Submitted by the Orcas Island Library.

Getting into college is more competitive than ever, with admission rates at an all-time low. The college essay is one powerful way Orcas Island students can stand out, and this program aims to help with that.

The library will have volunteer editors and proofreaders on hand to help applicants review their college application essays this Wednesday, Dec. 28th, 2022, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Community Room at the OI Library. We recommend bringing your essays in a Google Doc form, but hard copies are acceptable, too.

If you cannot make it in person, we can arrange virtual help through Google Docs. Please email Sam Gailey at sgailey@orcaslibrary.org

Open to ALL Orcas Island seniors, including homeschoolers.

Here are the kinds of things we can help with:

• Proofread/edit by hand and show you how to use free Grammarly.com to clean your essay of typos and grammar errors.

• Are you answering the question or chosen prompt?

• Have you included highly-specific details that illustrate values and insight?

• Have you accidentally diverged from the intended topic?

• Are you expressing yourself with honesty and vulnerability?

• Have you made interesting, less common connections?