October 26th, 2011
As many of you are keenly aware, the November first deadline for many early decision and early action programs is fast approaching. At College Essay Organizer, we include the application deadline for each school listed in the database, so be sure to take advantage of that information when organizing and prioritizing your applications. (This information is available on the Essay QuickFinder as it's always been, but it is also newly available on your Essay RoadMaps, at the bottom, in the additional information section.)
College Essay Organizer is all about making your application season as stress-free as possible, and by taking the extra steps to organize your applications, deadlines, and, most importantly, your time throughout the fall, you can ensure a simple, straightforward process that allows you to apply to as many schools as possible with a minimum amount of work.
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October 17th, 2011
All the American schools in the College Essay Organizer database are now updated, with just a few holdouts among the international schools left. This makes the site fully functional for all users looking to apply to American schools for 2011/2012!
We'll continue to update the site and revisit the departmental, honors, and scholarship requirements that some schools update throughout the year. Not ever requirement is released at the same time for each university, but you can expect us to stay on top of things for you.
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October 12th, 2011
In recent years, we here at College Essay Organizer have developed our pool of international universities around our user base and the specific groups of schools our applicants have sought out. A number of them are quite popular - McGill University in Canada especially - though many of them are more targeted. We look forward to developing our international user base in the coming application seasons, not just for Americans looking to apply outside of their country, but for people outside America looking to come here.
College Essay Organizer is a great tool for counselors from countries in Europe and Asia who traditionally send a significant portion of their applicants to America. The database here can help make a confusing and overwhelming process much more efficient and direct, and the research staff at CEO digs up as many requirements as possible in places others don't necessarily know to look. It's a time-consuming job but worth doing, as it saves our thousands of users countless hours, the world over.
Tags: Canada, college essay, International Users, McGill University
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October 11th, 2011
Our final stragglers are posting their applications for the new season, and College Essay Organizer is now more than 99% updated for the new year! Only a handful of international schools remain, along with two American schools that are scheduled to post next week.
Many schools update their primary applications before their scholarship requirements, so we'll continue to revisit scholarship requirements through the year. Take note of schools that have special messages below their names in your QuickFinders about the status of their scholarship requirements.
And as always, if you have any notes about the contents of the College Essay Organizer database, let us know! We are always on the lookout for new departments, programs, and scholarships that weren't available last year.
Tags: 2012, College Essay Organizer, Update
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September 9th, 2011
Tags: 2011-2012 application season, 2011-2012 applications, 2011-2012 essay questions, Barnard College, Beloit College, Brown University, Butler University, California State University, CalTech, Christian Brothers University, Colgate University, College of Wooster, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Vassar College
Posted in CEO In Action, Essay Question Updates | Comments Off
August 26th, 2011
Tags: 2011-2012 application season, 2011-2012 essay questions, Carnegie Mellon, college essay process, Columbia University, Princeton University, University of California, University of Chicago, Yale University
Posted in CEO In Action, Essay Question Updates | Comments Off
August 23rd, 2011
Tulane University has eleven essay requirements this year in the College Essay Organizer database. This year they made a significant change in their application scheme - last year some requirements appeared on the paper application but not the online app, and the school has made the wise decision to change that for 2011. Here are a few of the questions that were not consistent across the two formats last year:
- Have you ever participated in a community service project abroad? Please explain your experience.
- Have you ever studied abroad? Please explain your experience.
- Have you ever been involved in a community service project other than one required by your school or another organization? Please explain your experience.
These are the kinds of questions that give applicants an opportunity to stand apart from the pack a little bit, so Tulane's decision to present these questions to all applicants was the right choice. It works in the applicants' favor as well as the school's - after all, they want their student body to be as strong and diverse as possible, so no need to make it difficult on people who have these kinds of exciting elements to their backgrounds.
Tags: accomplishments, Admissions, CEO, college applications, College Essay Organizer, online application, Tulane University
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August 22nd, 2011
Ball State University has now been updated by College Essay Organizer. There are fifteen program-specific questions, as well as four additional scholarship program questions.
Using College Essay Organizer can help you not only find these hidden questions, but also explore your opportunities while writing your responses to them. Many applicants are unaware of the many different options they have when it comes to applying to a college or university, so College Essay Organizer can be your primary tool for finding out about departments and specific programs that suit your interests.
Some applicants might have a better chance at admission if they apply to a program or department that best suits their interests and talents. Make sure to explore them all via College Essay Organizer and make sure your admissions chances are as strong as possible!
Tags: Ball State University, CEO, College Essay Organizer, Essay
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August 19th, 2011
Just a few days ago we blogged about the slight disparity in the Common App's word count versus character count limits for the short answer essay requirement. The difference was slight but significant - 150 words (in theory) was actually 750 characters (a hard limit), which meant for the potential of an ugly cut-off if your 150 words happened to be particularly long words.
The Common App has responded to this issue and changed its short answer requirement from 750 characters to 1,000 characters. We have updated our Common App settings at College Essay Organizer and adjusted the Essay RoadMap readouts to reflect this change.
It should also be noted that the Common App did not post an official notice of this fairly crucial change (they've increased the length requirement by a third without saying so!), but College Essay Organizer is on the case as usual.
Tags: Admissions, CEO, college applications, College Essay Organizer, Common App, mistake, Tips
Posted in CEO In Action, College Essay Writing Tips, Essay Question Updates, News | Comments Off
August 18th, 2011
The SUNY (State University of New York) schools have many specific differences, including certain essay questions, scholarship requirements, and the like. But they share this question in common:
Please provide additional information that will help us better understand your academic performance. You may also explain any chronological gaps in your academic history (e.g. a period of time after high school graduation before applying to college).
At first glance, this question seems like it could be an optional "tell us anything" prompt, or even a required "disciplinary" question, telling you to explain any suspensions, or run-ins with authorities that have disrupted your time in school. At College Essay Organizer, we recommend that anybody without the kind of disciplinary problems or "gaps" in the academic record use this prompt as an opportunity to discuss his or her intellectual interests.
We have discussed the intellectual interest essay here before on the blog, but most importantly, it is the piece of writing that tells the school why you are interested in what they can offer you, and what you bring to the table as a member of the student body. It is a chance to discuss your interests while also implying what you are good at and how you spend your time most effectively. It can be a chance to distinguish yourself from your peers in a unique way, which is something you should always be looking for opportunities to do.
Tags: Admissions, College, college admission tips, college admissions, college applications, College Essay Organizer, Common App, Essay, Intellectual Interests, State University of New York, SUNY, Tips
Posted in CEO In Action, Specific College | Comments Off
