Colloquially Speaking...Lack of "SAT vocab"

College Essays
1

<pre><code>The question currently on my mind about the college essay (specifically, the Common App) revolves around vocabulary usage. I've noticed some students try to stuff their essay with lengthy vocabulary words, something that I am very skilled at doing. I feel that it appears rather disingenuous in my essay, however. (See what I did there?)
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<p>Am I better off writing "as I speak," per say? Many thanks. </p>

2

<p>Definitely. The essay is about giving colleges a snapshot of you they can’t get from test scores, ECs, etc. If you muddy up the authenticity of that snapshot by writing in a way that is not natural, then you risk making your essay confusing. Even worse, each big word you use will just scream out “Fake,” and that’s what you’ll end up portraying to admissions officers. </p>

<p>The goal is to sound authentic, not “smart,” and smart =/= uses a lot of SAT vocab words. They’re called such because that’s pretty much all you’ll need them for…</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the reply! I have a pretty large vocabulary that I naturally incorporate into writing fluently, so I was kind of unsure of how to approach this essay. This clears it up a bit more!</p>

4

<p>Use your normal vocabulary…if you have good vocabulary and you use it frequently in your writing just write that way. I sort of think about it as trying to impress the admissions officer with what you’re writing instead of how you write it, although you should still focus on good grammar and making sure it runs smoothly of course.</p>

5

<p>In addition, make sure you’re not making common but cringe-worthy errors. If you plan to use Latin, French, or other non-English phrases (for example, “per se”) be sure to double check spelling and precise meaning. If you’re not 100% sure a word is correct, better not to use it.</p>

6

<p>Ahh of course! That is a helpful tidbit that I think people often overlook too, petrichor. Many thanks.</p>

7

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A lot of people say this, but make sure you get a second opinion (e.g., ask an English teacher to read it). </p>

8

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<p>Completely agree with the above. Have 3-4 people read it for flow.</p>