<p>Do books that help you write college essays and contain sample essays really help? Or would it be better to just write the college app essays on your on?</p>
<p>As is the case with virtually anything, the more you know about what is involved, the better your final product will be. Typically, what students and many well meaning parents think are great essays are actually cliched or are topics that would cause students to be rejected. Also, often what students and well meaning but uninformed adults think are excellent writing or presentation styles are either boring, gimmicky or so dry/technical that they would put adcoms to sleep.</p>
<p>This is the best book that I've ever seen on writing essays. I like it because it has examples and it explains what worked about the essays. You can thumb through it at Amazon in their search inside area, and you also can get it cheap at Amazon's used book section: "50 Successful Harvard Application Essays: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice."</p>