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Essays

The college essay can be a critical factor in the admission decision. Admissions officers use essays to distinguish otherwise similar applicants. Colleges want diversity, and the essay is your opportunity to show how you are different and what you can contribute to the college. 

Suggestions for writing a good essay

Read your topic.
Brainstorm your topic.
Write the essay.

1.  Read your topic. Essay topics generally fall under one of three categories:

  • The Generic Question:  “Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.” (Common Application 2011)
  • The School-Specific Question:  Please tell us what you find most appealing about Columbia and why. "(Columbia University application 2011) Considering both the specific undergraduate school or program to which you are applying and the broader University of Pennsylvania Community, what academic, research, and/or extracurricular path do you see yourself exploring at Penn?" (University of Pennsylvania Application 2011)
  • The Creative Question: Why did you do it? (Tufts University Applicatoion 2011)

2.  Brainstorm your topic. When you brainstorm, write down everything. Do not eliminate “bad” ideas; something silly could become creative later. With many ideas in mind, you need to choose one to write about. Many factors should influence your decision. Some questions to think about when choosing a topic:

  • Are you interested in the topic?  It’s hard to write about something you don’t care about, and it probably won’t turn out well.
  • Does your idea describe something different about yourself, something the college cannot learn from the rest of your application? The essay is a chance to convey who you really are—your personality and character. They already know that you took three AP classes from your résumé.
  • Could an average reader understand what you are talking about? You should not pick a topic that requires technical jargon or relates to something only people at your school would understand.
  • Is the topic too broad? You want to choose a focused, narrow incident to write about.

The key to your essay is to write something they will remember.

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3.  Write the essay. In many cases, you will want to write your essay in the form of a story or anecdote—these are more enjoyable to read and more memorable, and they give you a chance to convey ideas about yourself in a creative way.

When writing, follow these suggestions:

  • Answer the question. If you fail to answer the question, your essay is meaningless. Read it thoroughly to ensure you have answered the question.
  • Start with a creative lead. Your goal is to get the admissions officer interested in your essay and do more than just skim it. To do that, your first sentence or couple of sentences must be captivating.
  • Show, don’t tell. Rather than telling them: “I developed a new compassion for students with learning disabilities.”
    Show them: “The next time Sadie asked me to help her with her homework, I smiled and opened the geography book.”
  • Proofread each draft meticulously. Use your computer’s automated spellchecker.
  • Keep sentences short. Your sentences should be, on average, no more than 20 words.
  • Learn to recognize and avoid the passive voice.
  • Eliminate unnecessary words—all of them.
  • Never use a word without being certain of its meaning.
  • Avoid clichés and informal expressions.
  • Use words of more than two syllables sparingly. Use as many one-syllable words as possible.
  • Never use the word “however” to start a sentence. Do not say, “However, it is too early to know the effect of this program." Rather say, “It is too early, however, to know the effect of this program.”
  • Don’t over use any distinctive word or punctuation mark (e.g. hyphens).
  • Always use serial commas in lists (A, B, C and D should become A, B, C, and D). Avoid the overuse of commas.
  • Have a memorable conclusion. Your conclusion is what will stay with the reader. Don’t just “rehash” your essay or end with a weak sentence. Make sure your conclusion is memorable!
  • Edit relentlessly. Edit your essay again and again. Ask friends, a trusted teacher, and family members to review it. Reading your work aloud is an excellent editing technique.
  • Start your essay writing early. Do not wait until the last minute.
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