This presentation will provide students with strategies for writing a college application essay that can make the difference between a “Yes” and a “Maybe.” We’ll look at case studies of successful essays with the goal of understanding how admission officers read them. Adam Schwartz (http://writeadvantage.net) taught writing at Harvard and Wellesley for twenty-five years. His service on Board of Admissions at Wellesley College has provided him with an insider’s knowledge of the college application process. His stories have been published in The New Yorker and he is an award-winning novelist.