College Essays Archives - Collegiate Gateway

Seeking Out Local Scholarships

Local scholarships can be a wonderful way to offset the high cost of a college education, and they offer unique advantages over national scholarships. Read on to find out how to apply for this type of merit aid.

Maureen Meyer2025-12-01T11:43:26-05:00December 1st, 2025|Categories: ancient order of hibernians college scholarship, Class of 2030, college, college admissions, college applications, college early applications, College Essays, college list, College Scholarships, Collegiate Gateway, Julie Gross, knights of columbus college scholarship, local business scholarships, local scholarships, Merit Aid for College, Merit Scholarships, Non Need-based aid for college, NY scholarship for academic excellence, NYS Stem Incentive Program, Partial Scholarship, Scholarships|Tags: ancient order of hibernians college scholarship, college scholarships, collegiate gateway, elks club college scholarship, julie gross, knights of columbus college scholarship, Lions club college scholarship, local business scholarships, local scholarships, merit scholarships, NY Scholarship for Academic Excellence, NYS STEM Incentive Program, scholarships, state grant agency|

Merit Scholarships from Colleges

Many colleges award merit aid to entice high-performing students to attend their schools. Find out which factors determine merit scholarships and how these funds are typically awarded.

Maureen Meyer2025-11-18T13:55:04-05:00November 18th, 2025|Categories: Class of 2030, college, college admissions, College Early Admissions Programs, college early applications, College Essays, College Scholarships, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, Early Action, Early Admissions, Early Decision, Julie Gross, Merit Aid for College, Merit Scholarships|Tags: affordability of college, Bonner Scholars Program at the University of Richmond, Boston University, college scholarships, collegiate gateway, Duke University, Emory Scholars Program, FAFSA, Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program at Boston College, julie gross, Lehigh University, merit scholarships, NYU, Oberlin College, Schools that Award High Percentages of Merit Aid, Tulane University, USC, UVA Jefferson Scholar, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis|

Tips and Tricks for Tackling the Common Application Form

Read our tips and tricks to complete the Common Application efficiently and with less stress! Our recommendations include timing, essay writing, editing, and gathering important information in advance.

Maureen Meyer2025-09-17T14:44:38-04:00September 17th, 2025|Categories: class of 2026, college, college admissions, college applications, College Essays, College Resume, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, Julie Gross, Resume|Tags: 2025-26 Common Application, collegiate gateway, common application, common application tips, julie gross, personal essay, Tips for Common App|

Behind the Scenes of America’s Top Art Programs, Part IX: Admissions Process

This is the ninth post of a 10-part series on "Behind the Scenes of America's Top Undergraduate Art Programs." We provide you with an inside look at the admissions process for arts programs, including the admissions factors and application components. Read our tips on how to be a successful candidate!

How to Write a Compelling College Match Essay

Read our tips for writing an effective college match essay for your college applications. The ideal match essay will paint a picture of a two-way street in which the college is a great fit for you, and you are a great fit for it. In order to do this successfully, you’ll need to thoroughly research each college you’re applying to, then compose a compelling piece of writing articulating the specific “match” areas you’ve identified.

Maureen Meyer2024-10-24T11:10:23-04:00October 24th, 2024|Categories: class of 2025, college, college admissions, college applications, college early applications, College Essays, College Features, college list, college research, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, Early Admissions, Julie Gross, Match Essay|Tags: College Match Essay, College Professors, college tours, collegiate gateway, julie gross, Research Colleges|

Merit Scholarships from Colleges

Many colleges award merit aid to entice high-performing students to attend their schools. Find out which factors determine merit scholarships and how these funds are typically awarded.

Maureen Meyer2024-09-16T13:44:58-04:00September 10th, 2024|Categories: Affordability, class of 2025, college, college admissions, college applications, college early applications, College Essays, college list, College Scholarships, college visits, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, Early Admissions, Full Scholarship, Julie Gross, Merit Scholarships, Non Need-based aid for college, Partial Scholarship, Scholarships|Tags: affordability of college, Bonner Scholars Program at the University of Richmond, Boston University, college scholarships, collegiate gateway, Duke University, Emory Scholars Program, FAFSA, Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program at Boston College, julie gross, Lehigh University, merit scholarships, NYU, Oberlin College, Schools that Award High Percentages of Merit Aid, Tulane University, USC, UVA Jefferson Scholar, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis|

How to Write Your Personal Essay for College, Part II: Narrative Arcs

We know that it’s difficult to get started with your Personal Essay! We provide you with a variety of ways to organize your story in the most effective way possible and share some tried-and-true models to help you build a compelling essay.

Maureen Meyer2024-05-09T13:01:38-04:00May 9th, 2024|Categories: Admissions trends, college, college admissions, college applications, College Essays, Collegiate Gateway, Julie Gross, Personal Essay Brainstorm, Personal Statement|Tags: brainstorming, collegiate gateway, common app, common application, common application tips, crafting personal statement, julie gross, personal essay, personal essay brainstorm, personal statement|

How to Write Your Personal Essay for College, Part I: Brainstorming

Are you feeling overwhelmed at the thought of writing your personal essay for the Common Application? We walk you through some tried-and-true tips for crafting a tight, captivating personal essay that will wow admissions officers. In this blog post, Part I: Brainstorming, we cover how to develop the best topics to write about. In our next blog post, Part II: Narrative Structures, we provide several options for how you can tell your story.

Maureen Meyer2024-05-07T14:15:06-04:00May 7th, 2024|Categories: college, college admissions, college applications, College Essays, Collegiate Gateway, Julie Gross, Personal Essay Brainstorm, Personal Statement|Tags: brainstorming, collegiate gateway, common app, common application, common application tips, crafting personal statement, julie gross, personal essay, personal essay brainstorm, personal statement|

Early Admissions for the Class of 2028: Part II: Diversity

Take a closer look at stats released for this early college application cycle versus the past two years, and how schools will continue to pursue diversity in forming their incoming classes, despite the Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious admissions policies.

Maureen Meyer2024-03-14T10:56:26-04:00March 6th, 2024|Categories: Admissions trends, Class of 2028, college, college admissions, college applications, College Early Admissions Programs, college early applications, College Essays, College Scholarships, Diversity, Early Admissions, early admissions trends, Early Decision, Julie Gross, Scholarships|Tags: Class of 2028, collegiate gateway, Dartmouth, Diversity in college admissions, Duke, early college admissions, julie gross, KIPP Foundation, QuestBridge, STARS College Network, UVA, Yale|

How to Write a Compelling College Match Essay

Read our tips for writing an effective college match essay for your college applications. The ideal match essay will paint a picture of a two-way street in which the college is a great fit for you, and you are a great fit for it. In order to do this successfully, you’ll need to thoroughly research each college you’re applying to, then compose a compelling piece of writing articulating the specific “match” areas you’ve identified.

Maureen Meyer2023-07-20T17:31:30-04:00July 20th, 2023|Categories: college, college admissions, college applications, College Essays, Collegiate Gateway, Common Application, Julie Gross|Tags: College Match Essay, College Professors, college tours, collegiate gateway, julie gross, Research Colleges|