Application Essays for Homeschool Success

One of the keys to winning big scholarships is to write really great application essays. The problem with application essays is that they have to be technically perfect, self-reflective essays. I know that can be a problem! I've had teenagers, and I know that "technically perfect" is a very difficult thing to get your children to do in an essay. I also had boys, and I know that self-reflection for boys is extremely difficult. Technically perfect, self-reflective essays are a difficult thing that can take a lot of time. Therefore, make sure that you have lots of time to get these essays done.

One way to do this is to have your child begin practicing their application essays when they are a junior, even as the basis for their junior year English program. When they apply to college, they will have a variety of essays to draw from. If you have a senior, I encourage you to hit the ground running the first day of senior year. Make sure their first writing assignment is a college application essay. Even if they haven't decided what colleges they want to apply to, grab a college essay topic and have your child write on it.

Often colleges will ask for more than one essay, and each one should be a completely different picture of who your student is as a person. Make sure that they never repeat anything from one essay to the other. To understand this, imagine yourself standing in a field surrounded by three friends who are taking a picture of you. Each picture is a completely different photo, a completely different side of you with a completely different background. That's how you want each of your application essays to be. For example, one of my sons played chess all the time, but he was only allowed to use the word 'chess' in one of his essays. It was difficult for him, and we had to brainstorm ideas for other things that he could write about for the other essays.

5 Reasons to Love Our Master Planned Communities

Houses in a planned community have a unique history and place in the American housing market. Going as far back as 1565, the earliest city in the nation, St. Augustine, Florida, started off as a township planned around the most efficient use of community resources. Since the humble beginnings, many other city planners are working to plan the use of resources to give citizens a greater quality of life.

By increasing the access to many social services, such as waste collection, utilities, and green spaces citizens find their lives easier. Since they are supported by a carefully planned network of service providers, these homeowners live a life free from worry. Here are five reasons you will love your new home in one of the best master planned communities.

1. Greater Land Area

Perhaps the best reason to move into a planned community is for the massive availability of space. Typically, one of these communities will cover a massive land area. Because of the abundance of space, the community can offer extensive options for recreation, such as golf courses, parks with hike and bike trails, and even water features like lakes. This allows homeowners to live the healthy and active lifestyle they have always dreamed of living.

2. Access to Commercial Centers

Successful communities will have easy access to retail shopping, grocers, and other commercial amenities to provide community members with every material good they could ever possibly want. Most communities integrate residential and commercial sectors, making access to high quality foods, consumer goods, and other amenities as easy as crossing the street.