Reminder: Essay tips from a College Counselor
Now that this application cycle is in full swing and we are reading a lot of essays, we are reminded that the best practices will always remain true.
Imagine you’re an Admissions Reader who is tasked with reading hundreds of applications per week. It can be mentally taxing to keep focus, so don’t make it even harder. The first sentence should be something that grabs the reader’s attention and makes the reader want to read more. This sentence will set the scene for the rest of the essay. Tip: Drop the reader into a moment of your life. Describe what one (or more) of your five senses was experiencing in a moment. Example: “The clock was remarkably slow as I sat uncomfortably, legs tightly crossed, squirming at my desk” or "The taste of blood filled my mouth with a metallic tang that made me immediately naseous" (this one sounds cryptic but it was actual about dental surgery :))
Picking the right topic sounds very basic, but I can’t tell you how many students write about a) cliche topics like winning the championship game or the hardship of not making the varsity team or b) someone else's hardships. While these may be important moments in your life, Admissions get tired of reading these types of essays. Skip them, unless those moments transform into larger life changes (e.g. sports injury focused you to take up an instrument while you recovered and now you want to be a music major). While it is great to include context about how others influenced you, it should not be your entire essay. Their stories are their stories, and your stories are your stories. Be careful not to confuse them.
Your essays are not meant to your resume in paragraph form. Even if you have impressive extracurricular activities, Admissions can already see that from your resume. Admissions Readers will review your resume before they read your essays, so don’t just list out your experiences. Instead, talk about what you learn from those experiences and how you impacted those around you, especially if you’re answering the leadership/impact supplemental essays.
At the end of every essay, ask yourself, “So what? Why will Admissions care about this?” The goal of any essay is to show Admissions who you will be once you get to their campus. Don’t lose sight of that when you’re writing.
Good luck and happy writing!