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College essays are an essential part of the college application process! They give you an opportunity to share who you are to admissions readers aside from your grades and test scores. Below are some excellent essay writing tips from the "College Essay Guy", Ethan Sawyer!
7 GREAT College Essay Tips to Help You Stand Out
7 GREAT College Essay Tips to Help You Stand Out
1. Don't spend too much time obsessing over which prompt to use
2. Don't worry too much about what "they" want
3. Consider being vulnerable in your personal statement
4. Engage the readers imagination using all 5 senses
5. The ending of your essay should feel surprising, but inevitable
9 College Essay Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)
9 College Essay Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)
Common topic, common connections, common language
Sticking to the first topic that you pick
Focus only on the challenge (The Feelings and Needs Exercise)
Forcing a narrative when a montage is better
Placing a thesis at the start of your essay
Packing everything into the personal statement
Not spending enough time on your "Why us?" essay
Don't screw up: school name, school colors, school mascot
Waiting until the last minute
17 Tips for Writing Supplemental Essays for the Common Application
17 Tips for Writing Supplemental Essays for the Common Application
Organize essay topics into an essay tracker spreadsheet
Use "Super Topics" to save time
Don't talk about size, location, and weather
Don't mention rankings
Think of your "Why Us?" essay as a third date
(a) Fire Hose Approach (b) Creative High flyer with Nothing to Prove (c) Uncommon Connections Approach
Write your community service essay like Elon Musk's Powerwall Pitch
Identify the problem you were trying to solve
Identify why now?
Describe your vision for the future
Describe what you did on your project
Describe the impact of your project
Use all your short answer space
Tip for the "Why Major" essay: Pick 2 or 3 areas you're interested in
Redefine "Diversity"
Tips for the create-your-own-class essay:
Tip for the create-your-own-class essay: Make it seem like an actual course description at the school
Find a syllabus
Include required reading
Say when the class meets and where
Use a colon in the title
Your answers to the UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) should connect back to the 14 points of comprehensive review
Transfer Essay tip
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