Your college (or boarding school) application essay is your biggest opportunity to show admissions officers who you are beyond the transcript. Here are some tips to get you started.
✅ The 3 Must-Do’s (The DOS):
- Be Specific & Tell a Story: Don’t just list achievements. Pick one small, personal moment that taught you something, and use vivid details to bring that moment to life.
- Focus on the “Why and How”: The event itself is secondary. Spend your words on reflection—explaining why the experience mattered and how it shaped who you are today.
Find Your Unique Voice: Write how you naturally think and talk. Authenticity is memorable. Read your essay aloud to catch anything that doesn’t sound like you!
❌ The 3 Must-Avoids (The DON’Ts):
- Don’t Rehash Your Resume: Avoid turning your essay into another version of your activities list. If the admissions team can read it elsewhere in your application, leave it out of the essay.
- Don’t Try to Guess What They Want: Don’t write about a topic you think sounds “safe” or “impressive.” Write about what you genuinely care about—passion and sincerity make for compelling reading.
- Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute: Writing a great essay takes time, multiple drafts, and feedback. Start early and set it aside for a day or two between revisions.
📚 Bonus Resources: Beat Writer’s Block and Polish Your Draft
Here are some great resources to help you break through those tough writing moments and submit your best work.
🧠 Overcoming Writer’s Block
- Check out Charlie the Writing Coach: He suggests techniques like freewriting (writing continuously without judging grammar or content), reading the essay prompts before bed, and even taking longer showers to spark creativity when your mind is relaxed.
📖 Recommended Reading
For a more in-depth look at the process of essay writing, check out:
- On Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance at the College of Your Choice by Harry Bauld (former admissions officer at Brown and assistant admissions director at Columbia).
💻 Practical Editing Tools
Use these tools to ensure your final draft is clean and error-free:
- Grammarly: Great for suggestions on improving grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- chckr.io: A useful resource for getting feedback and recommendations on your essay drafts.
Good luck to all of our applicants! You got this! 💪
