This is a college essay that worked for .
Writing your Common Application essay can be daunting. I know, because I hear anxiety-laced questions from my students (and their parents) all the time: How can I convey who I am in just 650 words? Which prompt should I use? What exactly should I write about? What if I’m not interesting? How do I even begin?
Although there are often no strict word limits for college essays, most essays are shorter rather than longer. Common App, which students can use to submit to multiple colleges, suggests that essays stay at about 650 words. To clarify again: I’m just a shmuck. I have no say in the admissions process, and if I had the key to writing the perfect college essay, I would be a rich man sitting in a hot tub in Monaco. I am a shmuck. But I am a shmuck here for you. Former Princeton Admissions Reader and founder of KS College Success, Kate Sonnenberg, says “there are no bad topics; there’s only bad execution. The best essays show genuine reflection -- that you grew personally from an experience or event, or developed insights about yourself or others. And they should also showcase how you are unique.” I agree with this completely.
Take a look at Khan Academy’s site and what college admissions officers say about the essay and the type of essays that stand out to them.
If you are still not sure, then start by answering the prompt and brainstorming 2 to 3 stories in your life that you can use to share more about yourself. Now, that doesn’t mean your essay has to be about how you’re going to end world hunger but if you are, that’s cool. What that does mean is that if someone was holding a stack of 1000 nameless college essays and dropped them in your school or at your house, that each of your friends, teachers, and family members would be able to pick out your essay. Your personal essay is also not Mrs. Smith’s English paper on Hamlet. Write your personal essay in your regular, every day voice. Your instinct might tell you to make this seem proper and elevated, and that instinct is baloney. So, keep that in mind when you… The Common App. essay is a prime opportunity to show admissions officers who you are, what makes you tick, what matters to you. Admissions officers care about more than just your grades and scores; they want to get a sense of your personality. When written well, the Common App. essay can provide them with this insight. According to this , “when it comes to writing the essays, in particular, college admissions officers care about who students are. The essays should reveal their personalities, passions, dreams, weird talents, favorite foods, sickest playlists, inexplicable loves, and undeniable quirks.”
This is a college essay that worked for (UPenn).
Your essay should tell college admissions officers something new. Whatever you write in your essay should be in philosophical alignment with the rest of your application.
This is a college essay that worked for .
The topic can be anything – really – a relationship with a family member, an extracurricular activity, an aspect of your personality, a moment of personal growth. It can be some completely mundane aspect of your life, as long as it lets you show your unique interests and traits. One of my students (who was admitted to Duke, UVA, and Princeton, et. al.) wanted to write her college essay about how much she enjoyed folding clothes. Her parents were initially very skeptical about that topic, but after I read the first draft, I knew that if she could find a way to connect this relatively ordinary activity (which she had been doing long before Marie Kondo), to other aspects of her personality and life, it would end up being a truly memorable essay. It was.
Tips for Writing an Honors College Essay
Once you identify them, write notes about what you might include.
- As Alan and Lisa said, the essay should be about you - your values, how you think, how you have grown, etc.
This is a college essay that worked for (WashU).
It also helps to list activities, people, and things that you love. But remember that an extracurricular activity, family member, or important event is just a vehicle for you to talk about yourself. Choosing what you write about is only the first step.
Resist the temptation to buy the “best college essays” book
Once you’ve got a good list, it’s often helpful to start writing a few different essays. You may be very close to your grandmother, but it might be easier for you to write about the time when you messed up an important audition. Try out several topics and see what fits.
This section contains five examples of good college essays.
If the prompts help you think and focus, great! But remember, every year the last Common App prompt allows you to write an essay on a topic of your choice. So, no matter what you write, it will fit one, or several, prompts. Sometimes, I’ll talk with students and parents who are very focused on the specific Common App prompts for a given year. They’ll try to shape their essays around the prompts, and this often limits their brainstorming. But here’s the secret: You can write about anything. So, forget the prompts; focus on aspects of your life and personality that speak to you.