The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Soundbite by Sara Harberson

As you might expect, when I started digging into what makes a great college application essay, I started by skimming or reading dozens of books. Soundbite was the best one. Written by “America’s Favorite College Counselor” Sara Harberson, this takes a practical and marketing-driven approach to helping kids craft a great essay. Here’s an example of a tip Harberson shares:

“Hammering or repeating one theme in every section of the application doesn’t work; layering does. It’s not about overwhelm...