How to Write a College Essay that Actually Works
So you’re applying to college. You’ve got your test scores (or not), your GPA, your transcripts, your resume of extracurricular activities and volunteer work—all essential parts of your application. Here’s the thing: those are all lists and data. With tens of thousands of other students applying to the same schools, a lot of applications are going to have the same lists and the same data as yours.
The essay can help you stand out from the crowd by showing the dynamic individual behind the data (that’s you) and giving colleges a glimpse of your personality, maturity, critical thinking, creativity, and writing ability.
Your essay is your opportunity to let your character shine and convince admissions officers that you will be a vibrant asset to their student body. To that end, we’ve got some tips for writing an essay that stands out:
Don’t strain to be “different.” When most students step into our offices, they’re still struggling to figure out what makes them “unique” or “interesting.” However, that’s the wrong place to start! Defining yourself through difference is defining yourself through other people, and what you want to do is simply be yourself.
Look inward. A great application essay opens a window into the writer’s inner life. When you’re searching for your topic, follow what interests you and what stirs your passions and emotions. When were you more scared, more nervous, more overjoyed, more obsessed, more fired up than you’ve ever been? There’s a story to tell in these emotions.
Show yourself; don’t sell yourself. Sales-y pitches like, “I believe I have the qualities of dedication, diligence, and determination that University X is looking for,” sound hollow to admissions officers. Instead, allow your readers to draw these conclusions for themselves.
Tell a story. This is a personal essay, not an academic paper, so it should build a narrative that shows some sort of growth or change in the protagonist (that’s you again) from beginning to end. A good story also has elements of scene-building and sensory description, dramatic tension, and maybe even some dialogue.
Focus on feelings. When you’re crafting your story, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the details or to take refuge in summary, but the real good stuff happens inside of you. How did you feel in the moment? What were you thinking about? How did this experience help form who you are today?
Be entertaining! Your essay doesn’t have to be a standup comedy act or an edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it should definitely not be boring. Admissions officers have to read thousands of snooze-worthy, poorly written essays during application season, so if your essay can be an interesting, enjoyable bright spot in their day, that will help your case for admission.
There’s one last huge thing you can do to ensure an excellent essay: start writing it early. Application deadlines begin as early as November 1st, and with supplemental essays and multiple application platforms, chances are you’ll have way more than one essay to write. Most of our students have around 13!
Here’s the good news: most schools accept the Common Application, and those essay prompts are already live for the 2020-21 application cycle, so you can start writing your main essay now by checking out those prompts.
Lastly, with many schools going temporarily test-optional due to COVID-19, the essay will carry more weight than ever. So if you need help choosing your topic, crafting your narrative, or honing your writing, reach out to us. We would love to help you develop the story that lets you shine.
