1 – Why do I need College Essay Organizer?
2 – When should I start using College Essay Organizer?
3 – If I don’t use College Essay Organizer, how long will it take to find my essay questions by myself?
4 – Why would I need to use College Essay Organizer if I'm using the Common App?
5 – What if a college I'm applying to doesn't appear in College Essay Organizer's database?
6 – Do I need College Essay Organizer if I'm applying early decision?
7 – When are the essay questions in your database updated?
8 – How can I be sure College Essay Organizer's information is accurate?
9 – Don't the essays stay the same every year?
10 – How can Educational Consultants use College Essay Organizer?
11 – I'm already using Naviance or a similar type of educational management system. Can College Essay Organizer help me?
1 – Why do I need College Essay Organizer?
Odds are, you don't think you do. In fact, 87% of first-time visitors to our site say that they don't think they need it either. However, 95% of those people, once they've actually used it, declare that College Essay Organizer was absolutely necessary. That's because like most parts of the college admissions experience, the essay process is way more complex, confusing, and stressful than you ever imagined.
But don't take our word for it. If you're a student or parent, take less than a minute now and
see for yourself how many essay questions your colleges have - it's FREE. We promise all of these essay questions are not clearly laid out on the Common App (or even mentioned on the Common App for that matter).
For
Educational Consultants, we know it's hard to change your protocol. But with College Essay Organizer, it's the difference between bumbling through an old, tedious, manual approach and enjoying a new, instant, automated one. You wouldn't go to the library each time to research something when you could easily Google it and see all your info in one place. Our site works on the same premise, and even takes it to the next level by showing you how to make sense of your info with a personal writing plan. Welcome to the 21st century!
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2 – When should I start using College Essay Organizer?
Get started as early as possible so you can pace yourself and write your best essays without the rushed anxiety. Juniors should create their accounts immediately to see how many questions their colleges require and to start thinking about their topics. When the colleges release their new applications over the summer, we'll send you instant notifications and update your account with the new questions. Pace and organize yourself now so that senior year is not the mess of madness you've heard it can be.
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3 – If I don’t use College Essay Organizer, how long will it take to find my essay questions by myself?
The single-biggest misconception among students and parents is that the questions are easily found on the applications, especially if you're using the Common App. Ah, that would be easy though, and when has anything involving the college admissions process been easy thus far? The Common App colleges often have supplemental essays, department-specific, program-specific, optional, special applicant, and scholarship questions, many of which are not even mentioned on the Common App. You sometimes don't find out about them until you're trying to submit your applications. Plus, some colleges do not show you the essay questions until you have submitted part 1 of their applications, so when students inevitably procrastinate, they discover their essay questions right before the deadlines.
The reality is most students do not take the time to organize their essay requirements on their own, and as a result struggle through the process without clear direction. Students who decide to write their essays one application at a time inevitably end up doing more work and taking more time since they do not plan in advance—it's like running a marathon without knowing how long the race is. You need to know what you're up against and pace yourself. College Essay Organizer lays out the process simply and clearly from the start, showing how to make things very manageable. We're all about making your job easier, and your life a little better ... in fact, click here for a quick laugh.
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4 – Why would I need to use College Essay Organizer if I'm using the Common App?
The Common App is a free college admissions application that 456 top-ranked colleges and universities currently accept. College Essay Organizer has found the Common App to be a valuable tool for college applicants but it does not do a very good job of helping students understand and manage their essay responsibilities. That's where College Essay Organizer comes in - think of us as your private tutor helping you make the most of your Common App and essay writing experience.
While the Common App has two required essay questions and one optional one, many of the participating colleges also require their own supplemental essays, many of which are not listed or mentioned on the Common App. College Essay Organizer provides all of your questions for all of your colleges in one clear list.
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5 – What if a college I'm applying to doesn't appear in College Essay Organizer's database?
If you can't find a college, click the link on our Select Colleges page once you are logged in and just let us know! College Essay Organizer will add that college to our database within a few hours. We currently have more than 700 colleges listed.
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6 – Do I need College Essay Organizer if I'm applying early decision?
Don't make the mistake of applying to one college early and waiting until you receive notification before dealing with your other applications and essays. If you don't get accepted early, you'll have only a few short weeks, including the December holidays, to finish everything. Plus, submitting your other applications in late December sends the wrong message that you applied elsewhere, didn't get in, and are now considering less desirable options.
We encourage you to finish most of your essays and applications prior to hearing from your early decision college so you're in a good position to submit everything before the deadlines in case you're not accepted to your top choice. For those who do not get accepted early and have not yet addressed their other essays, College Essay Organizer will be your lifesaver.
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7 – When does College Essay Organizer update all the new essay questions?
Most colleges release their essay questions over the summer, but they do so at different times and it's frustrating to check each college's application daily. Even when the Common App goes live August 1, the different supplemental questions trickle in over several weeks.
We know you're eager to get started so our updating process is an aggressive one. We often post the new essay questions the day each application goes live. Sometimes we even get the official questions before then. You will get instant notification from us each time one of your colleges has been updated for the 2012/2013 season and those new questions will automatically appear in your account.
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8 – How can I be sure College Essay Organizer's information is accurate?
Accuracy and thoroughness are our top priorities, and we pride ourselves on our exceptional record. College Essay Organizer takes the data directly from the applications themselves. Each college's data is cross-checked multiple times, and we make clear in your account which colleges' essay questions have been updated for the new application season. Leading private schools, public schools, and students have used College Essay Organizer with tremendous success. College Essay Organizer is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and is partners with the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and other industry leaders.
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9 – Don't the essays stay the same every year?
No. Some colleges keep their essay questions the same from year to year, but the vast majority change them yearly, sometimes in small ways, but often to completely different prompts. The problem is that you can't know which ones will change and which ones won't—so you'd have to check them all individually. We've also noted that more colleges are adding questions to their applications each year, since essays are a great way to differentiate among applicants. College Essay Organizer provides the up-to-date questions as soon as they're available—all in one place, instantly.
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10 – How can Educational Consultants use College Essay Organizer?
Hundreds of leading Educational Consultants utilize our easy-to-use Master Account system to manage all their clients' essay plans through one simple login. You can choose to use your Master Account privately or give your students access to their individual accounts. If you are wondering if College Essay Organizer is right for your practice, please read these FAQs for Educational Consultants.
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11 – I'm already using Naviance or a similar type of educational management system. Can College Essay Organizer help me?
College Essay Organizer is the only service that streamlines the college essay process, often the most time-consuming and challenging part of the application process for students and counselors alike. Naviance doesn't address this crucial part of the application experience in any way -- it's a bit like having a computer that doesn't give you internet access. College Essay Organizer is therefore a necessary supplement to Naviance or a similar system, and can even be used on its own. The beauty is you don't have to learn how to use College Essay Organizer. Simply select the colleges and College Essay Organizer does the rest. And we're now integrated into leading systems like mycca and College Planner Pro.