Writing
college essays can be a pain, especially when you have to write three just to
apply to one school. But it’s an inevitable task that can be efficiently
completed with a little determination. As a student applying to 9 colleges that
needs to write over 15 essays and supplemental writings, I am completely and
entirely in your shoes and am here with some quick and easy advice on how to
tackle your own pile of essays.
1.
Be unique! Just
think: the person that’s going to read your essay has read thousands before. If
you want to stand out, you’re going to have to put some serious thought into
what you’re going to write about. Avoid clichés and talk about the things that
differentiate you from the rest of the crowd. You’re special and have something
important to offer to the school that no one else can give them; what is it?
2.
Anything is better than nothing. A garbled
mess of stray thoughts and ideas can be worked with and fine-tuned into a well
polished essay. A blank piece of paper? Not so much. Sometimes just sitting
down and writing can help you communicate your ideas AND alleviate your stress
about the essay. If you can get a couple good sentences on paper, you’re that
much closer to finishing the essay. Sometimes you just have to sit down and
write and not worry about what comes out. If you get stuck or need help brainstorming, make an appointment with Ms. Loh!
3.
Prioritize and plan. When you
have numerous essays, it’s very important to set personal deadlines and
prioritize your workload. If you look at the pile of imminent work as a whole,
it can be overwhelming and seem like an impossible task. But if you set
realistic goals, such as an essay a week, you can quickly trim down the pile
and make it more manageable.
4.
Don’t worry about word counts (at
first.) The top priority of your essay is to express yourself, and you’re
not going to be able to do this if you keep glancing at the amount of words
you’ve written. Of course you don’t want to write an exorbitant or miniscule
amount, but your primary goal at first is to just get the essay done. After
that, it’s very easy to trim out unnecessary phrases to get the essay to the
length it needs to be (especially with the help of Ms. Loh). Remember: the top
priority is to get your thoughts on paper. The editing can come later.
5.
Write about something you’re
passionate about. I will be blunt: it’s a heck of a lot easier
to write about something that you care about than it is to write about
something mundane. Just think about the last time you had to do a biology
report, or a historical essay. Boring, right? If you write about something you
care about in your college essay, it will be much less painful (and potentially
enjoyable, actually!) And not only this, but the quality of your essay will be
much better if it’s filled to the brim with passion.
6.
Colorful language! Remember
all the times your English teacher emphasized the importance of similes,
metaphors, imagery, and “colorful language”? They were right! You want your
essay to be enjoyable to read. You don’t want to bore an admissions rep. This
can be accomplished through colorful language. Switch up your sentence
structure, throw in some good adjectives, look up a fancy word in the thesaurus
every now and then. It’ll certainly spice up your essay; just be sure not to
overdo it.
And
there you have it! 6 simple suggestions that will help you to bang out your
college essays and get accepted to the school of your dreams. You know you can
do it; now you just have to sit down and write.
-Matt Schofield, College Ambassador
