I’m in the process of applying to colleges for undergraduate studies, and my top three colleges are Princeton, Harvard, and Yale (probably in that order). I think I have the grades and test scores it would take to get in to at leastone of these colleges, but I also realize that writing a stellar essay could really boost my chnaces, which brings me to my question. How can I use my essay as a way to stand out from all of the other qualified applicants? I’ve been told to “just be myself”, and while I am, I also wonder if there’s some other way to strengthen my essays. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
There really is no magic formula. Write about whatever you like. As long as it’s well written, the readers will know. Try to find some books or examples of essays that worked for some examples.
Best is to write about something a teenager would be passionate about. Your own voice is what counts here.
I’ve been reading up on how to write the essay… Out of the 4 books I’ve read/ skimmed so far there seems to be several reoccurring ideas:
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“Show, don’t tell” For this piece of advice, you want to use an active voice. Instead of saying ‘the door was shut by Nathan,’ say ‘Nathan shut the door.’ When trying to convey something, don’t outright say it. Use an anecdote to show it. Example- “I am hard working” versus focusing on a club or project that you put tons of time and effort into… idk these aren’t good examples, so just google “show don’t tell” and you’re bound to find some better ones.
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Passion: Admissions Officers oftentimes read your essay after reading GPA, test scores, EC’s, etc. They already know that you’re smart enough to be a candidate for their school. In your essay, you want wow them with what you love. They want to know that you have the drive to succeed throughout 4+ long years of hard work- and having a clear passion demonstrates this drive.
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Start with an image: though not foolproof, one of the best ways to rope in a reader is to start with a powerful image that you will analyze later in the essay.
Ex) my neighbor (who went to Cornell) started by showing a moment: his mom yelling up the stairs at him because the 137 bird nests that he collected in one week had brought fleas into the house. He used super descriptive language that made you really hear his mom calling AN-DY!!!.. While this image seems pointless at first, his subsequent analysis showed his passion for nature and animals- and his veterinary ambitions.
-Readers can learn a lot more about you from a powerful image than by you telling them what to gleam from your essay
-Plus I’m guessing the admission officer who read it referred to him as the bird nest guy- he stood out.
-It’s also good to bring the essay full circle by referring back the the initial image at the end. This reminds the reader of why you stand out and your good candidacy.
- Voice: in a nutshell, your essay needs to sound like you wrote it. Colleges want passionate students, and passionate students usually have a voice. Find yours and don’t let go, even through however many rounds of self, peer, and teacher editing.
There’s a few more, but I’m having a mental block. I’d suggest reading (or skimming) “On Writing the College Application Essay, 25th Anniversary Edition: The Key to Acceptance at the College of Your Choice” and/or “Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps: Crafting a Winning Personal Statement.” They’re like $6 each online or probably available at a library.
All the above tips are good ideas. I think sincerity and genuineness are both integral parts of a good essay. Don’t get too caught up in what you think they want to hear. Be sincere, be passionate; the same type of essay will not work for everyone. The trick is to find what best represents you and conveying the best possible version of yourself to admissions.
Thanks for all of the advice. I’ve been trying to be genuine in all my essays and I think it’s working out, they’re turning out well.
There are lots of books out there, but I think @SoCcErTrAcK2016 has nailed it. One more bit of advice to see if it’s in your “voice.” When you are done, read it out loud to someone. Does it sound like you talking? Or does it sound like you’re reading from a book written by someone else. Don’t use words, phrases, or sentence constructs you wouldn’t normally use. You don’t “aspire to” things, there is not a “plethora of” anything, etc…
And since you mentioned the Gelb book, his best advice is to never explain, complain, or brag.
BtW, “On Writing the College Essay” by Harry Bauld is a very entertaining book to read and will give you insight into the person having to read what you write.
Tell a story about yourself. Opening paragraph is to get the reader hooked and closing paragraph is to leave the reader wanting to know more. Its not like other essays you write in school. Read over it and if it sounds like someone else could have written it it is too generic. It has to be about you, who you are and your passion has to be conveyed through the story. My daughter has many medical issues and had to overcome alot in high school and it is part of who she is so she wrote an essay where she is most happy never outright saying she was sick bit you would know by reading it. It started off with a small event that happened doing the activity she is most passionate about with alot of imagery to set the stage. However everything was implied nothing said directly. An admission officer would know from reading it she struggled through medical issues without ever explicitly telling them in the story. No one else could have written her story and the school counselor without question would know which of her students wrote it.