<p>I'm really confused about the format of a college essay. Are they more like a 'black tie affair' style (as my English teacher would say), or are they more relaxed and personal like a narrative?</p>
<p>More like creative black tie. Yes, it’s a serious piece of writing, but be loose with it – natural – as if you’re telling a story to a friend (without the emoticons). Take something that happened to you, describe it vividly with lots of detail, then pull back and reflect on how it changed you as a person. Then sum it up with a present day example of who you are now.</p>
<p>That is really helpful- thanks!</p>
<p>Good luck :)</p>
<p>There is no single topic that must be used in writing a college essay, as most writers choose a topic that has particular meaning for them. Someone might write about the formal or narrative. Such a wide range of potential topics can lead to such essays being quite interesting, though they can also be difficult for some writers to start.</p>
<p>I can only speak for myself, as I am neither an admissions officer nor an experienced guidance counselor. I do, however, feel that a personal approach is best.</p>
<p>As an international applicant with heavy financial need, I chose to present my main (Common Application) essay through a very personal tone. I guess it worked, because I was accepted to many top choices (Stanford, Williams, Penn among them.)</p>
<p>Again, this is my personal experience, and a single anecdote is simply unrepresentative of the whole. But I hope that helps!</p>
<p>A friend of mine got into duke with a very personal approach to his essay. Almost looked like a blog post. Also was 450 words over the word limit.
Another friend of mine got into Vassar with a formal tone in his essay. Exceeded the word limit by 20 words.
Believe what you want.</p>
<p>Thank you for all of your responses!</p>