In his 21st book, out this month, Clark explains how everyday objects, clear focus and authentic voice can transform an essay ...

For example, Stanford University in California ... essay that's 200-300 words in addition to a 250- to 650-word personal essay. "Sometimes a shorter essay response is not as polished an essay ...

Focus on personal experiences when choosing ... It has to lead in organically to the rest of the essay.” Stone offers an example of a strong hook from the essay of a student she worked with ...

Although these essays are often called personal statements ... Be specific. For example, it is not enough to say that you aspire to be a social worker because you want to help children.

In many cases, students seek extra help when they face a blank page. Some even visit speedypaper right away to see examples or get fresh advice. This can offer a boost, but it’s also important to ...

And yet I find myself missing aspects of the personal-essay Internet that the flashiest examples tended to obscure. I still think of the form as a valuable on-ramp, an immediate and vivid ...

Harvard, for example, gives applicants 200 words to ... stop asking teenagers to tell stories. Get rid of the personal essay and just ask them more straightforward questions that speak to what ...

It’s with good reason that students are particularly focused on the personal essay this year ... much cheese should she put on the pizza? The example let her dive into her thoughts on keeping ...

Consider, for example, Arthur Krystal’s “A Word ... Instead I have thrown in my lot with the personal essay, which traffics in skepticism, self-mockery and doubt, and is loath to propound ...