Hi everyone! Summer is coming up and I thought I would make a feed for the upcoming seniors as we get into our college essay season!
So how do you write an essay that shows who you are but also your intellectual ability while answering the prompt? Any tips on ways to come up with unique topics that will help get students into top tier schools?
Is it better to do something out of the box, like the Costco hotdog essay, or be relatively more ‘basic’, for lack of a better term? If it is better to be risky, isn’t there a chance that admin might think you are not taking the essay seriously or something like that?
My dtr has grown up with horses. If not at school she was at the barn since she was 5. It has been her life. That’s what she wrote about, that’s what she’s known. Her easy was in a story form. She was accepted to all 8 of her schools. Write what you are comfortable with, what you are familiar with and you cant go wrong.
I wrote about how I wasn’t allowed to drink Coke until I was 16 and used that to show how I matured emotionally and intellectually in order to be deemed worthy in the eyes of my parents. Just write from what you know. It doesn’t have to be something bizarre or peculiar; I read an essay in a book of college essays where one student wrote about his love for olives.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember the title. I must have gone through 5-10 books about writing college essays. I just borrowed every single book I could find at my local library. I would encourage you to do the same, or if that’s not possible, a quick Google search would help as well.
I know this topic is quite common: moving. I tried to make my essay unique in that I moved to another country. Initially I hated the country but I found the unique landscape beautiful through hiking. Essay explains why I hike.
I would recommend try writing about something not found in the “extra-curricular” section of your application… I have debate… student government… bunch of leadership… I think writing about something not on there would make you more “human” and more attractive as an applicant.
Plus… start writing NOW! Why not get two or three additional drafts to choose from later?
My kid said yesterday: “A good college essay is like telling a story for This American Life. Take something small and build it into a story.” Also, all my kids ever got from essay books was confidence, as a lot of the essays in them are really bad…
Also don’t try to copy other successful essays. I’m pretty sure adcoms remember which essays were successful… like that hotdog essay. Just try to be yourself and you’ll be fine.
Stay true to who you are. Don’t try to insert big words or phrases you’d never use otherwise. Your integrity will come through if you write from your self and not from others. That’s what I did and it got me into both colleges I really wanted
Have a clear prompt in your mind and write from there. Just free write and then add structure later. Let English teachers correct grammar/syntax mistakes. Have the main idea be reflected in the beginning and end of your essay.
I did watch a lot of Ted Talks beforehand for some mental stimulation and motivation haha
Step one is to consider the admissions officer who will be reading your application.He/she will have a lot of facts and figures provided from transcripts, test scores, resumes, etc. Ask yourself this question. What is NOT on those papers that I really want the admissions officer to know so that he/she “gets” me?
The second, related step is to narrow the focus of your essay to a single, core quality about yourself. Your essay is “about” that core quality. This small picture will reveal the big picture.
Step three is to tell a story that shows the development of that core quality and/or the way the quality plays out in your life.
Just keep it simple. As others have already said, write about the things that you have experienced and can relate too. You don’t need to write essays on quirky topics. My son followed simple tips mentioned here http://www.studymode.com/essays/5-Tips-To-Write-a-College-48686808.html and he did just fine. All the best!
