Though you may be the most brilliant, witty, and charismatic individual
we have never met, it is crucial to make wise selections about the content
that will make up your college application essays. Imagine that you were
asked to describe a significant incident in your life, and you opted to
discuss the death of your goldfish Sandy. While Sandy's passing may have
marked your passage into adulthood, it would be difficult for even the
greatest writer to overcome such a morbid and seemingly juvenile topic. Pet
fish are definitely noteworthy, but it is likely that more than one
admissions officer would find this piece on the corny end of the spectrum.
In the great majority of application folders, you will find a specific
list of application essay questions or prompts that the admissions staff
hopes will reveal insights into your character and personality. While they
are often faced with numbers to describe your high school and standardized
test performance, the application essays are one area in which you have free
reign – and words – to present yourself as an individual.
Consider the application essay as something of a long-distance first
conversation, yet you have been given the onus of making all the insights
and doing all the talking – about yourself.
Some counselors suggest spending up to two weeks preparing to write your
application essays, but we recognize that many visitors to this site will
not want to devote such an extended period of time. By your reading this
page, however, we can tell that you desire to present yourself well in your
application essays. The following suggestions will help you to begin
crafting your essays.
Before doing anything else
Before beginning to write, it behooves you to weigh the topic choices
that you have received. In some cases, universities will ask each applicant
to react to the same topic. When you do have a choice, however, it is easy
to become flustered at not feeling comfortable with any of the topics or
finding more than one topic that you'd like to pursue. In the case that more
than one topic exists, we encourage you to jot down a one-sentence summary
of potential responses to each given topic. For example, in order to cover
the prompt, "Describe an interest or activity that has been particularly
meaningful to you," you might write: "Participating in the model rocketry
competition through Science Bowl encouraged me to investigate jet propulsion
on my own." These one-sentence summaries will help you to evaluate the
potential essays that you might write without having to fret about the
details of each possibility. If done well, you will already have established
the makings of your thesis and introduction.
You should also select essay topics that will highlight your strengths
as an individual and allow you to write essays with positive tone. People
who sound like winners in honest writing are almost always are winners
in actuality, and college admissions officers want to accept winners.
You are a winner and a great individual; just show that to the admissions
officers!
After you have selected a topic
Tantamount to any strong essay presentation is a clear, logical train of
thought. Without clear connections between the statements that you make,
even an essay that reveals your individuality will seem both confusing and
unhelpful.
We suggest that you construct an outline that answers:
- What you hope to highlight in the essay?
- What specific examples support your essay's main point?
- Which example is strongest? Weakest? As a note, the strongest
examples should be reserved for the latter part of the essay, as
readers will most remember what you have said last.
- What am I revealing about my personality to the reader?
- How am I presenting myself? Like I introduce myself to a respected
adult?
Show your outline to an unbiased source. From the outline and a small
explanation from you, this source should be able to grasp the general flow
of the essay that you hope to write. By clarifying this flow, you will avoid
losing the reader on the way to making your points.
Putting fingers to keyboard
Having established a flow for the essay, follow the guidelines that you
have established. Clarify and explain when possible, without wasting words
along the way. Assume little and offer much. Please make use of our style references
in order to polish what you'd like to say. Tie together your statements with
strong transitions. Carefully read your introduction and conclusion and see
that they support and clarify the body of your essay; an off-topic
introduction or rogue conclusion can nullify all the good accomplished in
the body.
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