Eight College Essay Pitfalls to Avoid #dadchat

The Top Eight Essay Pitfalls - Essay Edge from Nelnet Marketing on Vimeo.

There are lots of mistakes that can be made when writing an essay or personal statement, but some tend to occur more often than others. In the video above, we take a look at eight of the most common places where people tend to have problems when writing pieces like this. Check it out and learn how to avoid issues like these.

Book Review - The Art of the College Essay

About the Book
“You can do this,” Glancy tells us. “I’ll show you how.” Face-to-face with a blank page and the pressure of writing the most important essay of their lives—the college essay—students often encounter what successful writing coach and college admissions expert Gabrielle Glancy refers to as that which shall not be named—writer’s block. "Everyone tells you what you should do—tell a story; start in the middle; show don’t tell—but no one tells you how to do it," Glancy explains. Using examples from essays that got students into the colleges of their choice, The Art of the College Essay shows what makes great essays great—and then tells you how to write one. Glancy provides a clear, highly readable, student-tested guide to writing college essays that are so powerful—so gripping, authentic, and real—that the Ad Com can only say yes. Helpful appendices list up-to-date college essay prompts, winning adjectives, grammar tips, trouble-shooting suggestions, and a step-by-step breakdown of the process.



My Take on the Book
What was great about this book was that the author was able to take a student from start to finish creating great personal statements/essays that can be turned into any college. As someone who has worked in College Admission for over 15 years, the writing of our candidates has become more and more challenging, so strong statements always put a smile on my face. That being said the author approaches this topic in a fun way that will engage any student. I found myself even motivated to get out some paper to write up a statement myself! I would also say that even though this book is geared toward the college essay process, the skills the author is teaching transcends this and can really be used for any writing endeavor!

Book Review - The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration

About the Book
What issues and trends affect higher education and student affairs today? In this fully updated handbook, leading experts discuss the answer to this and other essential questions. They provide a definitive reference for student affairs professionals at all levels of administration and management. The handbook offers specific, practical advice as well as broad approaches to planning and problem solving. It contains modernized discussions on such critical topics as institutional mission, institutional governance, understanding campus environments, finance and budgeting, assessment, program planning, staff selection, training and evaluation, and much more.


My Take on the Book
As a Student Affairs Professional, this was a book that really walks you step-by-step through the profession and what we do on a daily basis to support the students that we work with. It is a totally complete resource for all Student Affairs Personnel. I had read an earlier edition of this, and this is even more complete than the last time I read this. I have staff that never studied Student Affairs so this is going to be a great resource that I can draw from to assist them in better serving their students as well as furthering their own professional development in the field. This was well written and a book that I am so glad that I had the opportunity to re-read and experience again.


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Book Review - FERPA: Clear and Simple

About the Book
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance has always been challenging due to complex regulatory language and exposure to risk. However, institutions that do not comply are in jeopardy of losing federal funding. Accessible and user-friendly, FERPA Clear and Simple clarifies the regulations and provides a ready reference for compliance and problem solving. This need-to-have guide offers critical and relevant material (including the 2008 Amendments) from a new perspective to help staff in student affairs, academic departments, and administrative support positions understand and comply with FERPA guidelines.


My Take on the Book
As a college administrator this is an amazing book that walks you through every aspect of understanding the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). As someone that deals with students daily, I need to be able to maneuver around this act too and sometimes it is a bit unclear. This book completely cleared up so many points that I was a bit hazy on. The book is an amazing resource that I know that I can come back to whenever I need to to better understand what I need to know for the situation that I am dealing with at the point.

The authors of this book have provided clear explanations and examples that you can easily put to work at your own institution. I know for me I have already shared this with my colleagues at my university and I know that I will be keeping this in my own professional library for the foreseeable future!





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