Essay Writing 101

Essays are one of the most important parts of a college application along with extracurriculars. They are a great way to stand out from other candidates; therefore, students should be diligent in developing and editing them. Essays need to be creative and demonstrate the character of an applicant. Personal statements in particular need to be impressive and tell admissions officers something new about applicants, so do not simply re-write the activity section in this portion. If writing about extracurriculars, students must demonstrate how the activities had an incredible impact on them and indicate a strong personal connection. It is fine to write about activities if asked by a college in the supplemental essay portion of an application.

What Should the Personal Statement Essay Include?

A story. Narratives are an essential part of any good essay, especially for the personal statement. Writers should tell a story, not sum up facts about themselves or their ideas. With personal statements, they must show and not tell. For example, if students play an instrument that has become part of their life then they should tell a story about a meaningful experience they had with it. Maybe it reminds them of someone they know. Be creative and provide a narrative of an experience or experiences. Essays can be funny, sad, or inspirational. It does not matter as long as it is a strong, compelling story.

The personal statement must provide admissions officers with more information about the applicant not included in other parts of the application. Writers can show that they are funny, but unless they are actually funny, they should not try to be. Forced humor never works, is awkward, and can become a negative aspect of an application. Demonstrating a passion about something is compelling. Students can discuss their “spike,” but should not talk about their actions as much as their impact on the applicant and others.

A well written essay is essential. The essay is not only used to demonstrate character but also to demonstrate adequate writing skills. Grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and organization are all important, and if not executed properly, can cause the main point of the essay to be overlooked. The ability to convey a powerful message through a well-written, cohesive essay is vital.

Personal statements should not be disingenuous or come across like the applicant is trying to write what they think the admissions office wants to hear. This is a terrible idea and will weaken the application. Being unique and demonstrating originality is more compelling than discussing overdone topics.

Personal Statements should be edited. They should reflect careful thought and perfection. Essentially, the essay should be the best that applicants have ever written. It is not uncommon to go through 8 drafts of the essay — this is good and beneficial.

A powerful, memorable ending. Conclusions need to be very significant and written in a way that resonates with the admissions committee. Be inspiring or memorable in some original way.

Finally, the essay should not be boring. Students should not write about an overdone topic unless the essay is organized in a very unique way.

Steps to Writing an Extraordinary Personal Statement

Brainstorm

Thinking about a potential idea is the most important step because the content of the essay is what the admissions officers care about. Make sure to follow the suggestions listed above when picking an idea.

Plan and Outline

How does one organize the personal statement? This is a question that needs to be asked before any actual writing begins. Starting with a descriptive narrative and adding reflective points throughout is often a successful strategy. The body of the essay should continue the narrative and must provide reflection throughout. It needs to convey something powerful and interesting. Do not be boring or cliché. The ending should summarize how the experience, topic, or idea reflects something personal and its powerful personal impact. Leave the essay on an inspirational note with optimism. Colleges like optimism because it shows resilience. If a student has a creative layout that is not too strange or gets in the way of the reader understanding the main point of the essay, then they should use it. Format is a way to stand out but be careful and question if it is cheesy or if it is original.

Write the introduction. This is the basis for the rest of the essay so there should be considerable time spent on its formulation.

Complete the first draft, read it, and evaluate the quality of the idea and its execution, not just for grammar and spelling.

Complete at least 3 more edits/drafts. The personal statement must be perfect and the only way to achieve this is through lots of editing and reflection. Even when students are not writing they should be considering how an admissions officer would view their essay. Would they think it is inspiring? Funny? Demonstrates originality and creativity? Resilience? These are all characteristics of an outstanding essay.

Have parents, friends, or teachers read it. Other people’s feedback is important and enlightening. Ask them to consider the essay from the viewpoint of an admissions officer and how it makes them feel while reading. Do not let anyone change the way it is written too much as this will remove the unique writing style.

Remember that although the personal statement is one of the most important parts of the application, it is not the only factor. Careful idea generation, planning, writing, editing, and considerable reflection are all important but do not get too stressed about the process. The steps above will guide the writing process and will make it easier to produce a well-written essay that will be compelling during the admissions committee.

Supplemental Essays and How to Write them

Supplemental essays are those that are required for specific schools. Some schools do not have supplemental essays, others have many. It is very variable. If an essay is optional, submit one. Not doing so indicates a lack of interest in the college. These essays should be just as well written as the personal statement; although there is not quite as much scrutiny, it is still an opportunity to demonstrate something new to the admissions committee and must be taken advantage of.

Categories of Supplementals

The classic “Why do you want to attend [insert university name]?”

This is likely the most common essay question. It may be asked in the form written above or the college may use a variation, such as “What resources would you take advantage of at [insert university name]?” These questions all ask why the applicant is interested in the school. Most students will write generic information that can easily be obtained in about 30 seconds, but this is a good way to have their applications quickly thrown into the rejection pile. When writing this type of supplemental essay, consider that colleges will want to see that research was done and that the applicant is truly passionate about the institution. This is very important to admissions officers because retention rates factor into college rankings, meaning they want to know that most of the students they accept will choose to attend. Start by researching unique classes and programs that are of interest and aligned with the chosen temporary major. Investigate research opportunities, professors, and unique programs, such as an entrepreneurial startup program. Compile a list of factors like this to discuss in the essay. Do not discuss generic information about the size of the college, unless referring to a specialized program within one. Generic facts look bad so simply stating the location is not a good decision. If mentioning location, indicate how it will help with specific interests, such as internships. For example, do not write about the location of New York University or Columbia University just because they are in New York City. Do not reference that at all except when discussing internships or location-based university programs possibly related to finance or some other industry. Overall, just make sure to be specific and convey passion for the college. Finally, it can be a good idea to use a slight narrative style in these essays, although they should be more expository than the personal statement. For instance, writing about a campus tour experience in relation to a specific program or the college in general would make the essay unique. Do not make the whole essay a narrative, just a small segment to grab the reader’s attention.

The ambiguous “Create your own prompt.”

Some colleges allow applicants to write about a topic of their choice. This prompt is often listed alongside directional prompts that are much less broad. Writing an essay about anything can be a great way to stand out or it can backfire. If creativity is a student’s strong suit, then this prompt may be a good choice. However, the essay will have to be extremely original and convey something new in the application. The topic choices are endless so picking something obscure and memorable will dramatically help admission prospects. This does not mean that writing about something weird just to be weird is a good idea. If an applicant is not quirky or particularly strange (in a good way), then they should not select this prompt. The essay needs to come across naturally, and a weird topic must tie into an applicant’s personality or clearly reflect their character. Having an opportunity to create a prompt could make an admissions officer become attached to an applicant, which is crucial. If students think they could write a great essay with this prompt, they should choose it.

The Extracurricular Essay

Another common prompt asks applicants to expand on and discuss an extracurricular experience. The essay will likely be based on an activity already listed in the activity section, but no words should be repeated. Everything in the application must demonstrate a new side of the applicant. To do well on this essay, provide the most important details about a profound activity and find a way to include reflection in the end. It should ideally relate to the “spike” and reinforce it. Making personal connections is important as well. If there is a shorter word limit (250 words or less), this should not be a narrative but a straight-forward summary and introspective reflection. A variation of this prompt could request a list and description of community service activities, or a list and description of jobs held. Providing straight-forward answers and being descriptive about any role(s), responsibilities, and accomplishments is key.

The Intellectual Experience Essay

Many colleges ask applicants to describe a specific intellectual experience that they have experienced, and sometimes it is supposed to be one from outside of school. If the applicant has done research with a teacher that was not required schoolwork, or better-yet, if it was done with a college professor or institution, they should write about it. This is another straight-forward question that should be answered with enough detail to demonstrate true knowledge, passion, and potential for future impact in the field. Colleges want to see that applicants are academically minded and involved outside of school, but research is not the only way to demonstrate this. A summer program is also a great way to reinforce interests and possibly a “spike” if it is academically based, such as math Olympiad competitions. Just be careful to not pick an intellectual experience from school if the prompt says not to. It is encouraged to nerd out on this essay and have some fun.

The Community Essay

Another prompt asks applicants to describe a place or community that they call home. The most important factor in answering this question is addressing how the place/community has shaped the writer’s perspective or some other way it impacted them. As with all essays, originality is beneficial. Writing about being a part of a sports team or something typical is fine if done right but will not be as interesting as discussing family heritage, culture, tradition, or something more unique. The prompt can also be answered by discussing a hobby that an applicant enjoys if it is framed in terms of a community of hobbyists. This could include acquiring foreign languages or painting with friends. The possibilities are endless if the hobby can be reasonably related back to the prompt with regards to other people. If the question also allows for a discussion of a place that one calls home, then be specific and creative. The answer could be any community that has been impactful.

Summary of Categories of Supplemental Essays

There are many supplemental essays that can be a part of the college application process. Not all will be like the ones listed and explained above; however, successful essays follow many of the same patterns. Writers must think outside the box and create interesting answers to the questions. Applicants also need to demonstrate through every sentence something new to the admissions committee that makes them more attractive and unique. Supplemental essays that ask why the applicant wants to attend a specific college are great places to reinforce a “spike” by discussing aspects of the school that would allow for the specific interest to be advanced. The extracurricular essay is a great place to demonstrate this as well. Supplemental essays are critical for a successful application as they offer an opportunity to become distinguishable and memorable in the eyes of admissions officers. A significant amount of time should be spent on them, especially when given the opportunity to be especially creative/original with an answer.