Getting into college has always been highly competitive and stressful. The pressure is on for students to achieve the best grades, stellar standardized test scores, and let’s not forget an impressive list of extracurricular and community service activities. As a component of nearly every application process, the college admissions essay offers you the opportunity to show you’re more than a set of numbers and a list of accomplishments. Your admissions essay—or personal statement—is your chance to shine as you showcase your personality, your intellect, even your wit. As you dive into your applications, keeping this list of dos and don’ts in mind while you draft your college admissions essay will help position you ahead of the pack as a starworthy applicant.
The Weight of the College Admissions Essay
Historically, the college admissions essay has ranked just behind GPA and admissions test scores (SAT, ACT, etc.) as factors for admitting potential applicants to a college or university. But developments in higher education in 2020 and 2021 have resulted in the decreased significance of test scores. In fact, more than 1,400 accredited, 4-year colleges and universities have decided to make test scores optional for Fall 2022 applications. What does that mean for the weight of the college admissions essay? It will rank just behind the applicant’s GPA as a determining factor for admission. That’s ahead of extracurriculars, class rank, even teacher and counselor recommendations.
What is a College Admissions Essay?
A college admissions essay is often referred to as a personal statement, the operative word being “personal.” Whether a student is submitting a Common App essay or answering a school-specific prompt, they have 650 words to portray their personality—what makes them tick, their emotions, aspirations, and view of the world. Those carefully crafted, honest words must show exactly who they are beyond resumes and transcripts. College admissions officers also want to see how an applicant can be an asset to their college community.
In general, highlighting life skills are key: mindfulness, perseverance, curiosity, affability, decision-making, and time management.
That’s a tall order in such a short space, so identifying the characteristics of a stellar college admissions essay is essential. Here’s a list of the most important dos and don’ts to drafting a show-stopping college admissions essay.
Dos & Don’ts of a Starworthy College Admissions Essay
Do be introspective.
Colleges want evidence that students took a long, hard look into their hearts, souls, and minds to choose their topic and craft their essay. Dig deep and take off your armor. While most English instructors steer students away from using the first-person “I” in academic writing, admissions officers want to hear the student’s distinctive voice clearly (not in every sentence, though).
Don’t be shallow.
Be mindful of the purpose of a college admissions essay while you consider which topic to write on. Institutions of higher learning seek to educate future innovators, community leaders, and problem solvers. Your essay should convey your understanding of that goal, demonstrating how you are ready to rise to the challenge. Be sure the subject of your essay fits the seriousness of the occasion.
Do be authentic.
Admissions officers are looking for specific perspectives, learning experiences, and thoughts that reveal who you are. Use your own voice, your own words, and your unique sense of style. Are you naturally serious? Pensive? Funny? Satiric? Be yourself. Use a consistent level of vocabulary that reflects your own level of maturity and who you are as a person.
Don’t be someone else.
The college admissions essay is not a work of fiction. Tell a true story, not a manufactured personality and plot. Resist the temptation to use “big” words just because you think admissions officers will be impressed. They can see right through your writing style. If your typical vocabulary is mature and somewhat sophisticated, go for it. Otherwise, using those hundred-dollar words when you typically use dollar words creates awkwardness and shows false effort.
Caution: When using the Thesaurus, be sure to choose a specific word that provides the exact meaning and tone you’re looking for. Picking the first word that comes up may not be the perfect match.
Do be honest.
Tell the truth. Although you need to be creative while writing your essay, you should resist the urge to get creative with the facts. Write the truth and write it yourself.
Don’t cheat.
Don’t give in to the temptation to let someone else write your essay, especially a parent or teacher. Your essay is a unique reflection of who you are as a person. And, if you’re caught letting someone else write your essay, you may be automatically disqualified from admission. That’s exactly the kind of college application help you don’t need.
Do tell an engaging story.
Your essay should reveal how you learned and grew from a distinctive experience. That experience may be good, bad, or ugly. You are human, and admissions officers want to see that. All compelling stories include some aspect of conflict, climax, and resolution.
Details, details, details! Paint pictures, convey emotions, and reveal insights that draw the reader in so they can see and feel the experience as you did.
Don’t simply lay out a plot.
Your story should not be just a list of events. Don’t spit out “I did this, then this, and then this.” Nor should it be a formal, five-paragraph essay. What is the “ah-ha!” moment in full technicolor? Freeze-frame that moment and provide an environmental and emotional picture. You want your essay to convey the take-away from that experience.
Do show empathy and compassion.
Developing your smarts doesn’t just come from reading and going to school. It comes from life experience that shows us how to interact with others and develop a full scale of emotions, especially those that show the ability to note other’s feelings and understand them. Positive relationships and diverse points of view help students contribute to their college communities.
Compassion is an emotional response to sympathy, often resulting in the desire to help others. Students who are empathetic and compassionate typically become effective collaborators, team players, and leaders.
Don’t write an ego-based story.
While using first-person is often necessary, the essay can’t only be about you without recognizing the role others have played in your experiences. You haven’t lived in a vacuum or on a desert island.
Do show passion.
Write about courage, bravery, and resilience. Talk about your “why” that guides the decisions you’re making moving forward with life. Where have you found motivation? What touches you in a positive or negative way? What affects you?
Passion is associated with commitment, drive, and energy, all qualities college admission officers admire.
Don’t merely lay out the facts.
While you need to provide detail, expressing the facts in a neutral tone can be deadly. You do not have a blah personality, and your narrative should reflect a range of emotions appropriate for the story you’re telling.
Do be unique and meaningful.
Choose a response or prompt that allows you to reveal a distinctive aspect of your personality or an experience few others have had.
Emphasize the unexpected. Wake up the admissions committee, who yearn for the memorable.
Don’t be predictable.
Grandpa or mom may be your hero or heroine, but only write about them if they’re super spectacular. Choosing a role model may put you in a position to focus more on them than on you. You may be an athlete, president of your student council, or volunteer for the local food bank, like many others, but how is your interaction or point of view rare? If it’s not, picture the admissions officers yawning and rolling their eyes.
Do show self-motivation, initiative, and intellectual curiousity.
A student with initiative does not accept the status quo and does not accept everything they see or read. How did you address a problem and improve a situation? What impact did you have? While a student may not be able to show all these personality traits in one essay, they should consider this advice when choosing a topic and narrowing ideas to select a story that will stand out and wow admissions officers.
No matter what, a solid college admissions essay is well-written.
What does that mean? A well-written essay:
- Uses correct grammar and spelling—error-free and mechanically precise.
Self-editing and proofreading by outsiders are a must. Spell-check is necessary but not full proof. It won’t catch homophone errors or including the wrong name of a college. Oops! Nothing lands you faster in the circular file than referring to the wrong institution.
- Demonstrates unity.
- Addresses the prompt. The connection between your essay and the essay prompt needs to be clear.
Writing a compelling, stand-out college admissions essay requires introspection, commitment, and time. Doing your research and getting some guidance can result in being a star, not a dud.
Are you gearing up to tackle a stack of college applications but are stuck on creating your starworthy college admissions essay? The Savvy Red Pen offers a full line of student services to guide you along the way. Contact us today to see how we can help!
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