STRESSED OUT ABOUT YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY? DO THIS FIRST.

When you face a stressful situation, say an upcoming academic competition, the SATs, a speech, and so on — is your first instinct to distract yourself from the anxiety that arises?

Do you grab your phone, take another pass at organizing your desk, or settle for *just one more* episode of your favorite Netflix show? 

Trust me. I get it. But even though these distractions offer temporary relief, the nagging task or problem often resurfaces in our minds.
 

What if we thought about the situation differently?
 

In The Power of Mindful Learning, scientist Ellen Langer describes an experiment in which patients about to undergo major surgery were asked to positively reframe their hospital experience by pointing benefits of being in a hospital, such as having time to create and review goals, or reconnect with family and friends.

Patients who reframed their experiences positively were less stressed, took less medication and were discharged sooner than patients who did not mentally prepare themselves.

Langer’s research demonstrates how our mindset influences our experiences, including the college application process. Stretching your mind in an unconventional direction can improve the quality of your writing experience and your college essay.

 

APPLICATION TO YOUR COLLEGE ESSAY PROCESS:

What if you reframed the college essay process from a stress-filled, unforgiving rite of passage to something more...pleasant?

One of my past students, for instance, reframed her college essay process as opportunity to:

  • Improve her writing skills for Speech and Debate team.

  • Improve her writing skills for college and beyond (she wants to become a lawyer).

  • Reflect on her family, childhood experiences, community, and friendships.

  • Playfully envision her future as a lawyer.

  • Turn her life into a creative story. Other people do it. She reads their stories all the time at school...so maybe she could experiment with seeing her own life in an artistic light?

The good news is this student got into Yale; she continues to reframe challenging academic experiences and her strong GPA reflects this mindset.

Your turn.  Aside from getting you into college, what other positive opportunities might the college essay process present you?

Liz F. Bradley is a college admissions essay expert and founder of Ink Well Coach. She taps into 10 years of experience as an educator to help college applicants write winning college essays with heart and humor.

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7 SMART SITES TO LEARN FROM (AND BOOST YOUR GPA)

 

1. Crash Course

I love Crash Course. John and Hank Green (a.k.a the Vlogbrothers) explain moments in U.S. and world history, as well as topics in literature, chemistry, and biology. Their rapid tempo, funny comments and graphics make for an entertaining ride.

 

2. The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL):

If you’re stuck on an english or history class essay assignment, OWL has tons of articles on rhetorical strategies, sentence variety, writing concisely, logic in argumentation, MLA citation and so on.

 

3. Khan Academy

Kahn Academy creates short videos to explain topics in math (by grade level), science, humanities, economics, finance, computer science, and more.  You can brush up your skills and review concepts in any of these subjects. 

Set up a personalized learning dashboard on the site to keep track of your progress.

 

4. Brain Pickings:

Did you know Ernest Hemingway wrote many of his novels standing up?

Or that Ray Bradbury described lists as creative prompts that “open the trapdoor to the top of your skull?” Intense and true.  

Maria Popova writes thoughtful articles about prominent philosophers, scientists, writers, and artist on this delightful site.

 

5. Academic Earth

Imagine having a front row seat to courses at the world’s top universities. For free.

“Cervante’s Don Quixote” at Yale? Sure.

 “The Nature Of Mind” at UC Berkeley? Anytime.

All in the comfort of your home. That's a priceless deal.

 

6. Grammar Girl

I listen to Grammar Girl’s podcast daily while driving (that’s how I roll).

Mignon Fogarty, the creator of Grammar Girl, explains tricky grammar usage in 7 to 15 minute episodes.

Which is grammatically correct? “I’m good” or “I’m well"?

Turns out they're both correct.  Subscribe to her podcast to learn more. 

 

7. Ted Talks

Ted.com brings you the best of Ted Talk conferences, aptly labled “ideas worth spreading.” 

You’ll find an eclectic mix of 10-20 minute videos on topics such as...

 “How To Use A Paper Towel”

“The Power of Vulnerability

“The Next Species Of Human”

“How Your Body Language Shapes Who You are.” 

 

Listen to one TED Talk a week, or two a month, and you'll learn more about our world and how to live optimally.  You might even be inspired with new project ideas, or discover a new college major you never considered.

Other options: Idea Channel (similar in energy and tone to Crash Course) Thinkr and Big Think.

 

Do you have any favorite sites you learn from? I'd love to hear about them! Please share below.

Liz F. Bradley is the founder of Ink Well Coach. She taps into 10 years of experience as an educator to help college applicants bring heart and humor into winning college essays. 

HOW TO NEVER RUN OUT OF GREAT IDEAS

Admit it.  

You've daydreamed about creating something so wild, so inventive, so revolutionary that your work is forever forged in the history books!

Or at least shrouded in your school's memorabilia case as the main attraction for Parent-Teacher Night. 

 

But then, you sit down to work on the project...

...And all you can think about is how terrible it is and why genius is so unfair.

  

When you care about a project --  an internship application, a college essay, a presentation -- your pursuit of originality sometimes paralyzes your process.

 

But it turns out you don't need to put so much pressure on yourself. 

 

Even the greats recycled ideas to create the masterpieces we cherish.

 

Shakespeare, for instance, is said to have been inspired by Arthur Brooke's poem, "The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet."

And the first known version of the star-crossed lovers story is Ephesiaca by Xenophon of Ephesus. I bet the chain goes back even further. 

 

If Shakespeare wasn't fazed by borrowing, then you shouldn’t be either.

 

One of my favorite creativity myth busters is Austin Klein, author of Steal Like an Artist. In his book and popular TED Talk, Kleon argues that there are no original ideas, and that creativity is a remix boiled down to three basic actions:

Copy.

Combine.

Transform.

 

Copy

Yes, copy. Which is different from plagiarizing (claiming someone else's work as yours). The honorable thing to do when you copy an idea is to acknowledge the person who inspired you.

 

Kobe Bryant has no problem admitting that he copies the moves of other basketball greats like Michael Jordan. 

 

Twyla Tarp, legendary choreographer, adds " If there’s a lesson here it’s: get busy copying. That’s not a popular notion today, not when we are all instructed to find our own way, admonished to be original and add our own voice at all costs! But it’s sound advice. Traveling the paths of greatness, even in someone else’s footprints, is a vital means to acquiring skill." 

 

Copy. Physically recreate the thing until your body absorbs the idea and you can identify the specific elements that enthuse you.

 

Then...

 

COMBINE

Combine those elements with patches of other ideas. 

"Human beings...artists...are collectors," Kleon says, "Not hoarder[s] mind you, there’s a difference: hoarders collect indiscriminately, the artist collects selectively. They only collect things that they really love.” 

When you observe the world around you, collecting inspiring ideas, you increase the probability of fusing unlikely ingredients. 

 

TRANSFORM

This one-of-a-kind fusion becomes the new "invention" that earns its own right as an achievement -- one that someone else may borrow from. And the cycle continues.

 

Copy, combine, transform. Your projects may not make national news (at least not yet), but you will have created worth your own admiration. 

And in the end, that may turn out to matter most.

 

How do you get great ideas for your projects? I'd love to know. Share your comments and questions below.

Liz F. Bradley is the founder of Ink Well Coach. She taps into 10 years of experience as an educator to help college applicants bring heart and humor into winning college essays. 

PROMPT: "WHY DO YOU WANT TO ATTEND OUR COLLEGE?"

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WATCH the one-minute video below to find out what to avoid and what to include in answering this common supplemental essay prompt.

 

Do you have questions or thoughts on supplemental essays? I'd love to hear them. Share in the comments below.

 

Liz F. Bradley is the founder of Ink Well Coach. She taps into 10 years of experience as an educator to help college applicants bring heart and humor into winning college essays. 

WELCOME TO THE INK WELL COACH BLOG

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Winter hat in the summer?

Check.

Dress on a dress?

Check.

Bib? (Huh?)

Check.

I'm not sure what character I was going for, but for as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed storytelling.

Today, I also teach storytelling (Yes, your college essay is a story). 

My goal with this blog is to share writing, GPA boosting, and optimal living strategies to support your journey to your dream college and beyond.

Welcome :-)

Are there any topics you'd like me to write about?  Share your comments below.

Liz F. Bradley is a college admissions essay expert, and founder of Ink Well Coach. She taps into 10 years of experience as an educator to help college applicants write winning college essays with heart and humor.