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How would someone write a good college app essay?
I want to know what specific details I would need to include to make up a good college essay. For example, would I need to keep it third person or should I try to maintain formality with a first-person point of view?
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Kimberly’s Answer
Summer is a great time to write your college application essay. You have plenty of time to write and edit it. You need that time--the worst essays are the ones that are written and submitted on New Year's Eve!
More to the point: ensure your college essay is personal, specific, and of appropriate length. It's okay if it doesn't reach the word limit set by the Common Application, as long as it's effective. You should use first person-it's called a personal essay for a reason!
A great resource for essay writing advice is the book "If the U Fits" (https://www.amazon.com/If-Fits-Finding-Accepted-Admissions/dp/080412471X). Note: I have no connection with the authors or publisher of this book--but I have recommended it to students for years.
You can borrow it from your school or local library if you don't want to purchase it. If your libraries don't have it, request it--libraries are meant to serve their users!
In your essay, reflect on a personal experience that taught you something or provided insight into how you want to live your life. It does not have to be a BIG THING like the death of a parent or something else dramatic and monumental--many high school students have not really had such an experience--you are only 17 afterall! Know that simple moments can be powerful.
To write an effective essay, follow these steps:
1. Brainstorm topics.
The only topic I tell students to avoid is the What I Learned on My Service Project to a Third World Country. My reasoning is simple: it's usually too big a topic to capture successfully in a short personal essay.
Secondly, students that write about this experience usually try to cram too much into it and spend too much time describing the experience rather than explaining what they learned from it. If you do decide to write about a service trip, just focus on a single moment or experience, do not try to describe the whole week.
Finally, regardless of the means by which you were able to have this trip--a church mission trip, a school service trip, etc. it always reeks of priviledge, even if you did not have to pay for it yourself. SOMEONE paid for it--and most high school students in the United States do not have such an opportunity.
If you want to discuss an experience you have had about helping others, choose an experience that closer to home. It always comes across as more genuine than "When I helped build toilets in Africa, I learned to appreciate that I have a flush toilet in a bathroom I don't have to share."
Some college counselors discourage students from writing the What I learned from A Team Sport essay, but I think these can be effective. Just make sure the details you include are specific to you. It's not the topic that is the issue, it is the way you write about it.
2. Write 2-3 draft essays on different topics.
3. Begin each essay by vividly describing the experience, using specific and evocative details to make it unique to you.
For example, if you are describing a morning helping at a local food bank, share details about what you saw, what it smelled like, the clothes you were wearing--any details that paint a picture for your reader. Avoid generic adjectives such as "interesting" or "good."
(This paragraph will probably be too long to begin with, but then you can edit it--saving the most evocative, and illustrative details.)
4. After painting the picture of your experience, write a paragraph about what you learned or how you grew from it.
For instance, in the food bank topic, describe something like your own dinner that night, the love with which your parent made it, the warmth of your own family's kitchen, etc. which led to your insight: how fortunate you are to be loved and how you want to try not to take that love and good fortune for granted.
5. In the final paragraph, reiterate your learning and, if possible, echo something from your original description.
For example, if in your original description, you described one of the food bank's guests, you can bring that back: "I am thankful for all I have and the love that surrounds me--I hope that John in the dirty overalls experienced a little of that love from me. I hope he may find his own sanctuary soon."
6. Choose the draft that best represents you and your values.
7. Edit, rewrite, and edit again, checking for spelling and grammatical errors.
8. Check the paragraph structure and length of your sentences. Make the essay easy to read for your reader, visually. Remember, they are looking at a bazillion essays on a screen day after day. Give their eyes a rest by breaking a long paragraph into two or three. Too, your sentences should vary in length: short punchy ones interlaced with longer more descriptive sentences. I.e.: "It was a hot day. The asphalt of the food bank parking lot was sticky--my shoes made a slapping sound as I walked toward the graffiti-coverd door of the low-slung metal building. The guests queued up, all of us sweating and miserable in the heat." (Short, long, medium.)
9. Set the essay aside for a few days, then reread and edit once more.
10. Have an impartial person read the essay to ensure it sounds like you and is free of errors. Make sure they don't alter your language or impose their own ideas. Slang or colloquialisms are fine--it's your voice and should sound like you--it's a personal essay, not an academic exercise afterall. Remember, you don't have to take all of their suggestions. It's your essay, not theirs!
11. Read it one more time, then enter it into your application!
Enjoy the writing process--if it feels too much like agony or you are getting fed up--give yourself a break and come back to it later.
Good luck!
More to the point: ensure your college essay is personal, specific, and of appropriate length. It's okay if it doesn't reach the word limit set by the Common Application, as long as it's effective. You should use first person-it's called a personal essay for a reason!
A great resource for essay writing advice is the book "If the U Fits" (https://www.amazon.com/If-Fits-Finding-Accepted-Admissions/dp/080412471X). Note: I have no connection with the authors or publisher of this book--but I have recommended it to students for years.
You can borrow it from your school or local library if you don't want to purchase it. If your libraries don't have it, request it--libraries are meant to serve their users!
In your essay, reflect on a personal experience that taught you something or provided insight into how you want to live your life. It does not have to be a BIG THING like the death of a parent or something else dramatic and monumental--many high school students have not really had such an experience--you are only 17 afterall! Know that simple moments can be powerful.
To write an effective essay, follow these steps:
1. Brainstorm topics.
The only topic I tell students to avoid is the What I Learned on My Service Project to a Third World Country. My reasoning is simple: it's usually too big a topic to capture successfully in a short personal essay.
Secondly, students that write about this experience usually try to cram too much into it and spend too much time describing the experience rather than explaining what they learned from it. If you do decide to write about a service trip, just focus on a single moment or experience, do not try to describe the whole week.
Finally, regardless of the means by which you were able to have this trip--a church mission trip, a school service trip, etc. it always reeks of priviledge, even if you did not have to pay for it yourself. SOMEONE paid for it--and most high school students in the United States do not have such an opportunity.
If you want to discuss an experience you have had about helping others, choose an experience that closer to home. It always comes across as more genuine than "When I helped build toilets in Africa, I learned to appreciate that I have a flush toilet in a bathroom I don't have to share."
Some college counselors discourage students from writing the What I learned from A Team Sport essay, but I think these can be effective. Just make sure the details you include are specific to you. It's not the topic that is the issue, it is the way you write about it.
2. Write 2-3 draft essays on different topics.
3. Begin each essay by vividly describing the experience, using specific and evocative details to make it unique to you.
For example, if you are describing a morning helping at a local food bank, share details about what you saw, what it smelled like, the clothes you were wearing--any details that paint a picture for your reader. Avoid generic adjectives such as "interesting" or "good."
(This paragraph will probably be too long to begin with, but then you can edit it--saving the most evocative, and illustrative details.)
4. After painting the picture of your experience, write a paragraph about what you learned or how you grew from it.
For instance, in the food bank topic, describe something like your own dinner that night, the love with which your parent made it, the warmth of your own family's kitchen, etc. which led to your insight: how fortunate you are to be loved and how you want to try not to take that love and good fortune for granted.
5. In the final paragraph, reiterate your learning and, if possible, echo something from your original description.
For example, if in your original description, you described one of the food bank's guests, you can bring that back: "I am thankful for all I have and the love that surrounds me--I hope that John in the dirty overalls experienced a little of that love from me. I hope he may find his own sanctuary soon."
6. Choose the draft that best represents you and your values.
7. Edit, rewrite, and edit again, checking for spelling and grammatical errors.
8. Check the paragraph structure and length of your sentences. Make the essay easy to read for your reader, visually. Remember, they are looking at a bazillion essays on a screen day after day. Give their eyes a rest by breaking a long paragraph into two or three. Too, your sentences should vary in length: short punchy ones interlaced with longer more descriptive sentences. I.e.: "It was a hot day. The asphalt of the food bank parking lot was sticky--my shoes made a slapping sound as I walked toward the graffiti-coverd door of the low-slung metal building. The guests queued up, all of us sweating and miserable in the heat." (Short, long, medium.)
9. Set the essay aside for a few days, then reread and edit once more.
10. Have an impartial person read the essay to ensure it sounds like you and is free of errors. Make sure they don't alter your language or impose their own ideas. Slang or colloquialisms are fine--it's your voice and should sound like you--it's a personal essay, not an academic exercise afterall. Remember, you don't have to take all of their suggestions. It's your essay, not theirs!
11. Read it one more time, then enter it into your application!
Enjoy the writing process--if it feels too much like agony or you are getting fed up--give yourself a break and come back to it later.
Good luck!
Updated
Fernando’s Answer
When it comes to college application essays keep it simple, yet enticing. It's important to show your goals and motivations for your field of study. I do advice that while it's important to come across as humble don't sell yourself short. If you've worked on any project or achieved something you're proud of, showcase it in the essay. With regards to perspective I personally like to keep it in first person, since it conveys that personal feel to the reader. That being said third person is also solid, given that it allows the general beats of the essay to feel grand. Be sure to re-read and proofread before submitting, also don't be afraid to ask a friend for a second opinion. Another pair of eyes always goes a long way when making sure things stay consistent.
There is a danger that students will reiterate their activity list. Rather, they should take advantage of the opportunity to speak directly to their reader and provide more information about themselves. Illustrating interest in their anticipated course of study is a good idea, but be careful not to make it too broad. “My grandma had cancer so I want to be a doctor..” Instead, tell the story! I met a lot of doctors when my grandma was sick. Only one of them could ease both her physical pain and her stress. I want to be that kind of doctor.
Kimberly Crouch
Updated
Justin’s Answer
I think Kimberly's answer is perfect, I only wanted to address the perspective part of the answer:
Either first- or third-person perspective is fine, but third-person perspective is harder to pull off from a technical perspective, though rewarding if it can be. As had been said, the essay is about you, and the first-person is the most natural of perspectives. It allows you to get into depth into certain thoughts and show how you approach situations and feelings. If I were reading college essays, I would think the third-person perspective is showy, as there is an inherent layer over the person in question, and the text becomes almost a selective reading.
That being said, with some creativity, it can work really well. Though as I say that, I can't think of a good example.
These essays ( https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/college-essay-examples ) are excellent by the way, and are really creative in varying up the first-person perspective. Nothing for third-, but hopefully these inspire you in your writing.
Either first- or third-person perspective is fine, but third-person perspective is harder to pull off from a technical perspective, though rewarding if it can be. As had been said, the essay is about you, and the first-person is the most natural of perspectives. It allows you to get into depth into certain thoughts and show how you approach situations and feelings. If I were reading college essays, I would think the third-person perspective is showy, as there is an inherent layer over the person in question, and the text becomes almost a selective reading.
That being said, with some creativity, it can work really well. Though as I say that, I can't think of a good example.
These essays ( https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/college-essay-examples ) are excellent by the way, and are really creative in varying up the first-person perspective. Nothing for third-, but hopefully these inspire you in your writing.
Thanks Justin! I absolutely agree with your insight into the point-of-view question. It just occurred to me , if a student wants to use avoid first person, perhaps they could write an essay as though it was a short story, putting themselves as the main character. It could be great if done well, but I think it would be pretty tricky. If a student can write such a story , they would have to avoid fictionalizing it too much—the odd detail or creative license with some dialogue would fine, I think.
Kimberly Crouch