505: What Colleges Want (Part 5): A Crash Course in the Supplemental Essays + Application with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)

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

• How to Write a Successful Common App Activities List
• How to Use the Common App Additional Information Section: Guide + Examples
• My College List (Research + Essay Topic Tracker)
• School-Specific Supplemental Essays
• Why This College Essay Guide + Examples
• How to Combine Your College Essay Prompts (To Save 20+ Writing Hours)
• What the Heck are "Hooks" and "Institutional Priorities"?
• The Values Exercise
• CEG Podcast Episode 101: Life As an Undocumented Student at Harvard
• CEG Podcast Episode 504: What Colleges Want (Part 4): A Crash Course in the Personal Statement with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)