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College Application Essay Support

 

Writing a Good College Application Essay

The college essay is an interview on paper, a chance for the reader to get to know you as an individual beyond your transcript, test scores and extracurricular activities. The essay differentiates you from other applicants and gives you the chance to explain why you are a good fit for the college and how you will engage and succeed there.
 
Take Time to Brainstorm
Make a list of your most important experiences, achievements, and/or values.
  • List adjectives that describe you and anything significant or unique about you.
  • If you wanted the reader to summarize you in one sentence, what would that be?
  • Think of ways you have grown and changed over the four years of high school and which experiences contributed to those changes. Talk about your recent history, not early childhood.
  • Choose a topic you care about. It should demonstrate self-awareness and personal growth.
  • Don’t try to be someone you are not. You are not expected to have gone through some terrible event or faced a major obstacle. The simplest topics are often the best.
  • Try to tell a unique story. If you left your essay somewhere and a friend found it, would they know it was about you, and only you?
  • Write down a few main ideas for each essay topic and then decide which topic you are most comfortable writing about. No one topic is better than another.
  • Read the prompt carefully and answer all parts of the question. The follow up
    question is often what they really want to know: “How did this affect…?”, “How have you developed..?” etc.
  • If your story doesn’t fit any prompt, you can always use it for the “essay of your choice”.

Sitting Down to Write
  • Be open and AUTHENTIC. The best essay is one that sounds like you.
  • Don’t write what you think the admissions officer wants to hear or try to be someone you are not.
  • Write in your own genuine voice. Don’t use the thesaurus or force humor if that isn’t your style.
  • This is a narrative essay, so make it PERSONAL. Use “I” and “me.”
  • Don't feel limited to the 5-paragraph academic essay formula. It doesn’t work well for narratives.
  • Organize your essay. Don’t jump around too much or you will confuse the reader. Avoid repetition.
  • Narrow your focus. Choose one main idea and really elaborate on it.
  • Pay attention to tone. Don’t be too formal or informal. Leave the reader feeling positive about you.
  • You are not expected to be perfect. Do not be afraid to admit past mistakes or things you would do differently now, but remember to focus on your personal growth and learning.
  • Grab the reader’s attention with a “hook” but move quickly to the focus of the essay.
  • Show using SPECIFIC examples, facts and events to get your point across and make it personal.
  • Tell WHY it is important to you, WHAT you learned, and HOW you grew.
  • Don’t rewrite your résumé or list of accomplishments. Talk about something new that isn’t included elsewhere in the application or expand on and explain personal details of a class/activity/interest.
  • Don’t focus on your hero, other people, past events etc. Give a quick explanation and then focus on yourself and your response to that person, event, problem etc. Don’t complain about a person or experience. It doesn’t reflect well on you.
  • Make every word count. Don’t waste words on repetition or ornate, flowery language.
  • Avoid quotes and using other people’s words. This is about you and your experience.
 
Don’t Forget to Revise
  • Read it through slowly out loud to assess flow. You may catch mistakes you otherwise missed.
  • Check spelling, but don’t rely on the computer’s spell check! It won’t pick up grammatical errors or words with spelling variations (there/their/they’re for example)
  • Proofread it yourself and then ask someone whose opinion you respect to review it for content, structure, word choice, and tone. Avoid asking too many people for their opinion.
  • Don't feel obligated to use all the advice you get. Take feedback but keep your own voice and style.
 
 

Writing a Good “Why Us?” Essay 

 

The “Why Us?” essay provides the chance to show the college that you have taken time to research and understand what makes them different, as well as why you are a good fit for them and they are a good fit for you. It needs to be very SPECIFIC.


Take Time to Research

  • Make a list of things that you hope to do in college that match your interests: classes, experiential learning opportunities (research, study abroad, internships/co-ops etc), intramural sports, clubs, organizations etc.
  • Read the essay prompt carefully and take note of any specifics. Some colleges ask “why major at this college” or “how do you plan to engage on our campus?” Those will have a slightly different focus to a generic “why do you want to attend this college?”
  • Pay attention to the word count. Researching a 500 word essay is very different to a 150 word one.
  • Spend time on the college website and take notes as you explore the opportunities offered. 
  • Do a campus tour (in person or virtual), attend virtual events, and watch videos to give you a solid foundation before you begin.
  • Re-read the Fiske Guide and check for useful guidance and links in CPP notes.
  • Make connections between you and the school. Don’t simply tell them how great they are - demonstrate how they are the perfect fit for you specifically and how you will contribute to their community. They want students who will get involved on campus.

 

Things to AVOID

  • DO NOT mention rankings or how well regarded they are. They know this about themselves and do not need you to tell them. It will appear shallow and make them question whether you only chose them because they are highly ranked.
  • Don’t talk about generic things that are common to many/most colleges, like low student faculty ratios, going to football games, being able to join Greek life or study abroad, unless you can be much more specific and connect it to yourself in a concrete way. For example, if you were raised in a family that roots for that football team and you’ve worn their clothing since preschool, go ahead and mention football games. 
  • Don’t talk about location or weather unless you have a very specific reason that it is important to your success on that particular campus.

 

Summary of things to research and consider

  • General ethos or mission (if relevant or different)
  • Curriculum structure and general education requirements - why does it appeal to you?
  • Specific classes you want to take
  • Specific professors you would like to work with
  • Relevant experiential learning opportunities (research, study abroad, internships, projects etc)
  • Facilities you will use
  • Organizations you will join - professional and fun
  • Other specifics - campus traditions, Living Learning Communities, First year activities and support
  • For the short prompts, try to cram in as many specifics as possible. Aim to include at least one class or academic opportunity related to your major, relevant experiential learning, and an interesting campus activity.

 

Details on things to consider, especially for longer prompts:

  • If there are particular buzzwords on the website then you should try to incorporate them in your response. 
  • Look for an “About Us” or “Mission” page. If not obvious, move on. Private colleges (religious ones in particular) might be focused on service or community for example. If the mission and values do not resonate with you, then you may want to reconsider if the college is a good fit for you.
  • Start with general academics. (Ignore if it looks fairly standard.) Do they have a fixed curriculum or an open one? Are there any core curriculum or general education requirements that might be unusual? For example, will you have the opportunity to take a PE class in logrolling, or a pottery class you always dreamed of trying? Is it easy to add a minor or double major or even create your own major if this interests you? Does the college have semesters, trimesters, 6 week terms, a block schedule? Is there a senior thesis or capstone? Project-based learning? Interdisciplinary opportunities?
  • Go to the departmental website for your chosen major. Find the required courses and identify specific classes that sound appealing (read the course description). Make a note of the exact name of each class that you want to mention.
  • Look into the professors in the department and find one who teaches the classes that you want to take. See if they are doing any research or other work that aligns with your interests. Name them and the work of interest. Connect to your own background if applicable.
  • Explore academic opportunities outside the classroom. Are there major-related organizations to join? Do they require or encourage internships or co-ops? 
  • Would you like to study abroad? Find a specific country and university that you could attend. Make sure your major is eligible (choose a summer or short term program if there is any doubt). Are there faculty-led study abroad opportunities for classes you are interested in?
  • Are there particular facilities that you are excited to use? Skills labs, maker’s space, trading floor, entrepreneur space, studios, performance spaces etc? Will you be able to access them if you are not in a particular major?
  • Look for clubs and organizations to join. Using the website search function (search “organizations”) can be more successful than going through “Campus Life”. You can mention professional/academic organizations, but colleges also expect you to want to do something fun (like a dill pickle appreciation society, magician’s circle, or some other wonderful student creation). Try to find something that is a little more unusual if applicable. Saying you want to start your own club when the college has 428+ to choose from makes you appear too lazy to look through the list, even if they keep telling you how easy it is to do.
  • Most colleges have a “Freshman Experience” which can range from a single activity before move-in to a whole year of freshman-focused programming. Become familiar with the specific offerings of this college.
  • Does the college have a Living Learning Community that is a good fit?
  • Are there any campus traditions that excite you? Why?

 

A final reminder to BE SPECIFIC. This essay needs to be so uniquely related to one particular college that it couldn’t be sent anywhere else. 

You can consider reusing the basic essay structure and changing the classes, professors, clubs etc if you are VERY CAREFUL not to leave in something from another university.

Thank you to Tamara Strachman and Ann Auld, Independent Education Consultants and Leigh Alum parents, for the information above.