College Essay

Like the application form, the essays provide you with an opportunity to convey something about yourself that goes beyond the objective data. This part of the process is the most important and requires the most attention. Above all, essays should be well written and carefully edited, and you should strive to keep them within the prescribed length. If there is no specified length, write 500-600 words. Again, consider your audience. Admission officers reading two dozen applications on a dark February night do not want to read five pages of high school economic theory or a rewritten English paper. They want to read something short, lively, and insightful that will tell them something interesting about you. It should reveal what is important to you: your family, your neighborhood, a particularly moving/amusing/enriching experience, your intellectual growth. Make sure you let you personality shine through your entire essay.

Unless the college specifically requests it, avoid the general autobiographical essay. Most essay topics are fairly broad and open-ended, but if the question is quite specific, make sure you answer it. You may only need to adapt an essay you wrote for another application, or you may have to write an altogether new one. In the long run, it is worth the effort to make sure that the essay you write suits the application of the college for which you are writing it.

Recently, greater emphasis is being placed on short response questions in college applications. These are questions that require a one-paragraph or 150 word response. You should not underestimate the extent to which colleges value these responses. Therefore, equal time and preparation should be dedicated to both the long and short response essays.

Helpful College Essay Tips

You should not send photocopies of your unless you are using the Common Application. The case of Williams College reading an essay about why a candidate wishes to attend Yale, while amusing, is all too common and often brings distressing consequences for the candidate.
Essays should have a positive time. Overcoming adversity or reacting well to a setback demonstrates strength of character. Instead of writing, "My test scores are low, but I know I'm smarter than that," write, "Conquering the challenges presented by standardized tests has taught me a great deal about taking a flexible approach to problem solving."
Try to avoid much-used topics: Outward Bound experiences, trips to Hawaii, how sports build character. Avoid excess in attempting to be original, memorable or profound -- sometimes less is more. Be careful of humor that could be perceived as inappropriate, as well as sarcasm.
Think of the essay as an opportunity to add a new dimension to your folder. Avoid repeating facts, figures, or activities that your have mentioned previously in the application unless they have particular bearing on the development of your character.
Get some feedback on your finished product. Ask a teacher, counselor, or parent to read and critique your essay for its form and content. What does your essay communicate about your character and personality? While it is helpful to get feedback on your essay(s), be sure that the final draft reflects your original thinking, writing, and style.

Essay Do's and Dont's

DO:

Own it. Your essay should reflect the same values you are setting forth in the rest of your application.
Keep it short. Show, don't tell, and yourself to get creative.
Make one point well.
Proofread and have editors.
Like it!
Essays that work are:
- Captivating
- Natural
- Clear and straight to the point
- Interesting
- Unique (does not mean it has to be about something extraordinary)
- Focused on showing rather than telling

DON'T:

Get into the three D's: death, divorce, and disaster. If you do choose one of these topics, remember that you should focus less on the events that occurred and more on how they affected you personally.
Blame others for your situation. Stay positive!
Use a thesaurus. Write what comes naturally to you.
Essays that fall flat:
- Showcase weakness
- Contain errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling
- Are too long or too short
- Do not answer the question
- Feel forced
- Fall into the trap of using cliched subjects (avoid "the big game" essay)
- Lead up to a predictable ending (the reader should want - and need - to finish reading)
- Raise red flags about your character or behavior (don't write about a drunken weekend or a fight with another student)
- Discuss topics the admissions counselor has already learned about from the transcript or resume

Current Topics for Common Application

The Common Application provides five essay topics that will rotate on a yearly basis. Keep your Common Application essay general, you can write college specific information on a institution's supplement. The topics for the current Common Application are:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Brainstorming the Essay

Here are 30 questions you can consider as you brainstorm topics for your college essay:

Your Goals and Values

What aspects of your high school years would you have changed?
What aspects of your high school years have you enjoyed the most?
How do you define success?
What kind of person would you like to become?
Is there anything you have ever secretly wanted to do or be?
What events or experiences have shaped your growth and way of thinking?

Your Education

What are your academic interests?
What do you choose to learn when you can learn on your own? (Consider interested pursued beyond class assignments.)
What methods of teaching and style of teaching engage your interest and effort the most?
How has your school environment encouraged you to develop your interest, talents, and abilities?
What has been your most stimulating intellectual experience in recent years?
How well has your school prepared you for college?
Have you worked up to your potential in high school?
Are there any outside circumstances in your recent experience or background that have interfered with your academic performance?

Your Activities and Interests

What activities do you most enjoy outside the daily routine of school and other responsibilities? Which activities have meant the most to you?
Do you activities show any pattern of commitment, competence, or contribution?
What do you most enjoy doing? What do you do for fun? For relaxation?

The World Around You

How would you describe your school, family, and hometown? How has your environment influenced your way of thinking?
How have the expectations of your parents and friends influenced the goals and standards you set for yourself?
What has been the most controversial issue in your school or community and how does the issue concern you?
Have you ever encountered people who thought and acted differently that you did? What did you learn about yourself and others?
What distresses you most often about the world around you and why?
Do you have any current heroes or heroines?
What books have you read that have changed your way of thinking?

Your Personality and Relationships with Others

How would someone who knows you well describe you?
Which relationships are most important to you and why?
What kind of people do associate with and admire?
How are you influenced by others who are important to you?
How do you feel about choices and making decisions for yourself?

Other Brainstorming Techniques

Create a timeline of your life. Pick an event that stands out to you.
Keep a journal of a week in the life of you.
Interview your parents, friends, and teachers.
"So you!" What do others see as "classic" you?
Ask yourself what you want to portray to an admissions committee (community, friendships, values, family, etc.)

How to Start

Oral draft - talk over your ideas with family, friends, a teacher, or a School Counselor
Free writing.
Test out different ideas by writing just the introductions. Read the introductions out loud.
Give yourself time to think over different ideas and to make changes.

How to Finish

Read your draft aloud -- does it sound like you?
Remove all "to conclude" or final summaries -- avoid playing the philosopher.
Re-evaluate the first and last paragraphs.
Is the essay interesting to you?
Do you show how you think?
Do you illustrate the issue, story or experience?
Is your presentation neat, logical and clear?
Is there good transition between paragraphs?
Did you draw a conclusion rather than end with a summary?
Your essay does not need to impress -- it needs to connect with the reader.
It should NOT be a book about your life -- it should be one page in one chapter in the book of your life.
Authenticity is the key word.
Revise, revise, revise. Stop when it feels done.