I always hear “make sure you have amazing essays because they are looked at closely”.
But what really makes an essay a good essay? Does it tell something about who you are? Is it put together eloquently? Should you weave in stuff to make yourself look good?
A good essay is like any other piece of good writing. If you don’t know what that is then I would suggest you bulk up what remaining academic schedule you have on English writing and composition.
In short, it needs to grab you and hold your attention to the end whilst telling the story. And, at the end, the story needs to mesh with what the rest of your application says.
That word “eloquently” frightens me. For a typical essay, you should sound intelligent but natural. Do not attempt to imitate Joseph Addison or Nathaniel Hawthorne.
As to making yourself look good, let the rest of your package do that: your scores, your academic record, your recommendations, etc. “How I grew” is a good theme for an essay, but that’s not the same as “How I’m awesome.” Anything akin to “How I won the big game” is virtually guaranteed to make you sound like an ass.
If you are asked to write a supplemental essay, consider being creative with form as well as content.
A good essay basically tells them about you. What kind of person are you? What is important to you? What experiences have shaped your interests, values, and character? What are you going to do with your college education? Where do you want to make an impact in the world? Whatever the prompt is, if you try to be impressive or creative and don’t have a very clear answer to any of these questions, then there was no point in writing it.
I strongly second WasatchWroter on sounding natural. It should read like you would sound if you were speaking to a respected adult who is also a close friend; not too formal, not too casual.
Another way to describe it is what it is not. It is not a collection of impressive words thrown together to reflect someone or something that you are not.
@JustOneDad that would be 2 honors and 2 AP english…
I always find myself being very objective with my common app essays; I’ll try to be more sincere I guess.
Something that comes from your heart and not from your head. Just be honest and clear. Good luck@
Don’t write fluff be honest and clear and show your intelligence but at the same time don’t sound arrogant.
@ErenYeager Good. It’s my sincere belief that you can’t take enough English Comp and essay practice in high school.
A good college application essay is different from a good high school essay. Adcoms look for the personal attributes they like and know work well at their colleges.