Host Julie Lythcott-Haims checks in with our group of seniors about how their college essays are coming along. The personal statement might be only 650 words, but these paragraphs have the power to make a student stand out to the admissions office, or get lost in the pack. New Jersey twelfth-grader Alessandra LePera gets essay feedback from our expert Steve LeManager, a former director of admission at Princeton and the president of the private college counseling firm, Edvice. And we hear more essay-writing do's and don'ts from our panel of experts: private college counselor Parke Muth, Amy Young, director of college counseling at Avenues New York, and Josh Steckel, college counselor at the Brooklyn School for Collaborative and the author of Hold Fast to Dreams. Send us an email or voice memo--to gettingin@slate.comOr, call our hotline and leave a message at (929) 999-4353. Getting In is supported by Squarespace, helping students create online portfolios and personal websites that show colleges who they are and what they can do. Learn more at Squarespace.com/gettingin Getting In is sponsored by Audible.com.Get a free audiobook of your choice at www.audible.com/college and use the promo code COLLEGE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices