<p>The copyright is 1987. Also, the example essay in chapter 4 on being in the late end of the baby boom is obviously old too. The first chapter or so has outdated information on college admissions that isn't horribly inaccurate, but not really spot on today. But that's not what's important, I just want to know if the book is reliable for its essay tips even in 2010. What do you think?</p>
<p>I haven’t read the book, but I would think essay tips in general would remain fairly constant. If you want to go straight to the source, you could always check out a site like The Essay Exchange (essayexchange.org).</p>
<p>No. In my opinion, it’s one of the best essay books out there.</p>
<p>Funny you should ask if it’s outdated. I’m currently at Harvard right now and that was the first book I consulted on writing college essays. Even if the admissions information is out-dated, the same principles of maintaining your voice and making the essay truly unique to YOU is still true. See the Bathroom Buddha essay (I forgot the name of it, but that’s what it was referenced to later in the book).</p>
<p>The CollegeConfidential review says that Bauld’s book is “as fresh and pertinent today as it was back in 1987 when it first came out.” [College</a> Confidential Book Review College Admissions Book - Essay Writing](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_books/college_essay.htm][b]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_books/college_essay.htm)</p>
<p>The other essay advice book CollegeConfidential likes is Concise Advice: Jump-Starting Your College Admissions Essays. [College</a> Confidential Book Review College Application Essays](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_books/college-application-essays.htm][b]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_books/college-application-essays.htm) </p>
<p>sqdwfe13, who has been posting a lot here, just got advice from the author of Concise Advice for her personal statement. Ask her what she thought about his approach.</p>
<p>Hi there!</p>
<p>I’d highly recommend Concise Advice: Jump-Starting Your College Admissions Essays for your college essays. The book seems to be for people who are just starting out with their essays. However, when I heard about the book, I’d already finished writing a draft of my Common App essay and kept making changes to it based on advice I’d been getting from people who’d been reading it, because different people had been giving me different advice, leaving me confused about what would be best to do. I never thought I’d end up with a version I’d be satisfied with. Then, however, I stumbled upon the advice in this book.</p>
<p>The author recommends several things: (1) Drop your reader directly into the story with a captivating hook, maybe by describing the setting you’re in, (2) The essay should show more than just a moment in time, but a transition to a better you (the best way to work on this is write the last paragraph about the “new” you right after writing your first paragraph about you at your starting point), (3) Write the paragraphs in between the first and the last, which you can now focus on completely, showing how you got from the starting point to the end result, and (4) Make a “coda” paragraph at the end with a sentence or two that ends the essay on a good note and leaves an impression on the reader.</p>
<p>I think that if somebody follows this format for writing their Common App essay, the end result will be a simple/straightforward yet powerful and interesting-enough-to-be-memorable essay. Additionally, the format is very simple to follow. If you’re having trouble writing your college essays, check out this book for sure!!</p>
<p>Wow! Thanks…</p>