Expert Advice from the Wow Team

53% of eligible families did not bother applying for aid through the FAFSA...Colleges use the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for government funded financial aid

At Wow Writing Workshop, we talk to admissions professionals at top universities across the entire country, and we take the stress and confusion out of the process of writing a college application essay.

Admissions people from small liberal arts colleges, the Big 10 and the more selective universities agreed they are tired of reading sanitized essays; they want to read more genuine stories.

Your writing voice is unique, and it will shine through when you relax and write freely. This is the voice readers want to hear in your Common App essay.

more than 1.5 million scholarships worth some $3.5 billion are awarded annually by donors, philanthropists, foundations, corporations and other charitable organizations.

College admissions officers do not want to read a story about the great buildings on campus, but they  do want to read an essay that is reflective and shows something meaningful about you.

Did you know every admissions counselor has a unique approach to reviewing college applications?

Johns Hopkins University Assistant Director of Admissions Calvin Wise isn't fazed when he sees impressive grades and test scores on applications for admission.

Admissions counselors read college essays, and they matter. "It gives us a little window into their personalities,"

Common Application Adds Word Limit to Essay Question (2011)

The early action deadline for the University of Michigan and some other top schools is Monday, Nov. 1. We know you are anxious to make the deadline, but please don't click that send button  until you have carefully proofed your Common Application and supplemental materials, including your essays.

Expert says universities, high schools need to work together It should have been a simple math question. But it stumped more than half of Michigan's fourth-graders last year. Many of them never catch on, even by high school. As a result, remedial education classes are flourishing at colleges and universities. Walk onto any of the state's 28 community colleges, and one of every five students is enrolled in a remedial education course. National data suggests that one in five students at four-year colleges seek remedial coursework, too.