College Tip of the Week #14: College Essays

Your essays are some of the most important parts of your college application, so putting your time and effort into perfecting them is a great idea. We have compiled some tips for college essays from our experience below, and are more than happy to help you with your revising and editing them.

1. Brainstorm anywhere: Many times, your ideas for topics to write about or answers to specific questions come to you at random times, whether in the kitchen while cooking or in the gym during your tenth push-up. Always keep your phone or a pen and paper with you to record ideas as soon as they come to you, so that you do not forget them. It is even better to record yourself talking about an experience or subject that you want to describe in your essay, since this will make it much easier to translate to writing.

2. Start writing. When writing your first draft, let your ideas flow naturally and do not worry about making it perfect. Usually, your organic ideas are much more genuine and easier to edit than having minimal content written down and trying to precisely build on it.

3. Proofread: After writing your first draft, read over it to revise and edit your content for grammar, punctuation, ideas, flow, and conciseness. Then rest for a few days, and come back to your essay to get a fresh perspective. It is also beneficial to have people who know you well, such as your friends, family, teachers, and counselors, look over your essay, as they know your experiences and can help you formulate your ideas more effectively. A professional opinion is also a great resource to help you perfect your essays and communicate your unique character to the admissions committee. You can sign up for a consultation with us on our services page. We are more then happy to help you.

4. Read it out loud: It is often difficult to get the essence of your essay by reading it in your head. By recording yourself reading the essay, you can hear when your writing becomes flat or loses its strength. You also will be able to get insight into how the admissions committee will feel and think about your essay from an outside perspective.

5. Be Specific and talk about growth: It is much more effective to talk about a specific experience you had at a certain point in time, rather than something more general or over a longer period of time. By focusing on the specific instance, you can develop how you felt, how you reacted, what you learned, and how you grew as a result of this experience.

6. Tell a story: A good narrative is much more engaging to read and get immersed in than just talking about your qualities or abilities. Do not worry about giving every single detail, and instead make your narrative interesting.

7. Make your opening strong: Make your reader eager to hear your story by diving into it immediately. Do not try to explain or reword the prompt in your first sentence, and instead engage your reader from the beginning with vivid imagery or another interesting hook.

8. Write about something you care about (get personal): If you are not interested in the topic you are writing about for your essay, the admissions committee will likely not be interested either. Do not try to write what you think colleges want to hear or what you think they are looking for, and instead be your unique self! Write about something that is personal, even though it may be painful or bring out your emotions. Chances are that the admissions officers have also gone through similar experiences, and may even empathize with you or feel how you felt on a more personal level.

9. Be genuine and keep it simple: You essay does not have to change the world for colleges to be interested in you. Rather than trying to think of big ideas or exaggerating things, think about what makes you unique from other applicants and write about what makes you passionate. Your truthfulness and sincerity will show through when admissions officers read your writing.

10. Show rather than tell: Instead of telling admissions officers about your wonderful qualities and characteristics, use experiences or tell a story to demonstrate your attributes. This gives the people reading your essay a chance to interpret the meaning of your experience and imagine how it shows who you are. Then, you can tell them what you actually showed them to make your point clear.