Writing a college admission essay can be both an exciting and daunting task. On the one hand, the college admission essay is an opportunity to show universities aspects of a student’s character that are not shown through a transcript or standardized testing scores. On the other hand, students may become stressed by how important the essay is and, as a result, experience writer’s block. It is an intimidating challenge: how does a student write a succinct paper that encapsulates the best qualities of who they are as a scholar and person on the whole?
There is no need to fear the essay, and students should see it as an opportunity, not a challenge. Here are a few simple steps a student can use to get started crafting an exemplary piece that will show colleges the best of who they are.
1. The student should take time to brainstorm a meaningful topic
The Common Application—the application tool used by many colleges—offers seven prompts to choose from. These prompts should act as inspiration, not limitation. In fact, if your student feels that their perfect essay does not fall into any of the first six prompts, the seventh prompt is conveniently open-ended.
If your student is having trouble coming up with a topic, prompt them to ask two questions: “What am I most proud of?” and “What do I wish people knew about me?” These questions might have different answers. If they do, the focus should be on the answer that features a concrete event—a story that happened where there is a beginning, middle, and end. (We will talk about why that is important later.)
Your student should not put too much pressure on themselves to come up with the “most unique” topic. If there is an event or experience from their life that is special, then great! But keep in mind that no one expects the topic to be “the time I landed on the moon.” What the student has to say and the quality of writing will be the “stars” of the essay, so they should choose a topic that is true to themselves and their lived experience.
2. The essay should tell a story
You’ve probably heard the much-used writing advice to “show, don’t tell.” One way to make sure that an essay “shows” instead of “tells” is to think of the essay as a story with the student as the main character. In the most exciting stories, the main character is faced with a challenge that they have to overcome. What were the obstacles your student faced in the events of the essay? The “main character” should be changed by the challenge. The “happy ending” only comes after this change has occurred. Telling the essay like a story makes the essay more exciting to read and more likely to stand out.
“But what if my student is writing about an accomplishment?” The essay should still follow the story structure and focus on describing a difficulty the “main character” overcame. The most meaningful achievements are the results of surmounting hurdles. Readers are more likely to believe the accomplishment was indeed important if your student takes the time to flesh out a detailed story of what they overcame to earn that achievement.
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3. A student shouldn’t edit during the drafting process
Writing a first draft can be hard due to how hyper-critical we are of ourselves, and this self-criticism can be especially exacerbated when someone is writing about themselves. Encourage your student to try not to edit or delete paragraphs as they write a first draft. If the writer really feels that a sentence or paragraph does not fit, they should cut and paste the text to a page below rather than deleting the text outright. The idea of drafting is to cultivate a non-judgmental atmosphere that focuses on “adding” rather than “deleting.” There is nothing “bad” at this stage; the most important thing is getting words on the page.
4. First edits should focus on the student’s unique “style”
Only after there is a first draft—which should resemble a story with a beginning, middle, and end—should editing begin. The most obvious edits are to ensure proper grammar and spelling. The most substantial edits, however, will center on developing your student’s diction and tone as a writer. Is the style of this essay particular to your student, or does it sound like someone else could have written it?
Cultivating a personal style is not a substitute for formality, however. Encourage your student to avoid using language (such as slang) that their audience may not understand. If your student is on the fence if a word is too informal, they should err on the side of caution and replace it. At this stage in the writing process, a thesaurus is invaluable.
5. A second round of edits should eliminate redundancy
The ACT English section frequently features questions that test students on their ability to eliminate redundancy, and that is no wonder: repetitive writing is no fun to read! Can your student combine paragraphs? Concluding paragraphs, contrary to popular belief, should not be a rehash of what was already said, but should provide uplifting insight that neatly closes the essay.
6. Realize the process takes time
A great essay does not appear overnight, and it certainly does not appear with the first draft. Setting a series of realistic deadlines spaced-out over time will reduce the overall stress of writing. And remember, at the end of the day, the college essay is a fun, unique opportunity to share a personal story. As long as your student stays true to themselves, they can’t go wrong!