You’ve just completed your sophomore or junior year of high school, and what you want to do right now more than anything is…NOTHING at all.

Here’s why that may not be the best plan:  though you deserve a break, and should spend part of the summer relaxing and gearing up for next year, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to get a leg up on writing your college essays.

Take advantage of the gift of time.  The 2014-2015 common app contains the same essay prompts as last year’s common app.  Knowing that, you can begin writing your essays NOW.  Let’s face it, when school resumes you will be slammed with assignments;  clubs and activities will be starting up;  and you’ll most likely be preparing for SATs/ACTs.  You will never have more time than now to focus on writing your essays.  Take advantage of that time.  Start by focusing on the achievements you’d like to highlight.  What makes you tick? What experiences have you had that have shaped you?