Top college Essays that show FISKE you what works, what doesn't. 1. Writing your essay doesn't have to be stressful. Every fall, thousands of aspiring students just like you spend hours staring at a computer screen, searching for a clever opening line or a life-changing experience. It doesn't have to be that hard! 2. Counselors want to learn about you—and that's all! A good essay does not need to be a literary masterpiece or a scholarly treatise worthy of James Joyce. The best essays come from high school students being themselves, with all the depth, wit, charm, and quirkiness you bring to your daily life. We show you how. 3. So let your best come through! College-admission experts Edward B. Fiske and Bruce G. Hammond give you all the advice you need for an application essay that will open the door to the college of your choice. Fiske Real College Essays That Work includes effective examples from real applicants—some natural writers, others who struggled to find a topic—and describes how to take your essay from initial draft to final submission.

About the Author

Bruce G. Hammond

Edward B. Fiske served for 17 years as Education Editor of The New York Times, during which time he realized that college-bound students and their families needed better information on which to base their educational choices. He is the author of the bestselling annual, The Fiske Guide to Colleges and The Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College. He lives in Durham, North Carolina, near the campus of Duke University. Bruce G. Hammond co-authored The Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College and was editor in chief of The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges. He is the author of Discounts and Deals at the Nation’s 360 Best Colleges and is the school and college expert at Parent Soup, a division of iVillage.com. He lives near Albuquerque, New Mexico.