Getting In

Getting In: The College Essay

How to present yourself well in your college application.

Listen to Episode 2 of Getting In!

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Host Julie Lythcott-Haims checks in with our group of seniors about how their college essays are coming along. The personal statement might be only 650 words, but these paragraphs have the power to make a student stand out to the admissions office, or get lost in the pack.

New Jersey 12th-grader Alessandra LePera gets essay feedback from our expert Steve LeMenager, a former director of admission at Princeton University and the president of the private college counseling firm, Edvice. And we hear more essay-writing do’s and don’ts from our panel of experts: private college counselor Parke Muth; Amy Young, director of college counseling at Avenues New York; and Josh Steckel, college counselor at the Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies and the co-author of Hold Fast to Dreams.

Send us an email or voice memo—to gettingin@slate.com. Or, call our hotline and leave a message at (929) 999-4353.

Getting In is supported by Squarespace, helping students create online portfolios and personal websites that show colleges who they are and what they can do. Learn more at Squarespace.com/gettingin.

Getting In is sponsored by Audible.com. Get a free audiobook of your choice at www.audible.com/college and use the promo code COLLEGE.