Blog - Learning is Funny

Comedy Vocab is now available on Kindle

By charles | September 20, 2011

Comedy Vocab is now available on Kindle. Buy it here!

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Author Spotlight at Campus Explorer

By charles | May 26, 2011

Check out the author spotlight at Campus Explorer

http://blog.campusexplorer.com/2011/05/26/author-spotlight-charles-horn/

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Laugh Out Loud Guide now available on Kindle!

By charles | September 12, 2010

The Laugh Out Loud Guide is now available on Kindle!

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Getting the Last Laugh on the SAT

By charles | August 20, 2010

Here’s a guest post about comedy and the SAT.

Check it out!

http://www.wilsondailyprep.com/blog/2010/08/getting-the-last-laugh-on-the-sat-guest-post-by-emmy-nominated-writer/

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Must Have Back To School Supply!

By charles | August 12, 2010

The Laugh Out Loud Guide is a “Must Have” back to school supply!

Check out this link for the back to school segment on Your Carolina on channel 7.

http://www.yourcarolina.tv/ycvideo/entry/the_must_have_back_to_school_supplies/

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Brainstorming for the College Application Essay

By charles | August 10, 2010

Today we have a guest post from Laura Wilson of Wilson Daily Prep. Laura is the author of two test prep books, and has been featured in local and national publications. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan and a Masters degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Teacher’s College at Columbia University. Having worked with children from a range of economic backgrounds, Laura holds a strong conviction that all students should be given opportunities to excel.

The SAT is not the end of the road for high school students, it’s merely a stepping stone on their way to college.

The college essay is especially important because it’s not a number. Your college application is filled with numbers (test scores, G.P.A., your individual high school grades, etc.) but the college essay is your chance to show a school who YOU really are, behind the numbers. The essay is your chance to stand apart from the crowd, to SHINE! The spring of junior year and the summer before senior year are the perfect times to brainstorm and draft college essays. Senior year tends to be hectic in the fall (and senioritis sets in!) so it’s better to get a good essay under your belt early. Beginning the essay is always the hardest part so below are three KEY suggestions to consider before the pen ever hits the paper.

KEY #1: DO NOT GET PSYCHED OUT BY A “PERFECT ESSAY”

In-store books are filled with polished, professional essays – the elusive “one in a million” examples. After reading ten of these “perfect” papers, you will begin to psych yourself out, thinking that your essay will never be good enough. Even worse, you may try to model your essay after one of the examples presented in the books. Bad idea! Why? Because your college essay should reflect YOU and YOUR VOICE, not someone else’s “perfect” one.

KEY #2: DO NOT TRY TO BE SOMEONE YOU’RE NOT.

Instead, turn to yourself. You need to write about a moment, an event, a turning point, or a passion in YOUR life. Don’t write about being the captain of the football team or president of the law club. Although these are certainly impressive duties, they’re boring! All of this information is already on your application. College admissions committees want to see something more! Therefore, write about something not already listed on your resume or transcript. Write about an important friendship you formed because of playing football or a specific, exciting day spent while president of Amnesty International. Maybe you were involved in a letter campaign that changed some legislation or a guest speaker resonated with you and became a hero in your mind. These sort of details provide insight into you as a person. Remember, the primary goal of the college essay is to show you for who you are. Are you funny? Persistent? A leader? The essay is your chance to truly show off and let the college hear your voice.

KEY #3: WRITE FROM THE HEART.

Several years ago, Hugh Gallagher wrote an award-winning college essay. Below is his introduction:

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees. I write award-winning operas. I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

This essay then describes other immeasurable feats, and concludes with:

I have played Hamlet. I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But, I have not yet gone to college!

This essay spoke from the heart. Hugh was a 17-year-old high school senior. He spent 11 years in school, for 7 hours a day – just as you have! Yet, college admissions counselors seem to think that high school students should have their life figured out, their goals accomplished, and incredible tasks surmounted! As Hugh Gallagher so eloquently described in his essay, in a sarcastic, humorous tone – he is just a 17-year-old boy who wants to go to college!

So, stop thinking about writing about something exceptional and write from the heart. Write about the everyday. Write a “slice-of-life.” You want to set yourself apart from the other applicants by pointing out what makes you unique. In other words, why should they pick you?

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