Implementing the same keywords leads to homogeneity—the exact opposite of what you want in a college application essay.

Four years in, I was at a crossroads. I wanted to carve my own path as I worked with young people, earned a comfortable living, and followed my dream of writing—but I wasn’t sure how to do it all.

A sense of panic set in as I realized that somehow, I knew almost nothing about essay writing.

I tell students that in writing, voice includes details and perspective of our lived experiences, and the meaning we make from them.