1. Write in Your Own Voice 

No matter what the essay question is, you can express who you are by answering in your voice. Avoid common tactics of trying to sound overly intellectual. Simply showing that you can follow directions and articulate who you are will go far. 1½. Know What Your Voice Is. Your voice is distinctly yours. Recognize the qualities that distinguish you from others. What are three qualities that make you stand out from others? *You will be answering this question in the google form provided below.*

2. Don’t Repeat Yourself

Don’t Be Repetitive. Your essay should tell admission representatives something they haven’t already read in your application. What are three things the admission representatives won’t know about you until they read your essay? *You will be answering this question in the google form provided below.*

3. Give Yourself Enough Time to Write

Revise and Repeat. The writing process takes time, so give yourself enough of it. Before you even write, just brainstorm ideas. From there, craft an outline, and from there write a draft. Have someone like a parent, teacher or friend edit your essay. Take your editor’s suggestions, make changes and rework the piece. Here’s a checklist for writing your college admission essay: 

• Brainstorm 

• Outline

• Draft

• Edit

• Revise

4. Are You Answering the Right Question?

With the stress of writing an essay, a lot of times the main point of the essay goes out the window. Remember, you need to answer the question the college asked. Even if you have the most beautifully written essay on your ability to talk to dogs, are you sure it answers the question? For every essay you write, re-read the question and double check that you have provided an appropriate response. 

5. Get Some Mileage Out of It

Essay questions may be different for each school, but in many cases you can use what you already have toward another question. It’s not as simple as copy and paste, but you can repurpose parts of your essay to make sense with a new question. Still, remember section 4! Make sure that your repurposed essay answers the question. Also, avoid at all costs accidentally leaving the wrong college’s name in your essay. 

When reviewing your college essay, ask yourself if the language sounds too perfect or generic. If it reads more like a professional article or résumé than your natural voice, that’s a red flag. Your essay should sound like you—not like a robot. Check whether your story includes specific personal details, like names, places, emotions, and unique experiences. If someone else could have written the same essay, it probably lacks your authentic voice.

Pay attention to the structure: is it overly formulaic, following a rigid intro–body–conclusion format with robotic transitions or cliché phrases like “In conclusion” or “Ultimately, I realized”? Also, consider whether the essay matches the rest of your application. If your short answers or résumé sound casual or inconsistent with the essay’s tone, admissions officers may notice the disconnect.

Reflect on whether your essay includes genuine self-reflection. Are you clearly explaining how an experience changed you or what you truly learned? Authentic essays often show emotional depth or vulnerability—something AI struggles to replicate. Watch out for awkward or filler phrases, like “Insert anecdote here” or “In today’s modern society…” These can be signs of unedited or generic writing.

Ask yourself if the essay reflects your unique background or point of view. Does it include elements of your culture, upbringing, or identity, or does it sound like it was written by a generic U.S. student? Finally, think about your writing process: has your voice stayed consistent through revisions? If your early drafts felt personal but later versions seem distant or overly polished, it might be time to reconnect with your original voice. A good test is reading it out loud—if it doesn’t sound like you, it probably needs revisiting.

AI wrote this - Could you tell? How so?