While most of the seniors are wrapping up college applications, it is that time of the year for our high school juniors to start prepping for theirs. There are a lot of considerations to be made, but breaking it down into multiple parts can make it seem easier, rather than tackling everything at once. Most colleges and/or universities require students to write a college essay or personal statement as part of the college application process. This week, we will be discussing some tips for crafting a successful and engaging college essay.
1. Start Early
Starting your essay early will save you time and cause less stress, which allows for more mental space to reflect on your past experiences. This is essential in producing insightful essays. You can set aside 15-30 mins each day to brainstorm and jot down any ideas that come to mind. This will help combat the urge to procrastinate at the end, which leaves time for feedback and revisions, which we will touch upon later in this post.
You can also create a “resume”, which consists of a list of life events and activities that you believe has helped build character and shown growth, in addition to academic skills. Being able to see the big picture helps create a foundation to craft an insightful personal narrative. This can help you relate your responses to the essay prompts to the life events that you have encountered and your personal stories. The point is to “relate” and “connect the dots”.
2. Tell Your Story
Write about something that is personal and important to you. This could be an experience, a person, a book, or anything that you connect with. Colleges and universities are interested in learning more about you as a person, so you want to ensure that what you are delivering is relatable and stays true to you. Allow your authentic personality and writing style to shine through, while directly addressing the prompt is key. You want to get your point across and stick to it, but keep the word count and length of the essay in mind as well.
3. Dive Deep and Reflect
Your essay should include personal reflection and really dive into the topic you are writing about. When recalling these events in your life, you must describe what you learned through this experience and how it changed you, rather than simply restating the event that happened without providing much context. Get some insights on how other students conquered the application essay.
4. Ask For Constructive Feedback
This step is very crucial in ensuring you submit your best work. You can ask an instructor, advisor, or even a family member or friend to proofread your essay and provide their honest review. As a reader, they can let you know if thoughts are conveyed clearly and any perspectives may touch their hearts. This kind of feedback may even be more valuable than grammatical edits. You want to allow ample time for revisions, so do not wait until the day before the paper is due to ask for feedback. To ensure the feedback the reader is providing is valuable, feel free to share these tips with them on how to offer constructive feedback.
After reading this, I hope you are motivated to begin working on your college essays. Throughout the process, college admissions officers read through many papers, so you want to stand out by writing about something personal and relatable, not what you think they want to hear. Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns at 408.865.0366 or office@legend.com Good luck!