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Julia Byrd: Essay Coach

I work with rising high school seniors to help them identify the meaningful, personal stories that make for standout admissions and scholarship essays. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the latest college admission and essay writing information.

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⏰ Time to Plan for a Successful Year End + Summer!

Hi, Reader! May (and summer vacation!) are just around the corner, and things are ramping up. Both of my kids are prepping for finals, and my essay students are gearing up for AP exams, followed quickly by their own finals. I know that doesn't leave a lot of time for college planning right now. And that's OK. But once you get a little breathing time, here are some things you can consider doing to get the most out of your summer. 9th-graders Build an awesome summer reading list: Start with...

4 days ago • 3 min read

Hi, Reader! It’s April 16, and do you know what that means? Either you were on the ball and filed your taxes yesterday and you’re breathing a sigh of relief today, or you’re like my household and didn’t quite get everything done like we’d hoped and had to file an extension. The years we have to file an extension in my household drive me crazy. We get the materials in January, and I try to get most of it uploaded. But then time gets away from us and BOOM. We’re up against a deadline and...

11 days ago • 2 min read

Hi, Reader! Happy Day-After-the-Eclipse Day! It was a gloomy (an understatement!) day here in Texas yesterday, and I caught the very beginning of the eclipse … and then we were in thunderstorms for the rest of it. I was bummed, but you can’t fight Mother Nature, can you? And that leaves me with a package of 10 new eclipse glasses and nothing to look at. So what does one do with them? I posted this on my Facebook page yesterday, but I thought it was worth repeating here (in case you're not...

18 days ago • 2 min read

Hi, Reader! College admissions is some serious stuff, no doubt. And I know I’m preaching to the choir when I tell you it can sometimes be stressful and feel overwhelming. So this week, let’s have a little fun with college admissions with some not-so-serious trivia. Think of it as an April Fool’s joke without any of the “Did I really just fall for that?” stress. Ready? Let’s go! Did you know that: “Alumni” comes from the Latin “alumnus,” meaning “foster son.” The University of Michigan—Ann...

26 days ago • 2 min read

Hi, Reader! Whew, it’s been a week, hasn’t it? It’s been a great one for me, and I’ve been so excited to see how many people have taken advantage of my special $67 launch price already to sign up for my resume course. But as exciting as it’s been, today’s the last day to get your access to the course at the discounted price of $67 before it goes back up to $127 at midnight tonight. Don’t miss your chance. Summer is right around the corner, and that means job applications, internship...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Hi, Reader! If you're anything like me, you're planning your spring and summer breaks right about now. So here's a friendly reminder: These vacations are a prime opportunity to dive into some college visits. Trust me, it's worth it! (How do I know? My daughter ended up attending a university that wasn't initially on her radar -- but we just happened to stop and take a tour because we were in the area. Why Spring and Summer Breaks for College Visits? Touring campuses over breaks offers a great...

about 1 month ago • 3 min read

Hi, Reader! With the special launch price of my new on-demand resume writing course ending tomorrow, I thought I’d answer a few questions that people have asked. Q: I'm not applying to colleges yet. Why should I start writing my resume now? A: High schoolers of any age are encouraged to get a head start on their resume. It's easier to document their activities and involvement as they participate, and this gives them the perfect structure for doing so. Juniors will also want to start thinking...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Hi, Reader! This summer, I was lucky enough to give a resume-writing workshop to some local students and some aspiring Aggies up at Texas A&M. Now granted, most of them weren’t super-excited initially about spending part of their summer writing their resumes. I get it. I really do. But there’s no time like the present to do those things that we need to. So we got to work. Two hours later, each of those students walked out of the workshop with an amazing start to their resume. And they were...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Hi, Reader! So now that you know why you need a resume, it’s important to understand what goes into writing a great one. There are a few important pieces to putting together an impactful resume, and I’ve included them all in my video course and companion guide, “ResuMEH to ResumYAY.” (OK, so I might not be the best at writing catchy course titles, but you can bet the content in the course is can’t-miss stuff.) Here’s just a sampling of what I’ve included in the course: My best-kept secrets...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Hi, Reader! Spring has sprung, and for many high school juniors, now is the time to start thinking about getting letters of recommendation for the college applications you’ll be filling out this summer. And with competition increasing for many schools, you want to make sure those letters of recommendation stand out. But how do you make sure you get those impactful letters? If only there were a magical document you could create and give to teachers to show how much you’ve contributed to the...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read
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