How should I use College Essay Guy's resources for Yale supplemental essays?
I’ve been looking at applying to Yale and I know their supplemental essays are pretty tough. I found College Essay Guy online and there’s a lot of advice on his site, but it’s honestly a little overwhelming with all the different strategies and step-by-step guides.
Has anyone used his tips specifically for Yale’s prompts this year? Did you think his approaches helped your essays stand out, or did you end up going your own way? I’m mostly worried about sounding too generic, but I also want to make sure I’m answering what Yale’s actually asking. Any tips or thoughts on which resources are the most worth reading would help a lot.
I want my essays to show my personality and not come off as trying too hard. If you have any experience with College Essay Guy for Yale, please share what worked for you!
Has anyone used his tips specifically for Yale’s prompts this year? Did you think his approaches helped your essays stand out, or did you end up going your own way? I’m mostly worried about sounding too generic, but I also want to make sure I’m answering what Yale’s actually asking. Any tips or thoughts on which resources are the most worth reading would help a lot.
I want my essays to show my personality and not come off as trying too hard. If you have any experience with College Essay Guy for Yale, please share what worked for you!
3 months ago
•
61 views
Camille L.
• 3 months ago
Advisor
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by College Essay Guy’s resources for Yale, you’re definitely not alone—his site has a ton of material, and figuring out what’s most useful can be tricky.
One of the best parts of his resources is the breakdown of each prompt. For the Yale supplementals, he often explains what the university is *really* trying to get at with each question, not just the surface-level ask. When I used his guides for Yale, I found it really helpful to read his sample essays, because seeing specific, voice-driven responses helped me move away from those generic 'I love Yale because...' answers.
For the classic Yale 'Why Yale?' prompt, College Essay Guy encourages you to get super detailed. Instead of writing about the school’s prestige or general campus atmosphere, his advice is to zero in on a club, professor, research program, or even a quirky campus tradition that genuinely intrigues you. For example, if you’re passionate about sustainable architecture, don’t just say Yale has good sustainability programs—instead, mention a research project or a class you’d love to join, and explain why. That specificity shows genuine interest and sets your answer apart from more generic responses.
His brainstorming exercises can help clarify what you want to say before you even start writing. The 'Values' exercise in particular lets you hone in on a few traits you’d like your essays to reflect. When I wrote about a challenge I faced (not a cliche sports injury, but a moment where I advocated for a new curriculum at my school), selecting a couple of core values I wanted to show made the narrative much richer and more personal.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of over-structuring, especially if you jump between too many templates. My advice from experience: read the walkthroughs and sample essays, do the values exercise, and then write a draft without looking at guides—just let your voice come through. Then, use the College Essay Guy’s checklists to refine.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make your response quirky or surprising if it feels true to you. One friend of mine wrote about his obsession with crossword puzzles and tied it into Yale’s emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. That essay got a lot of positive feedback and definitely didn’t come off as trying too hard.
So: focus on the breakdowns and sample essays, try the values exercise, and use the checklists when editing. Avoid overusing sentence starters or templates, since that can make your essays feel less original. Ultimately, College Essay Guy can be a great tool, but make sure your personality shines through—that’s what will make your essay stand out for Yale.
One of the best parts of his resources is the breakdown of each prompt. For the Yale supplementals, he often explains what the university is *really* trying to get at with each question, not just the surface-level ask. When I used his guides for Yale, I found it really helpful to read his sample essays, because seeing specific, voice-driven responses helped me move away from those generic 'I love Yale because...' answers.
For the classic Yale 'Why Yale?' prompt, College Essay Guy encourages you to get super detailed. Instead of writing about the school’s prestige or general campus atmosphere, his advice is to zero in on a club, professor, research program, or even a quirky campus tradition that genuinely intrigues you. For example, if you’re passionate about sustainable architecture, don’t just say Yale has good sustainability programs—instead, mention a research project or a class you’d love to join, and explain why. That specificity shows genuine interest and sets your answer apart from more generic responses.
His brainstorming exercises can help clarify what you want to say before you even start writing. The 'Values' exercise in particular lets you hone in on a few traits you’d like your essays to reflect. When I wrote about a challenge I faced (not a cliche sports injury, but a moment where I advocated for a new curriculum at my school), selecting a couple of core values I wanted to show made the narrative much richer and more personal.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of over-structuring, especially if you jump between too many templates. My advice from experience: read the walkthroughs and sample essays, do the values exercise, and then write a draft without looking at guides—just let your voice come through. Then, use the College Essay Guy’s checklists to refine.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make your response quirky or surprising if it feels true to you. One friend of mine wrote about his obsession with crossword puzzles and tied it into Yale’s emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. That essay got a lot of positive feedback and definitely didn’t come off as trying too hard.
So: focus on the breakdowns and sample essays, try the values exercise, and use the checklists when editing. Avoid overusing sentence starters or templates, since that can make your essays feel less original. Ultimately, College Essay Guy can be a great tool, but make sure your personality shines through—that’s what will make your essay stand out for Yale.
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Camille L.
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