By now you have already started your college applications. You're now in the essay section and *POW* you see the 'big' essay question. You read the prompt and get scared. You may get anxious, nervous, etc. and don't know what to do...well, don't sweat it. I have your back!!
I have some tips that may help you in separating yourself out from an average essay. Remember, there may be 2-3 people who actually end up reading your college application and they read hundreds, if not thousands, during the application review season. You need to stand out from the rest of the stack, otherwise you are going to stay stuck in the pile.
Do you want to be remembered and have your reviewer go home at the end of the day and still be stuck on your application and essay? I think so. I have a friend of mine who worked in an Admissions Office reviewing applications. When we would hang out, she would sometimes bring up "amazing applicants" that stayed in her mind. I'm sure she doesn't stand alone on that so think about it when you create your application.
Some tips on the main essay:
Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm - take some time to write down ideas for your essay. Make conversations with people around you and bounce around ideas. Go to that friend/teacher/relative who is 'hard' on you and ask them for their advice. Chances are they won't be shy about it and it will pay off. Take time with this until you love your idea...when people are passionate about what they work on, results are amazing.
Get CREATIVE - reviewers go through dozens of applications daily...how many of those do you think follow the same kind of formality, flow, style and maybe even topic? Think about what you can bring to the table here in terms of storyline, style and personality. You want the reader to get your essay and get re-energized by it, inspired by it, and love it. Everyone has a story to tell...the key is how you decide to tell it. Be honest in your writing and let the magic flow.
Edit, edit, edit - yes, drafts. Maybe for draft one, you just sit and write on the topic with no restraints...maybe you write an outline first and then hit draft one in a specific sequence. It's all good. What's important is that you sit down with someone who can read through it and help you organize it into a better flow if you need it, review your grammar if you need it, or in general help with your gaps to make it the best piece of your writing possible. That 'hard' person in your life can really be key here because they won't hold back and if that person is tough on you, generally it means she wants the best for you (whether or not you see that right now).
I wrote my college application on my first roller coaster ride at the age of 17 and how it played like a movie in my head. I paralleled it to life and taking chances while acknowledging/embracing my past and looking into the future. I loved my essay and after following these steps, it was the best piece of creative writing I had written. I applied to 9 colleges and got accepted into 6 of them with it. The 3 I either got waitlisted to or rejected to were my reach schools that I defined in my last post...so think about it. My reach schools were Harvard, UPenn and Brown if that does anything in helping you consider taking my advice.
Do you have any tips for students that are ready to tackle their main college essay? What did you write about? Do you have something you want to ask about this for some help? Submit a comment so we can help the future together!
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