For college applicants, the essay is the place to showcase their writing skills and let their unique voice shine through.
“The essays are important in part because this is a student’s chance to really speak directly to the admissions office,” says Adam Sapp, assistant vice president and director of admissions at Pomona College in California.
Prospective college students want their essay, sometimes called a personal statement, to make a good impression and boost their chances of being accepted, but they have only several hundred words to make that happen.
This can feel like a lot of pressure.
“I think this is the part of the application process that students are sometimes most challenged by,” says Niki Barron, associate dean of admission at Hamilton College in New York, “because they’re looking at a blank piece of paper and they don’t know where to get started.”
That pressure may be amplified as many colleges have gone test optional in recent years, meaning that ACT and SAT scores will be considered if submitted but are not required. Other schools have gone test-blind and don’t consider such scores at all. In the absence of test scores, some admissions experts have suggested that more attention will be paid to other parts of an application, such as the essay.
But just as each applicant is unique, so are college admissions policies and priorities.
“Being test optional hasn’t changed how we use essays in our selection process, and I wouldn’t say that the essay serves as a substitute for standardized test scores,” Barron wrote in an email. “A student’s academic preparation for our classroom experience is always front and center in our application review process.”
On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against college admissions policies that consider an applicant’s race. The ruling, though, does not prohibit students from writing essays on how their race has affected them, which experts say could significantly affect how students approach this portion of their applications.
Essay-writing tips offered by experts emphasize the importance of being concise, coherent, congenial, unique, honest and accurate. An applicant should also flex some intellectual muscle and include vivid details or anecdotes.
From brainstorming essay topics to editing the final draft, here’s what students need to know about crafting a strong college application essay.
1. Getting Started on the College Essay
2. How Long Should a College Essay Be?
3. How to Pick a College Essay Topic
4. Writing the College Essay
5. How the Affirmative Action Ruling Could Change College Essays
6. Editing and Submitting the College Essay
Getting Started on the College Essay
A good time for students to begin working on their essays is the summer before senior year, experts say, when homework and extracurricular activities aren’t taking up time and mental energy.
Starting early will also give students plenty of time to work through multiple drafts of an essay before college application deadlines, which can be as early as November for students applying for early decision or early action.
Students can go online to review essay requirements for the colleges they want to apply to, such as word limits and essay topics. Many students may start with the Common App, an application platform accepted by more than 1,000 schools. Students can submit that application to multiple schools.
Another option is the Coalition Application, an application platform accepted by more than 130 schools. Students applying through this application choose from one of six essay prompts to complete and include with their application.
[Read: A Complete Guide to the College Application Process.]
In addition to the main essay, some colleges ask applicants to submit one or more additional writing samples. Students are often asked to explain why they are interested in a particular school or academic field in these supplemental essays, which tend to be shorter than the main essay.
Students should budget more time for the writing process if the schools they’re applying to ask for supplemental essays.
“Most selective colleges will ask for more than one piece of writing. Don’t spend all your time working on one long essay and then forget to devote energy to other parts of the application,” Sapp says.
How Long Should a College Essay Be?
Though the Common App notes that “there are no strict word limits” for its main essay, it suggests a cap of about 650 words. The Coalition Application website says its essays should be between 500 and 650 words.
“While we won’t, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention for as long as you’d hoped it would,” the Common App website states.
The word count is much shorter for institution-specific supplemental essays, which are typically around 250 words.
How to Pick a College Essay Topic
The first and sometimes most daunting step in the essay writing process is figuring out what to write about.
There are usually several essay prompts to choose from on a college application. They tend to be broad, open-ended questions, giving students the freedom to write about a wide array of topics, Barron says.
The essay isn’t a complete autobiography, notes Mimi Doe, co-founder of Top Tier Admissions, a Massachusetts-based advising company. “It’s overwhelming to think of putting your whole life in one essay,” she says.
Rather, experts say students should narrow their focus and write about a specific experience, hobby or quirk that reveals something personal, like how they think, what they value or what their strengths are. Students can also write about something that illustrates an aspect of their background. These are the types of essays that typically stand out to admissions officers, experts say. Even an essay on a common topic can be compelling if done right.
Students don’t have to discuss a major achievement in their essay — a common misconception. Admissions officers who spoke with U.S. News cited memorable essays that focused on more ordinary topics, including fly-fishing, a student’s commute to and from school and a family’s dining room table.
What’s most important, experts say, is that a college essay is thoughtful and tells a story that offers insight into who a student is as a person.
“Think of the college essay as a meaningful glimpse of who you are beyond your other application materials,” Pierre Huguet, CEO and founder of admissions consulting firm H&C Education, wrote in an email. “After reading your essay, the reader won’t fully know you — at least not entirely. Your objective is to evoke the reader’s curiosity and make them eager to get to know you.”
If students are having trouble brainstorming potential topics, they can ask friends or family members for help, says Stephanie Klein Wassink, founder of Winning Applications and AdmissionsCheckup, Connecticut-based college admissions advising companies. Klein Wassink says students can ask peers or family members questions such as, “What are the things you think I do well?” Or, “What are my quirks?”
The essay should tell college admissions officers something they don’t already know, experts say.
Writing the College Essay
Some experts encourage students to outline their essay before jumping into the actual writing, though of course everyone’s writing process differs.
The first draft of an essay doesn’t need to be perfect. “Just do a brain dump,” Doe says. “Don’t edit yourself, just lay it all out on the page.”
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If students are having a hard time getting started, they should focus on their opening sentence, Doe suggests. She says an essay’s opening sentence, or hook, should grab the reader’s attention.
Doe offered an example of a strong hook from the essay of a student she worked with:
“I first got into politics the day the cafeteria outlawed creamed corn.”
“I want to know about this kid,” she says. “I’m interested.”
The key to a good college essay is striking a balance between being creative and not overdoing it, Huguet says. He advises students to keep it simple.
“The college essay is not a fiction writing contest,” Huguet says. “Admissions committees are not evaluating you on your potential as the next writer of the Great American Novel.”
He adds that students should write in the voice they use to discuss meaningful topics with someone they trust. It’s also wise to avoid hyperbole, as that can lose the readers’ trust, as well as extraneous adverbs and adjectives, Huguet says.
“Thinking small, when done right, means paying close attention to the little things in your life that give it meaning in unique ways,” he says. “It means, on the one hand, that you don’t have to come up with a plan for world peace, but it also means thinking small enough to identify details in your life that belong only to you.”
How the Affirmative Action Ruling Could Change College Essays
The Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action has left some students feeling in limbo with how to approach their essays. Some are unsure whether to include racial identifiers while others feel pressure to exclude it, says Christopher Rim, CEO and founder of Command Education, an admissions consulting company.
“For instance, some of our Asian students have been concerned that referencing their culture or race in their essay could negatively impact them (even moreso than before),” Rim wrote in an email. He noted that many students he works with had already begun crafting their essays before the ruling came. “Some of our other students have felt pressure to disclose their race or share a story of discrimination or struggle because they expect those stories to be received better by admissions officers.”
Some of the uneasiness stems from what feels like a contradictory message from the court, Rim says. In his majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., said the ruling shouldn’t be construed “as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.” But he added that colleges may consider race only if it’s tied to an applicant’s individual experiences or qualities, such as demonstrating courage against discrimination.
Personal essays shouldn’t serve as a way for universities to ask students about their race as a means to admit them on such basis, Roberts added.
Rim says he expects there to be a lot of confusion from parents and students as they navigate that line when writing their essay. He says his guidance will vary with each student depending on their specific situation.
“For a student from an immigrant family, sharing their racial and cultural background may be integral to understanding their identity and values and therefore should be included in the essay,” he says. “On the other hand, a student who has never meaningfully considered ways in which their race has shaped their life experience and worldview should not push themselves to do so in their essay simply because they believe it will better their chances.”
Editing and Submitting the College Essay
While admissions officers try to learn about students via the essay, they are also gauging writing skills, so students want to make sure they submit top-notch work.
“The best writing is rewriting,” Sapp says. “You should never be giving me your first draft.”
When reviewing a first essay draft, students should make sure their writing is showing, not telling, Huguet says. This means students should show their readers examples that prove they embody certain traits or beliefs, as opposed to just stating that they do. Doing so is like explaining a joke to someone who’s already laughed at it, he says.
“Let’s say, for example, that the whole point of a certain applicant’s essay is to let admissions officers know that she thinks outside the box. If she feels the need to end her essay with a sentence like, ‘And so, this anecdote shows that I think outside the box,’ she’s either underestimating the power of her story (or the ability of her reader to understand it), or she hasn’t done a good enough job in telling it yet,” Huguet says. “Let your readers come to their own conclusions. If your story is effective, they’ll come to the conclusions you want them to.”
After editing their essay, students should seek outside editing help, experts recommend. While there are individuals and companies that offer paid essay help — from editing services to essay-writing boot camps — students and families may not be able to afford the associated fees. Some providers may offer scholarships or other financial aid for their services.
The availability and level of feedback from free essay advising services vary. Some college prep companies offer brief consultations at no charge. Free essay workshops may also be available through local high schools, public libraries or community organizations. Khan Academy, a free online education platform, also offers a series of videos and other content to guide students through the essay writing process.
Colleges themselves may also have resources, Barron notes, pointing to pages on Hamilton’s website that offer writing tips as well as examples of successful admissions essays. Likewise, Hamilton also holds virtual panel discussions on writing admissions essays.
Students have other options when it comes to essay help. They can ask peers, teachers, school counselors and family members for help polishing an essay. Huguet says it’s typically wise to prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to seeking feedback on essays. Too many perspectives can become counterproductive, he says.
“While it can be valuable to have different perspectives, it’s best to seek out individuals who are experts in the writing process,” he says. “Instructors or professors can be helpful, particularly if they possess subject expertise and can provide guidance on refining arguments, structure and overall coherence.”
[READ: How Colleges Choose Which Students to Admit.]
Proofreaders should not change the tone of the essay. “Don’t let anyone edit out your voice,” Doe cautions.
And while proofreading is fair game, having someone else write your essay is not.
When an essay is ready to go, students will generally submit it online along with the rest of their application. On the Common App, for example, students copy and paste their essay into a text box.
Sapp says even though students often stress about the essay in particular, it’s not the only thing college admissions officers look at. “The essay is the window, but the application is the house,” he says. “So let’s not forget that an application is built of many pieces.”
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How to Write a College Essay originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 07/10/23: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
