Harvard rejects one in four students with perfect SAT scores. Why? “Because universities seek students with a unique human experience they can relate to; not just a high GPA, test scores and IQ,” says Paul F. Davis, a UCLA certified College Counselor. Enter the college essay: a personal statement a prospective college student submits as part of their application. The college essay is essential because it gives admissions officers a perspective of a student beyond just grades and test scores.
So, what goes into a good college essay?
Davis has authored a hundred books to help students write compelling college essays. “Tell your story, be engaging and entertaining,” he says.“Heart, sincerity, originality and vulnerability are endearing. Don’t be afraid to open up and share your life with the reader.”
Good college essays are:
- personal
- unique
- authentic
College guidance counselor weighs in
In their senior year, high school students should fully utilize the resources provided by their college counselor. High school college counselors have been able to see which college essays are most impactful and can give good feedback. Matt Brauch is a high school college counselor at BASIS Independent School in Brooklyn and a Harvard graduate, which means he has first-hand experience with elite colleges and universities.
Brauch works with students one-on-one to learn about their collegiate and post-collegiate aspirations, making the college process less arduous. We asked Brauch about the top five do’s when it comes to a great college essay. Here’s what he told us:
- Showing is much more important than telling. Colleges don’t want to read lists of accomplishments in essays (that is what the activities list or a resume is for). Instead, he suggests you focus on what you value and how you want to convey that through what you choose to write. Using anecdotes infused with great imagery will show off your writing skills and provide a great opportunity for you to convey what you value.
- Begin with a flourish! This one is from the Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College. Because you will never know when your application will be read (you could be the first or the 40th application read on a given day), creating a strong hook to gain the reader’s attention is critical.
- Choose to focus on experiences from high school. You are the topic of your personal statement, so you want to write about something relevant to your life now, versus the person you were in elementary or middle school. Colleges are trying to get to know who you are now and to project who you will be on their campus and in the future. Sharing an experience from high school will help them get to know more about you now.
- Anecdotes are great because they allow students to reflect on personal values and can be used as a vehicle to show the roles or identities they hold. Exercises on roles/identities and the values exercise are a few of my favorites from The College Essay Guy to help students start to brainstorm for personal statements.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread.
What not to write
So what about what shouldn’t be in a college essay? We also asked Brauch what are the top five don’ts when it comes to writing a college essay. They are:
- Don’t aim for what you think an admissions representative may be looking for. Once you try to get into the head of a stranger to try to identify what they want, instead of sharing something about who you are and what you value, you’ve failed. The admissions representative is the audience for this essay, but you are the subject. This is an opportunity for them to learn more about you and what you value, not what you think they want to hear.
- Don’t try to write your whole life story in 650 words or less – When students try to write their autobiographies in this small amount of space, they always fail. It’s an impossible task for a 45-year-old to write their autobiography in that small amount of space, much less a 16 or 17-year-old.
- Don’t recycle old materials. Even if the questions are related or overlap, don’t use any of your other personal statement responses when completing the essay. There are some instances when students can recycle part of a response if it speaks to their passion in a particular subject. To write a supplement that is specific to a school, though, you need to show you have researched the school and can connect it back to what you want in an institution.
- For supplements, Brauch strongly encourages students to outline before writing. Outlining will help you to break down and answer the whole question – many supplements contain multiple questions you have to answer in a short amount of space. Creating a solid outline will help guide the development of your response, especially with smaller word limits.
- Don’t rely on “how to” guides, or artificial intelligence to write your essays. Formulaic approaches from books or essays generated from guidelines you’ve fed into an AI often come off flat and uninteresting. Most importantly, though, college essays are an opportunity for you to share a glimpse into who you are and what you value. That shouldn’t come from someone or something else. They should come from you because, ultimately, you are the best expert in the subject of yourself.
Advice from an admission consultant
Allen Koh, founder and CEO of Cardinal Education, a leading admissions consulting firm with office locations in New York and other cities, has helped countless families with the admissions process. He gives advice on how to craft college essays that genuinely reflect a student’s individuality and make a lasting impact on admissions officers. We know that not everyone has a budget for a college admissions consultant, but Koh was nice enough to share some insight with us.
Some of the things that Koh says students should not write about are:
The Sports Essay – Koh says that sports is a topic that is overused and unimpressive since it’s the easiest for students to discuss overcoming adversity. He says that admissions officers will not be impressed by the sports experiences of students who aren’t advanced enough to become recruits. “Unless you’re a recruitable athlete, this essay is not for you, he quips.”
The Tragedy Essay – While students often think that writing about the effect hardships and troubles have had on them are a good idea, these essays are difficult to pull off because of a “lack of balance between tragedy and recovery”. Most often, students fail to highlight admirable traits that the admissions committee values more.
The Laundry List Essay – Another mistake Koh says that students make is creating a list of all their achievements and accolades. “We know you’re proud, but this is what the resume is for. Essays, on the other hand, should be a well-crafted story about one or two extracurricular activities and how these have shaped your life,” he says.
The Underdog Essay – When telling an underdog story, it should end where the student comes out on top. “If you decide to write about this theme, make sure you are really an underdog< he says.“Otherwise, you might come out as privileged, leaving the reader unimpressed with the whole essay.”
The Drama Mongerer Essay – These essays talk about social difficulties, romantic breakups, trouble with teachers, or experiences with bullies: “Colleges are looking for people who will change the world, not those who dwell on high school drama.”
The Essay About Someone Else – Koh says that while admissions officers would love to know people who have served as inspirations, “make sure the essay is not about them. Admissions officers want to know about you, not your friends and family.”
The Volunteerism Essay – When writing about volunteer work, it should be of a noble nature with global goals. Students should choose an activity they’ve done for the long term rather than a one or two-week week volunteer trip abroad. “This may sound more of a privilege and look like an activity done out of desperation to fill out the resume,” he says.
The Judgmental Essay – Koh says to avoid dwelling on negative events and “portraying a self-righteous and judgmental tone where you are right and everyone else is wrong. Social issues or any setbacks you faced are good to mention if they relate to your extracurricular activities. Do not dwell on negativity, and when discussing them, the focus should always be on how you overcame them.”
The Gimmick Essay – Different writing styles like writing in prose poems or verse can show creativity, but it’s risky and difficult to pull off. “Unless the student is a professional literary writer, it is best to stick to the more traditional route,” he says.
The Vice President Essay – Koh reminds us that colleges are looking for leaders who could potentially become heads of clubs and organizations. “When writing about activities, students should choose those where they played significant roles, such as being the president or the founder,” he says. “There is nothing wrong with being vice president, but if, for example, both the president and vice president of the same high school club apply to the same college, the president will definitely stand out more.”
Authenticity is key
Ultimately, everyone we spoke to agrees that authenticity is key when it comes to writing a successful college essay. Principal Jamie Hendrickson of Meyer Levin School of the Performing Arts says that, “a great college essay should highlight professional and personal experiences that demonstrate the candidate’s values, strengths, and interests. Real-world connections are something educators teach students to leverage on a regular basis to enhance their writing and understanding. Authentic experiences generate an authentic voice and will ensure that their academic writing piques the interest of any recruitment officer vetting their application.”
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