Writing the essay is one of the toughest parts of the college application process for many students, and if you haven't already started thinking about your topic, here's a gentle reminder to get started before the summer ends. Why? Well, nothing brings about writer's block for a high school student quite like the college essay (for most high school students, at least!).

What makes a strong essay? Very generally speaking, it's personal and well-written. As admission counselors reading the essay, we want to learn more about you (that isn't already available to us elsewhere in your application) and we hope to discover that you are a strong writer.

Throughout the coming weeks, our admission counselors will be sharing tips on the college essay on our prospective student network, which you can find here. Have a question about the essay? Feel free to post it in that forum or here on my blog, and we'll be happy to answer it for you!

Also, if you didn't catch it in your e-mail, we invite you to check out the "How Do I Write a Great College Essay?" article that appeared in our July 15 e-news.

Best of luck as you write the college essay, and please don't hesitate to turn to us if we can be of assistance. And to those of you who are already done with your essay... well, you have a few more days to spend on the beach before you head back to school!