Throughout society and in life…(Part 2)

Published Saturday, December 11, 2021 by Tarang

Last time we left off, you hopefully gained a good understanding of being concise and logical when writing your essay. Now, you must focus on the examples that you will specifically use in that essay. A good place to focus your attention first is the literary example. The literary example should always be strong because it is super specific: you are choosing a specific book and referencing certain events in the book. This sort of detailed evidence should boost your essay, but you must make sure the book is relevant to the prompt. Things to… Continue Reading

Throughout society and in life… (Part 1)

Published Saturday, December 11, 2021 by Tarang

Many students feel increased anxiety when writing the SAT essay. The task is simple enough, but the process is complicated. The essay must be completed in under 25 minutes and achieve the following: flow logically, be organized, and persuade. Unlike analytical essays, the SAT essay is testing how well you can prove your point by using concrete examples and evidence. While students of Excel are given a format to follow which can greatly help them organize their essay, they are still responsible for providing their own content to fill in that format. Another aspect of… Continue Reading

The writer who couldn’t read

Published Saturday, December 11, 2021 by Dave

Checkout the challenges popular crime novelist Howard Engel battled!

Even pros make mistakes

Published Saturday, December 11, 2021 by Dave

If you’ve sat through the three fun-filled hours of Excel’s grammar class, you’ve heard me mention After Deadline, the New York Times’ blog of its own grammatical snafus (If you didn’t hear it mentioned you weren’t paying attention!). I’ll link to it here because I think reading it is a great way to keep the rules of grammar fresh long after you’ve finished grammar school. Plowing cover to cover through a reference manual like Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, which I also mention in grammar class, can be surprisingly boring. But reading grammar rules… Continue Reading

The College Personal Statement

Published Saturday, December 4, 2021 by Nicolette

Applying for college can be a tiring and stressful process. Everything you have done in high school has boiled down to this moment – when you send your GPA, test scores, and extracurricular activities to your dream schools. However, almost all applicants have these numbers, so what really sets applicants apart is the personal statement. While reading your essay, admissions officers aren’t looking to see how your numbers stack up. They want to know about the unique qualities that only you have. Because, trust me, you have them. In many cases, the personal statement is… Continue Reading