<p>I've spent most of this week writing college essays, but I think I've hit a wall. I keep hearing that you need to be passionate, you need a message to convey, and mostly it seems as if you need to write about epiphanies and life-changing, decisive moments that I can't remember ever having, or that sum up my entire life in a few artfully formulated sentences about the nuanced interplay of light and shadow on the glassware in the chemistry lab ("And at that moment I knew that the synthesis of complex organic compounds was my true calling").</p>
<p>Instead, I keep starting essays that I don't know how to finish, writing meandering narratives that don't conclude, and including details that are only tangentially related to my supposed topic. My essays read like collections of disconnected anecdotes.</p>
<p>It seems like most people either have ONE THING that they're passionate about, or they've reached a level of self-awareness that I clearly haven't yet, since they're able to write about themselves with such certainty. I'm applying to college as "undecided", my academic and extracurricular interests fall in at least three major (and entirely unrelated) categories, and I second-guess myself like you wouldn't believe. For instance, I could write with some sort insight about growing up as a "third culture kid", but I still wouldn't know what conclusions to draw from it, because I don't know these things. I'm trying to find out. I turned seventeen today--am I honestly expected to have "found myself" by now? </p>
<p>I'm sorry I post here so often, but my own parents went to college in Europe and aren't much help in this area.</p>
<p>First, forget about passion. I'm guessing there are a lot more people without a single burning passion than those that do. Second, remember that most college essay readers want you to use the prompt to say something interesting about who you are. Third, get a copy of "On Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance and the College of your Choice" by Harry Bauld. It's short, breezy and easy to read. If Bauld can't help you...</p>
<p>"It seems like most people either have ONE THING that they're passionate about, or they've reached a level of self-awareness that I clearly haven't yet, since they're able to write about themselves with such certainty. I'm applying to college as "undecided", my academic and extracurricular interests fall in at least three major (and entirely unrelated) categories, and I second-guess myself like you wouldn't believe. For instance, I could write with some sort insight about growing up as a "third culture kid", but I still wouldn't know what conclusions to draw from it, because I don't know these things. I'm trying to find out. I turned seventeen today--am I honestly expected to have "found myself" by now? "</p>
<p>This paragraph, and the previous one, are clearly in your voice (what colleges REALLY want to read in an essay), are well written, and interesting. You certainly can write. They are a little too negative and could use some slight editing...but.... give yourself a pep talk, maybe the Bauld book will help, and...in the overly used phrase from Nike...JUST DO IT!</p>
<p>I'll try to give an example of what exactly I'm having trouble with. Let's say I'm writing the oh-so-original "death of a family member" essay, just as a random example of a topic. I can write several paragraphs in "my voice" about the kind of person my grandmother was, about summer vacations with her on a particular Swedish island, and about how when she died I felt as if I'd lost the only thing that tied me to the country that's supposed to be my home. The part I can't write, and that always comes out sounding trite and cheap, is the part where I explain what it means to me, how it helped me grow and why I'm telling the story in the first place. Does that make sense at all?</p>
<p>Yes it makes perfect sense. Keep in mind that if you show don't tell, you don't really have to say how it made you grow in so many words. Can you give an example of either something in your current life that reminds you that you still have ties to Sweden or something in your current life that shows that you've become either more American or more international?</p>
<p>It sounds to me like your essay has a lot of promise.</p>
<p>By the way, I've read great sample essays about very little things. There was one example in one of the books where a kid writes about his Dad making pancakes. (Or was it waffles?)</p>
<p>First, I want to assure you that you are not alone. My daughter struggled the same way you did, despaired the way you did, had dozens of false starts, strings of anecdotes, etc. She was advised, by someone who knows a lot about college admissions (used to be an ad rep at a selective college), that not all essays have that revelatory ending that sums up the true essence of their soul. Most don't, she said. If you don't have it, don't fret, she said. The essay doesn't usually make or break the admissions decision, she said.</p>
<p>The essay I wrote to the college I attended (back in the dark ages) was similar to yours. My ending was along the lines of: I don't know who I am or what I want to be, that's why I'm going to college. College admissions people know that they are dealing with 17 year olds. And the vast majority of 17 year olds haven't a clue who they are or what they want to do. Admitting that is honest. It means you are open to new experiences, to exploration. </p>
<p>"For instance, I could write with some sort insight about growing up as a "third culture kid", but I still wouldn't know what conclusions to draw from it, because I don't know these things. I'm trying to find out. I turned seventeen today--am I honestly expected to have "found myself" by now? "</p>
<p>That is the start to a perfectly good ending.</p>
<p>I agree with Sly that quote is the start of a perfectly good ending. My daughter's essay just ended - it was sort of about overcoming a stereotype - she just said, I'm paraphrasing,"I picked myself up and went on" - no real explanatory ending, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusion.
She also used the method of writing a few single words or phrases that she thought truly described her, then thinking of incidents that illustrated those phrases.</p>
<p>maybe its time to ask for someone else to take a look at your essays. Sometimes someone who is not you can see what is working and can see how what seems disconnected is actually connected. Or offer specific suggestions on how you might connect your anecdotes. That said, feel free to pm me if you want a little outside imput on your essays.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, everyone. Reading the replies was really encouraging. I'm glad there doesn't need to be a "profound insight" at the center of each essay; I guess I'm just worried that the things I'm writing will be completely aimless and not telling enough. </p>
<p>If anyone wants to read some of the ones I've started, let me know and I can send them in a PM.</p>
<p>camelias- I'd be happy to read your essays if you want to PM me. Include:
your email address
the prompts
and the school(s) where you plan to use them.</p>
<p>I'm sure your essays will be quite good. As others have said, you don't need to pressure yourself to wrap it all up in profound insight. And I'd personally love to see an essay that ended
[quote]
I turned seventeen today--am I honestly expected to have "found myself" by now? "
[/quote]
if it fit the prompt and flowed from your essay.</p>
<p>Write details about a small single event. For example, if writing the "I miss my grandmother who died" essay, write about the day you made cookies when you were 6 and conclude with a paragraph that says "she died last year and I miss her."</p>
<p>Or the "teacher who made a difference" essay: write about ten minutes in her classroom, not the whole year.</p>
<p>I'm going to be such a Mom here. If you are spinning your wheels, maybe you need to give it a break for 48 hours. Be sure you are eating well and getting enough sleep (yeah, I know you have a heavy courseload). Feeding and resting your body and your spirit and just lying fallow for a bit may help you get a fresh perspective on your writing.</p>
<p>I'd send your drafts out to the people who offered to take a look and then take a break from it.</p>