Tips for the College Essay

• Be honest
• Tell your story in your own voice!
• Read the topic question(s) carefully and be sure to respond to the question(s) asked.
• Write about a subject or idea with which you are familiar.  In other words, personalize your essay.  Use anecdotes, if appropriate.
• As a corollary to that, be yourself.  Do not attempt to use words or ideas that are unfamiliar to you.  It usually shows.
• Write about the specific rather than the general, the concrete rather than the abstract.
• Be neat.  Whether you hand write or type/word process your essay, do so neatly.
•  Proofread!  Proofread!  Proofread!
• Before submitting your final draft, have someone else proofread it (English teacher, college counselor, peer and/or parent).  Does it sound like you?
• Remember, your own thoughts are important!  This must be your own work.
• Avoid trying to be silly, cute or outrageous.
• Avoid the ‘laundry list’ of accomplishments!  That information is already available elsewhere in your application.

Keep the Reader in Mind

Your first goal is to make the reader want to admit you.  Therefore, you need to find out what makes your reader “tick” and identify the assumptions and experiences you and the reader share.  The reader or admissions officers are looking for students who can handle the academic workload and make a positive contribution to college life.  They are particularly impressed with students who have taken the time to learn about their school and can demonstrate that the students will be both happy and productive there.  In addition, admissions personnel will react favorably to an application that can demonstrate

•        A serious intent to pursue a college level education
•        A genuine desire to attend a particular college
•        An ability to think clearly, logically, and abstractly

College admission personnel are under a great deal of pressure to sift through piles and piles of application forms, transcripts, recommendations, and essays.  In fact, it is not unusual for admissions officers to read as many as fifty complete applications a day.  Therefore, you must write so that you get your points across quickly and easily.  Structure your essays logically, guide your reader from point to point, making it easier for the reader to pay attention and understand the ideas.  Without structure, your reader may become confused, lose interest and stop reading.

To keep busy readers reading, you must design an introduction that first grabs the reader’s attention and then tells the reader what is to come.  A beginning paragraph that details the purpose and direction of the forthcoming discussion helps admissions officers quickly understand the most essential points and how your ideas are connected throughout the essay.  The reader is also more likely to stay “tuned in” if you provide strong transitions and use concrete examples.

Be yourself!  Use words that are natural to you and at the same time appropriate to the situation.  If humor is your style, be humorous.

Use Desirable Tones

No student would come right out and say to an admissions officer: “I’m terrific,” or “You’re stupid.” or “I’m desperate, please take me.”  Yet, admissions officers frequently “hear” these messages in the tone of the essay.

Although students do not usually set out to make inappropriate statements, word choice and phrasing often misrepresent their attitudes toward themselves and their reader.  When a reader “hears” an inappropriate, negative, or extreme tone, he or she frequently “tunes out” or lowers his or her opinion of the student.