Essays

Writing about yourself for a college essay can be hard, but do not get discouraged. Look at this Powerpoint for some guidance and feel free to make an appointment with Ms. Seltzer.

Some helpful tips for writing your application essay:

• Answer all the questions in a prompt

• Be creative

• Only be as vulnerable as you are comfortable. You do not write about any trauma if you have not worked through it and/or are not comfortable.

• Reuse essays! Just make sure that they answer the prompt.

• ***ALWAYS WRITE “OPTIONAL” PERSONAL STATEMENTS / ESSAYS***

• APPLY EARLY!

• Re-read your applications at least twice. Look for grammar/ spelling mistakes, and make sure everything is factually accurate. Have at least one other person look over your applications.

Still stuck? Here is some insight from my college essay writing:

When I wrote my college application essay, I remember struggling for a long time to just find a subject to write about. After I figured out what I was going to write about, I found that it flowed pretty quickly. At the beginning, focus on just figuring out what you want to write about, you can always rewrite/edit later.

When I applied I picked the prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

I focused heavily on what topic to write about and making sure it made me stick out. In my essay, I wrote about how my fear of failure had affected my life and where it came from.

Takeaways:

• Use a varied sentence structure.

• Find a topic that really shows the college WHO you are. You just showed them who you are on paper, now show them who you really are to your friends and family. What events, or people shaped who you today and how does that make you a good candidate for the college you are applying to.

• Give yourself the ability to discuss a lot about yourself. You want a topic that is unique and specific to you, but also open enough that you can talk about multiple aspects of who you are.

• Because of word limits be sure that every word you use fits well. Take lots of time to edit and have a couple of people read through your essay.

• Use your own personal writing style-- be creative, be poetic, or be straightforward, whatever is the most natural for you.