas will help you spice up your writing and delight those overworked essay readers while answering the most flabbergasting essay question: “What are your goals? What do you want to accomplish in the next four years?” Submit your own thoughts in the comments!