OLGA LIVSHIN

Why supplemental college essays proliferate, why they are a fantastic tool for self-discovery, and how to write the most popular type Color image of a brown-skinned, curly-haired young woman smiling while wearing a graduation cap and gown. Picture by Andrea Bucelli on Unsplash. It's early October, and many high school seniors have finished the personal statement, their main college essay. Yes! But just as they breathe a sigh of relief, they realize that they have to write m

Here's how to get from stress to a thoughtful self-examination. Photo of a teenager with long hair dancing in a field with a bunch of flowers in their right hand by Quan Nguyen on Unsplash Given the high expectations for high school seniors, it's easy to forget how special a task the college essay is. A seventeen-year-old is effectively asked to consider their emerging self, find the right words for it, and present it to readers. For all the adolescents' clamoring for indepen

Image of a young woman with long hair covering her face, her fingers gripping her head. Photo by Simran Sood on Unsplash. I work with high school seniors on college essays, and almost all of them run into writer's block. Many have trouble approaching the work, to begin with. The parents are not sure what is going on--haven't they had eleven years of instruction in writing? The teens have trouble articulating why it is so hard. Suffering continues--sometimes all the way to l

Image description: a black and white photo of a teenage girl, looking askance. Credit: Jonathan Cosens Photography on Unsplash My teen...

Image description: a 7 year old girl with a Zoom filter of a plant on her head. The light reflects in three little streaks on each of her...

Creativity, quiet… and spelling help that parents don’t have to provide. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Writing helps us develop our...