Top five tips for writing college application essays and why these tips work

April 27, 11:29 AMLA College Bound ExaminerEllen Richards

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Now is the time to get started thinking about writing essays for early admissions, and here are five tips for writing college application essays and why these tips work:

1. Market yourself, not a story.

You can tell the best story in the world, but if it doesn’t provide insight on your accomplishments then it fails to market yourself. The reader should have a much better sense of you and your achievements and future goals. 

For example, I remember a friend who wrote her essay for Harvard about how her parents took a mission trip to Africa and that inspired her to dedicating her life to improving healthcare for the poor. While heartwarming, it had two problems:

• It didn’t highlight any of her accomplishments
• It showed very limited insight into her personality

She was waitlisted. And while the essay wasn’t the only reason, it didn’t help.

2. Don’t be modest! 

This is a common problem with overachievers. Having done many impressive things, they then downplay their success, with comments and phrases like:

“There are so many other qualified students who want to get into Harvard”

or

“I will be incredibly lucky if you accept me to Stanford - I know many others deserve it

Do NOT say stuff like that.

Perhaps honest, and unfailingly nice, it does nothing for you.

Now, don’t go around bragging about how you’re the smartest chemistry student since Marie Curie. But don’t downplay your accomplishments - be proud of them. Sincerely describe how hard it was to win first place in Academic Decathlon, or top prize at the State UIL contest.

Be confident and be your biggest fan - if you’re not, admissions offices are liable to overlook your application in place of someone who acts like they deserve it.

3. Use anecdotes and stories

A good story is priceless. Remember my friend above who wants to change the world of healthcare for the poor? Exactly. While the purpose of her essay was misguided, her use of a vivid story certainly caught my attention enough to remember it all these years later.

Remember, admissions committees host actual committees to discuss a lot of the potential candidates - particularly ones that are on the border of acceptance and waitlisting. You want memorable stories in your essay that they can refer back to, that they can quote, that they can point to and say, because of what this student did, they deserve to come to Stanford. You want to be able to be the "So and so guy" when they are looking for something on the tip of their tongue.

Your essays are your best chance at making that happen. Use powerful imagery and personal anecdotes whenever you can. Leave readers with a lasting impression and it will serve you well come decision time.

4. Reiterate achievements; don’t reiterate a narrow interest

Similar to the first point, you want to brag a little bit in your essays without overdoing it. But when you brag - make sure you brag about your most impressive accomplishments, rather than filling up a page with a list of runner up awards. But whatever you do, make sure you link your accomplishments back to your success. 

Don’t talk about the time you let the opposing time score 14 earned runs in one inning while you were pitching, UNLESS you also talk about how that propelled you eventually to a no-hitter and the state championship.

Don’t talk about your first published short story, UNLESS you also describe how that success led you to commit to fiction writing, eventually winning national recognition and driving your desire to become a student of creative writing. 

You get the drift. Too often, students will discuss a small accomplishment that had great personal significance but limited significance to the university. The best candidates describe accomplishments that had both - and those are the successful ones.

5. Don’t name drop when it doesn’t make sense

Essays that include sentences like the following:

“Harvard has been my dream school because my friend Ryan Smith is a Harvard freshman and I’ve always looked up to him.”

“I think Stanford would be a great match for me because my older sister is currently a junior there, and our personalities have always been very similar.”

Make no sense.  It gets even worse when people name-drop various professors, university alums, etc

Randomly mentioning a person you know goes to the university does not make the university want you anymore. Only name-drop if mentioning that name is a KEY PART of the story you are telling in your application essay, So only name-drop if, without the name, your essay would lose meaning.

If you do it wrong, at best it will be ignored. At worst it will make you look fake. Not helpful.

For more info:  

See my article about Class of 2010's college options -  www.examiner.com/x-5453-LA-College-Bound-Examiner~y2009m4d10-High-school-juniors-start-thinking-beyond-standardized-tests-and-explore-college-options

 or visit us at www.ellened.com and www.secretadmissions.com