Break It Down: The College Essay
I remember sitting down to write my Common Application essay the summer before my senior year of high school, confronting what my future college professor would describe to me as “the horror of the blank page.” This was my only chance, or so it seemed, to put my best self out there for an admission committee’s review. The freedom to write about myself in my own words was exciting, but at that moment, I was terrified. As I watched my cursor blink back at me in my empty Google Doc, I wondered how I could possibly write myself into a person that college admissions officers would want in their next first-year class.
Now, as an admissions officer myself, I have read my fair share of college essays, including many essays addressing the very same prompt that I struggled with back in high school. I often reflect on my own college application process and what I wish I had known. If I could go back in time, what would I tell myself as I tried to put myself perfectly on the page?
That is why I present to you, How To: The Common Application Essay (or, alternatively, The Common Application Essay: Five Tips to Not Lose Your Mind).
Start early. Everyone has their own writing process, but in my opinion, starting early never hurts anybody. Approaching your college essay while you are not actively facing an imminent deadline or the stresses of your academic and extracurricular commitments can give you the opportunity to build a strong foundation of writing that you can later rework. Your future self will thank you!
Free write. The same college professor who introduced me to “the horror of the blank page” also shared, “The only way to start writing is to start writing.” At the time, I thought this advice was painstakingly obvious, but to this day it always rings true. Do not start your essay with the intention of writing your final essay. Think of a topic you could write on and on about, and just start writing. Forget if it makes sense or is written perfectly. Put your thoughts on the page without judgment, you’ll come back to them later!
Remember the essay is one piece of your larger application. As you think about the topic of your essay, remember that this essay comes as one piece of a larger picture. What do you want the admissions committee to know that we won’t find elsewhere in your application? We start learning about you through your school profile, your transcript, and your letters of recommendation. The Common App essay is a chance to tell us something new. What life experiences have shaped your worldview? What is your favorite recipe? We are excited to learn more about you as a person as we review your writing.
Make your writing your own. As an admissions officer, the essays that have stayed with me are the ones that are specific and unique. Do not stress about what you think the reader of your application wants to hear or take time substituting your vocabulary with formal thesaurus terminology. As readers, we want to hear your story in your voice. Your writing should be something that you stand by and are proud of.
Edit and proofread. No matter how good it feels to finish your piece and close out your document, it is always worthwhile to give your work a second (or third, or fourth) look. Countless times I have found myself lost in an essay, only to be pulled back to reality by a blaring grammatical or spelling error. Share your writing with trusted friends and teachers, and make sure that your essay is free from basic errors before you submit it.
As you complete the college application process, you will find many points of your application that are outside of your control. Your grade in Geometry, for example, is fixed, whether you like it or not. The essay, on the other hand, is an opportunity for you to tell us who you are on your own terms. Find empowerment in the freedom that your authorship provides, and make your essay count. The only way to start writing is to start writing!