On a gray November morning, stacks of essays sat on an admissions counselor’s desk at a New England liberal arts college. She had already read 60 that week. “I could tell within the first five lines ...

A wave of updated 2026 personal statement guides is changing how students approach college essays, stressing authenticity, narrative craft, and rhetorical strategies over mere achievement lists.

At Bucknell, we can assure you that a real human being (at least two, actually) will review your entire application, including your essay, and that they (not computers) will decide if you get in.

Matt Whittle has experience writing and editing accessible education-related content in health, technology, nursing and business subjects. His work has been featured on Sleep.org, Psychology.org and ...

Writing a college admissions essay is hard. But using AI could backfire badly. Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; Tero Vesalainen / iStock / Getty Every fall, high school students applying to ...