Category: college application essays

The college application essay is a chance for students to stand out among other applicants. In fact, the essay is one part of the application that the student has complete control. Students have complete control over the essay because they can show the admissions readers what makes them unique.

Here are the 5 most common college application essay questions:

• Write about a book you‘ve read
• Who is someone you admire?
• Why do you want to attend this college?
• Tell about a meaningful activity for you.
• What do you want to do 10 years from now?

Each question emphasizes “you.” Admissions readers want to hear from you, in your authentic voice. Writing in your voice is what makes the essay response unique and only a story that you can tell.

In writing the college application essay, you can be creative, use dialogue, or focus on a single moment. Keep in mind though that the college application essay is not an academic exercise. Your essay should come from the heart.

In blog postings over the next 5 weeks (on Monday), we will post tips for crafting a strong response for each of these different question types.

 

As the January application deadlines draw near, high school seniors may have added stress with answering unusual essay questions. As colleges seek to get to know students beyond their transcripts and standardized test scores, the essay questions are reaching beyond your typical “tell me about yourself” questions. Here are some samples:

My favorite thing about last Tuesday? (25 words or less.) – University of Maryland

Imagine you have to wear a costume for a year of your life. What would you pick and why? — Brandeis University

What is your favorite ride at the amusement park? How does this reflect your approach to life? — Emory University

The best movie of all time — Columbia University

What would you do with a free afternoon tomorrow? – Yale University

via College essay questions get a quirky, tweety makeover – chicagotribune.com.

To write a strong essay that will keep the admissions readers awake, follow these 3 strategies that work with even the quirkiest of questions:

1. Start your response with a timed 5-minute free writing. As you write your free-hand response, do not worry about style or punctuation. It’s more important in this first stage that you write your initial, unedited, reactive response.
2. Finalize your initial draft at least 24 hours later. It really does help to “sleep” on it. When you take some time away from your initial written response, it will be easier for you to hear your voice and revise your sentences.
3. Read your essay aloud! If you feel uncomfortable reading aloud, maybe that’s a sign that the essay isn’t as strong as you think. It may feel awkward at first, but reading aloud will help you hear any awkwardness within the sentences or within the paragraphs.

All the best on your essay. Please keep us posted on your writing success.

 

 

It’s much more difficult to write a short essay than a long essay. Each year, my students struggle with cutting their college application essays to meet the 100- or 500-word count prescribed by the colleges, particularly on the Common Application. In fairness to the admissions readers and the other applicants, students should make every effort to stay within those guidelines as a recent post from the NY Times suggests:

Unlike other parts of the application, which, in its online version, cuts students off midword if they exceed character limits, the personal statement will not be truncated, raising the question in school corridors: Does 500 really mean 500?In a word, no. In two words, kind of.

“If a student uploaded a 500,000-word essay, there’s nothing we could do,” said Rob Killion, executive director of Common Application, which is accepted by more than 400 colleges and universities. “However, we do ask that all students follow the same rules their peers are following.”Mr. Killion said the limit was reinstated after feedback that essays had grown too long. But colleges are not told if essays exceed the limit. Jon Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, agreed that concise writing was laudable but said the implication of a strict limit was misleading. “I worry about that kid who’s written 530 and thinks he has to cut 30 words,” he said. “It just puts another stage of anxiety in front of these kids.” Jeffrey Brenzel, dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale, said he did not stop reading if an essay ran long, but “if they go over the limit, the stakes go up.”

via College Application Essay as Haiku? For Some, 500 Words Aren’t Enough – NYTimes.com.

If the word count is over the limit by about 10% in words, that’s not so bad. However, when students add an additional 50% or more, it shows a lack of judgment and an arrogant pen.

To determine the interest of your essay and where to delete:

1. Read your essay aloud for any redundancies. Delete any and all redundancies, which includes information that is repeated from other parts of your application.
2. Focus on showing, instead of telling. When you “show,” your essay is more engaging to read.
3. Picture an admissions officer lying in the bed at 1 am, after reading 50 applications that night. Then ask yourself if your essay will be compelling enough to keep them awake or put them sleep.
4. Read your essay aloud again. It may feel uncomfortable, but think about it this way. If your essay isn’t interesting enough for you to read aloud, how do you think it will “sound” to the admissions readers?

Please let me know what other tips/tricks have worked for you in streamlining your college application essay!