<p>After scanning through multiple essay-helping websites, I hear the same advice about writing essays; make sure you write in your honest voice, avoid large words and overly complex language, don't make it sound like your parents wrote it, etc.. My problem/fear is that my hand to god true and honest voice is naturally verbose, and I'm afraid it makes me sound inauthentic. I've always enjoyed writing and have become accustomed to academic writing through my activities, so I err on the side of flowery language. </p>
<p>My question then is should I make an effort to sound more 'high school-y' or conversational? I don't think my language is dense and it's not arbitrary, as in it doesn't look like I swapped every adjective with a larger thesaurus variant. I also don't think it detracts from content or makes my voice sound mechanical, to be honest it seems more like me. In fact, I'm not even sure if it qualifies as what the admissions officer's consider to be inauthentic and full of fluff, but it's really hard to say for certain. Can anyone give me tips on what is really meant when they say "use your voice and don't be overly complex?" I'm not trying to be a try hard, I just sometimes sound like the post-modern generator.</p>
<p>I’ve found that the best way to lose your “voice” is in seeking advice when you’ve got your first drafts done. Not that you might not need a little editing, but beware of getting too much advice. It will send you in lots of different directions as you “polish” it. Think of a hardwood floor with too many layers of polish. It may shine, but it reflects things other than the floor. It becomes harder and harder to see the grain of the wood.</p>
<p>My advice: don’t worry about “voice” as a component of the essay. Think about the essay itself: It’s not an academic exercise, but a personal statement. And if you can convey your personal experiences in a way that is meaningful for you, it will be memorable for others.</p>
<p>Not conversational, per se. But this is not a hs assignment, where the teacher needs to see you flex certain muscle, using the usual formula. It often helps to think of it as writing to a trusted older adult: you’re not trying to impress, just share your enthusiasm (as Dig notes, how it’s meaningful) and make a point that is relevant to what the adcoms need to see.</p>
<p>i too have a very poetic and verbose writing style, writing colloquially seemed inauthentic to me so i chose to keep my writing style and am very pleased with the results. i would encourage you to do what you are comfortable with. keep in mind that adcoms are adults who have a better understanding of writing and the english language then your high school peers. just make sure it is understandable, which you said it is.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should ‘try to write like a high school student’. I think you should write in your own style and then edit it. What the advice is all about is to not write like someone else. Students err on the side of puffing up the language and then sounding inauthentic. This doesn’t seem your issue so you can ignore that sort of advice.</p>
<p>Verbose and flowery isn’t considered good writing. So you can judiciously edit it to rein in excess.</p>
<p>I am reminded of this thread, more advice here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1557197-fears-about-verbosity-college-essays.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1557197-fears-about-verbosity-college-essays.html</a></p>
<p>Digmedia, good advice (and you tossed in a cool analogy as a bonus :)</p>