As short as college application essays have to be, they still contribute heavily to holistic admissions decisions. Don’t waste a single word! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Sheree Gravely to discuss how to make your college essays count. What are five things you will learn in this episode? When should students start the college essay writing process? How can students find great ideas to write about? How are the common app essay topics different from supplemental essays? Should parents participate in the writing process? What topics should students avoid writing about? MEET OUR GUEST Sheree Gravely is the founder of Gravely Group College Advising and an IEC since 2014. Before becoming an IEC, she worked in marketing for Kraft Foods, HJ Heinz, and Arthur Anderson & Co.  Sheree has a passion for helping students discover their interests and to use that to find great college options. Years of experience in private industry, education, and as a parent make her ideal as an independent college counselor.  A 1986 graduate of the University of Virginia, she was heavily involved in counseling undergrads as a Resident Assistant and Dorm Resident Manager in UVA's Residential Life program. She attended Northwestern University’s Evening Managers Program and holds a Certificate in College Admissions Counseling from UC - Riverside. Sheree is co-chair of the Midwest College Advisors Virtual Group, which includes over 40 members from OH, MI, IN, KY, and Western PA. The group meets with college admissions offices throughout the year. She is a member of the premier association of college advisors, IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association), constantly attends higher-ed training opportunities, and is always visiting college campuses to gather the most up-to-date information for her students and families.   Sheree is passionate about education. She volunteered for Chagrin Falls Unite for Education election campaign and worked on the Chagrin Falls School District’s 5-year strategic plan, as well as was a member of the committee on Instructional Practices, Resources, Curriculum, and Professional Development. She served as a member of the local advisory board for Hackett Catholic Prep HS (MI) which consulted on matters of school governance, including curriculum, marketing, and extra-curricular programming. She worked on a project for the principal to rebuild Hackett’s college counseling curriculum.  During her children’s school years, Sheree volunteered in a variety of  capacities including instructor and coordinator for Global Reading competitions, Writing Workshops, and Junior Achievement. As a member of the American Woman’s Club of Oakville (Canada), she researched and authored a curriculum comparison between US and Canadian education standards that was used by families and companies to evaluate education decisions for ex-pat students. She has lived in a variety of cities in the US and Canada and is married to Alan. They have a daughter and two sons. Sheree loves to play Mahjong and read as well as to travel, scuba dive, ski and be active! Sheree previously appeared on the podcast in episode 353 for an IEC Profile. Sheree can be reached at https://www.gravelygroupcollegeadvising.com. LINKS 7 Steps to a Terrible College Essay RELATED EPISODES WHY THIS COLLEGE, WHY THIS MAJOR? UTILIZING A REFLECTION JOURNAL TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING RHETORICALLY IN ADMISSIONS ESSAYS TABOO ESSAY TOPICS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.