<p>I thought it might be helpful for future applicants if we who are now mostly done with college essays (congratulations btw!) posted some information on how we started writing our essays. </p>
<p>I know it was hard for me to get started because I felt like there was so much pressure to write something brilliant. After working hard throughout high school, you don't want your essays to be the reason you don't get in to your dream school. </p>
<p>My process went something like this: </p>
<p>Over the summer, I began looking at all the prompts of the schools I was going to apply to. Then I wrote down any immediate ideas that came into my head (I thought about questions like: what is my favorite TV show, what is my favorite movie, what is my favorite book, what is the best experience I have had in the last two years, and most importantly, can I write an essay about any of these?). I kind of let these ideas sit for a while and then I came back a few days later with any new ideas. I just tried to relax and not put too much pressure on making each sentence perfect (for the first draft). </p>
<p>For my essays, I just wrote the first thing that popped into my head.
Sometimes it sucked, so I thought more and started over. Sometimes it was good, so I had other edit it a bit and then sent it in.</p>
<p>The hardest part for me was just getting started. I thought, well, I haven’t had anything significant happen to me that I could write an essay about. I’ve never solved world hunger, written a novel, or saved a rare species of birds. But I realized that what I do have is creativity, so I just wrote what came to mind and went from there. Also, I didn’t let many people read over my essays because I didn’t want them to get bogged down by other opinions. I just had my mom and one friend read them for grammar/spelling errors.</p>
<p>Obviously this won’t work for everyone because we all have different styles and methods of writing, but you might be surprised.</p>
<p>AND ONE MORE THING: As obvious as this sounds, do not wait until the last minute. I know not to procrastinate, but I did it anyway and almost missed a deadline. So seriously. Don’t do it.</p>
<p>YOU CANNOT UNDERESTIMATE THE TIME YOU NEED TO SPEND EDITING!!!</p>
<p>If I can leave future essay-writers with one message, this would be it. Even if you have “two weeks left” when you start your essay, just know that editing/peer editing/teacher editing could, or at least should, take about a week or two in itself. ALWAYS leave time to review review review, and have others give you their opinions.</p>
<p>That being said, the other piece of advice I would give is:</p>
<p>USE THE FOLLOWING STRATEGY TO WRITE IN GREAT DETAIL!!!</p>
<p>The aforementioned strategy: When you choose your topic, if it’s an event (whether or not you were even involved), PUT YOURSELF DIRECTLY INTO THE SCENARIO! My AP Lang teacher had our class just sit and recall/envision for 5-10 minutes one day in class, and I was able to pick out minute details from a memory of something that happened to me 6 YEARS AGO! My essay was vastly improved by this. Using this technique will literally put the reader directly into the scenario you are referencing/describing. </p>
<p>Second to last: DON’T REPEAT PHRASES/ WORDS UNLESS IT’S TO SERVE A PURPOSE!!! switch up your vocabulary. I’m not telling you to go to thesaurus.com and incorporate words that just don’t fit, but show more than “interesting,” “exciting,” “strong,” “fun,” etc.</p>
<p>Last: NO CLICHES!!! Absolutely ANYTHING that could be considered an idiomatic phrase should be reworded. If your essay has anything on the following list, REWORD IT!</p>
<p>For me, the whole casually jotting ideas down and sort of mulling over them/letting them brew in my head worked really well. Starting in the summer, I had an ongoing Word document where I would just write down anything that popped into my head. I never deleted any of them, just in case. Oddly enough, every single essay I wrote used an idea from that list! I didn’t even really that was true for all of them until I looked at the list once I had completed most of my essays.
I might be back with more advice later (I’m a little brain-dead right now), but for me, the hardest part was the ideas and getting down a first draft. Start mulling over the ideas ASAP. My Common App essay idea was actually the first one I ever thought of…I wasn’t sure I’d use it, but I ultimately kept coming back to it.</p>
<ol>
<li>Find a good topic. A good topic is something that will portray who you are (in a good way). Have a journal and write down observations and topics. Let them sit for about a few days, then come back and write the essay. If you find a good topic, you will have no problem finishing it in a day or two. If you have to think about it for weeks, then it is probably going to come out contrived and unnatural.</li>
<li>Avoid topics such as death, politics, religion, race, orientation, gender, etc., unless you think you can pull it off well. If you do choose this topic, make it only about you and/or your relationship with someone else. For example, when talking about your grandmother’s death, use it as a backdrop to a story about how she likes to tell you stories about Russia or how she likes to make gumbo with you, or something like that. Do not go worldly or try to push an agenda.</li>
<li>Do not talk about sex or sexual relationships. Enough said.</li>
<li>Do not TRY to be creative or humorous. If you have to try, then it will not come off as authentic. Avoid coming off as pretentious or snobby.</li>
<li>Do not laundry list accomplishments or activities/passions. This makes for a very boring essay. Talk about the process of getting one accomplishment, or doing one activity. That way, you don’t spread yourself out.</li>
<li>Find a style that’s right for you. I recommend narrative prose for this purpose, but if you can pull it off with another style, more power to you.</li>
<li>Be direct. Don’t be metaphorical. ;)</li>
<li>Avoid idioms and clich</li>
</ol>
<p>I realized one absolutely crucial thing during this process.
When writing, you MUST be willing to start over.
By that I mean multiple things.
If an essay is not working, you can’t be afraid to scrap it.
If a paragraph isn’t flowing, you can’t be reluctant to delete it and start afresh.
Even sentences fall under this rule. There are times when it takes an hour to get one good sentence - and even if this is the case, don’t be afraid to scrap that sentence.
Remember: this isn’t about making the most out of the time you spend on the essay. It’s about writing the best essay, period. So if you spend 40 hours on one essay and then write a better one in 2, don’t feel obligated to go with the 40-hour one just because you’d feel like your time was wasted.
Be brave.</p>
<p>^ I disagree with not being metaphorical. Metaphors can help tie together your entire essay and bring it in a full circle. Just make sure you don’t through in metaphors for the heck of it- make sure they serve a purpose and do in fact CLARIFY the meaning you’re trying to drive across.</p>
<ul>
<li>Get someone who is a good writer to read your essay and advise you.</li>
<li>Start writing early.</li>
<li>Be clear and likable in your essay. Don’t ramble.</li>
<li>Write about something appropriate you like, not what you think would impress admission officers.</li>
</ul>
<p>I found these two posts helpful in compiling my application.
This one was regarding how to write the “why do I want to go to school X essay”
[Your</a> Education. Your GuruFinder. How to Convince a College that Youre Interested.](<a href=“http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■/?p=24]Your”>http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■/?p=24)</p>