Demystifying the Personal Essay Process
Should applicants begin drafting the personal essay? Is it ever too soon? The answer is no. Crafting the personal essay is a daunting and often very stressful task. In fact, some students argue that the most difficult part of the entire application process is completing the essays. I often recommend that my proactive high school students brainstorm over the course of several years to help them narrow in on a unique topic that reveals who they are and separates them from the rest of the admissions applications.
Here are some tips and tricks to ease the process and complete the task:
1.) Keep A Writer’s Journal
Keeping an informal journal, list or even a folder filled with previous writing assignments and ideas will enable applicants to brainstorm more effectively.
2.) Tell Your Story (well, one of them…)
Year after year, the most successful essays read like creative short stories. Beautiful, vivid and honest, these personal statements give the applicant the edge needed to be admitted into competitive colleges (especially the Ivy League schools). A “story” does not need to be a long-winded and broadly focused life story. Instead, it should be a defining moment, a conversation or an interaction that was impactful. The best essays often contain small, but indelible moments that reveal who a writer is as a person. Emerge from the sea of transcripts and test scores and use this opportunity to show the “human” side of your application.
3.) Look for Inspiration
I always direct clients to one of my favorite resources for personal essay writing. The admissions office at Johns Hopkins University demystifies the admissions writing process by providing an archive of its most favorite essays. Not only that, but the admissions officers also share with applicants why they loved the chosen essays. Whether or not you are applying to Hopkins, this is a fabulous resource for writers because it reveals what competitive colleges are looking for in applicants.
Here is the link:
https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/
4.) Avoid Common Topics (write at your own peril…)
Here are the most common essay topics that applicants should avoid:
Death- Morbid and emotional, students often choose to write about death because it was significant and memorable. As callous as it sounds, however, colleges do not want to read about the death of family members, friends or pets.
Injury- Similar to death, colleges are not interested in an applicant’s torn meniscus or broken foot.
The Big Game- Every athlete wants to write about “the big game” in his or her personal essay, and I strongly advise against it year after year. The schools will read about your athletic achievements in the activity section of your application, and there is usually a place to briefly mention an athletic accomplishment in the supplemental section of the application.
Community Service- An applicant who has spearheaded a very unique service project can sometimes break this rule and write about community service. However, applicants should aim to write about a topic that schools are not going to see in the activity section of the application.
Research- High schools across the country are partnering with local universities in an effort to expose high school students to research opportunities. This is a worthwhile activity, but unless you are a graduate student working on a PhD or have won a national award related to your work, do not write about the research you conducted in high school.
***These topics are among the most common that schools receive. There is a place for this material in some of the supplemental essays, but avoid cliché and predictable topics if you are aiming to stand out as an applicant.
5.) Find an Editor (one who is not going to strip your essay of your authentic voice)
An English teacher is not always the best choice, and neither is a college consultant. You need a person who has a background in English education and college consulting, and there are very few of us. English teachers are good editors, but many do not have the experience or the insight into what college admissions offices are looking for in applicants. In addition, the style of writing for a personal essay or supplemental essay is very different from a typical expository or persuasive essay. A good college consultant knows what colleges are looking for in an essay, but many have no idea how to support their clients through the writing process.
The Best of Both Worlds: I was an English teacher in a competitive Manhattan private school before I became a college admissions consultant. My background in English education gives my clients an edge in the college admissions process. I know what colleges are looking for in essays, and I know how to support and guide my students through the entire writing process.
6.) Don’t let the prompts stifle you….
I often recommend that students brainstorm about possible essay topics before even reviewing the Common Application prompts. Essays can almost always be linked to one of the seven essay topics on the Common Application. If you do want to take a look at the upcoming prompts, however, click the following link.
Here are the 2019-2020 Common App Essay Prompts:
https://www.commonapp.org/whats-appening/application-updates/2019-2020-common-app-essay-prompts
7.) Have fun (easier said than done)
Writing the essay is stressful, but do not let it become an agonizing and tedious experience. Let me help you “workshop” your essay in a fun and engaging way that will enable you to gain access to some of the nation’s most competitive colleges.