I'm going to give you some advice that might surprise you: if you're a rising senior reading this in June, you're actually right on time to start thinking about college essays. Not late, not behind - right on time.

Also important to note, you might not need an essay! If you are looking at more open admissions schools (community colleges, many state universities, and some private universities), an essay may not even be needed for the application process. It also might be required for some scholarships you are considering, but not for general admissions. If not required, you can just move on, but if you think there is a good chance you will need to do some writing then keep reading...

Here's why summer is the sweet spot for essay writing. You're not juggling five classes, extracurriculars, and test prep all at once. Your brain has space to think creatively and reflect on your experiences. Plus, you'll have drafts ready when applications open in August, giving you time to revise instead...

College Board made a big announcement in January that they were going to be discontinuing the SAT Subject Tests, discontinuing the optional SAT essay, and also that they were going to continue working towards a digitally delivered version of the SAT. 

What does this mean?

Dropped Subject Tests

The SAT Subject Tests were exams over individual subject areas that were used to supplement the primary SAT in the application process. Unlike the AP or CLEP tests, the SAT Subject Tests did not offer the possibility of earning students college credit.

The reality is fewer colleges have been requiring/recommending the SAT Subject tests anyways, with the ones who have been using the tests primarily being top-tier schools. So for most schools, this part of the announcement will not matter. College Board made this as a business decision, reflecting the fact that the demand for these tests was no longer there (amplified all the more by the COVID challenges to testing availability).

If you were l...