Author: Kim Lifton

Kim Lifton is President of Wow Writing Workshop. Perceptive, resourceful and curious, Kim can get a story out of anyone. Kim is a former newspaper reporter and corporate communications manager. With Susan Knoppow, Wow’s CEO, Kim developed the Wow Method by combining her journalistic training with Susan’s organization and instructional design skills. She holds a BA in Journalism from Michigan State University. Kim’s articles on the college essay appear regularly in print and on the web, and her work has been featured in a variety of newspapers, magazines and online publications. Kim and Susan have co-authored three books – How to Write an Effective College Application Essay (The Inside Scoop for Parents, Students, Counselors). They are members/affiliates of the Michigan Association of College Admission Counseling (MACAC), the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA).

The Easiest Way To Write Your College Application Personal Statement (#ClassOf2025)

Beware of the gimmicks and promises surrounding the college essay writing process. We hope you’ll ignore them because there really are no shortcuts.

Help Your Students Write Standout College Essays

At Wow, our process is our magic for standout college essays. The Wow Method is simple, effective and has clear instructions to help students succeed, every time.

How to Turn Challenging Experiences into Effective College Essays

I was delighted to be interviewed about college essays for the Admissions Directors Lunchcast, which aired in March. If you are not familiar with this podcast, co-hosts Nathan Ament (Knox College) and Teege Mettille (Enroll ml) interview experts about timely topics facing admissions. For each episode, the hosts pair one influencer (me!) with an admissions practitioner […]

Embrace the College Essay Cliché

Have you ever wondered how to help students avoid clichés? This topic has come up several times during our one-on-one meetings with this year’s CEE trainees. We get questions about clichés from pros like you every year. As you prepare for the 2024-25 application season, which kicks off this month (March Madness), consider embracing the […]

Are Your Students’ Essays Flat? Don’t Blame Brainstorming!

Engaging discussions don’t lead to effective, better college essays.

Tell Your Students to Trust Themselves!

If your students can think, they can write. In this blog, we share Wow’s favorite message for empowering students.

Brainstorming Tips for Challenging Students

Want to improve your brainstorm techniques with any student? Be a detective!

College Essay FAQs for Professionals

There’s no such thing as a “best” essay topic. We want to help students write effective essays, which looks different for each student.

Wow’s Best College Essay Coaching Tips

In this Pro Chat, Susan Knoppow answers questions and shares tips with pros to support their students and families in college application essay-writing.

Kim’s Tips for Trimming College Essays

Would you like a professional college essay review from the folks who train the other pros who guide students on college application essay writing?

How to Ace Michigan’s Essay Prompts?

Here are the prompts for the 2021-22 MIT college essay supplement, and some insight and prep questions to help you get started.

College Admissions Officer Essay Tips

I have discovered that whether admissions officers work at large, small, public, private or Ivy schools, they want reflective stories written by the student.