On this week’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) sits down with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) for Part 5 in our What Colleges Want series to talk about some of the other written parts of the application—the activities list, additional information section, and supplemental essays. Tom and Ethan get into:
- How can students write a great Activities List?
- How can you find out what colleges are looking for in the supplemental essays?
- And what even is the additional information section?
- What is a ‘Super Essay’ and how might it be useful?
- How does a student know when their application is complete?
Fun fact: You’ll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel.
Play-by-Play
- 1:09 - What are the other writing components of a college application?
- 5:26 - How can students write a great Activities List?
- 9:33 - Does the order of the activities matter?
- 11:41 - Are activities from 9th and 10th grade worth putting in the Activities List?
- 13:37 - When should students elaborate on Activities in their Additional Info section?
- 17:05 - What else can go into the Additional Info section?
- 23:14 - What are some things to avoid putting in the Additional Info section?
- 24:41 - How should students format the Additional Info section?
- 26:19 - Why do some colleges have supplemental essays?
- 27:31 - What are some of the most common supplemental essays prompts?
- 34:11 - How might institutional priorities impact an individual applicant?
- 44:14 - What is a ‘Super Essay’ and how is it used?
- 49:12 - How does a student know when their application is complete?
Resources