<p>I'm writing my second college app essay, and I am really struggling. The first one came really naturally and required very little editing, and I'm really happy with it, but this one is just dragging and not quite right. I have the first 250 words or so, but beyond that... I don't want to sound corny "this is what I learned" obvious, cliche-ridden, etc., but I can't seem to avoid it. Any tips for getting it finished? I've been agonizing all day</p>
<p>Bump :(..........</p>
<p>I understand. DD had to do 13 rewrites over 2-3 weeks for her UC essay. It was very frustrating.</p>
<p>I'm having the same problem. I should be writing my essay right now actually.</p>
<p>Essays are funny.</p>
<p>I spent like half my summer on my essay, revised and revised and then came up with this "final" draft I knew wasn't final; I didn't go back to it for ages, though I knew my essay was missing something--I just sort of hoped the problem would solve itself, and soon, as I was applying ED.</p>
<p>Then one recent Saturday I woke up and decided I would re-write my essay on a whole different topic. I spent hours that day working and came up with something essentially great; did whatever major revisions it required on Sunday; and in that weekend I'd produced the essay I wanted, way better than the one I'd spent my summer agonizing over. I've gone back since then to fix some nitpicky things, but that's about it. Sent it to my ED school (along with the rest of the common app) today.</p>
<p>Moral of the story...? Maybe that sometimes you just need to turn over a new leaf--one you find miles away from the first one. Don't feel too attached to your topic; experiment with something else. There is no "right" topic on which to write your essay, though you may think the one you're dealing with now is the right one. If you're blocked, switch it up.</p>
<p>I agree with russiasaurus. I tried so many topics for my essay and none of them were perfect. One day I thought of something and wrote my essay in an hour. If it's a good topic, it should write itself.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>TIME is the key ingredient for a good essay. Even if you are not working on it but your brain does. That is why it's best to do a serious attempt at writing, set it aside for sometime before you're attempt to revise.</p>
<p>I had so much trouble trying to write my essay but 2 nights ago from 10:30 pm until midnight I just suddenly wrote the whole thing....while part of the time having SNL on TV- surprisinly wasn't distracting. And for some shorter response one I had to do, I just started writing during a free period in school and finished it....such weird times to write it are the best for me.</p>
<p>college essay ideas pop up during extremely random times. for my main essay, i was about to fall asleep one night and i suddenly got this great essay idea. so i woke up in the middle of the night, turned the lights back on, and jotted down the idea with some brief sketches, then went back to bed.
that idea + about 10-12 edits = my final draft</p>
<p>but i've also had to drop a couple essays i spent literally months on as well. keep working on those essays, and never give up (and never be afraid to jot down spontaneous thoughts, even if they end up being frivolous and not "juicy" enough).. but also know when to let go of an essay and start a new one, which i guess is easier said than done because deadlines are looming. </p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>go stand in the shower and think of stuff to write.</p>
<p>I was having a lot of trouble coming up with what to write for my response to UC prompt #1. I had a good answer for prompt #2, but I was struggling with prompt #1. I considered talking about my career goals and why, but it wasn't convincing enough after I had written something. So I scrapped that idea and went with a personal goal for the future rather than a career one. I think it came out nicely :)</p>
<p>In other words, an idea will come to you eventually. Just keep brainstorming all possibilities of things you could talk about.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone about ideas coming up at random times. I was just driving one day and then it came to me. I had to rewrite with completely new topics like 3-4 times though. So maybe try something new? If it doesn't work out take a break and new ideas will come.</p>
<p>Remember that the best essays tell a story. Take the pressure off yourself, pretend you're talking to a friend. Some writers use a tape recorder and just talk into it, you can fool yourself into thinking, "I'm not writing (pressure, pressure) I'm just talking." But good stuff can come out of that. Don't try and impress, just try and be honest. The most important thing about an essay is that it's YOUR voice, and nobody can do you better than you, as cliche as that may sound. Also, I agree that tricking your brain that you're doing something else, like showering, driving, etc. works. I personally endorse long walks. Then, even if you don't come up with something, you've gotten some exercise!</p>
<p>I would not even be counting words at this stage. If I had a story to tell, I would just keep telling it. I'd write a bunch of paragraphs, even if they were not in the right order or they were not polished enough. Once I had enough "stuff" I would proceed to edit it.</p>
<p>I find, on the other hand, that I often don't have enough "stuff" because I am thinking in abstract terms. That's when I remember to "show them, don't tell them", turning "I went to school today" into "I had no idea when I woke up this morning what a long day this would be. Dragging myself out of bed, I ..." (you get the picture.) The object is not to add to the word count, but to provide details that put life and character into your writing.</p>
<p>I wrote about 15 different essays (rough drafts), all different topics until I finally decided on one I really liked for my main commonapp essay. So yeah, explore ANYTHING that pops intoyour head ansee if you can make it ito an essay</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your responses. Hooray for support...
I think my problem might have been that I had two topics in mind for one essay, and while I wrote one I kept worrying if the other idea was better, etc., etc. Also, I think that because my first essay was so magical and natural and easy, that when the second one wasn't the same to compose, I thought something was wrong with it. So My three essays ended up being: Wrote in the middle of the night months ago, forgot about, cambe back to and thought it was genius upon second reading; miraculous perfect-as-soon-as-I-wrote-it essay which I love; and essay that took SOO much work and worry that I posted about it, but eventually turned out to be satisfactory.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>Ahhh...I relate to this post! I'm writing my essay, and it seems to be dragging on...... I've only finished the intro so far, but I'm confident with it. I WILL finish it tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Try studying for a test....That always works for me....</p>
<p>AND 3 hours later...no further progress. Curse my ADD tendenciesssssssss</p>
<p>This year I was having some major writers block and was procrastinating. Sometimes you will find inspiration in places you would least expect it. I was on YouTube listening to music when I came to the song which inspired me, and I suddenly went off on a tangent as I quickly tried to get my ideas down into a word processor. </p>
<p>Just keep in mind that the first idea is not always the most luminous bulb. This essay itself I rewrote from scratch a total of 18 times as the plot of it transformed from one idea, to the next. Eventually I ended up with an essay that I myself can hardly believe I wrote myself.</p>
<p>Just remember that an idea is not something that you can force. We are all ultimately creative in our decisions from why we decided to eat a specific brand of cereal in the morning to why we use specific words in our English essays.</p>
<p>Here are some tips that helped me when thinking of ideas:</p>
<ul>
<li>Keep a pad of paper or some sheets of notebook paper at all times!</li>
</ul>
<p>Ideas are like fireflies. They glow and sparkle until you either find a way to catch them in a net, or let them fly away. Nothing is worse then when you come up with a great idea for an essay and you forget it by the time you leave your math class or anywhere else you may have been at the time.</p>
<ul>
<li>Don't be afraid to let your mind wander:</li>
</ul>
<p>Like I said before, you can not force ideas. They have to be coaxed out.</p>
<ul>
<li>Ensure you have plenty of time to think of them:</li>
</ul>
<p>Humans by nature tend to work best when they are not under pressure. Most people do their best work and are the most creative when they have the time to do so.</p>
<ul>
<li>Do not "settle" for anything:</li>
</ul>
<p>When writing your essays, do NOT just send in an essay thinking that it is "good enough" unless you truly are happy with it. Settling for "good enough" never is.</p>
<ul>
<li>Have fun with it:</li>
</ul>
<p>Remember, these admissions officers have to read - in some cases - several thousand essays. You want them to remember you - ultimately in a positive light =P. If you do something different or unique - even if it is a bit harebrained - then they are more likely to remember you.</p>
<ul>
<li>Do not copy other people's ideas!</li>
</ul>
<p>There is a fine line between influence and plagarism. Some of the best minds are influenced by their peers. Very few of them have ever gone as far as plagiarism. Being influenced by someone else's work can be the best thing you can do on an essay. Just make sure you do not cross the line.</p>
<ul>
<li>No idea is a stupid idea:</li>
</ul>
<p>One day I was watching Disney movies and suddenly had a burning desire to write an essay. I was amused with the idea of writing an essay about Disney princesses - as a male - for a college essay. At first I wrote it out of complete jest, but in the end I submitted it to a couple different colleges because I really liked how it turned out.</p>
<ul>
<li>BE YOURSELF!</li>
</ul>
<p>Oddly we feel uncomfortable talking about ourselves. We normally feel like every aspect of our lives are mundane or simple. Remember that you are an individual and if the college cannot accept who you are as a person, you should not be there in the first place. They have to read jejune applications that seem like the same person, over, and over, and over again. Class President, National Honor Society, National Merit Scholar, Cheerleader, Community Volunteer, AP courses. You need to show them that you can be yourself and that you are a person worth remembering.</p>
<p>*Sell yourself</p>
<p>If all else fails, ask yourself some questions</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Why should they accept you over any other applicant?</p></li>
<li><p>Why should they care about you?</p></li>
<li><p>What do you ultimately want to accomplish that no one else can?</p></li>
<li><p>How are you going to change the world?</p></li>
<li><p>What are you not going to do that everyone else does?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Answering any of these questions normally means you could write an essay on your topic.</p>
<p>EDIT:</p>
<p>Another Idea I had for a source of inspiration. Pick up your I-Pod and turn it on to random. One the first song - Why do you like it? What message does it convey? Do you agree with the message? Music usually conveys ideas, and if you actually think about the lyrics you may be able to write a topic based upon a question or expressing an opinion.</p>