Rating: 
Summary: On Writing the College Application Essay
Review: A hilarious, insightful, magnificent read. And a must for any applicant, high school student, or writer at-large. Bauld's writing is something itself to be emulated: a sprite, sweet blend of Charles Schultz... and Voltaire! Truly remarkable. Reading this has made a much better essayist (never mind this review!) and a more effective applicant.
Rating: 
Summary: What not to do
Review: As Bauld states up front, the proper question is not - "What should my essay be about?" - but rather - "What should I avoid?" Speaking from the position of someone who has had to endure the tedious job of reading college admissions essays, Bauld describes the process from *their* point of view to give the reader some insight into things that will immediately get you relegated to the "reject" or "wait list" stack. The list of cliches is short, easy to understand, and easy to identify in my own attempts at writing.In addition to that invaluable service of pointing out the pitfalls, the book offers some basic guidelines on essay writing. Obviously, it can't replace years of slacking off in school, so most students should know some of these things before they begin the admissions process, but it doesn't hurt to have a concise list of what to do and especially what *not* to do. I liked having the refresher - sometimes we have to be reminded about little rules and annoyances.
Rating:
Summary: What not to do
Review: As Bauld states up front, the proper question is not - "What should my essay be about?" - but rather - "What should I avoid?" Speaking from the position of someone who has had to endure the tedious job of reading college admissions essays, Bauld describes the process from *their* point of view to give the reader some insight into things that will immediately get you relegated to the "reject" or "wait list" stack. The list of cliches is short, easy to understand, and easy to identify in my own attempts at writing. In addition to that invaluable service of pointing out the pitfalls, the book offers some basic guidelines on essay writing. Obviously, it can't replace years of slacking off in school, so most students should know some of these things before they begin the admissions process, but it doesn't hurt to have a concise list of what to do and especially what *not* to do. I liked having the refresher - sometimes we have to be reminded about little rules and annoyances.
Rating:
Summary: What not to do
Review: As Bauld states up front, the proper question is not - "What should my essay be about?" - but rather - "What should I avoid?" Speaking from the position of someone who has had to endure the tedious job of reading college admissions essays, Bauld describes the process from *their* point of view to give the reader some insight into things that will immediately get you relegated to the "reject" or "wait list" stack. The list of cliches is short, easy to understand, and easy to identify in my own attempts at writing. In addition to that invaluable service of pointing out the pitfalls, the book offers some basic guidelines on essay writing. Obviously, it can't replace years of slacking off in school, so most students should know some of these things before they begin the admissions process, but it doesn't hurt to have a concise list of what to do and especially what *not* to do. I liked having the refresher - sometimes we have to be reminded about little rules and annoyances.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but incomplete
Review: As noted by many others, this is a very good book for helping applicants write their essays. But this book should not replace a guide to college admissions; in fact, while Bauld does a great job focusing on the essay, his does miss a few important tips and strategies that the more general guides include. I suggest buying this book along with books by Jay Mathews or Andrew Allen--two very good, general guides.
Rating:
Summary: It is obviously a great guide for international applicants
Review: First of all, I should mention that I am a Chinese applicant that is not so familiar with the application system in the U.S. but want to study in the Amercian colleges, so my suggestion will be effective to those international students.
This small book told me a lot about the details in the admission office of how they decide to admit or deny you. Furthermore, Mr. Bauld wrote like a tutor beside you to inform you how to present a great masterpiece that can affect in your application. What I have read are the methods to create the essays you wanna show to the officers. We often have a lot ideas in mind but do not know how to organize them and change them into an essay, that is what this book will help us to solve!
Rating:
Summary: harry bauld, great writer and teacher
Review: harry is my english teacher and helped me complete my college essay. We are all given his book and it helped a great deal, along with reading it and his help my essay was fabulous and i was also accepted early decision to oberlin. this is a great book, the one you should buy if you are only buying one, it is written exactly as he teaches and "sounds" just like him and i strongly recommend it to all high school students. Its not just dry and boring he makes sure to add humor all through the book
Rating:
Summary: I got into B.C Today!!
Review: I am writing this recommendation because I am on a high because I just got my acceptance letter in the mail. I had gotten deffered from NYU but I GOT INTO BC which is a better college. This is an incredible and undeniably the best guide in the world to writing an essay.
Rating:
Summary: NOT FOR GRAD SCHOOL APPS
Review: I cannot comment on the utility of this book for applying to undergraduate schools. It may be fabulous. The author does use humor and lots of examples to help. However, I was applying to graduate school, and the essay style is completely different (at least it was for all of my applications).
The graduate essay requires a wealth of specific information to be included. Specific, biographical information including past jobs and relevant experiences. This book discourages such broad essays - the very ones required by most graduate programs (at least in psychology). For grad school applicants, I recommend "How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School" by Richard Stelzer. Not only is it thought-provoking and well written, it includes sections for specific programs (medical, law, business, etc.)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource and easy to read
Review: I've read several books on the college application process and it is clear that the essay plays a major role in determining whether or not an applicant is accepted. Mr. Bauld has written an entertaining, informative and very easy-to-read book that is also thankfully short. No long-winded, self-congratulatory filler here! It gets right to the point and is generous with excellent examples. In fact, this book is a great resource not only for those prepping to write a college application essay, but it contains great advice for writers in general. This book is well worth its reasonable price for the ideas, motivation and examples it provides. Now I need to get a clue from Mr. Bauld and keep this short and to the point. Bye.
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