Writing the College Essay

Many college applications ask you to describe your life, your experiences, your personality, your hopes and dreams, your achievements, and/or your reasons for selecting their college. Be brief, be concise, and use specific examples.

Keep in mind that there are thousands of students just like you, with similar talents, backgrounds and experiences, who are trying to answer the same questions. Collegiate admission officers are experts. You can’t trick them, you can’t finesse them, and you certainly don’t want to get caught trying!

A short list of don’ts:

Don’t write a diary. It is all right to tell what happened in the 7th grade, if it is significant.
Don’t try to impress them. Being sesquipedalian is not effective. (That says, don’t use fifty cent words!) Be careful to avoid false modesty and blatant boasting.
Don’t be too idealistic. Idealism leads to generalizations. Application essays are not meant to be sermons.
Don’t rush. Spend thoughtful time on each essay. Proofread. Be neat.

A Way with Words

One admissions dean recalls that the most memorable student application essay he encountered closed along the following lines: "If my application is being red by a bunch of old fogeys, sitting around an oak table, puffing on their pipes, feigning intellectual pomposity, who cannot see the intended humor of the remarks I have made on this application, I have much pity for your University. You will undoubtedly elect not to offer me admission and will penalize my candidacy because of the fun I have poked at you on this application. On the other hand, if the committee reviewing my credentials has been able to interpret my exceptional talent for humorous writing and can respond in some way to that writing, I will be most happy to consider attending your University!

The student was sent a two-word telegram the next day: "You're in."

College essays display enthusiasm, intelligence, talent, leadership, maturity, writing style, originality — all of these skills are taught in college-prep writing courses. However, if you make a conscious effort to demonstrate these skills, you will come up short.

Essays should be conversational in tone. Be proud of your achievements. Mellow your pride by showing a sense of humor. Stories or tails that outline your achievements should be anecdotal. If the college of your choice bases acceptance on essays, write about specific instances — losing a passport and the lessons learned from it, trying to sell an ad to someone who owned a printing company, etc. Admission officers appreciate the chance to see events and accomplishments through the eyes of an applicant.

One of the purposes of completing a resume in high school is to get students to think about themselves. Before confronting a blank sheet of essay paper, students should have assembled lists of activities in which they have participated, places they have traveled, and a list of special accomplishments that brought pleasure, pride, or pain.

Students should be aware of their strengths and their weaknesses. They should be prepared to answer “What is special about the college to which I am applying?” and “Why do I care about getting in?” Answers to these questions may help with essay questions. Students should have an answer to “Why should they pick me?”

NOTE: Plagiarizing on essays can result in outright rejection of an application, withdrawal of an acceptance already offered, or expulsion from school after enrollment.