Once your grades are completed and your volunteer and extracurricular work is logged, your personal statement is your last opportunity to make a great impression on your school of choice.

As a college applicant, chances are your personal statement will be one of the most important writing exercises of your life to date.  

To help you out, we contacted over sixty elite institutions, all from the Forbes list of top 100 colleges, to find out if we could get some personal statement advice from the admissions officers themselves. We asked them to respond to two questions:

• What is the biggest mistake a college candidate can make on a personal statement?

and

• What is the best way for a candidate to make a good impression with a personal statement?

Some amazing admissions heroes swooped in and gave us their helpful personal statement advice.

So what did they have to say? Read on.

Personal Statement Advice from Oberlin College, Ohio

Our first hero of the day comes from Oberlin College in Ohio, where an admissions counselor cautions against having your parents write your essay (sorry Mom and Dad!) and encourages you to really tell your story:

“Parents presumably know their children better than anyone else. However it is the student’s voice admissions officers are trying to hear when we read an essay. It is fine for guardians to offer suggestions and proofread. But, in the end, students need to be able to think (and write) for themselves. In addition, it is essential to have an essay read by multiple people, multiple times.

“It’s important to remember that admissions officers, even at the most selective institutions, aren’t looking for perfection in 17- and 18-year-olds.

“We are looking for the human being behind the roster of activities and grades. We are looking for students who love to learn, whose investment in ideas and words tell us that they are aware of the world beyond their own homes, schools, grades and scores.

“A well-conceived essay can help to make a student come to life and often becomes a key piece of understanding a student’s ‘story.’ We are building a community, and the essay provides insight as to how the student may fit into our community. We want to learn more about each applicant’s intellectual curiosity, character, level of maturity, attitudes, passions, creativity, and imagination.”

—Oberlin College Admissions, Oberlin, Ohio

The takeaways:

• Admissions officers want to hear your voice
• Be human, not perfect
• Tell your story with confidence

Personal Statement Advice from Union College, NY

A little further east at Union College in Schenectady (how-do-you-pronounce-that?), New York, admissions officers agree that your parents need to stand back and let you fend for yourself, they also caution against being too personal in your personal statement:

“There is no one biggest mistake. Some mistakes that I have seen more than once include: saying you would like to attend college X and sending that essay to several other colleges; using curse words in an essay; and discussing matters too personal.

“For example, discussing 50 Shades of Grey would not be a good college essay. Writing about something that does not reflect favorably on the applicant like stealing, cheating, and bad behavior, even if you are sorry, cannot work in your favor.

“Parents are anxious about their children’s college essays, but should refrain from writing them. Support your child in the writing. Make space for them to think. Encourage your child that their best effort is a wonderful thing.

“To make a good impression on an essay, I would suggest that the student spend some time with a trusted counselor or teacher discussing ideas. A conversation can help the student to get to the heart of what he or she wants to say. That preparation can lead to the student sharing his or her own story in an authentic way.

“Three drafts are a practical way to approach this formal writing assignment. School friends are not always the best editors for a college essay. Because of friendship, they will shy from telling you the truth. Again, a teacher or a counselor are both good choices to review an essay.”

–Ann Fleming Brown, Director of Admissions, Union College, Schenectady, NY

The takeaways:

• Keep it appropriate (both the content and the language)
• Draft, revise, and draft again
• Friends are great–but don’t ask them to edit your personal statement

Personal Statement Advice from University of Rochester, NY

A little ways down the highway at the University of Rochester, New York, they remind you to have fun writing your personal statement. After all, you don’t want to bore your admissions officer with a statement that doesn’t make a statement:

On the other side of the country at Stanford University, they remind you that they want to know who you really are and caution you to not wait until the last minute to start writing your personal statement:

“Ask if the essay’s tone sounds like your voice. If those closest to you do not believe your essay captures who you are, we will not be able to recognize what is distinctive about you…

“We want to hear your individual voice in your writing. Write essays that reflect who you are; use specific, concrete details and write in a natural style.

“Begin work on these essays early. Feel free to ask your parents, teachers and friends to provide constructive feedback.”

–Office of Undergraduate Admission, Stanford University, Stanford, California

The takeaways:

• Sound like, well, you
• Manage your time; this is not the time to procrastinate

Still perfecting your personal statement?

Let an expert editor help.

Yes! Edit my personal statement.

Personal Statement Advice from Northwestern and Harvard

Both Northwestern and Harvard agree that you should make sure to spend some time on your prospective school’s website before sitting down to write. And Emily Stevens, admissions counselor at Northwestern, reminds you that it’s not all about the essay:

“We review all of our application materials on a holistic basis, meaning that we look at every single part of a prospective student’s application, rather than placing the most weight on test scores, or the writing component, or grades, etc.  Be sure to check our website for the components we consider.”

–Emily Stevens, Admission Counselor, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

“To be candid, the most helpful—and honest—advice is pretty straightforward. That’s why it’s critical for you to read our website carefully when preparing your application to Harvard.”

–Marlyn McGrath, Office of Admissions, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

The takeaway:

• Check (and double-check) the requirements before you write

Personal Statement Advice from an Admissions Coach

And finally, we talked to Andrew Chen. Chen is a former admissions coach for applicants seeking admission to elite graduate and professional schools, and the author of the e-book How to get into Harvard Law School (whether you have the highest scores or not), which gives some stellar advice about best and worst practices.

Among other things, he reminds you to write with a sense of purpose and not try too hard to make a good impression (yes, you read that right!):

“The biggest mistake you can make on a personal statement is to write without a clear sense of purpose.

“Often I see applicants who write about high grades they achieved, activities they participated in, or career aspirations they have, but they don’t organize these points around a clear purpose. Colleges and universities want to see thoughtful candidates who carry a sense of purpose in what they are doing—in why they chose certain classes, why they volunteered for specific extracurriculars, why they even want to attend college.”

Chen goes on to explain that this sense of purpose makes all the difference because you’re ultimately trying to convince admissions officers to take a gamble on you:

“This is important because admissions officers reading your application, particularly at elite universities, are evaluating whether to bet on you by admitting you to their freshman class.

“The bet they are making is not only whether you can handle that college’s academic work and successfully graduate, but whether you are likely to excel there and, in turn, whether you have strong potential for becoming a leader in your future career field and an ambassador for the school.

“Students who carry a clear sense of purpose quite simply have a better chance of achieving those things compared to students who don’t.”

Well that all sounds great. How do you convince them that you’re worth it? Chen explains:

“How do you show a clear sense of purpose?

“Showing a clear sense of purpose in your essay involves at least two things. First, it involves showing that you have proactively taken advantage of the academic and extracurricular opportunities available to you.

“Rather than simply doing what was assigned to you or following a well-trodden path, you instead sought out new opportunities, proactively pursued and excelled in them, even created opportunities that didn’t previously exist.

“Second, it involves organizing your story around a theme—not simply bullet-point listing all the wonderful things you have done, but showing how one thing you did links thematically to another thing you did, which in turn links to other things. And, consequently, when you ‘zoom out’ and look at the broader arc of your academic and extracurricular choices, you can see a pattern around those choices that supports a theme about who you are, how you make decisions, and your sense of purpose in the world.

“Interpreting those thematic links requires meaningful self-reflection on the ‘why’ behind your choices.

• Why did you choose this extracurricular activity?
• Why did you enroll in this class rather than that one?
• Why did you decide to volunteer for this organization instead of that one?
• Why did you—or didn’t you—pursue a leadership role for a particular activity?

“What an admissions officer is trying to understand with these questions is how you make the decisions that are important to you, what you learned from your experiences, and how they changed you.

“Students who are in the habit of reflecting in this way are demonstrating an intrinsic self-motivation and ability to experience challenges and grow from them. They are showing that they know how to teach themselves how to learn and grow. They are able to show this because they have a clear sense of purpose.

“And that is exactly the kind of applicant the best colleges and universities want to attract.”

So how do you make a good first impression without trying too hard? Stop thinking about it so much, according to Chen, and focus on telling a good story:

“The best way to make a good impression in a personal statement is, ironically, not to think too much about making a good impression.”

“Instead, focus on telling a compelling story about who you are, what you value, and the things that are important to you.

“The key is to tell a story. People are naturally drawn to stories. Admissions officers are no different in this regard.

“An applicant who can tell a compelling narrative about her experiences, particularly when written with a clear sense of purpose, has a powerful advantage over other applicants because she is making herself memorable.

“Why is that important?

“When all the applications are read and the admissions officers are sitting around a table debating which applicants to offer admission to, how do you think they refer to specific applicants? They can’t possibly remember all their names. Instead, they refer to them in terms of what was memorable about them.

“That is why an applicant who is referred to as “the girl who took 9 AP classes, won the piano competition, and volunteered 15 hours a week at the hospital” is certainly a wonderful human being and a compelling student—but not necessarily the most memorable. Her profile isn’t rooted in a story, a journey, and doesn’t convey a clear sense of purpose.

“On the other hand, an applicant who is remembered as ‘the girl whose dad showed her how to broadcast a radio transmitter to connect with other radio enthusiasts across the country, which inspired a sense of wonder to learn engineering and excel in math, ultimately leading to building a robot prototype with a local research lab that won the state science fair, and how that experience taught her how to cut against gender stereotypes,’ is not only telling a story, but developing that story around a narrative theme—one that shows a clear purpose about who she is and what her goals are in the world.

“Use your essay to tell a personal story about what you have experienced and why it is important to you. That is how you show an admissions committee who you are. And that is the only thing they are trying to understand.

“So don’t focus on ‘making a good impression.’ Instead, show them who you are and what you care about, write about these things genuinely and sincerely, and you will make a good impression without even trying to.”

So what are you waiting for? Now that you are armed with this personal statement advice from the experts, you can get started on writing your personal statement today.

If you’re still having trouble telling your story, check out these other posts that can help you over the hump:

• 11 Secrets to Good College Essays
• How to Come Up With College Essay Ideas that Stand Out
• 4 Must-Answer Questions Before Brainstorming Personal Statement Topics

And of course, we’re always here as your trusted editors to review your admission essay and let you know whether your story is really coming through, or if it needs more work.

Good luck!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 7, 2013, but has been updated for clarity, formatting, and freshness. 

Then in mid-2015, noting the early success of the EDB, we made a big decision to focus Kibin exclusively on students and abandon our other customer segments even though this would mean a hit to top line revenue in the short to medium term.

I’ve remained relatively quiet about this transition, sharing little of our story publicly. Sure, I’ve talked about our reasons for moving away from Stripe and some other tidbits. But I haven’t really gotten into the guts of what’s been going on behind the scenes.

So why now? Why have we decided to open up and talk about our numbers and growth after not having done so for so long? Let me explain.

Kibin’s WeFunder Campaign Is Closing

Equity crowdfunding was legalized in May 2016, which allows anyone to invest in startups. This was something that was previously closed off to all but accredited investors (e.g., the wealthy). We viewed the new legislation as a great opportunity to open the doors to our amazing editors, customers, and friends who had not previously been able to invest in Kibin.

Join Kibin on its journey to $100k monthly revenue and beyond. Deadline 11/15/2016
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In response, we launched a WeFunder campaign, which is closing on November 15th. With the campaign closing in a few days, we figured it was a good time to dig into our numbers and recent growth and open the books a bit more for those who are still undecided about joining us on our journey.

Revenue & Traffic Growth

There has never been a more exciting time in Kibin’s history. Take a look at our traffic growth since inception:

Our projection of 4.3 million unique visits in Q4, 2016 would be 10x our traffic in the same period just two years ago. And while traffic in itself can be a vanity metric, ours tends to correlate well with revenue.

While our revenue hasn’t grown 10x in the last two years, it has grown substantially. You can clearly see our efforts with the essay examples database starting to pay off. Of our projected $280,000 Q4 revenue, we expect 34% of this to come via the essay database.

Q4 is On Track

Projections are nice and all, but you can manipulate a spreadsheet to show just about any future growth. Projecting the future, especially with our recent growth, is always tricky. But we now have enough data where we’re accurately predicting future growth and revenue.

October: By the Numbers

This year we kicked off Q4–always our best quarter–with a bang. Here’s a look at the numbers:

• $55.6k editing revenue: +1.1% y/y
• $30.7k essay database revenue: +185% y/y
• 1.56MM unique visits: +159% y/y

Perhaps the most important aspect of this growth was that all of the above numbers fell within 3% of our projected figures. In short, we’re extremely confident in the Q4 projections I showed earlier in the graphs.

You’ll notice our editing revenue was rather weak on a year-over-year growth perspective at about one percent. We’re still a very small team and the essay database has been our total focus. The flat growth we’re experiencing on the editing side of the business was expected and planned for. That said, as our team’s capacity grows, we will be putting more focus into that side of the business as well. This untapped potential is a great problem to have.

Become Part of Our Journey

Our team has never been more excited about Kibin’s future. It’s been a tough couple years reshaping the business and positioning it to scale, but we knew it was the right thing to do. If you want to be part of our journey, join us as an investor through our WeFunder campaign. We’ll be doing regular updates like this one for our WeFunder investors.

We’d love to have you along. The deadline to invest is November 15th, so don’t procrastinate!

As we like to say at Kibin: “To the moon!”

It shouldn’t surprise you that ridiculous people are also prevalent on social networks. While it’s easy to spot these sad saps on Facebook, Twitter, and similar networks, it’s a bit trickier when it comes to the “professional social network” — LinkedIn.

But beware, professional or not, ridiculous people flock to LinkedIn, too.

In order to help you avoid these folks (and to avoid being one!), I’m going to give you some tips on how to write your LinkedIn profile without sounding ridiculous.

Let’s get started!

LinkedIn Profile Mistake #1 – The Buzzword Buffoon

Well-documented and easily avoidable, the Buzzword Buffoon continues to be the most prolific type of ridiculous user on LinkedIn. Buzzwords are words that were once useful for describing something (like a skill set) but have been so overused that they have become trite. Think of these oldies but not-so-goodies:

•      self-starter
•      hard-working
•      high attention to detail
•      natural leader

This pathetic practice has become so common on LinkedIn that the site publishes an annual list of top 10 overused buzzwords.

But what’s the matter with buzzwords if they truly describe my skills?

I’m so glad you asked! Allow me to educate…

Not too long ago, someone looking to hire a really great developer in Silicon Valley used the word rockstar to describe his ideal candidate. At the time, this was a great idea. A rockstar developer conveys that you are the best. You’re amazing at what you do; there aren’t many of you, and anyone that isn’t a rockstar developer need not apply.

This was such a great tactic that other people began using the term in their job postings. They too wanted rockstar developers, and by golly, they were going to get them. Pretty soon, everyone wanted a rockstar developer.

Guess what happened next? All the crappy developers started describing themselves as rockstars. They wanted to be hired! But all this did was dilute the term.

As a result, the term rockstar developer no longer narrows the field of applicants and attracts top talent. Instead, it attracts a bunch of open-mic, rockstar wannabes and causes the real rockstar developers to roll their eyes at out-of-touch employers.

Remember, true rockstars don’t need to tell people they are rockstars. They just are rockstars.

The term rockstar developer has become trite, obsolete, and incapable of fulfilling its original intent. It is a buzzword. So if you’re using buzzwords to write your LinkedIn profile, you look like a buffoon. If anything, you’re communicating that you’re not actually a rockstar, but a roadie at best.

OK, that makes sense, but how am I supposed to describe myself if I can’t use super-awesome, descriptive buzzwords?

Simply put: stop telling and start showing. You don’t need fancy, well-thought-out adjectives to convey how badass you are. All you really need to do is lay down the facts and show your reader you’re legit. Remember, rockstars don’t need an introduction.

Need an example? Check out Dave McClure’s LinkedIn profile.

Dave is a bonafide badass, but he doesn’t use any lame, descriptive adjectives or buzzwords to communicate it. He tells you the companies he’s been a part of, projects he’s been involved in, and investments he’s made.

When you finish reading Dave’s profile, you think to yourself, “Wow, this dude is legit.” And he is. Strive to write your profile in this manner, and you’ll avoid becoming a Buzzword Buffoon. Congrats!

LinkedIn Profile Mistake #2 – The Grammar Goof

Seriously? LinkedIn paints itself as the “professional” network, and you have grammar errors in your profile summary? Lame.

I get it. Grammar may not be your strong suit, and improving it may not be one of your top priorities. But not looking like a Grammar Goof should definitely be on the top of everyone’s priority list. If you don’t know how to make your LinkedIn profile awesome, Kibin can help. We proofread and edit LinkedIn profiles all the time.

Come on, dude, everyone makes the occasional typo and grammar error. It’s not that big of a deal!

That’s where you’re wrong. Before you go discounting good grammar or the occasional typo, go read this little ditty by Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit.

Too lazy to bop on over there for a hot second? Ugh, alright…

In a nutshell, Kyle says that if you don’t have a good grasp on grammar, spelling, and punctuation, he simply won’t hire you. This may seem harsh and unreasonable, but Kyle’s reasoning goes far beyond grammar (as it should). He argues that an individual’s tendency to be flippant with his grammar is a telltale sign he will treat other duties with the same attitude.

Don’t agree? Imagine you’re out to dinner, a first date perhaps, with a nice, charismatic, down-to-earth guy or gal. Now imagine that throughout the entire night your date speaks condescendingly to your waiter and treats him like crap.

Is this someone you’d want to date? What other aspects of a relationship do you think this sort of behavior would bleed into? Kyle’s argument regarding good grammar is highly justified when you look at it, and understand it, from this angle.

But treating waitstaff like crap is the only way to show them that I’m better than them. This Kyle guy is obviously just an outlier.

Ummm… I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.

Kyle definitely isn’t an outlier. In fact, most employers will immediately dismiss candidates based on typos in their resumes. CareerBuilder published some interesting data on this subject.

CareerBuilder asked employers what would make them automatically dismiss a candidate from consideration, and the number one answer was resumes with typos. A whopping 61% of respondents cited this gaffe as grounds for a candidate’s dismissal. If you’re looking for work, that’s one potentially costly typo!

Your LinkedIn profile is public, and it’s safe to assume it holds as much weight as your resume. Do yourself a favor, and make sure to write a typo-free and grammatically correct LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn Profile Mistake #3 – The Third-Person Nerd

These guys are the most psychologically interesting LinkedIn users (not to mention they annoy the heck out of me). Third-Person Nerds actually talk about themselves in the third person.

If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, watch this snippet from Seinfeld:

Besides watching this episode, Travis has never actually experienced someone constantly talking about themselves in the third person. I’m a bit baffled about why this behavior has leaked into the online profile summaries of LinkedIn users.

Writing in the third person about yourself is just as bad as speaking in the third person about yourself. It’s awkward, odd, and unclear. Is this you writing about yourself, or did someone else actually write your profile summary for you? Let’s get something straight: this is not some Wikipedia profile that someone else wrote about you. You’re simply not that important.

I’m going back to Dave McClure’s LinkedIn profile for a moment because he’s a badass, and he does a great job of avoiding writing about himself in the third person. Notice how Dave uses the phrasing: “After leaving PayPal in 2004, I was…”. He doesn’t say, “After leaving PayPal in 2004, Dave was…”

Dave keeps his summary personal and in the first person because writing in the third person leaves a bad taste in the reader’s mouth. Why? It’s conceited. In fact, there’s a word for speaking in the third person. It’s called illeism.

Illeism has a few different definitions depending on context, but when using this way of speaking in your LinkedIn profile, it falls under the following:

“Idiosyncratic and conceited people are known to either use or are lampooned as using illeism to puff themselves up or illustrate their egoism.” (via Wikipedia)

Hmmm, yeah… that’s not really the message you want to convey to anyone, let alone on your professional, public profile.

So if you’ve written your LinkedIn profile in the third person, hopefully I’ve convinced you to scamper on over there and change it to the first person immediately.

While these are just three LinkedIn profile blunders, I’m sure there are more that we’re missing. What have you seen on LinkedIn that makes you roll your eyes? What would you add to our list? What other tips would you include for writing a LinkedIn profile? Let us know in the comments!

The Cybersecurity organization assesses the risks and recommends actions that are appropriate for its size and type of business. The organization also develops cybersecurity policies, designates cyber teams, carries out other cyber training and supervision, and also implements cyber security systems like the use of a tcp ip system.

Each cyber security organization develops its own cybersecurity program. The focus of a cyber security program may include: cyber training, internal controls, protecting sensitive data, information technology, network security, and threat modeling. However, all cyber security programs involve a basic understanding of privacy and cybersecurity.

In a digital world, if there is a cyber attack, the cyber security organization must respond quickly. This requires that the organization develop and implement policies and procedures that include procedures and rules for responding to cyber incidents. These rules or procedures should also include procedures for reporting cyber incidents and for taking corrective action. This is in addition to the process outlined above.

Information security, or information assurance, is the process of securing and protecting data that relates to intellectual property, trade secrets, and information necessary to protect the organizations and systems of a business. The more successful a company in protecting its data from unauthorized use, abuse, and theft, the more confident the company and its customers will be.

With the growing demand for Kibin’s services, it’s only natural that we also need to expand the team that works hard behind the scenes to ensure things are running smoothly. But hiring is tough, especially for a small company. Any new, full-time employee not only needs to make sense for the business, but that person will also have a huge impact on the company’s culture immediately and far into the future.

Luckily, we already had an ideal candidate. Naomi joined Kibin as a freelance editor on January 29th, 2013. Since then, she has become one of Kibin’s most prolific and popular editors. She boasts over 1.2 million words edited across nearly 1,200 documents, and 49 clients have bookmarked Naomi as a favorite (up until she stopped editing, more than any other Kibin editor).

I know what you’re thinking… we must be crazy to poach one of our most popular editors to join Kibin full-time. Fortunately, Naomi possesses other incredibly valuable skillsets that will be imperative to Kibin’s growth. In short, we feel she will provide more value to Kibin from an operations perspective than a freelancing one.

We’re excited for Naomi to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (from Colorado!) and begin working at Kibin HQ full-time on June 9th. She will be joining us as our Content and Operations Manager with the following responsibilities:

• Content creation
• Community management (point of contact for editors’ issues, suggestions, etc.)
• Processes and best-practices development
• Customer support
• Social media management

Naomi has already transitioned to taking over many of these tasks, so expect to be increasingly interacting with her as we approach her official start date in June.

If you want to congratulate Naomi on her new position, give her a shout-out in the comments or Tweet your congrats to @Kibin.

Kibin HQ Setting Up Shop In Berkeley, CA

As Team Kibin expands, we’ve decided it’s important to have our own, dedicated office space for which we ordered a new batch of of this sort of office chair to help with back pain.

However, for back pain relief and treatment, you may visit QC Kinetix (Ocala) clinic. We’ve officially signed a lease in downtown Berkeley right on Telegraph Avenue, just blocks from UC Berkeley.

Here’s a sneak peek at what the office currently looks like:

In the coming weeks, we’ll be putting in new carpet, painting the walls, building out a conference room, and furnishing the space. We can’t wait to move in and take some before/after photos.

Perhaps most exciting is that we’ll be walking distance from UC Berkeley, and we’ll be looking for talented and motivated interns come Fall semester. If you’re interested, please email us at team@kibin.com.

2014 is already shaping up to be a very exciting year, and we have much more planned! Thanks to all of our amazing customers for your continued support and making Kibin a reality.

Are you even aware that you are making these mistakes?

Kibin is here to help you improve your written English. We edit hundreds of ESL essays every month. By evaluating a selection of these essays, I’ve uncovered some of the more common ESL writing mistakes. These mistakes can make the difference between writing like a native English speaker and … well … not!

If you’re an ESL writer who wants to improve your English writing skills, then this post is for you. If you are a native English writer, then this post can serve as a good review for you too as, believe it or not, you also might be guilty of making some of these errors.

In this post, I’ll give you three common ESL writing mistakes that we’ve spotted in essays and some easy ways to learn to fix them.

Common ESL Writing Mistake #1: Improper Adjective Order

“Look at the gray, big whale!”

An adjective is a word that is used to describe a noun (like fat, green, or nice). And a noun, by definition, is a person, place, or thing (like cat, hot dog, Australia, or man).

If you are unfamiliar with English, then it may seem like the order of adjectives isn’t very important, so you might write something like this:

“The blue, giant, ugly sea monster swims in the ocean.”

In this sample sentence, the adjectives are: blue, giant, and ugly.

A native English speaker will (hopefully) write the sentence like this:

“The ugly, giant, blue sea monster swims in the ocean.”

The only difference between these two sentences is the order of the adjectives—the meaning is pretty much the same. However, having the wrong order of adjectives definitely makes your writing more confusing for the reader.

So, what is the proper order of adjectives? And how can you avoid making this mistake in your documents? 

Here is a table that shows the eight different types of adjectives and the order they should be in, numbered from 1 to 8:

With this table as our guide, the order of adjectives in our sentence should go like this:

Once we put the adjectives in the table, we can see that the order of adjectives is ugly, giant, and blue. So again the proper sentence reads, “The ugly, giant, blue sea monster swims in the ocean.”

Let’s try this with another sentence.

Incorrect sentence: “The fat, hairy, old, mean man told us to stay off his lawn.”

The adjectives in this sentence are: fat, old, mean, and hairy.

Let’s put them in order:

Now we have arrived at “The hairy, mean, old, fat man told us to stay off his lawn.”

I know you were tempted to put hairy in the material box … I mean the guy is really hairy, right? But, in this case, hairy is an opinion. It’s a matter of perspective. After all, the man’s not really made out of hair, which is what it sounds like if you call him the “mean, old, fat, hairy man.”

I hope this easy lesson helped teach you about the proper order of adjectives. If you need practice, check out this great series of exercises on adjective order offered by the University of Victoria English Language Center.

Common ESL Writing Mistake #2: Mistaking the Difference between Make and Do

“I have a lot of homework to make and, after, I will do a cake!”

Among the top most common ESL writing mistakes we see in the essays we edit is confusion between the verbs make and do.

Verbs are words that describe actions (to make, to do, to run, to sing…etc.).

In English, make and do are two different verbs, whereas in many other languages, like French and Spanish, one verb works for both (faire in French and hacer in Spanish). No wonder it can be so confusing for ESL writers!

Here is an easy way to remember the basic difference between make and do:

Write do when you are performing an action or a task, and, in the end, you won’t have anything new to show for it.

&

Write make when you are creating or building something. In the end, you’ll have created something new!

Here are some examples:

• You make dinner. In the end, you’ve created a yummy meal—or at least an edible meal.
• You do the laundry. In the end, you may have clean clothes, but you haven’t created anything new (nope, those are definitely the same clothes you wore last week).
• You make a speech. You’ve just created an experience (good or bad!) for all the people who listened to your talk.
• You do the dishes. Again, nothing new here, just the same old dishes, only cleaner.
• You make music. Amazing! You’ve just produced a sound where before there was silence.
• You do your homework. Are you starting to get the feeling that you use “to do” for a lot of boring, repetitive tasks and chores? Me too…
• You make peace. Congratulations, you’ve just created tranquility where before there was conflict!

Do can also be used when you’re not sure what you’re about to do—it’s a nonspecific verb that English speakers really like to throw around!

• The famous Nike shoe slogan says, “Just Do It.” You may ask, do what?
• Your mom may say, “Go do something if you’re bored!” Again, do what?

In both of these examples, the sky’s the limit. In this way, the verb to do is more versatile than its sister verb to make.

Nike probably can’t change their slogan to “Just Make It” because it would confuse their customers, who might ask, “make what exactly?” And then they might start picturing cooking an omelet or baking a cake. It’s confusing and incorrect to be nonspecific when using the verb to make.

To learn more about the differences between make and do check out these exercises offered by Woodward English.

Common ESL Writing Mistake #3: Confusing Me and I

“Me want to eat dinner alone because my boyfriend left I.”

Confusing I and me in a sentence is a mistake that both native English and ESL writers commonly make.

I know, you’re thinking a native writer probably wouldn’t write, “Me want to eat dinner.”

But a native writer might accidentally write, “Me and my boyfriend want to eat dinner,” which, when you break it down, is the exact same thing. Just take out the boyfriend (no, really! Take out “and my boyfriend” from the sentence) and suddenly you’re back at “me want to eat dinner … alone.”

Dinner alone? How sad!

Here’s the main difference between me and I.

I = the subject of the sentence. The subject is the thing, in this case the person, who is doing something, like eating dinner. “I want to eat dinner alone…”

Me = the object of the sentence. It is the thing that is having something done to it, like being left by your boyfriend. “…because my boyfriend left me.”

To recap:

• Incorrect: “Me want to eat dinner alone because my boyfriend left I.”
• Correct: “I want to eat dinner alone because my boyfriend left me.”
• Incorrect: “Me and my boyfriend want to eat dinner.”
• Correct: “My boyfriend and I want to eat dinner.”

When you confuse me and I in a sentence, you risk sounding a lot like what we imagine our cavemen ancestors might have sounded like!

• Incorrect: “Me want fries with that.”
• Correct: “I want fries with that.”

If you need more help learning the difference between me and I, check out this great learning exercise offered by ECEnglish.com.

Interview with an EFL Teacher

I had the opportunity to chat with EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher Megan Brockell. I asked her to give her best advice to students looking to improve their written English. Here’s what she had to say:

Me: Hi, Megan! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today.

[sociallocker]Megan: No problem, thanks for having me.

Me: What’s your experience teaching ESL?

Megan: I’m a certified EFL teacher with a CELTA certificate from the University of Cambridge. I’ve spent two years teaching English to students in the towns of Quito and Manglaralto, Ecuador.

Me: Wow! That sounds amazing! So, what is one of the most common problems you find in your students’ ESL writing?

Megan: I often run into the problem of over-repetition of specific words or phrases. This can be a problem for native speakers, too, but at least they usually can think of another way to phrase things if pressed. But, an ESL student may not have enough of the language at their command to vary their sentence structures and word choices, which can be difficult.

Me: Yes, as an editor I agree that over-repetition can definitely ruin a good paper. So how do you suggest that ESL writers fix this problem?

Megan:  Preferably, when they’re polishing up the paper, they should find some words or phrases that they can use to give the paper variety, though that brings me to another big mistake.

Me: Which is?

Megan: Misusing a thesaurus.

Me: Interesting! What exactly does that mean?

Megan: Honestly, the thesaurus by itself is very dangerous in the hands of an ESL student.  The funniest words crop up in the middle of sentences that were obviously taken from a thesaurus. So yeah, language students need to check that the words they’re lifting from the thesaurus really match what they’re trying to say.

Me: And how can they do that?

Megan: The best way is for them to look for more information on the word or find it in sentences online.

Me: So basically, choose a word from the thesaurus and then Google it to see how it’s used in native English documents and blogs that you find online. Right?

Megan: Exactly! And also, don’t just choose a word because you think it sounds like something a fancy-talking English speaker would say.

Me: That’s funny, yes, don’t be like a fancy-talking English speaker! That’s a great tip.

Megan: Right! Keep it simple.

Me: Do you have any other good tips to share? Like, what’s the number-one best way for an ESL student to improve their English writing skills?

Megan: To all of you ESL students, it’s critical that you READ in English. A lot! Of course, you should make sure to pick material that isn’t way above or below your level, and you may want to stop and reflect on grammar, word order, and phrases that you’re not familiar or comfortable with as you read.

Me: Awesome, that’s a good tip for anyone looking to improve their writing skills. Read a lot. Well thanks again, Megan, for the great interview.

Megan: You’re welcome. I’d better get back to this book I’m reading … I’m trying to learn Italian![/sociallocker]

One Final Note

Don’t be afraid to be yourself in your writing. Writing in English is difficult to master, and your goal is progress, not perfection.

You’ll probably never write in perfect English—most native English speakers can’t even write in perfect English! Come to think of it, what is perfect English?

The point is, if you make little errors in your writing that give you away as being ESL, that’s okay!

There are a lot of successful ESL writers out there blogging and writing in less-than-perfect English (check out Happy Schools Blog for one great example). They’re successful because they’re trying and constantly improving, not because they’re perfect.

I hope you found this post to be helpful. We have more, great ESL writing tips where these came from coming up in the near future, so be sure to subscribe to our blog!

In our last post, we wrote about 4 Must-Answer Questions Before Brainstorming Personal Statement Topics. If you haven’t read that and answered those questions yet, you’ll need to do so before moving on to this post. 

Now that you’ve answered these vital questions, you’re ready to come up with the best personal statement topics.

This is no easy task, and it should not be taken lightly.

Remember, in one short essay, you need to tell a complete stranger something personal about you that they wouldn’t learn from looking at your college application. You also need to address and squash any doubt or red flags, be interesting, and tell them why you’re excited about their school or program.

Wow, that’s a lot to cover! That’s why it’s vital that you brainstorm personal statement topics before setting out to write your personal statement. You need to ensure that you have a topic that will encompass all of these things.

Stressed out?

Don’t worry. With your lists and answers to the questions from our previous post, you’re well on your way to narrowing down some awesome personal statement topics. Let’s get started!

To make this blog series as real and actionable as possible, I’ll be using myself as a case study.

In September 2009, I was preparing to apply to law schools. Looking back on my own essay writing process, I answered our four vital personal statement questions and made my own lists.

Here are my lists of descriptive adjectives, passions, and red flags:

Now that we have our lists, let’s combine them so that all of our 3’s, 2’s, and 1’s are grouped together with one another like this:

You can see that we’ve subtly fleshed out three potential personal statement topics. Here are my options:

• Personal Statement Topic #1: Tell a story about how I’m a caring, responsible guy that enjoys writing and the law — but this sounds a little bland.
• Personal Statement Topic #2: Tell a story about an athletic, competitive runner who is also quite analytical — this sounds a little more interesting, but still feels like it’s missing the mark.
• Personal Statement Topic #3: Tell a story about a passionate poker player who also enjoys finance, is driven, and intelligent — now, that sounds like it could be interesting!

Now that you know the basic theme of your personal statement and the key points you’ll want to hit on, work through this simple exercise to better flesh out your ideas.

I’m a (descriptive adjective #1) and (descriptive adjective #2) person who enjoys (passion #1) and (passion #2). I remember the first time I (choose one of your passions). I… (write a few sentences describing your first experience or encounter with this passion). In college, (address your red flag(s) in a sentence or two). I’m excited about your program because (explain what the program can offer you and what you can offer to the program).

Your rough, short write-up should look something like this:

I’m a driven and intelligent person who enjoys poker and finance. I remember when Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker. I was randomly watching the tournament on TV and I was immediately intrigued by the game. In a few days, I was playing online poker and immediately found I had a knack for it. In just one year, I had built up a pretty nice bankroll and was traveling the world playing poker tournaments and making a living from the game. In college, I did the bare minimum to get by with decent grades. I never thought I would want to continue my education, but I’ve matured a lot since then and realize how short-sighted I was. I’m excited about your program because it will allow me to take my education seriously and I’ll be able to contribute my analytical skills. 

Once you have this written out, you’ll find it easier to elaborate and fill in the rest of your personal statement.

Remember, this is the framework of your entire personal statement and you should take some time thinking about each of your passions and deciding which one you really want to showcase.

In an ideal world, the type of school you are applying to is also one of your deep passions. Although when I was applying to law school I realized it was not a passion of mine. While crafting my personal statement, I had a difficult, if not impossible, time answering question number four: why I wanted to go to law school.

If you find yourself in a similar predicament, you should seriously rethink your career path. While I was still able to write a personal statement that was well tailored to my characteristics, I never addressed the issue of why I wanted to become a lawyer.

However, I was lucky enough to have my law school application process lead me down the road to entrepreneurship.

After completing this exercise, you will have an excellent springboard for writing your personal statement. Once your statement is drafted, don’t forget to have your favorite editor run through it! Admissions officers admit that just as important as having a strong topic, good written English is critical to a successful personal statement.

As tempting as it is to pick a topic for your college application personal statement, get writing, and get it over with – this is not the right way to go.

Chances are, you’ll get jammed up with writer’s block, end up wasting a lot of time, and become extremely frustrated.

Abraham Lincoln said it best:

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening my axe.”

If you’re anything like me, creating an outline for your essays is a pretty annoying task. But creating an actionable plan will end up saving you time and it will result in a better personal statement.

So, let’s start sharpening our axe!

A college personal statement is just that: personal. It’s not an expanded, detailed list of your accomplishments, GPA, or anything else that can be easily gleaned from your required college application.

Like it or not, you’re going to have to do a little thinking about who you are and what makes you tick. Here are four questions that you absolutely must answer before even picking a topic for your personal statement.

#1 With one-word responses, how would your friends describe you?

Unfortunately, we don’t have time to conduct a 360 review with our friends and peers. However, you probably have a pretty good idea as to how they would describe you if asked to do so in just one word.

They might say things like: intelligent, driven, caring, philanthropic, etc.

Write down as many adjectives as you can. Remember, just because it is a one word answer doesn’t mean every friend would give the same response. Your friendships and relationships are all different and we need as many self-descriptive adjectives as possible!

When you feel you’ve exhausted the possibilities and you have a complete list of descriptive adjectives, give them each a point rank from 1-3 based on how representative of you they are. A rank of 3 means you feel the adjective is very representative and a 1 means you feel it’s accurate, but it’s not how you would describe yourself to someone. Your table should look something like this:

You might be wondering what these descriptors have to do with personal statement topics. It’s important that we define how others see us and how we see ourselves before we start writing our essay. Remember, it needs to be personal and answering this question will help us lay the framework for our personal statement’s foundation.

#2 What are you passionate about?

Now that you’ve come up with some adjectives that best describe you, it’s time to uncover your true passion in life.

Passion is a powerful thing. It can tell people a lot about the kind of person you are and what makes you tick. When you talk about something you’re passionate about, you don’t need to explicitly say it’s something you care deeply about.  Other people will hear it in your voice and see it in your excitement.

It makes perfect sense that, when writing a personal statement, you’d want to incorporate something you’re passionate about. So, make a list of as many things as you can that you enjoy doing.

Your passions might be things like: gardening, running, trading stocks, playing poker, helping the homeless, etc.

Be as specific as possible with your answers, as it will save you time later on in our planning process when we start brainstorming personal statement topics. Again, rank your passions from 1-3 and set your list aside for later. For example, here’s my list:

#3 What are your red flags?

Just about everyone has those one or two things they wish they hadn’t done or had done better. Maybe your grades weren’t as high as they should have been. Perhaps you changed majors one too many times, demonstrating indecision or flakiness. Maybe you spent five years getting through a four year college without good reason. Are you lazy?

I’ve just named a few red flags that could jump out on your transcripts or college applications including: sub-par GPA, flaky, lazy, low test scores.

Chances are, you have a few red flags of your own. You probably already know them and think about them often.

The good news is, these aren’t deal breakers. In fact, red flags show that you’re human and they can be flipped on their heads to make for great stories and become great personal statement topics. As much as you may regret them, it’s best to address them in your essay even if only indirectly.

Again, list as many red flags as you can and rank them from 1-3. A score of 3 will be a glaring red flag while a 1 will be something very minor or trivial. Here’s mine:

#4 Why this, why us, why now?

Ahhh, the three whys. Sometimes this is a difficult question to answer. We know we want to go to college or graduate school because… well, because that’s the next step, right?

Sometimes we’re in such a hurry to achieve our goals that we never stopped to ask ourselves why we’re doing what we’re doing. Whether you want to become a doctor, lawyer, or concert pianist, it’s important to be able to articulate why you’ve chosen the path you have.

It’s just as important to answer “why us?” and “why now?”

Why are you choosing the school you’re applying to? Everyone wants to feel special. Colleges are no different. Is there a particular program they specialize in that has piqued your interest? Is there a particular impact you feel you could directly have on the school or student body?

Furthermore, why is now the right time to go to college? Is it wise to go straight from undergrad to graduate school? Would it be smart to get some work experience first?

These are some of the hardest questions to answer. And, while they are not required for your personal statement, they make for a nice bonus. If you were a model student and truly don’t have any glaring red flags, this question becomes much more important. Take some time and give the three whys some serious thought.

Whether it takes you three hours, or three days, think hard about these four vital questions. While writing your personal statement can be a seemingly overwhelming task,  a great first step is to break it down into manageable ideas so that you have a few great personal statement topics to choose from.

And always remember that the goal of your essay is to be a personal account of what makes you unique.

In our next post about personal statement topics, we take the lists we generated with these four questions and decide on the best topic for our personal statement.

How are you ever going to get organized and stay ahead of your professors’ many demands?  Don’t worry. Kibin has your back. This back to school special includes seven great ideas to help you gear up and get ready for a successful college semester.

#1 The Best Transportation

One major back to school consideration is finding the best transportation. Depending on your college, it’s better to walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation to class. There are a lot of advantages to foregoing a car. First, you can save money on gas, maintenance, insurance, and parking permits, and you can use this money to help pay for your textbooks and school supplies. Second, riding a bike or walking gives you a chance to get some exercise, even during your busy school schedule. And, exercising can make you a better student.

A study at the University of Georgia Department of Exercise Science has found that exercising for up to sixty minutes improves brain function and memory, but they caution that exercising to the point of dehydration has the opposite effect. The final reason it’s awesome not to have a car on campus is that you won’t be the one that everyone goes to when they need a ride off campus.

Don’t have a bike? Don’t let that stop you. Many towns now offer bike libraries where you can borrow a bike for cheap or free. Check out this directory of community bike programs compiled by the International Bicycle Fund to see if there is a service near you. And, after you’ve taken a ride to class, post your six-second bike ride video here to show why biking is so great!

I know I just told you to forgo a car, but there are some circumstances where a car is really the best way to get around. If you must have a car to get somewhere every so often, you may opt to use a car sharing service like Zipcar.

These cars can be rented for a low monthly fee if you drive fairly regularly or on an hourly, as-needed, basis if you drive infrequently. They are insured and you don’t have to worry about maintenance, car loans, or other expenses… including gas (yes, even gas)! Many universities now offer this service on campus; visit Zipcar to find out if your university is one of them.

#2 Find a Study Space

Second on the back to school agenda, now that you have transport, is finding an optimal study space. Dr. John Grohol of Psych Central says,

“Finding an ideal study place is important, because it’s (a habit) you can reliably count on for the next few years.”

Your dorm room may or may not be your best option. It depends a lot on whether or not your roommate is likely to distract you with conversation, a blaring television, and/or party plans.

Second, if you choose your dorm room as your study space, make sure that all those creature comforts you have in your room, like your game console and your cozy bed, don’t lure you away from your textbooks. You may even find your own laptop to be pretty distracting; if so, try to leave it untouched and study with just your textbooks and a notebook instead.

If that’s impossible, download an app like SelfControl (for Mac) or FocalFilter (for PC); these apps block you from accessing certain websites that you know distract you (oh, like Facebook or Google Plus) during the hours that you decide you should be studying. If this isn’t enough, Jocelyn K. Glei at 99U has compiled a list of 10 online tools to help you focus.

Laptop in tow, blocked or not, other potential locations to study include a coffee shop or your school’s library. The library is a great choice because it has additional resources you can use. And, you won’t find yourself spending five bucks on a three-hundred-calorie café mocha that busts both your budget and your diet.

If these spots are too obvious for you, check out CollegeInfoGeek.com’s list of 14 legit study spots, which includes some unusual locations, like the roof, and some very logical ones, like the gym. Reading your history book while on a stationary bike or a treadmill is another great way to make sure you get in your daily exercise!

#3 Stay Positive

Staying positive is important when heading back to school, and exercise can help you. Carl Ernst et al. of the University of British Columbia published a study showing that exercise can help alleviate depression. This is especially important as your class responsibilities get ever more intense this semester. Make a commitment to keep smiling throughout every challenge you encounter at school.

“Aim to think positively when you study, and remind yourself of your skills and abilities.” – Dr. John Grohol, Psych Central

So, to take Grohol’s advice, as you sit down to write your English essay, think about how far your writing skills have come (perhaps, in part, thanks to your Kibin editors!).

According to the happiness experts at The Pursuit of Happiness Project,

“Evidence suggests that optimism is important in coping with difficult life events. Optimism has been linked to better responses to various difficulties, from the more mundane (e.g., transition to college) to the more extreme (e.g., coping with missile attacks).”

Find ways to be a glass-half-full kind of student as you head back to school this semester; when you find yourself having negative thoughts (I’ll never finish this history reading on time!), think positively instead (I’ll finish this history reading on time, if I take it with me to the gym!). 

#4 Eat Healthy on Campus

Another great way to stay positive while going to college is to eat healthy on campus. Don’t try to subsist on Ramen noodles alone; you need to be adequately nourished to study!

Dietician Kate Fortunato says, “Skipping meals, especially breakfast, can throw off your entire routine. You may feel weak and have a hard time focusing, make poorer food choices at your next meal, and gain weight over time.”

This could spell bad news for you because, if you are unfocused, you won’t be able to finish the entirety of your astronomy assignment. So, eat your breakfast! A great breakfast includes a protein, a complex carb, and a piece of fruit. Instead of chowing down on Lucky Charms, select a scrambled egg and a bowl of oatmeal topped with fruit.

Fortunato also reminds you to make healthy choices at your school’s cafeteria by heading to the salad bar at lunch, but she says, “Stay away from creamy dressings, mayonnaise-based prepared salads, and excess cheese and croutons.”

If you’re looking for easy, healthy meals that you can prepare in your microwave (yes, your microwave can be good for something other than reheating Chinese leftovers), check out Fortunato’s awesome post about healthy microwaveable dinners. I also suggest you read this great resource for eating well on campus from Hungry Girl.

#5 Sleep Well

Now that you’re properly nourished, be sure to also get your sleep. As you get back to school, you may find it hard to sleep when you have three papers due, a test to study for, and a late shift at your job. You have to find a way though, as sleep is critical to your success.

But, how much sleep is enough? According to The National Sleep Foundation, the amount of sleep you need varies depending on your age, genetics, activities, and other factors. A good rule of thumb to know if you’ve had enough sleep is if you are able to wake up without an alarm, feeling refreshed.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: this is never going to happen… Chances are you won’t be hopping out of bed refreshed at 7AM on your way to your 8AM physics class, and I’m well aware of your habit of hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock before rolling out of bed.

According to The National Sleep Foundation, a study found that students who had caught up on missing sleep by sleeping as much as possible, settled upon naturally waking up after about eight and a half hours of sleep. Also, staying up all night to cram for your bio test may not be the best tactic.

A study by researchers at UCLA found that students who sacrificed adequate sleep hours to study actually experienced a decrease in academic performance compared to their well-rested counterparts. The lead scientist at UCLA, Professor Andrew J. Fuglini, says, “Although these nights of extra studying may seem necessary, they can come at a cost.”

Yes, the cost of not being able to think straight when your history teacher surprises you with a pop quiz the next morning! No matter how intimidating your biology test is, you need to make time to get your sleep; so, structure (ideally eight or so) sleeping hours into your master schedule. You should also try to go to sleep at about the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning (I know that’s easier said than done).

#6 Get Organized

Speaking of your master schedule, you’re going to need to be well organized as you head back to school this semester. So, have a plan, write it down, and follow it! Use one of the many organizational apps for your smart phone (a great, free one is Errands To-Do List by Yoctoville, or, for a paid app that is perfect for this type of thing, try iHomework for your Apple product).

You may also opt for a simple, paper day planner; I know that I enjoy scratching out something on my to-do list with a real pen. Record every task you need to accomplish and include deadlines for when to accomplish them. This includes your full class, work, workout, and sleep schedule, when to turn in your Shakespeare essay, and when to study for your first math test.

If, during your study session, you have a hard time deciding what task to tackle first, Greg Ferro of EtherealMind.com suggests starting with an easy subject, moving on to something more difficult during the middle of your study time, and then ending on a high note with something easier again.

So, for example, you might start with your art project, then spend a couple hours tackling your chemistry homework, and end with a review of your humanities notes.  By planning your time in advance, you’ll be better equipped to stay ahead of your homework.

#7 Accessorize

If you’ve been following me so far, you have a time and a place to study, you’re well rested and well nourished, and you’re thinking positively. Now, it’s time to accessorize!

As an expert student, you’ll need the right tools for a successful college semester. Some items you might not have considered taking to school with you include:

1. A mattress pad to make your springy dorm bed more comfortable, and help you get your sleep.
2. A mini-fridge and a microwave oven for your dorm room. This helps you whip up those nutritious microwaveable meals mentioned above.
3. Laundry detergent and rolls of quarters to run the washing machines. Obviously, you need clean clothes!
4. And, shower sandals to help you navigate the common dorm showers. Visit this blog post featuring some more often forgotten school necessities, like a toolkit, surge protector, and an electric fan.

Realistically, it’s difficult to completely follow these tips, but it is important to get close. Take it from a recent graduate of  Beloit College who survived four seemingly eternal years at college.  In our chat, she shares how she managed to get through college on six hours of sleep per night and lots of carrots:

Me: Tatiana, thanks for chatting with me today.

Tatiana: You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure.

Me: So, how did you get around your campus? Did you bike or take a bus?

Tatiana: I actually walked everywhere. Beloit is a very small campus.

Me: Oh, that’s convenient! Where was your favorite place to study?

Tatiana: I preferred studying in my dorm room. There were no distractions from other people and I kept my space neat and comfortable.

Me: So, you didn’t have a roommate, I take it?

Tatiana: Nope, I was lucky. I had a dorm room to myself all four years.

Me: You were lucky! So, how did you manage the stress of school and stay positive?

Tatiana: I found that the best way to deal with school related stress was to get off campus.

Me: Meaning what? Where did you go? Like, on vacation?

Tatiana: No, it doesn’t have to be that big. Getting off campus just means going to the movies, shopping, going out to eat–anything, even for a walk by the river.

Me: What did you eat? What was your favorite food item during your college years?

Tatiana: I lived on carrots and cereal all four years. There was no preparation needed, and it was tasty. Oh… and Monster Energy Drinks… though I probably shouldn’t admit that.

Me: Energy drinks, huh? Guess that powered you through your study sessions.

Tatiana: Yeah, you gotta do what you gotta do!

Me: Did you manage to eat enough healthy food?

Tatiana: It was tough for me to get healthy food at my school. My first two years, I bought my own food a lot and ate out because the food on campus was disgusting. My senior year, I went off the meal plan and cooked for myself.

Me: Cooked for yourself? Did your dorm room come with a kitchen?

Tatiana: Yup! All the dorms at Beloit have kitchens.

Me: That’s great!  So, how did you keep your school work organized? Did you use a paper day planner? An app?

Tatiana: Actually, I used both paper planners and electronic organizational tools. I stayed pretty organized somehow.

Me: Tell me, what are three must-have items that every student should bring when living in a dorm?

Tatiana: A laptop, a scale, and a coffee maker.

Me: Are you sure you needed that coffee maker with your Monster drinks?

Tatiana: (Laughing) Yeah, you’re probably right, huh… Now that I’ve graduated, I’ll just drink carrot juice for a while, maybe.

Me: Did you prefer to study with a partner or study alone?

Tatiana: For most of my work, I preferred to study alone. But, I studied with friends or classmates for group projects and finals.

Me: That makes sense. When you studied with other students, what do you think were the benefits of working with a group?

Tatiana: I found that pulling an all-nighter is always more efficient with others. You are less likely to fall asleep and more likely to keep a healthy and productive pace.

Me: All nighters, huh? How many hours of sleep did you get per night as a student?

Tatiana Oh, on average, I’d say I slept about 6 to 7 hours per night during the week, not counting naps during the day.

Me: That actually sounds like a fair amount, but would you have liked to sleep more than that?

Tatiana: Yes, I would have liked to get at least 8.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.

Me: Yeah, I just read that 8.5 hours is about right for college students, actually! So, do you have any other tips for surviving college?

Tatiana: Yeah, my biggest piece of advice is that it’s better to go to a college no more than two states away from your hometown–I didn’t do that and it was rough! I was in Wisconsin, while my family was in California. Having family or close friends nearby is a huge plus and undervalued by most prospective college students.

Thank you for the great interview, Tatiana!

As you can see, it just takes a little bit of planning and execution to ensure your back to school success. Tell us in the comments, what are some of your best tips for a successful school semester?

But who says you can’t mix school with pleasure?

I’m going to lay out how you can plan your summer schedule to be as hard or as easy as you want it to be. It’s up to you to knock out a harder course during summer school or simply punch the clock to get course credit for an easier class.

Summer School Is Definitely Harder

The first camp claims that summer school classes are harder than regular school classes. Maybe it’s just because anything is harder than taking three months off and working on a suntan. But believe it or not, there are other factors that can potentially make summer school courses more difficult than your regular college classes. Here are a few:

#1 No Time for Procrastination

Let’s face it, you’re human… right? I figured as much! Well, chances are you’re slightly (a’hem) prone to procrastination.

Here’s the bad news: that simply won’t fly in summer school. Just the tiniest bit of procrastination, or a single missed class, can lead to a potential domino effect of failure since you won’t have much time to catch up on missed work during the short semester. In an environment when tests can come once a week, there’s really no room for error or playing hooky when you should be studying.

So if you tend to put things off and take your time, chances are you’ll find summer school a bit more challenging than normal school classes.

#2 Lots of Material

So you thought your spring Anthropology 1140 class covered a ton of material, did you? Well if you take the next Anthropology unit over the summer, you’re going to be digging into your course material even faster!

Professors need to cover a whole lot of material in a short amount of time, which means that you’ll need to absorb a lot of information really quickly

What’s this all boil down to? You may find yourself in a situation where you have a quiz, a lab, and a midterm all in the same week! But don’t worry, the summer session is short and the pain will be over quickly.

#3 Professor’s Expectations Are the Same

Many professors will have the same expectations of you over the summer as they would have during the normal school year. You are going to have to show up on time and regularly, finish your homework, and limit your extracurricular activities so you can get above average grades on your exams.

Your professor is busy working over the summer teaching you, and, chances are, she’ll want you to work hard too! I know you can do it, just make the commitment and stick to it. Oh! And if you have a hard time getting up early for class, check out these awesome tips for never missing your 9 o’clock lecture.

#4 New Material Is Difficult

As you’ve probably already discovered by now, learning new subjects can be tough! If you sign up for that exciting summer astronomy course, for example, you may be shocked to find out that it’s not all about gazing at the stars and memorizing the constellations (yeah there’s some of that…).

There is some legit new stuff you’ll have to learn to master astronomy, so don’t get too excited about jumping on a mission to Mars just yet. First you’re going to need to figure out the difference between absolute and apparent magnitude and learn how to calculate escape velocity!

Classes you’ve never taken before can be very challenging since all the material is brand new—unlike the universe, which is 13.77 billion years old (and counting).

#5 Hours and Hours of Reading

Are you a slower reader, like me? Or does reading put you to sleep in less time than it takes you to turn the page? If so, you may want to avoid taking that Shakespeare course this summer or any other class with a ton of reading on its syllabus. You don’t want to fall behind on your homework because of simply having too much reading and too little time. If reading too slowly is often a problem for you, you may want to learn the art of speed-reading.

#6 Limited Time

Oh, so you’re planning on bussing tables at Applebee’s full-time, going camping with your friends, and acing your summer Greek Literature class in the next four weeks, are you? Well you may need a reality check. Summer school leaves little time for much else, what with all that homework, and testing, and class time.

Remember, you’re not immortal; I encourage you to be careful before you venture out this summer and try to take on too many challenges at once.

But before you get too freaked out, fear not! There’s some pretty solid evidence that summer school classes are actually easier than normal college classes.

Actually… Summer School Is Easier

#1 A Pared-Down Syllabus

Wooohoo! You only have to do a portion of the assignments that the Art History students had to do last spring! It’s time for celebration, especially if Art History is just a filler class for you. The time constraint of the short summer school schedule doesn’t allow for everything to be crammed in; that would be crazy.

This means that teachers will typically only pick out the most important aspects of the course to teach. But beware! This method is easier in some subjects (English and art classes for example) than it is in others classes (like sciences and math) where a foundation of knowledge must be meticulously laid (less can be left out).

#2 Graduate Students and Postdocs Are More Lenient Teachers

Fact: some summer school teachers are easier than the regular school year profs. This is because they are often postdoc or graduate students trying to get some teaching experience in.

There is a really great tool on the web for you to use to help you determine whether your potential summer school teacher is tough or not, but I’ll give you more on that later in this post. So hang on!

#3 You Already Know This Stuff!

Are you taking this summer class to re-take a class that you didn’t do too well in last fall? Well it may be disappointing for you to have to re-take the class, but the good news—no the great news—is that it should be easier the second go around, as you’ll already be somewhat familiar with the material. Ummm…assuming you didn’t sleep through all the lectures the first time, of course.

#4 No Time to Forget

Do you suffer from I forgot what the heck I learned in the beginning of the school year syndrome? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! And even better, you won’t have that problem this summer. During summer school, since you are covering a subject over a few weeks, rather than a few months, there is less time to forget the material. You learned the stuff just a few weeks ago, so the information you need to know for the final exam is still “fresh”.

#5 Smaller Class Sizes

The smaller class sizes of summer school mean that there is more opportunity for you to interact with your teachers, and you’ll have more chances to get all of your questions answered.

In fact, Professor Ellen Bremen, the Chatty Professor, encourages you to take advantage of this and talk to your professor every day if necessary, starting from day one. She writes, “If you need an A, or any other grade, in that summer school class, see the prof before the first class, after the first class, or walk with him/her out to the parking lot if you have to (but no stalking!).”

I know what you’re thinking by now: “Hmmm… so it seems like summer school classes really are easier. Sign me up, Sally!”

Not so fast.

Before I jumped to this conclusion and started recommending students earn some easy credit over summer, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t unknowingly sending you to the summer schools slaughterhouse. In fact, I chatted with four different college summer school professors and asked them what their opinions are on the difficulty level of summer school classes compared to normal school courses.

Is Summer School Harder or Easier? Here’s What the Profs Say

YIKES! That sounds like a nightmare.

Unfortunately, Professor Morris Maduro didn’t offer much to alleviate our concerns. He told me, “I make the same demands of students in terms of knowledge, scholarship, and responsibility. Exams, assessments, and expectations are the same as during the regular academic year.”

Oof…that’s not very good news, is it…?

But there’s hope… so don’t get too stressed out just yet.

The associate dean of UC Riverside Department of Biology Dr. Leah Haimo, says, “It is often not regular faculty who teach in the summer, but graduate students or postdocs. (For this reason), most summer school classes are not as rigorous as are the regular courses…mostly because they are not taught by regular faculty.”

Thank you Dr. Haimo for that good news, right? And she’s not alone in her opinion that you can get through the summer with little stress. 

I also talked to Dr. Eva Telzer, Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and she says, “If I were teaching summer school I would be more flexible, given that the schedule is more packed and there’s less time for the students to develop.”

Phew! So they’re not all out to make your summer miserable.

Tips for Summer School Survival

So what’s this all boil down to? Can summer school really be a good time to bank some course credit without sacrificing your entire summer?

Yes, it can be, as long as you follow these three tips on how to survive summer school:

#1 Watch Your Credit Load

If you’re going to take multiple classes, make sure they are redos or less intensive courses (e.g. don’t take organic chemistry, physics, and calculus). Typically you shouldn’t take more than two classes simultaneously, three at most, because the classes in the summer are so intensive.  In fact, most schools have a maximum credit load limit that ranges from 8-15 credits for the entire summer semester.

#2 Select Subjects That Make You Feel Like a Ninja!

If you are trying to pick an easy summer load, then select subjects that you are strong in (for me that would be English), rather than subjects that make you scratch your head in confusion (Chemistry…ick!). On the flip side, if you are trying to challenge yourself, or knock out your most hated subject, this summer, plan to take a single class that you find difficult, and focus on it like a laser beam.

#3 Snag the Most Popular College Courses

At some universities, courses that are hard to get into during the spring and fall semesters will be offered during the summer to meet demand, so this could be your chance to get into that awesome Film History class that you’ve been waitlisted for every semester since your freshman year.  But be careful, summer classes are typically first come first serve, so sign up as early as possible, especially if you’re going for the hottest course offered in your school.

And finally this brings us to the most helpful, amazing tip of all to make sure that your summer school experience isn’t too hard to handle.

#4 Use College Professor Ratings to See if Your Professors Are Easy (or Hot!)

Even if you choose less intensive classes, you can still get stuck with a “hard” teacher. Make sure you research the professor you’re considering taking a class from before you sign up.

Remember how we got you all freaked out when we told you what Professor Hyman said? Good news, according to RateMyProfessors.com, it turns out he’s rated a 2.3 out of 5 rating for “easiness,” showing that he is somewhere between an “easy A” and “the usual” when it comes to difficulty (a 5 score would denote he’s the hardest prof). So no need to get too worried, just try to avoid those 5s on the easiness scale if you don’t want a tough professor over the summer.

Now let’s say that you need to take an intensive chemistry course this summer to get those science credits you’re after. The best way to survive a summer chemistry course would be to avoid the hardest chemistry professor in the whole school (that is, unless you’re some kind of proton-neutron-lovin’ genius!).

Here’s a Step-by-Step Tutorial Showing How To Find Ratings for Professors

Step 1: Search Your School

In this example we are searching Diablo Valley College – Pleasant Hill.

Step 2: Select the Appropriate Department

Now select “chemistry” from the department drop down menu.

Step 3: Sort By the Easy Professors

Now sort the profs by the “easiness” column by clicking on the blue column header.

And voila! We’ve discovered Chemistry Professor Richard Samuelson is the hardest of the chem teachers at Diablo Valley College, with a 5.0 easiness rating, which means “hardest thing I’ve ever done” according to the scale.  And check this out, he’s been rated by 5 students, which makes his rating more believable than Professor Dorota, who has been rated by only one student so far.

To find the easiest prof, just look for a 1 or 2 score in the easiness scale.

 *Side note* if you’re looking for eye-candy this summer, just look for professors with hot peppers by their names. But, really, how do these teachers feel about being objectified? Dr. Telzer sarcastically reveals that hot peppers are “all she wants!” Love them for their brains, people!

Step 4: Read the Reviews!

This is the fun part where you really get to find out the dirt on your potential prof. Previous students will have left glowing or hateful reviews of the professor in question. Be sure to read a few to make sure this professor has the qualities you seek in your ideal summer school teacher. (And when you’re done with your summer school class, leave a review of your own!)

Final Thoughts on Summer School

The Lesson? Summer School can be easier than normal school, you just have to make sure you play your cards right.

Summer School can be easier than normal school, you just have to play your cards right.
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Just like during a normal school semester, summer school classes are either easy or difficult depending on your comfort with the course material and the difficulty of the professors. You can end up with a hard schedule if you overload yourself, or get stuck with a tough teacher.

But if you are looking for an easier summer schedule, make sure to do your research and choose your subject and professor wisely, consider how much time you want to spend doing schoolwork over the summer, and you’ll be fine. You can still enjoy your summer and get a little school credit if you plan accordingly.

Share your summer school experiences with us. Was it difficult? Was it a breeze? Let us know in the comments!