On Writing

Application Essay

The key to writing a memorable essay is telling a story that only you can tell. Writing about winning a soccer game? So are 8,283 other 17-year-olds. Composing a well-written essay about how you've wanted to be a teacher your whole life? (Guilty!) Chat GPT will bust that one out in 42 seconds. Listing all of your accomplishments? Boring, and redundant. Focusing on that one time you were on the jumbotron at a Brewers game? Ok, the details are more specific, but still not wholly unique. Recalling the moment at your great uncle Randy's funeral when you met your distant cousin Daisy for the first time and realized how much you looked alike, sparking a curiosity about how big the world is and just how little you've seen of it? Now there's something to work with. Or the moment you were carpooling in your blue 2006 Ford Escape with a near stranger and Don McLean's 'American Pie' came on the radio and you both sang every word in the 8 minute and 42 second by heart, with gusto, thereby defining the moment you knew you'd just become best friends? Those are the kind of details we're talking about.

The story need not be lifechanging or monumental. It doesn't need to shock the audience, and it doesn't need to be cool, impressive, or funny. It simply needs to be you.

Check out our summer workshops that focus on writing the essay, and the book our Head of School wrote on the topic: Hack the College Essay.  

Supplemental Essays

Universities, scholarships, and other applications may require supplemental essays. These can be opportunities to share what's left off of your application, to reiterate your interest in a school or major, and to show off your writing skills. Here are some tips:

• Make sure you are answering what the prompt is asking.

• As much as possible, avoid repeating information already otherwise stated.

• Don't write just to write. If the maximum word count is 650 words, it does not mean that you need to type 650 words, especially at the expense of quality. Less is often more.

• The Why ____ [insert university here]? essay is tough but common. Do your research and be specific. If you can replace that university name with another university, then your essay is not specific enough. Visit campus, talk to college reps, and learn about specific majors, programs, professors, and courses. Explain how you and the school are a good fit.

Letters of Recommendation

How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation
(Harvard Summer School)