College Essays

College Essays
1

So, I’m a junior and I wanted to begin writing my college essays now so I’m not freaking out next year to have them done. The problem is that most of the topics ask about difficult times I’ve had that helped shape me or about things in my life that changed me but nothing of that sort has happened to me. My life is pretty boring and uneventful; nothing life changing has happened to me. Can I talk about my volunteering maybe and how that has shaped me??? Please help

2

This year not all of the Common App essay prompts asked about difficult times, there were a variety of different options (you can google to get this year’s prompts). You can certainly take your volunteering and craft that into an essay to likely fit one of the CA prompts. Just make sure you tell specifics of how it had an impact on you. My DD wrote about the influence that her passion for writing has had on her life for her CA essay.

For supplemental essays those are usually pretty specific and there will be a variety of questions. You could also tell how your volunteering changed you if you are asked that question (similar to how it shaped you).

3

Your essay should be more about YOU than about what you do. Your best friend should be able to pick it out of a pile and know that it just exudes YOU.

Here’s the method that worked with my kids:

  • Go to this year’s Common App prompts. Yes, they may change between now and May, but probably not too significantly. (Or simply wait for the May release of next year’s prompts.)
  • Set a timer for 4 minutes. Take the 1st prompt, and brainstorm anything in your life's experience that could possibly qualify for a topic. Make a list-- a word or a phrase for each idea that occurs to you. Nothing is off limits. Repeat for each of the remaining prompts.
  • Let that simmer a day or so. Then go back to your list and elaborate a bit on each of the topics, eliminating those that are obviously not going to work.
  • Let that simmer. then go back and make bullet points for the topics that remain, eliminating any that obviously are not going to work.
  • Let that simmer, then go back and write rough drafts for the topics that remain. KEEP these drafts, as it's entirely possible that next year's English teacher will assign these.
  • Decide on your winner, and edit and edit.
4

@bjkmom Thank you. I’ll try that out