""Any story that starts will also end." As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores "what it means to be seen, to find someone...

For all the anxiety that surrounds the college admissions process, one part of the application lies completely within a student s control: the essay. In this book, Rachel Toor writing instructor and coach at all levels from high school to senior faculty, and former admissions officer at Duke University shows that the key to writing a successful application essay is learning to present an honest portrait of yourself.