Your college essay. It’s a big part of your college application and the biggest opportunity to demonstrate your “je ne sais quoi,” that distinctive, irresistible quality that makes you a valuable asset to admissions reps. If you have a less-than-perfect GPA or test scores, it’s also a chance to sparkle. 

So, how do you construct a college essay that will jump off the page, grip its reader, and summon that much-coveted acceptance package several months later? Here are a few suggestions to leverage the power of your college essay and write an inspired, evocative piece that will elevate your college application as a whole.

A Successful College Essay Reveals Your Character

Your grades and extracurricular activities may indicate that you’re a hard worker or a dedicated student, but they will do little to showcase your compassion and community spirit. Those are important qualities to college admissions officers. Consider your values, experiences, lessons, influences, and write from the heart. This is the time for personal, raw reflection.

The strongest stories are the ones that have the most intense and compelling “arcs,” where you start at point A and somehow, through people and circumstances, your experiences and choices shaped you to travel to point B, and now you’re a different person. Remember: talking about something that changed you is only effective if your reader knows who you were before. 

Can you bare your soul and give your reader a glimpse of your moral groundings? If you’re intimidated by that challenge (and even if you aren’t) consider the following questions:

-When were your ethics tested? 

-When did you advocate for something or someone? 

-What profound insights have you learned through your struggles or that of others? 

The answer to these questions may be excellent material for a game-changing college essay.

 

Write A College Essay That Tells the Story Behind Your College Application

Your college essay should help college admissions officers better understand you within the greater context of your entire college application. It should also reveal something new about you; don’t spend too much time going over information already presented in other parts of your college application. As such, this is definitely not the time to run through your accolades, test scores, or highlight your GPA. 

Think about the less tangible qualities or stories that exist within you and that have shaped the science nerd, honor roll student, or community volunteer that is clearly conveyed on paper. How does the person who can be measured with metrics and scores show up in real life, in community? What’s the story behind the story? That’s the sort of narrative that an inspired college essay will surely tell! 

College Essay Prompts That Work

The clock is ticking. It’s time to to get started on your college essay. It’s normal to feel intimadated or to have writer’s block.  Consider the questions above as prompts. Here are a few more that are sure to get you in the flow and generating amazing ideas:

-Have you ever felt pressured to make a choice you knew, deep down, was wrong? How did you respond? 

-Have you ever been tempted to conceal some part of yourself in order to fit in?

-Have you ever been afraid to speak your mind and share your truth because you doing so would mean “rocking the boat?” What did you do? 

-What is the greatest challenge you have overcome? How did you do it? Was the challenge external (illness, loss, disaster, etc) or internal (insecurity, fear, resentment, etc)? 

-What about challenges that came about because of something you did, or failed to do? How did you resolve these situations? What was required of you? 

-When did you realize that you are stronger than you thought you were? 

-If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? 

-What have the challenges in your life taught you? How are you better equipped to face the challenges that lie ahead? What is the greatest challenge you face today? 

Begin writing answers to these questions and expect the process to be trying and imperfect. Allow yourself a week or two in which you dedicated several blocks of time to shape your college essay. Remember, the perfect essay won’t flow onto the screen the first time you try, so release all expectations of instant gratification. Once you find a compelling narrative or theme and you’ve had several “drafting” sessions, your essay should take form. It must be logical and easy to follow, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Be sure it’s written in your voice so that your authenticity shines through your words.

Once you’ve got “something,” give it to a peer or mentor to edit and provide feedback. Then, make sure you’ve got plenty of time to incorporate feedback into another iteration.

Make sure that you read the essay out loud to yourself. Ask yourself: Does this sound like me?  

Still feeling shaky about writing your college essay? Get in touch with the AdmissionSmarts team and we’ll be happy to foster your confidence and guide you to write a successful college essay!