Students often feel tremendous pressure when writing college essays, especially their Common App essay. It’s your opportunity to show admissions officers who you are, which can be hard to convey in only 650 words!
Here are some tips to hopefully alleviate some of that stress:
1. Think about your key messaging. When choosing a topic, consider what’s explicitly being said and what could be found beneath the surface. What implicit messages are you sending the admissions counselors about your values or interests?
2. Start with a strong opening. The opening of your essay should hook the admissions counselor and make them want to read more. If you’re stuck, consider using one of the following options:
Visual imagery - use tons of descriptive words
Randomness
A random fact
A random statement
A random question
Dialogue
3. Show, don’t tell. College essays are essentially just telling stories about yourself. By leaning into the story, being specific, and using descriptive language you can make the reader feel like they’re right there with you.
4. Don’t worry about the word count in the beginning. When writing the first draft, focus on putting the entire story on paper even if it means you’re way over the word count. That will allow you to see what works and take away what doesn’t. While it may seem counter-intuitive, trust us - it’s a lot easier to get to the word count you’re looking for once you have your finalized narrative.
5. Start early. The Common App essay is likely going to be one of your most time-consuming college essays. It’s not unusual for students to write close to 10 drafts. By starting the writing process early you leave yourself time to reflect and edit, edit, edit.
Check out our 2018 blog post for additional college essay tips!