Key Takeaway: Writing a college application essay is different from writing a standard paper or assignment. This part of your application requires thoughtful reflection, brainstorming, and careful polishing to stand out and make an impact on the reader. By using these ten tips and having others review your finished work, you can craft an essay that truly shines!
One of the more stressful aspects of your college application can be the application essay. Some schools provide specific prompts, while others offer more general questions. Regardless of the type, there are ways to make your essay stand out. Here are 10 tips for writing a successful college essay!
What Is a College Essay?
When you fill out your college application, you’ll submit your transcripts, test scores, GPA, and a list of all your academic and extracurricular achievements. While it seems like that should be enough, there’s something that this information doesn’t tell the admission committee: your unique, personal, and specific story.
Some applications will have you write a personal statement and others will require you to answer a creative prompt. This essay is your chance to stand out from other applicants with similar academic backgrounds. In fact, it could be the deciding factor in your application.
13 College Essay Tips
1. Read the Prompt(s)
Your college application will almost always give you some sort of essay prompt to write about. It could be something common like “Who is a person you look up to” or “describe a time you overcame a challenge.” Or it could be some bizarre essay questions, like “If you could choose to be raised by robots, dinosaurs, or aliens, who would you pick? Why?” (Yes, that is a real college app essay prompt from a real university).
2. Start Brainstorming and Select a Topic
Different prompts will call for different brainstorming sessions. If your prompt is “What person inspires you?” jot down a list of people who you admire. It could be a parental figure, a teacher, a celebrity, a past inventor, or even a fictional character (just make sure you follow the rules of the prompt of the application essay).
Go through each potential topic and think about what material you can get out of it. Start eliminating weaker ideas.
For example, if your prompt is “Describe a time your hard work paid off” and you’ve brainstormed: Studied hard to get an A in class I struggled with, saved up and worked odd-jobs to pay for a new video game, spent weeks and weeks on an art project that one first prize in a contest—which of these can you write the most about? Which one taught you a valuable lesson or two?
The narrowing down process might take two or three rounds, but at the end of it, you’ll have your essay topic and know how to approach it.
3. Outline Your Essay
Before you dive into writing, it’s helpful to create an outline. You’ve learned about essay structures in class, no doubt, so put it to use here. Create bullet points for topics you want to hit in the body paragraphs. If you’ve got an idea for an intro hook or a good conclusion, jot them down—though some people find it easier to write the introduction and conclusion after they’ve written the body.
4. Talk About Your Strengths and Accomplishments
While your application lists your accomplishments, your essay is the place to bring them to life. For example, if your application notes that you were president of the robotics club, use your essay to detail the challenges you faced and how your dedication led to your success.
Or instead of just stating that you ran track all four years, you could share the story of how you overcame an injury to compete in the finals during your senior year. By providing context to your strengths and accomplishments, your essay can offer a more complete picture of who you are that goes beyond the details in your application.
5. Show Passion
Nothing makes a paper stand out like genuine passion. Whether you’re writing about a personal experience, your intended field of study, or how you plan to make a difference in the world, let your enthusiasm shine through. If your essay lacks emotion and comes across as robotic, admissions officers might doubt your genuine interest in the topic.
Back up your interests with experiences and show your identity in the essay. Remember, the admissions department has a lot of essays to read through each year, so focus on making yours one they remember.
6. Be Concise
College essays tend to have word limits (and sometimes minimums). If you surpass the limit, your application may just be disqualified. That’s why it’s so essential to be concise in your essay. You need to get your point across without being too wordy. You only have so much room to work with! Use it wisely. Before writing, brainstorm carefully and map out your points to focus on so that you stay on topic.
7. Include Details
While it’s important to be concise, don’t be afraid to add details to make your essay more memorable. As long as you are concise with your facts, you should have plenty of space to add important details that give life to your story. You don’t want a completed essay that reads, “This happened, so I did this. And then I did that. And finally, this was the outcome.”
Details make up our lives, and if you want them to make an impact on the reader, then they should make up your essay, too. For example, instead of simply saying “I volunteered at the animal shelter,” you could describe a specific experience. Perhaps you helped a shy dog overcome its fear of people, or you raised funds for a new shelter building.
8. Showcase Emotion
Your essay shouldn’t read like a step-by-step guide to your life, as that can strip away the emotional impact. Instead, aim to evoke feelings in your reader, reflecting the emotions you experienced during the significant events you’re describing.
If you felt elated, make sure your reader can share in that happiness. If you were devastated, help them understand the depth of your experience. Use emotionally charged words and write from the heart, then edit for clarity while preserving the emotional resonance.
9. Speak Your Mind (With Respect)
You shouldn’t shy away from expressing your opinions, even on controversial topics. Prompts may also lead you to this path if they ask you about what you would change in society, what you think could improve your community, what could solve problems on campus, or anything similar. Colleges often seek students who are passionate and intellectually engaged.
However, if you do bring up a controversial topic, be mindful to approach it with sensitivity and respect. You don’t want to go on a rant or come off as hateful. Argue your points in a balanced way and back them up with evidence. Do not make any offensive remarks.
10. Be Sincere and Authentic
You should never lie on a college application—and that includes the essay. Your essay should be an honest representation of who you are. Making up facts, especially those that are verifiable, could cause you to lose out on a college acceptance letter.
11. Harness Creativity
Creativity should definitely have a seat at the table if you want to make an impact with your college essay! That doesn’t mean you should go all in on adding pizzazz and flashiness to your writing but showcasing your personality is always a good idea. What makes you, you? And how can you display that in your essay?
Incorporating creative storytelling can make your essay stand out and avoid a monotonous tone. Reflect on your experiences and consider how to present them in a unique way that highlights your individuality and perspective. Demonstrating creative thinking shows colleges you can approach challenges with originality. You can use vivid imagery and dialogue to bring the story to life.
12. Follow the Essay Guidelines
If you are asked to answer a prompt in 300 words, then you need to follow the specific guidelines. Always stay within the confines of the college’s essay requirements. Going significantly over or under the limit can leave a negative impression. It also means you should be staying on topic by making sure your essay is directly answering the prompt
13. Revise and Edit Multiple Times
Reread, revise, edit, repeat. Take some time to step back and review your work for parts that could use improved clarity, coherence, and impact. But don’t stop there. To ensure you have the right amount of creativity, sincerity, and emotion in your essay, you should let others read it! This is another helpful step to prevent submitting an essay filled with errors. Consider asking a teacher, counselor, or trusted friend to proofread and review your essay as well.
Whether you are answering a prompt or writing a personal statement, there are ways to write unique college application essays. Think about what would make it an interesting read while showing your personality and your passion. However, remember to stick to the guidelines of the prompt and always proofread carefully to avoid submitting an essay with errors. Remember to stay true to yourself and you’ll be getting those acceptance letters to your dream school before you know it!
While your essay is a big part of your college application, there is a lot more that goes into your admission chances. It’s important to have a well-rounded application to increase your chances of getting accepted to your dream college. College Raptor’s College Match helps you identify where you can improve—and finds the best schools for you!
