College Essays

How to improve your college application

By Solomon Team / 02/06/2026

As you move through high school, you are probably beginning to wonder, what things actually look good on a college application? You know the importance of getting good grades and scoring well on your ACT or SAT, but haven’t thought much about your college application holistically. Does HOSA look good? Does JROTC look good? Does…

The College Personal Statement and Perfecting Your Narrative (Video Guide)

By Solomon Team / 09/12/2025

The personal statement is the most important part of the college application, and yet many applicants today continue to make mistakes in tone, content, or even topic. The video guide below covers the key components of a perfect essay, the common mistakes in content and style made by applicants, and how to craft a unique…

What Kind of College Essay Should I Write?

By Solomon Team / 05/29/2025

Resources for essay writing can help you put together a structurally sound essay with polished grammar and vocabulary. Unfortunately, they aren’t always the most helpful in deciding what to write about and how to write about it. Is it better to be serious, light, funny, or controversial? Any of those may be appropriate, or not,…

What Is Demonstrated Interest in College Admissions?

By Haley Artime / 05/09/2025

When applying to colleges, students often focus on writing great essays, getting strong recommendation letters, and achieving high test scores. However, one less obvious factor in the admissions process is demonstrated interest. Many colleges, particularly private and smaller institutions, take demonstrated interest into account when making admissions decisions. But you may be asking, “What exactly…

What Can I Do To Improve My College Application?

By Solomon Team / 12/13/2024

One of the most common questions higher education professionals receive is, “How can I improve my college application in a very competitive and saturated academic environment?” The application process can often seem overwhelming and clouded in mystery but there are some very clear steps you can take to show yourself in the best light during…

5 Common Mistakes Made on Supplemental Essays

By Adrienne Gilbert / 11/29/2024

Supplemental college essays are university-specific, meaning that they are something you will write in addition to the Common Application Personal Statement, but they will only be sent to the specific institution that is asking the prompt. As such, these essays pack a lot of power: these are the college and universities’ best chance to really…

How Long are College Application Essays?

By Samantha Shepard-Guerinoni / 08/30/2024

Updated: August 2024, (Originally published: August 2021) College application essays remain a cultural mainstay even during these unprecedented times. Instead of spending hours dreading the process, Solomon consultants are ready to guide you through your first draft to the final uploaded copy, and also to answer the question: “How long should a college application essay…

Can you use the same Common Application Essay when Reapplying?

By Solomon Team / 05/17/2024

So you applied to college before and did not get your desired results. With a fully completed application under your belt, you may ask yourself, how much of the application do you really need to complete all over again? Will an admissions office be able to tell if you are re-applying?  Yes, most applications ask…

Essays That Work: How to Write a Strong Common App Personal Statement

By Adrienne Gilbert / 01/26/2024

As a writer myself, I have always loved the art of storytelling. When executed well, stories have not just the power of capturing a reader’s attention and imparting knowledge, but they often also leave a lasting impression on their readers – which, when you think of a college application, is exactly what you want to…

4 Things to Know Before Applying to a Test-Optional College

By Haley Artime / 12/08/2023

Did you know that there are over 1,830 colleges and universities that have switched to test-optional over the last few years? According to Forbes, many of these schools did so to help combat the effects of COVID, but as COVID cases have been on a drastic decline schools are standing by this policy for a…