<p>Everyone tells you to show your essays to someone else before sending them to colleges. Well, I was taking feedback for my commonapp essay by one friend who is doing law. I edited it like 5 times. Right now, about 3-4 people are giving me completely different feedback on my commonapp essay. Some of their feedback collide and do not agree with other's. The essay has been butchered and edited for 17+ times and I just feel so overwhelmed.</p>
<p>One person says that it looks good now, while the other says the flow is lacking. The deadline is in 2 days. What should I do? How many people do you send your essays to?</p>
<p>Which person is going to be most familiar with what college admissions is looking for? Go with that person.</p>
<p>If you don’t have someone like that, take a look at the comments you’re getting and see who’s being the best editor - the person who makes YOUR writing better, not someone who’s rewriting it into something THEY wrote - there is a difference. The essays should reflect you and your voice. At this point, pick one editor and go with that.</p>
<p>Read it aloud. If it sounds good, then it’s fine. This doesn’t have to be as elaborate or eloquent as some grand piece of literature, but it has to speak as if you were the one telling a story. This is one of those things where you should “go with your heart”; you’re going to have critiques and people saying to change things no matter what, because people have their own idea of what the essay SHOULD be. Just know that it’s all really in your hands, and you’re the one who dictates what the final product will be.</p>
<p>I had the same problem as you. I had a college professor completely tear it down and made it more professional. Then I had my other tutor who majored in English and writing and was experienced herself in writing application essays. Trust me my common app has been destroyed and reconstructed just as many. After you finish writing it, give it to some friends to see which one runs smoother and nicer to them. And don’t pick like all overtly-A+ on every type of essay people. Pick close friends as well.</p>
<p>Don’t go by too much of friends, I had an admissions couselor review my D (she did not apply to that school). Go with your gut and make sure grammar is correct.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>it really does address the prompt (many of the ones i read do not)</p></li>
<li><p>it doesn’t put the reader to sleep (i can’t even get to the bottom of some of the snoozeville ones I’ve seen-- the essays are that boring)</p></li>
<li><p>is personalized enough that u can’t substitute someone else’s name or some other college’s name in the essay</p></li>
<li><p>it doesn’t have typos</p></li>
<li><p>it doesn’t use words you’ve taken from a thesaurus, that u have never spoken in real life.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Don’t obsess about punctuation. Realize that unless your essay is so utterly brilliant that it gets passed around the admissions office by marveling readers, it will be read quickly.</p>
<p>Make sure it still sounds like you, and don’t take ALL suggestions-- accept the ones that you agree with, and think sound better. For example, my siblings edited mine because they know me best, but I didn’t agree with all of their edits. As long as you sound authentic and you present the best version of yourself, that’s what truly matters.</p>
<p>I wanted them to let me know what they thought of it. I think I went over it too many times for them to find any grammar errors. I asked them to rate it. I got varying degrees from professionals and friends, so I stopped when I was comfortable with my writing. </p>