In writing a college or graduate school application essay (or job application), there can be a temptation to write whatever will “work,” that is “get you in” to a more selective college than would ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write on the human/political issues surrounding college admissions. The college essay has been a common, central part of ...

Every year more than a million students use the Common Application, a standardized electronic form accepted by more than 1,000 colleges, to apply to college. And every year since 1976, the Common App, ...