The Perfectionists Guide To The College Essay

The Perfectionist's Guide To The College Essay So whether you’re seeking flexibility in your college admission essay or you’re just doing a little preliminary research on likely essay prompts, the Common App is a good place to start. Many selective colleges and universities have their own essay prompts. Other colleges may simply offer you free writing space to provide a personal statement. However, the Common Application is perhaps the best starting point for anticipating likely college essay prompts. I hope that after reading this post you feel a bit more confident in your ability to write your college admissions essay. If you are more thoughtful, take on a slightly more serious tone. The college essay is not a test to see if you can read minds or anticipate what the admission office wants to hear. Jodi Then is the High School Counselor at Boston Green Academy. Before joining BGA, Ms. Then spent 15 years working at a non-profit organization that specialized in college access and financial aid. If you’ve just finished your junior year of high school, then these may very well be in your near future. Emily guided me through the revision process of my writing and helped clarify my drafts for a supplemental college essay. She provided thoughtful feedback and kept prompt communication to meet my deadline. I highly recommend Emily if you need assistance for your college essay. one-on-one meetings, I help students explore their personal values, identify meaningful themes, and compelling essays. As a guide for every draft of every essay, I create a process that is manageable, calm, and even fun. We assume some well-meaning English teacher shared this advice with you in high school. Admissions officers aren’t interested in a timeline of events or a bullet-list of accomplishments. What they’re really seeking is a story, a personal narrative, a reflection that carries subtext. That story shows your hard work, dedication, and generosity without ever referring explicitly to these fantastic qualities. On the subject of essay prompts, Meredith points out that the 7 variations offered by the Common App are designed to give all applicants the opportunty to share something meaningful about themselves. It may feel scary and impossible, but with right approach , you can write an essay that showcases your unique personality and impresses admissions officers. Vagueness isn’t a problem unique to admissions essays. The college essay may be your only opportunity to show your personality to the admission office. If you are witty, show the reader your sense of humor (But be cautious. What you think is funny, someone else may not.). It’s something all writers struggle with â€" including myself; I struggled with it while writing this very article. Ah, college application essays â€" the necessary evil of college-bound high school seniors everywhere. Plain and simple, they want to know about you, how well you write and how self-aware you are. Visit our Writing Lab for more writing tips, pertaining both to your college essay, and to the array of other writing challenges you’ll face in college or graduate school. This advice applies to most creative writing situations. The Common Application also gives you the option of responding to one of 7 different essay prompts. If you will be using the Common App, you’ll be able to choose, and write about, one of these prompts. If you don't plan on using the Common App, these prompts can still offer insight into a topic you'll likely be writing on for your school of choice.