Tips For Writing Your College Application Essay

Tips For Writing Your College Application Essay For similar categories of essays, Rachel plans to write one rough essay, then tweak it for different colleges. Now Rachel goes through her colleges’ essay prompts and groups similar essays together to come up with a list of what she has to write. The Common Application also gives you the option of responding to one of 7 different essay prompts. If you will be using the Common App, you’ll be able to choose, and write about, one of these prompts. If you don't plan on using the Common App, these prompts can still offer insight into a topic you'll likely be writing on for your school of choice. So whether you’re seeking flexibility in your college admission essay or you’re just doing a little preliminary research on likely essay prompts, the Common App is a good place to start. Many selective colleges and universities have their own essay prompts. Other colleges may simply offer you free writing space to provide a personal statement. However, the Common Application is perhaps the best starting point for anticipating likely college essay prompts. But the same is true for college essays, as Orwell doubtlessly would have realized if he were reanimated and handed him a sheaf of Common Applications. The sad truth is that most college application essays are not very good. You might think you’ve read or heard the perfect opening someplace elseâ€"a book of sample essays, a speech, a line in your favorite movie, etc. But pirating someone else’s writing is plagiarism, and every college I can think of would frown on an applicant who steals other people’s work without crediting the source. There’s always that chance that your reader could recognize what you’re sharing. Admissions officers aren’t interested in a timeline of events or a bullet-list of accomplishments. What they’re really seeking is a story, a personal narrative, a reflection that carries subtext. That story shows your hard work, dedication, and generosity without ever referring explicitly to these fantastic qualities. Often the material for a “wow essay” comes from a “wow factor.” Still, you can write an amazingly engaging essay, even if your activities don’t place you among the modern gods of extracurriculars. Additionally, incredible “wow factors” can sometimes lead to unexpected admissions . “You can think of the essay as the soul of the application. Visit our Writing Lab for more writing tips, pertaining both to your college essay, and to the array of other writing challenges you’ll face in college or graduate school. This advice applies to most creative writing situations. We assume some well-meaning English teacher shared this advice with you in high school. When I say they are “not very good”, I mean they are either boring, impenetrable, melodramatic, or all of the above. If you are applying to 8-10 schools, and will thus be composing 8-10 of these essays, your inclination to take shortcuts is completely understandable. Just make sure that these timesavers don’t turn into admissions-killers. But with a wow essay, you’re likely just getting in to Harvard when your grades/scores/activities are on par. The college essay is not a test to see if you can read minds or anticipate what the admission office wants to hear. Plain and simple, they want to know about you, how well you write and how self-aware you are. Finally, Rachel has a detailed list to work from. A “wow factor” is an activity or accomplishment that you achieve before sitting down to type that first draft. A “wow essay” is a piece of writing that arrests the reader with its ideas and narrative. Another kind of essay that I’ve seen wow admissions offices is an essay that taps into the current societal debate in a meaningful way. If a story in your life resonates with the stories populating news feeds, and you can draw that personal connection with a more societal level context, your story can resonate with readers more. Still another essay I had a student complaining about how she didn’t like traditional school so switched to homeschooling. But here, wouldn’t colleges wonder whether she could handle “traditional” college? To be clear, a “wow essay” is not the same as a “wow factor.” But they are related.