WHAT IS THE AVERAGE % OF TIME AN ADMISSION OFFICER SPENDS ON THE ESSAY PORTION OF YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION?
33%
“SOMETIMES WE LET STUDENTS WRITE THEMSELVES IN.” - DEAN OF ADMISSION, SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE
“THE ESSAY GIVES US SOMETHING THE NUMBERS DON’T REVEAL.”
- DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION, GORDON COLLEGE
“THE ESSAY CAN BE A POWERFUL ‘TIPPER’ IN CLOSE CASES.” - DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION, BATES COLLEGE
COLLEGE ESSAY: DO’s
GIVE THE ADMISSION OFFICER A REASON TO KEEP READING
Put a lot of time and effort into your introduction
One technique is to create mystery or intrigue in the first paragraph
Do not give away the whole story right at the beginning
The intro can shrink when you need to be concise
One vivid sentence might do:
"My favorite science project was a complete failure."
KEEP YOUR FOCUS NARROW
The essay should prove a single point
The reader must be able to find your main idea and follow it from the beginning to end
Essays that try to be too comprehensive end up sounding watered-down
FOCUS ON THE MESSAGE
The key to an effective essay is to focus on the MESSAGE you wish to tell the reader
Don’t get so involved telling a detailed story that the important message gets buried
KEEP IT PERSONAL
The college wants to learn more about you, not one of your friends or one of your relatives
It should be your story that can come from only you
It should not be a story the student sitting next to you can tell, and the person next to them, and the person in the high school in the next town, or the next state…
PROVE IT!
Develop your main idea with vivid and specific facts, events, and examples
There's a big difference between simply stating a point of view and letting an idea unfoldin the details:
Boring and Generic:"I like to be surrounded by people with a variety of backgrounds and interests."
Much Better:"During that night, I sang the theme song from Casablanca with a baseball coach who thinks he's Bogie, discussed Marxism with a little old lady, and heard more than I ever wanted to know about some woman's gall bladder operation."
BE SPECIFIC
Avoid clichéd, generic, and predictable writing by using vivid and specific details
Boring and Generic:"I want to help people. I have gotten so much out of life through the love and guidance of my family. I feel that many individuals have not been as fortunate; therefore, I would like to expand the lives of others."
Much Better:"My Mom and Dad stood on plenty of sidelines 'til their shoes filled with water or their fingers turned white, or somebody's golden retriever signed his name on their coats in mud. That kind of commitment is what I'd like to bring to working with fourth-graders."
SHOW, DON’T TELL
A GOOD example:
“When night fell upon the summit, I stared at the slowly appearing stars until they completely filled the night sky. Despite the windy conditions and below freezing temperatures, I could not tear myself away.”
This passage shows us how the author feels and thinks, more so than if the author had spelled it out for us
KNOW YOUR SUBJECT
Any factual errors in the essay will reveal that you really haven't thought deeply about your choice
For example, writing that you want to attend Syracuse University to major in international business would be a blunder (NOTE: Syracuse doesn't have an international business major)
ANSWER THE QUESTION
Many students try to turn a 500-word essay into a complete autobiography; not surprisingly, they fail to answer the question
Make sure that every sentence in your essay exists solely to answer the question
After you are done writing, ask yourself:
Is every single sentence crucial to the essay?
VARY YOUR SENTENCES AND USE TRANSITIONS
The best essays contain a variety of sentence lengths mixed within any given paragraph
Also, remember that transitions are not limited to words like nevertheless, furthermore, or consequently
USE ACTIVE VOICE VERBS
Overuse of the passive voice makes prose seem flat and uninteresting
The active voice is shorter and more direct
Passive:The tray of food was dropped by the waiter.
Active:The waiter dropped the tray of food.
CONCLUDE EFFECTIVELY
The conclusion is the last chance to persuade or impress admission officers
Make it interesting for a long lasting impression
Avoid summarizing!!
COLLEGE ESSAY: DON’Ts
DON’T TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK THEY WANT TO HEAR
They read plenty of essays about the charms of their university, the evils of terrorism, and the personal commitment involved in being a doctor
They’re not looking for a new way to view the world - they’re looking for a new way to view you, the applicant
DON’T VISUALIZE THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE AS A BUNCH OF STUFFY OLD PROFESSORS
DON’T BE CYNICAL OR CONDESCENDING
Don’t use sweeping generalizations, such as “all Americans are conforming cowards”
Don’t be offensive
If you think it’s offensive, it probably is
DON’T WRITE A RESUME
Don't repeat information that is found elsewhere in the application
Your essay will end up sounding like an autobiography, resume, travelogue, or laundry list. Yawn.
Don’t mention your GPA or SAT / ACT scores in your essay
For example, DON’T say this:
"During my junior year, I played first singles on the tennis team, served on the student council, maintained a B+ average, traveled to France, and worked at a cheese factory."
DON’T TELL THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE
Some of the best essays – the memorable and unusual ones – are very focused
It should not be the story of your life, but a small glimpse of it, one that is rich with meaning and alive with imagery
Essays about your family, your trip to France, or your extracurricular activities, can be effective as long as they are focused and specific!
For example:
A single Christmas Eve mass or Yom Kippur service
A meal of boiled tongue in Strasbourg
One day of scooping ice cream at Lime Rickeys
DON’T USE 50 WORDS WHEN 5 WILL DO
Eliminate unnecessary words
If you wrote "in society today" consider changing that to "now"
Short sentences are more forceful because they are direct
Too Many Words:“Over the years it has been pointed out to me by my parents, friends, and teachers—and I have even noticed this about myself, as well—that I am not the neatest person in the world.”
Admission officers have to read hundreds of essays, and they often skim
However, don’t try to be so memorable that you come off as too eccentric
DON’T USE CLICHÉS
If your essay says any (or all!!) of the below, TAKE THEM OUT:
cutting edge
I learned my lesson
I always learn from my mistakes
I know my dreams will come true
I can make a difference
_________ is my passion
I no longer take my loved ones for granted
These lessons are useful both on and off the field (or other sporting arena)
I realize the value of hard work and perseverance
_________ was the greatest lesson of all
I know what it is to triumph over adversity
_________ opened my eyes to a whole new world
AGAIN, DON’T USE CLICHÉS!
As I finished the race, I realized I had learned the value of hard work and appreciated the fact that I could accomplish anything if I set my mind to it.
Working in this atmosphere made me appreciate the value of diversity.
With each member contributing something valuable to our purpose, I soon recognized the importance of teamwork.
As the young child embraced me in gratitude, I discovered the true value of making a difference in people's lives.
That summer in New York truly broadened my horizons.
The only way to improve upon the above sentiments would be to enrich them with concrete details and use a more personal perspective
It is not about telling them what you’ve done,
but it’s about showing them who you are.
DON’T USE A QUOTE FOR QUOTE’S SAKE
You have a limited number of words:
Make them your own!
A lot of people think they can make their essays weightier by sticking a high-minded quote at the beginning
The admissions committee doesn’t care what Benjamin Franklin said or what John Lennon sang
Unless you are going to use a quotation as the basis for your essay overall, it’s best to stick with your own words
DON’T USE PREPACKAGED, PREDICTABLE, GENERIC STATEMENTS.
For example, don’t say:
“I chose College X because College X is committed to learning and I want to learn. Learning is important.”
DON’T RELY ON “HOW TO” GUIDES
You can use them to get your creative juices flowing, but don’t adhere too rigidly to their formulas
The “what my room says about me” essay is way overdone
DON’T “THESAURUS-IZE” YOUR ESSAY…
Do use your own voice
Admission officers can tell Roget from a high school student
Big words, especially when misused, detract from the essay and makes the essay sound contrived
Powerful ideas are often best expressed in simple and elegant prose
Remember: Good writers use the best words, not the biggest words.
… HOWEVER, DON’T USE SLANG
Write an essay, not an e-mail
Slang terms and an excessively casual tone should be eliminated
No LOLs, LMAO, BTW…
…and definitely no FML!
Avoid words such as: very, a lot, cool, awesome and nice
DON’T PLAGIARIZE
DEFINITELY DO NOT BUY IT OFF THE INTERNET!
Admissions people CAN tell.
And they mark the essay “DDI” when they’ve concluded that “Daddy did it”.
DON’T RECYCLE ESSAYS
Don’t use the same answer for entirely two different questions (lazy!!)
Admissions officers from Northwestern can tell if they are handed an essay that answers Duke’s question
DON’T MENTION COLLEGE X IN COLLEGE Y’S ESSAY
Don’t write: “I can’t wait to wear a Harvard sweatshirt…” in an essay to UMass. Oops!
MOST IMPORTANTLY: DON’T FORGET TO PROOFREAD!
Typos and spelling or grammatical errors can be interpreted as carelessness or just bad writing
It’s distractng… isn’t it?!
AND -- DON'T RELY ON YOUR COMPUTER'S SPELL CHECK
It can miss spelling errors like the ones below:
"After I graduate form high school, I plan too work for a nonprofit organization during the summer." Oops!
"From that day on, Daniel was my best fried." Oops! I hope Daniel wasn’t fried!
QUICK “QUIZ”: WHAT’S WRONG?
WHAT’S WRONG?
I entered onto the scene of this terrestrial sphere on a vernal evening in 1994.
This is not a vocabulary test.
WHAT’S WRONG?
As a high school sophomore, I was our church's representative to the Youth Fellowship. I helped organize youth group events, the largest being "The Bishop's Ball," a state-wide event for 300 young people. I also played high school junior varsity soccer for two years. As a senior I will be playing varsity soccer, but in the off-season. As a junior I coached a girls' soccer team for the town.
Do not write a resume. Do not repeat things that are best reserved for another part of your application.
The writer would have been better off focusing on ONE of these things: for example, one particular moment of one soccer game that she coached.
WHAT’S WRONG?
My favorite book is The Great Gatsby by Charles Dickens.
Get your facts straight.
(F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote it!)
RESOURCES
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
College Board gives great tips about writing a college essay. It also offers critiques of sample essays.
